i am an offering

Many of us are afraid to worship publically.  We’re afraid to show our vulnerability out in the open; afraid of what people might think of us.  But kids, on the other hand, aren’t afraid at all.  Yesterday I saw a little one give an offering of worship that blessed my heart so much.

 Our intern pastor’s son was walking onto the steps of the altar area, and someone called him down from there.  He said, “Okay, but I just want to sing for you.”  It was agreed that he could sing as long as he came down on the floor.  Eventually, someone asked him what he was going to sing.  “Jesus luv me,” he says.

This would have been fun and great if he had just sung it by himself, but he said to all of us adults, “Now you sing with me okay?  Ready?  Jesus luv me dis I know…”

 It was so precious to a see a little toddler leading all of us adults in worship that morning.  I am so thankful that I can learn how to offer myself from someone that small.

Personal note:  Please pray for me today and this week as I am going through some very tough personal struggles.

Well, many of you reading this probably already have a pretty good grasp of the things I want to highlight, but perhaps you’re just stumbling onto a ‘blog’ for the first time and realizing that the internet is a whole lot more complex than it used to be.  Ironically, it’s a whole lot more simple than it used to be as well.  Trust me, it really does make sense.  (As a side note, I’m going to try to get back to my originally posted blogging schedule.)

So, I wanted to devote a Tuesday Training article to technology and how it can be used within the church. Actually, technology is something that can be best used outside the church and makes it even easier to get the church outside the walls.

First of all, why should we care?  Are these just some latest trends and fads that will be here today and gone tomorrow?  Perhaps.  But these fads are the ones that your kids are immersed in.  And if you don’t have a grasp on what your kids are involved in, that’s not good.  We need to be aware of what is available and either find ways to rid it or redeem it.

We should also care because the internet has become a place of instant communication.  As soon as I hit my ‘publish’ button, this post will be sent to anyone who subscribes to this blog, as well as being sent to Technorati for the world to find instantly in an endless connection of discussions that are happening.  Since we are called to communicate the Gospel and tell the nations of Jesus, it has never been easier to get discussion going.

For ministries, a church’s website can (and should) be configured to be a meeting place for everyone.  Leaders and team members can have forums, blogs, calendars and everything they need right on their own website.  Talk about a great way to manage a team!  I just recently found the Geeks and God podcast and began to work on a project using Drupal, which is very, very cool stuff that I think that every church should be aware of.

 Now, the other side of this is that there is a serious danger to the instant communication on the internet.  Sites like youtube.com are fun, but people can post pretty much whatever they want on there as long as it’s within the “boundaries” which really aren’t that great.  Myspace.com is catastrophe waiting to happen for teens who don’t realize everything they put on their page is available to the whole world and parents who don’t even have a clue what Myspace is.

So, how can we redeem all of this?  Instead of using Myspace as a hangout for your youth, create your own youth page using Wordpress or Drupal.  Be a light in the darkness on Youtube and post uplifting, Jesus-centered videos.  Use the Church Marketing Lab on Flickr to have other people help critique your designs so that they are the best they can be.

I know I’m throwing out a ton of terms that some of you might be bored with and some might have no clue what I’m talking about, but my hope with this post was to be able to just tease you into seeing what’s available to be utilized.  If ever there was a time where the church’s voice could be heard loudly and clearly; literally universally, it’s now.

We’ve all struggled with the thoughts about whether or not as worship leaders we’re “performing” or not. At least I have. Especially in a contemporary worship-driven culture where we use modern musical styles and try to have the most excellent music and services that we can, it’s hard not to think of ourselves as performers. Then, when people claim that the music has become a performance, we claim that we’re performing for our audience of One: God.

I’ve gone back and forth on this issue forever, and I’d love some feedback on this. Sally Morgenthaler wrote a book called, “Worship Evangelism,” which I notice that one of the worship leaders from a large, well-known church in the blogosphere has on his recommended reading list in an interview. Well, the problem is that Sally Morgenthaler has now rethought her teaching from this book and seems to be questioning the very thing that people are jumping on the bandwagon to accomplish. In regards to using worship services as a tool to reach the lost, a colleague said this to her:

“If a contemporary worship service is the best witnessing tool in the box, then why give a rip about what goes on outside the worship center? If unbelievers are coming through the doors to check us Christians out, and if they’ll fall at Jesus’ feet after they listen to us croon worship songs and watch us sway back and forth, well then, a whole lot of churches are just going to say, ‘Sign us up!’” (may/june REV! pg 48)

That is a very good point. Sally goes on to say in the article,

“Were these worship-driven churches really attracting the unchurched? Most of their pastors truly believed they were. And in a few cases, they were right. The worship in their congregations was inclusive, and their people were working hard to meet the needs of the neighborhood. Yet those churches whose emphasis was dual–celebrated worship inside, lived worship outside–were in the minority.” (may/june REV! pg 49)

It does indeed seem like we have poorly equated the word, ‘worship’ with the time that we spend in church on Sunday morning (or evening, or Saturday evening). What did happen to Paul’s words when he mandated us to “present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Do we sacrifice ourselves daily for the needs of others, especially for those of the unchurched; people who don’t know Jesus? If we were in the very physical presence of God Himself, would we want to “perform” for an audience of one? Or would we be terrified because of His holiness and because His blood allows us to be in His presence without death?

So, my struggle is this. Is using modern styles and the latest technology being “conformed to this world?” I don’t think so, but I do wonder.

Hopefully, if we do believe that modern “worship” is acceptable, we will never lose sight of the need to die to self and to love others greater than ourselves. We will never lose sight of sharing our faith with the lost, even when it’s terrifying or discouraging. We will be able to worship God with our entire lives and each be able to say, “I am an offering. I put aside my desires and desire to see You, Jesus, known above all.”

Something that’s been on my mind a lot lately is how selfish we (especially going up in the United States) tend to be. We are a culture dominated by self. We are driven by self. But, it’s not really much of a surprise, considering we were born as selfish people. But the Bible would have us think the completely opposite.

Galatians 2:20-21 says,

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. If Christ lives in us, this would mean that we:

• Have compassion for those who don’t know Him.
• Desire to help those who are less blessed than we are.
• Desire to lead and make disciples
• Desire God’s will over our own.
• Are willing to die for our belief.

Boy, I think so often we have judgment and contempt for those who don’t know Him; we desire to see oursleves become more blessed, no matter the cost to others; we’re afraid to make disciples because we don’t feel qualified; we definitely tend to desire our own will over God’s; and many times we aren’t even willing to speak up for our beliefs, let alone die for them.

I pray that Christ and all of His desires really do live in me and really begin to show.