Sermon Notes

Pastor John was kind enough to call me and ask me to speak for a few minutes about the importance of individual worship.  Why do we come here on Sundays and sing the glory of God?  What's it for? What are we planning to get out of it?  What does God expect from us in worship?

Worship hasn't always been an integral part of my life.  It's actually fairly new.  I've been figuring out what my role is in worship for about 2 years now.  

If you didn't know.  I am a worship leader here.  I've been singing with the contemporary team for almost 2 years.

I've been singing since as far back as memory will serve me, and since that time I have always had a strange talent to emotionally connect with song lyrics.  I literally FEEL words when I sing them.  When I was a kid I could sing a Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey song like I wrote it.  

Like *I* was the woman (at 8 years old) who's lover had wronged her. **How will I know if he really love me??**  

When I attended my first contemporary service here, I was saved by divinity and that's when I knew my talent had shifted into my spiritual gift.  The lyrics of the Revelation Song dug into me "Who was, and is, and is to come"  and THAT is when I knew ... God is SO REAL!  It was like I was listening to music with a new set of ears .. but really I was listening to it with a new heart.

So I was in contact with the right people and I knew I needed to sing praise and worship to God.  I knew almost immediately it was time for me to give back through service.  

And the ONE day I talked to PJ and I told him I had an encounter with the Lord and He told me something big was happening for the continuation of my service and shortly after my position as a worship leader became full time.

Sooo that's tidbit about my history ... 

Moving on.

A few weeks ago PJ did a sermon talking about how we can worship anywhere we want... the golf course .. the fishing boat .. the football stadium ...  BUT. WE. DON'T.  It is important to show up here every Sunday, or to a church where ever you are, and worship with other believers.

1.  It is a huge privilege to live in a country that allows is the freedom to put our beliefs into practice. 

2.  It is commanded by God to do so ... I know that there is a verse that says to do that ... I'm not a scripture master ... I'm working on it ... but it's there!! :) 

I come here every Wednesday night to practice for worship on Sundays...

I prepare myself through out the week to prepare the songs, to learn the words, to know when I come in, when I sing, when I don't sing. 

I prepare myself through the week so that when I am ready to sing at 9:30 on Sunday morning I can literally pour my soul into what I am singing so that I can connect my spirit with the Spirit of Christ. Isn't that what worship is?  Communicating with the Spirit?

I practice my worship during the week:  Preparing the body *where I stand* *when I move*  And preparing my consciousness *learning the words*  ... So that when I am here I can give God my very best.  I don't want to bring Him my leftovers from the week, ( But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.”  - King David to Aruanah 2 Samuel 24:24 David was wonderful in worshiping God - wrote great Psalms 

I don't want to cheapen our time together by giving half a heart.  I want to bring before my King the very best of my spirit.  No one can do this for you.  I don't want to disrupt my worship to look at words, or see where I am in the song, or look at cues from the people around me... and sometimes that has to happen ... and that's ok ... 

But when I am here, I want to be sure that it isn't an experience I am seeking ... I want to make double, triple sure ... that when I am opening my mouth to praise God that I am not here for an experience but that I am here seeking God... and that's it. 

The experience is only the bi-product of the time that I get to spend with God.  

You can come seeking an experience, feel good when you get home, but crumble the moment something happens that you feel is unfavorable...

Or you can come seeking God and His love and go home with a promise of eternal life.

One thing that I knew I needed to let go of, was the idea or the thoughts that other people around me were judging the WAY that I worship.  I was timid at first ... I would raise my arm in praise and then my earthly mind would force my arm down to my side because I was worried that people thought it was weird, or I was just acting, or I looked funny ... But after being here week after week ... that part, those worries faded ... When I am directly connected to God the very last thing I am worried about is what the people are thinking of the way I worship ... I don't want to hurt anyones feelings BUT I'm not here for you ;) And you are not here for anyone else - just for God -- you are here with other believers who are in agreeance that Jesus Christ is the almighty Savior and King ... and that is all you need to know to worship.

I am here to worship.

So you love Jesus?? Great! Now let's get our worship on!

About a week ago my phone rang ... I looked at the screen "PJ" was calling -- this is my awesomely fun friend I am blessed to call Pastor John!!

My initial thought was 'What is he going to ask me to do?  Don't answer yet.  He can leave a message. Ugh! Dang it! Ok - answer and say no. No. No, Jill ... you are busy...  Hellloooooo!'
He asked me if I would give a little testimony to the congregation this coming Sunday about why I worship ... YES I said ... lol whoops :)

So I am 2 days out from addressing the church on the importance of worship and I haven't really decided what I am going to say - what direction I am moving in - what scripture I can use ... the whole shabang...

BTDubs!!  If you weren't currently in the know - I am a worship leader at my Church!!  If you ever want to come to St Andrews Presby in Dunedin I am the chick with the microphone in the contemporary service completely lost in the power of Jesus!

So I guess I could start by saying ... DANG it feels freakin amazing to worship!  Even though it doesn't always make me smile ... sometimes when I am up on the platform singing even though I am worshiping and loving on God, I am working through tough stuff ... sometimes I'm crying and I have stress on my face and then other times, MAN I just feel so free -- Like I'm out of my body and my arms are spread out and I am just singing the glory of God to whoever hears it.

When I am not in the church and I am not serving God's purpose for my life - I just don't feel right - like a lot gets bottled up through the week and by the time Sunday rolls around I'm ready to burst!! And the explosion could come in the form of tears or smiles ... but always ALWAYS I combine it with surrender and I leave it all up on the platform.  I worship til I feel depleted ... when I walk off that stage and out those doors my knees are weak, my heart is beating intensely, my mouth is dry ... Thank God for the sermon!!  It is planned at just the right time ... I get replenished with a message, with the PROMISE, of love ... Who else can pull out your fears, your grief, your pain, that quickly and then fill you right back up with hope and joy?  JESUS!
Jesus hung on a cross and was drained completely of life,  He surrendered every bit of Himself, every ounce of resistance... He left everything on that cross and God filled Him again and gave Him new life -- That is the EXACT promise on which we stand as followers of Christ!  Should we worship him for that? YES!
I worship the way that I worship because I was directly called to it.

What does worship look like for you??  Everyone does it differently ... some people sit quietly in their seats, lip sync, or sing really loud, or close their eyes, sway, hold their hands to their chest ...
Worship has no definitive appearance .. HECK some people dance and jump in the aisles and get on their hands and knees at the altar ... I know because I went to a wild service in the Bible belt while I was on vacation ... We are rigid compared that crew!
If you are going to worship and do it with your whole being - you have to forget about what you look like, what you think other people are going to think about what you look like and just do it... If you want to shout AMEN and roll in the aisles because that makes you feel closer to the Lord then that is what you need to do -- if you want to sit quietly at your seat with your eyes closed because that makes you feel closer to the Lord then that is what you need to do ...

You know that saying "Dance like no one is watching."  How about we start saying "Worship like no one is watching!!!!!"  I like that so much better!!!!!

Now excuse me while I go do my Jesus Jig and sing my Hallelujahs!

I was told I needed to blog ... so I'm blogging I guess :)

Someone told me that I needed to start a blog ...
A blog about what??  I dunno!!  So then I thought -- maybe I could just journal in a blog.. Is there a word for that that I am missing??  A Jlog?  A Blournal?
Are there any rules?
Here goes ....

I am sitting on my bed in a beach house on our last full day of vacation in the Outer Banks NC ...
My family is having a good time 3 floors up and because of my loose parenting and improper planning I am alone in a basement bedroom with 2 sleeping kids ... 1 of which is my 13 month old son who is so attached to my nipple that he doesn't sleep in a crib (and even if he did, there isn't one here) and if I leave the room he robosenses it and wakes up ... and because the bed is so high he could be injured if he fell ...

So here I am - on a bed - trying to get some work done via FB and email and so on -- I am a virtual health and fitness coach (picture the Weird Science babe, I look nothing like her hahaha!  But what a great movie!) so I spend a lot of time emailing and messaging my customers, who are also my fun friends, and I get side tracked ... butterfly ;)

Anyway I am talking with my friends and attempting to steer them in the best nutritional and physical direction possible and I am recapping in my head all of the nasty things I have eaten this week ... ummm do as I say not as I do is like the all time fit coach on vacation motto --
here is a list of the things I may have consumed while on vacation (judge if you must):

1. cheetos
2. oreos dipped in coffee
3. oreos dipped in nutella
4. oreos dipped in peanut butter
5. miller lite
6. pina coladas
7. twix
8. sour cream an onion chips
9. tequila
10. icecream cake

Here is the list of healthy things I consumed on vacation:

1. Shakeology
2. bananas
3. water

How many hail mary's do I need to say to fix all this :) ??

If prayer had the ability to fix what has already been done I'd be on my knees in repentance ... well I guess I can pray for strength to get my butt back in gear when I get back to Florida saturday ...

And hopefully it will also get me through the 21 Day Fix that I'll be starting on Monday!

Autumn Calabrese please kick my ass .. please - I am begging for it!