Seriously, For Real!!!

Happy Son-Day!!!

Wicked Walleye

Before I get started, I want to acknowledge that the world will miss the love and generosity of Mother Nancy Sorrell who passed this last week.  She was genuinely a remarkable saint who loved and people.  She always put forth her best on anything she did.  We will miss her now, but she her later for sure.

Seriously, For Real??!!! 

Now some meanderings.  Jo and I finally returned to Lifetime Fitness after a two-year absence due to the pandemic.  We are both conscious of clean hands, not touching our faces, and distance from others while working out.

New to our routine is steps and swimming as ways of conserving and preserving our joints.  A few weeks back, Alex and I were reminiscing fondly about our Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer years at Theodore Wirth Lake.  That is when swimming was fun.  

The ultimate goal for all "cool" kids at that the beach was to swim out to the deep-water platform.  That is when you knew you had arrived as a swimmer.  Now, it is just making two non-stop laps back and forth across the width of the pool.  I assure you it’s not fun.  It’s not even called swimming anymore.  Now it’s "nautical cardio-vascular movement". . . wait, what?!  The goal is 132 heartbeats per minute.  I now wear, in addition to my trunks, ear plugs and goggles.  Don’t laugh Alex.

Resonating with me even at the point of this writing is the release and commitment that comes organically when you stop 

. . .overthinking about all that is troubling you, 

. . .questioning--- why is this happening to me,

. .  .carrying resentment and hurts 

. . . and start the process of humbling yourself before the omnipresence and excellence of our God almighty through worship, which is an eternal vehicle with which we commune with God now, the future, and forever.  

If you’re saying to yourself worship is cool on Sunday, but not practical or functional the rest of the week. I would say to you the early church during the time of Paul and apostles were tackling the same problem.  People would say they believed the existence of God until they had to put into practice. . . Faith in his existence, His works, and His word.  Some would even experience movement of God in their lives, and something would snatch it away.  

When we become more certain of man’s ways than God’s ways, agnosticism may have fertile ground to grow.  Agnosticism is the view that the things noted  in the Bible may or may not be true or the nature of God is unknowable.  You’re not an atheist, but the belief in God is neutral. This can happen to those follow Christ to a certain point ant then question the nature of God,  Two prime examples are the two apostles , Thomas and Judas.  An agnostic will pick and choose portions of the Bible to believe and that mostly historically verified information.

Now I can go about the history and impact of agnostics on the early church, but that would be boring, and their approach did not prevail.  

Instead, I would like to present a sure-fire way of bolstering your relation and faith in God-------------it’s worship.

Good worship makes you reflect; it challenges your relational status with God.  It makes you yearn for more.  It brings to you to past good times with God and hope for more in the future.  Most importantly, it humbles you so you can be in a position connect with God on His terms, not yours.

You may wonder why I emphasize lyrics.  It’s simple, faith comes by hearing, and that by hearing the Word of God. Good worship has good word that directs seeking a deeper connection.  Lyrics could include scripture or biblical truths.

At the beginning of this article, I started by stating the worship I experienced last Sunday is still flickering with me.  It was spiritual sustenance.  One song, “My Worship”, has blessed me all week.  I want to share it with you as the song of the week.  I hope it has the same impact with you.  Let the lyrics sink in.

"My Worship", 2018, Phil Thompson.  Moving worship song.  Lyrics within video.

Next week: Halal!

Scripture of the week . . . 

about why I should worship God by King David

Psalm 145:3-7

3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!

    No one can measure his greatness.

4 Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;

    let them proclaim your power.

5 I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor

    and your wonderful miracles.

6 Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;

    I will proclaim your greatness.

7 Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;

    they will sing with joy about your righteousness.