We had a fantastic weekend at Journey. I’ve already shared a about the Quiet Time workshop from Saturday. Here are a few other thoughts & highlights.
• WORSHIP – broken record I know (for you under 30 people a record is… never mind) but our worship was powerful. Yes, our band is great – skilled & totally committed to keeping the focus on the ONE we’re worshipping, Yes, our Tech arts peeps are amazing – working hard to wow us without distracting us, but the coolest thing was a wonderful sense of the presence of Jesus as we worshipped.
• DISCIPLINES… DANGEROUS? It was kind of weird title. But a lot of the message was about trying to get us to take a fresh look at spiritual practices. It’s weird how the same thing can lead you deeper into an adventure with God or into a more distant religious exercise in “safe God” worship.
• Talking about TITHING – I’m glad that God gave me a word for me from Matthew about the “holes & nests” and how I tend to cling to & worry about them. That kind of framed my thinking for this point. I am also indebted to John Burke in his discussion of giving & tithing in Soul Revolution. John has a rare ability to connect things to the big picture in his writing & in from what I’ve heard of it, his speaking.
• THE BLESSING OF TAMALE’S – props to Felipe & to his mom. During the worship on Friday a friend from church came up & laid a whole pan of home made Tamale’s on me. His mom is a mind-blowing cocinera! They are already gone.
• PRAYER MINISTRY TOUCH BASE – a few times a year all the people leading the various prayer ministries at Journey meet together for lunch, vision casting, connection and well, prayer. We met after the 10:45 service and despite the fact that I tend to be a little drained after that service it was a great time of hearing people’s passion for God & for seeking Him in prayer. God is STIRRING UP PRAYER at Journey & it shows. Pamela Turner does a great job of leading these leaders. I am grateful for all that we see God doing.
• COMMITMENTS – Every year in January we commit ourselves to certain basic spiritual practices – Devotion, Tithing, Community & Serving. I usually mention some of the classic spiritual disciplines involved in each of these. For example, in the practice we call “devotion” we exercise disciplines of solitude, silence, prayer, scripture (including lectio divina), contemplation. The practice of tithing involves frugality, simplicity etc. You get the point and if you don’t get the outline, it’s on there. Sometime in the next couple of days we pastors will gather to pray over EVERY SINGLE CARD INDIVIDUALLY. It’s always encouraging. I pray for all of you who are “disciplining yourselves for the purpose of godliness.” (1 Tim 4:7) I long for you to experience God and his reality in our everyday, moment by moment lives. O may we seek first the kingdom of God! (Matt 6:33).
I get amped up for every weekend. I’m grateful that by His grace God is moving.
