In Spirit and Truth

You've seen it. You've known a couple who have been together so long, and loved each other so well, that, at times, it seems as though they are one person. It's like an old sci-fi movie: two bodies, one brain! They easily finish each other’s sentences; they anticipate the needs of the other and gladly meet them; they exude love. It is my hope to achieve that someday. All it really takes is time, attention, and consideration. Time – In order to be of one mind with someone, time is the first essential ingredient. It is impossible to know a person without spending time with them. I could hire an investigator, and read over the reports, but I would only know about that person, and still would be no closer to knowing them. I have to take the time to be around a person before I can ever hope to know them. Attention – Now, I can spend years around a person, but if I do not pay attention to them, I might as well be a stranger. I need to be intentional to notice what that person’s p

I’ve told you my personal definition of worship, but let’s press a little further today. I’ve often thought that "Worship" is a funny word. Take a look at it. W O R S H I P . Have you ever wondered how those letters came to represent our adoration of God? Maybe I’m just a little too analytical, but I've often wondered from where we derived that word. If you're thoroughly curious now, and even if you're not, here's the answer. Worship comes from Old English. It is derived from two words, worth + ship. The original meaning is "to ascribe worth to." When we worship God we are attributing worth to Him. It is important to note that worship does not measure the actual worth of a person or object, but rather how much worth is ascribed to that person or object. By showing up on Sunday morning, you are saying, "God, you are worth at least two hours of my time and attention." By volunteering in the church or in any Christian mission, you are saying,

Vacations, movies & other forms of entertainment, work, soccer games & dance recitals, TV shows, etc. – we are a busy lot! 25 hours a day 8 days a week, we are moving, cramming as many things into our days as possible. In these times of busyness it is easy to neglect an important gift that God has given us: rest. Rest is important to God, so much so that he modeled it for us in the first story in the Bible! And on the seventh day He rested. But rest is very often a misunderstood concept. Rest is not the same thing as sleeping. Rest is not "vegging out." Believe it or not, rest actually takes effort! Everything in our culture sets itself against rest. We have things to do for the times when we aren't doing anything! Movies, TV, Music, Video Games, and countless other distractions offer us an escape from silence, but it is often in the silence that God meets with us. I am not suggesting that movies, TV, etc are bad. I myself am a movie fanatic! But I am suggesting t