Worship & the Alabama WW II Special
Okay, so what did you think of worship yesterday? Is it just me or is CrossPoint’s worship rockin? I am enamored by the way God continues to work in and through our worship. I know we used several different components to worship, but I think every one of them was important.
I knew it was going to be over-the-top yesterday morning when the Lord awakened me at 3:40 AM. That makes for a long, long day. That is why I took a long, long nap later that afternoon. It’s worth it, however. It’s worth waking so early to hear from God.
Another sign it was going to be an incredible day was what the Lord used in my person quiet time. While praying through the morning I was reminded of a passage from Isaiah 26:8, which says,
If you thought this Sunday was over the top, then can you imagine what next weekend will be like? What will it be like when CrossPoint gathers in ONE ROOM as ONE CONGREGATION for ONE BIG WORSHIP? My heart is already pumping with adrenaline. The anticipation is high, isn’t it?
Will you start praying with me for God to be glorified this next weekend? CrossPoint, next weekend’s worship is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not be about us or the grand opening of The Point or anything we have accomplished. It will be about the Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth!
On another note, did any of you watch the PBS special: WWII Alabama Remembers? WOW!
I am such a patriotic admirer, it does not take much for me to tear up when I hear the testimonies of the men and women who defended the freedoms this nation holds so dear. What made this patriotic piece so meaningful was the people being interviewed were all Alabamians. Even though I did not recognize a single name, I felt like I knew each of them.
One soldier commented,
Another solider returning to the States, met his daughter for the first time. She was born after he departed overseas. At his arrival, the little girl’s mother told her to hug her daddy. The child replied, “That man is not my daddy!” The family affirmed he was her daddy and encouraged her to hug him. Confused the child ran into the house, retrieve a framed photo from the mantle, came running back out of the house, pointing to the photo, saying, “This is my daddy!”
Another soldier, Doug Garner, said it best when he said in the final few minutes of the tribute:
On behalf of the men and women who served in World War II, both living and dead, I hope someday when we are all dead, you will remember us and be glad we came.
I am not sure when PBS will broadcast the special again. When they do, be sure to watch it. You will be proud.
I knew it was going to be over-the-top yesterday morning when the Lord awakened me at 3:40 AM. That makes for a long, long day. That is why I took a long, long nap later that afternoon. It’s worth it, however. It’s worth waking so early to hear from God.
Another sign it was going to be an incredible day was what the Lord used in my person quiet time. While praying through the morning I was reminded of a passage from Isaiah 26:8, which says,
In the path of your judgments,It was at that point, I declared for CrossPoint that we wanted to do nothing but wait for Him in worship. Then, when we He made His presence known we wanted to make the Lord known in our expression of worship. I asked God to be glorified in everything—every single element—no matter how many of elements we used. And I am convinced the Lord answered that prayer. I realized God was with us when Frank and Jill Schefano started sharing why they love CrossPoint in the first worship. And, as they say, it was all over but for the singing soon after that.
O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and remembrance
are the desire of our soul.
If you thought this Sunday was over the top, then can you imagine what next weekend will be like? What will it be like when CrossPoint gathers in ONE ROOM as ONE CONGREGATION for ONE BIG WORSHIP? My heart is already pumping with adrenaline. The anticipation is high, isn’t it?
Will you start praying with me for God to be glorified this next weekend? CrossPoint, next weekend’s worship is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not be about us or the grand opening of The Point or anything we have accomplished. It will be about the Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth!
On another note, did any of you watch the PBS special: WWII Alabama Remembers? WOW!
I am such a patriotic admirer, it does not take much for me to tear up when I hear the testimonies of the men and women who defended the freedoms this nation holds so dear. What made this patriotic piece so meaningful was the people being interviewed were all Alabamians. Even though I did not recognize a single name, I felt like I knew each of them.
One soldier commented,
What is America? It is not the land we live on or the water we drink. America is the mothers and sisters of this nation. Now it is my wife and daughters.
Another solider returning to the States, met his daughter for the first time. She was born after he departed overseas. At his arrival, the little girl’s mother told her to hug her daddy. The child replied, “That man is not my daddy!” The family affirmed he was her daddy and encouraged her to hug him. Confused the child ran into the house, retrieve a framed photo from the mantle, came running back out of the house, pointing to the photo, saying, “This is my daddy!”
Another soldier, Doug Garner, said it best when he said in the final few minutes of the tribute:
On behalf of the men and women who served in World War II, both living and dead, I hope someday when we are all dead, you will remember us and be glad we came.
I am not sure when PBS will broadcast the special again. When they do, be sure to watch it. You will be proud.
7 comments:
I'm not going against anything; I'm simply answering a question. Worship was not "rockin'". As a matter of fact it hasn't "rocked" in a while. The sound mix is muffled and severely out of balance(I know the capabilities because I hear the youth in there on Wednesday), the vocals and instruments are mediocre to say the least. Those distractions do not lead me into worship. In fact, it hinders me from entering in the presence. While observing people around me, the demeanor on their faces would ditto what I've said. The drab faces that consistently stand around me are reflections of the worship. I consider myself to be a happy person and I constantly look through optimistic eyes, but I have to speak of the truth that I have experienced over the past few weeks. I appreciate the message that God gives you each week. I am ministered to every week through the teaching and preaching of God's word. I really hope that CrossPoint puts on the brakes as it is speeding down the road to traditionalism. I respect the "hymns", but we need to discover what reached today's culture. As a matter of fact, many of the old hymns were sung to the tune of old bar songs because it reached the culture of that day.
I entered into the youth worship one Wednesday night and was brought to tears because of the power and intensity of the Spirit at work in the room. I was able to experience true worship! The teens were sincerely praising God with all their might. That's what we need on Sunday morning. We need that level of excellence. Please do not take this as criticism, but rather a suggestion to the way one CrossPointer feels (probably many more).
I thank James for his honesty. God was really speaking to me yesterday about the need for Crosspoint and ME! to worship God with great intensity and anticipation of HIS moving in our midst.
Ryan wrote in his blog...
(While praying through the morning I was reminded of a passage from Isaiah 26:8, which says,
In the path of your judgments,
O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and remembrance
are the desire of our soul.)
Sometimes I don't think that we "wait on God" because the clock is ticking. That is one reason to look forward to this coming Sunday we will all be in ONE WORSHIP!!
I'm wondering if James is blogging on the right website? Surely he isn't talking about the Crosspoint Church that I attend! I think we have very talented musicians serving the Lord every Sunday. Certainly there are some songs I enjoy singing more than others, but every one of them speaks to my heart and leads me into worship. I especially enjoyed the old hymns (In the Cross and Amazing Grace) set to more modern rhythms that we did a few weeks ago. It must be my age (57). I haven't noticed the sound being out of balance or muffled. I do agree with James that I would like to see more people smiling and seeming to enjoy worship, but it doesn't distract me. I does make me wonder what is going on in their lives that may have stolen their joy and excitement. On the other hand, some folks just don't show their emotions. I do believe that God enjoys our worship, He is blessing us in unbelievable ways! It's not about me, it's not about us--it's ALL ABOUT HIM!
I wasn't there Sunday so I don't know what happened. I was worshipping at the church where I work in Atlanta. We don't all worship in the same way nor should we. What rocks my boat might capsize someone elses. I am old hymn lover but love the new stuff just as well. I think we are missing something intensely by not singing the truths of the old hymns but I love the to sing the upbeat stuff as well. BUT it is not about the music it is about HIM. I could come just hear Ryan and be completely worshipful having heard about the Savior. Gay
I must agree with james and his comments. I am with the youth on wednesday nights and worship is CERTAINLY different then! In fact i used to be on the praise team and choir and decided to change my ministry at crosspoint when the Lord lead me into another direction. I thought i would always be with the music ministry but was lead into deeper worship during the wednesday night sublime meetings.
Ryans's messages ALWAYS speak to me and i wonder if he has recorders and cameras in our house!! He is always on point as to what my family is going through.
Maybe God will use this blog and its comments to bring about some Sunday morning 'rockin' worship music!!
Debbie
I cannot compare Wednesday night youth services to Sunday morning services because I have never been to one. But I truly love our Sunday services; the music, the fellowship, and especially the Words God gives Ryan for us to hear. I have found that if the people in the area I sit in are not friendly, I sit in another area the next Sunday. I come to worship the Lord and listen to him, not look at other people around me or compare our music to others whether it be in our church or another church. Our music always puts me into a worship feeling and I truly feel the Lord's presence in the service I attend. And like Regina said, it is not about us, it is all about HIM!!
Roxie
James, thank you for your candor. I appreciate your forthrightness. I would be curious to know how long you have been attending CrossPoint? Moreover, I would welcome the opportunity to meet and talk with you in person. You can reach me at 655.0364. I look forward to the visit.
Here is my two cents worth on worship. Here are two questions every worshiper must ask themselves about worship:
1. Was God pleased with our worship?
2. Was God pleased with my heart in worship?
Until we answer those two questions, we are clanging cymbals.
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