Time, Turkey, and Tozer
I know, what a conglomeration of topics in this title! I've had three topics swirling in my mind that I've wanted to share with you here in blog world, and so rather than three separate posts I've decided to put them all together. Kind of like watching my man mix his food and then eat it. He dumps everything in one heaping pile (things that are not typically mixed together, mind you) and no matter how outlandish it is for us to watch, it always seems palatable to him. Hopefully this post will be similar in that all three topics will blend!
Time. I think it is true that the older you get, the more quickly time seems to pass. And I am not liking the effects that the passing of time is having on me! For instance, I now rejoice in the produce section of the supermarket if I can open up my little plastic bag under five minutes! When, and how, did this become an issue for me? And speaking of changing behaviors in the grocery store, I now talk to myself. Out loud. Doesn't matter if it is a grocery store, I can have a wonderful and meaningful conversation complete with questions and answers with myself in any given public place! And last week after a trip to the mall I said something to my sister-in-law that made me stop mid-thought in response to how old I sounded! I said to her, "Boy, I wish I didn't give away all of my leggings when Joe and I were dating because they are back in style now." I have heard that fashion trends come in cycles, but now I have lived through and recognized one! Now I know these are all shopping related stories, so let me shift gears on you. I discovered my first fine line on my face. It is below my eye, and as I shared on an Abundance In Him radio program, I discovered it while sitting at a red light in my rear view mirror. I was shocked, and thankful that there was no one behind me, as I sat and stared at my fine line (I simply cannot bring myself to call this a wrinkle just yet) for a complete red / green / red light cycle. And when I tried to inspect it in the bathroom mirror (with my bifocals on, mind you) I discovered a few fine lines beginning to form on my forehead! No more looking at my face with bifocals on, I've decided! Who knows what else I may discover! Oh and by the way, what is the official cut off for referring to yourself as being in your mid-thirties? Just asking... Ok, time to change the subject!
Turkey. I love Thanksgiving. Something so beautiful about gathering around a feast with the explicit purpose of approaching with a mind and heart full of gratitude to our great God for all He has done, is doing, and will do. I also love holiday traditions. I tried to start a few when I hosted Thanksgiving, and while some started out as a flop, I think one has evolved into a keeper. A few years ago I wrote a conversation question for everyone gathered that revolved around the theme of Thanksgiving, such as, "What is your most memorable Thanksgiving?" I thought it was great, but judging from the display of rolling eyes, I'm not sure everyone else agreed. (Oh and you should have heard them complain when I read my question, "What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? I have to admit, that was sort of a cop-out!) The next year I decided to try something new. My turkey finished cooking a couple hours late, and before I let any one of our starving guests eat a bite I asked them to read a Scripture that focused on thanks that I wrote out for each person. You have never seen a group of more irritated people reading Scripture as I did that day! In retrospect, I should have let those poor people eat! I have not tried that again, but I have stuck to a variation of my first attempt with the question thing. Every year towards the beginning of the meal I'll announce, "Back by popular demand, I have my Thanksgiving question!" Inevitably someone will challenge "Who on Earth constitutes your so-called popular demand?" I tell them that information is confidential and then proceed with one question for everyone to answer at the table. They would never admit it, but I think they have come to enjoy my dinner time question. Or maybe I am just in denial. Either way, everyone does end up participating. By the way, I need to come up with a dinner question for this year and I am open to suggestions. Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions? I'd love to hear from you!
Tozer. I recently turned a much needed corner after having pneumonia for four weeks, and while I was out of commission I read the book, Whatever Happened to Worship, by A.W. Tozer. True to this author's style, it was a marvelous book that stirred my heart and stimulated my thoughts. Tozer delves into the heart of worship by addressing the heart of the worshiper, emphasizing sincerity and exposing hypocrisy. He defines genuine worship and also explains that counterfeit worship exists - along with the possibility for us to engage in it. Tozer reminds his readers that we were created to worship, and everyone is worshiping something. There were a couple of statements he made that caused me to stop reading dead in my tracks, and I have been reminded of one particular statement nearly every day since I've read it. Tozer says, "I mean it when I say that I would rather worship God than do anything else." (p. 18)
I want that. With all my heart, I want that.
Oh but how short I fall. How often I stumble, not merely in the things I do or don't do, but in the posture of my heart. Relating more to Burger King than Tozer I often hear myself say, "I want it my way!" How short I fall, yet how I desire for Tozer's passion to be my own. To love Christ more than anything else with each passing day, to strive to know Him more, and to live a life of worship. Sounds so nice and neat on paper, but the world we live in can be characterized as anything but nice and neat. I'll revert back to my first topic for a moment and tell you something I'm experiencing more and more the older I get. If I am not careful, it would be extremely easy for me to become cynical. Reading the paper and watching the news - not to mention the hurt, heartache, pain, and injustice in my circle of family, friends, and in my own life... My heart wrenches in response. I have got to be very intentional - and diligent on where I am placing my hope, where I am drawing my strength, and where I turn for comfort. I know full well that pursuing any of the above in any source other than Jesus Christ will leave me empty, unchanged, and full of anguish.
So is it possible to worship God when our surroundings, situations, and even our heart is in chaos? You bet it is, and Scripture has no shortage of examples to prove this point. Paul offered songs of praise from a beaten, battered, and bruised body while bound by shackles in a prison cell. David approached Goliath in an act of worship as he declared to all who gathered that his battle was in the hands of His God. When death was looming, we are told that King David bowed in worship before his God on his deathbed. And on a dark night, our Savior bowed before His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane in submission and worship. No circumstance or persecution can prevent you or me from bowing in worship before our God.
I have continued to experience the proverbial, "when it rains, it pours" incidents since my last post. Just seems like one thing after another lately. I know you can relate, as these seasons come into all of our lives. I started to daydream about a trip to the beach to get a break and clear my mind! But I know a change in scenery will never change my heart, and a clear mind is not what I need - in fact that is a dangerous thing! Just moving geographical locations just means taking all your junk with you to another place, so this morning I abandoned my thoughts of the beach as I bowed before my God. I asked Him to give me the grace to surrender all my concerns, trials, and anxiety producing scenarios (you know, the kind that begins with "What if") to His sovereign authority. Not wanting to care for and carry them anymore, I have asked Him to fill me with His peace and joy as I surrender. I fell on my face before Him in worship. It is not piousness that drives to this posture, it is adoration. It is not my strength that allows me to fall before Him, but a keen awareness of my weakness. How I desire to take the posture of worship from my face on the ground to walking around - for the overflow of worship to fill my words and actions. Not in order to strive to be good, and certainly not in an effort to make myself look good, but to bring glory to my God.
A.W. Tozer also said, "Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died on the cross and rose from the dead to make worshipers out of rebels! He has done it all through grace. We are the recipients." (p. 11) May this reality flood our hearts with such gratitude that we strive to become former rebels with a distinct and focused cause... To desire to worship our God more than anything else.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friend.
Love,
Jennifer
Time. I think it is true that the older you get, the more quickly time seems to pass. And I am not liking the effects that the passing of time is having on me! For instance, I now rejoice in the produce section of the supermarket if I can open up my little plastic bag under five minutes! When, and how, did this become an issue for me? And speaking of changing behaviors in the grocery store, I now talk to myself. Out loud. Doesn't matter if it is a grocery store, I can have a wonderful and meaningful conversation complete with questions and answers with myself in any given public place! And last week after a trip to the mall I said something to my sister-in-law that made me stop mid-thought in response to how old I sounded! I said to her, "Boy, I wish I didn't give away all of my leggings when Joe and I were dating because they are back in style now." I have heard that fashion trends come in cycles, but now I have lived through and recognized one! Now I know these are all shopping related stories, so let me shift gears on you. I discovered my first fine line on my face. It is below my eye, and as I shared on an Abundance In Him radio program, I discovered it while sitting at a red light in my rear view mirror. I was shocked, and thankful that there was no one behind me, as I sat and stared at my fine line (I simply cannot bring myself to call this a wrinkle just yet) for a complete red / green / red light cycle. And when I tried to inspect it in the bathroom mirror (with my bifocals on, mind you) I discovered a few fine lines beginning to form on my forehead! No more looking at my face with bifocals on, I've decided! Who knows what else I may discover! Oh and by the way, what is the official cut off for referring to yourself as being in your mid-thirties? Just asking... Ok, time to change the subject!
Turkey. I love Thanksgiving. Something so beautiful about gathering around a feast with the explicit purpose of approaching with a mind and heart full of gratitude to our great God for all He has done, is doing, and will do. I also love holiday traditions. I tried to start a few when I hosted Thanksgiving, and while some started out as a flop, I think one has evolved into a keeper. A few years ago I wrote a conversation question for everyone gathered that revolved around the theme of Thanksgiving, such as, "What is your most memorable Thanksgiving?" I thought it was great, but judging from the display of rolling eyes, I'm not sure everyone else agreed. (Oh and you should have heard them complain when I read my question, "What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? I have to admit, that was sort of a cop-out!) The next year I decided to try something new. My turkey finished cooking a couple hours late, and before I let any one of our starving guests eat a bite I asked them to read a Scripture that focused on thanks that I wrote out for each person. You have never seen a group of more irritated people reading Scripture as I did that day! In retrospect, I should have let those poor people eat! I have not tried that again, but I have stuck to a variation of my first attempt with the question thing. Every year towards the beginning of the meal I'll announce, "Back by popular demand, I have my Thanksgiving question!" Inevitably someone will challenge "Who on Earth constitutes your so-called popular demand?" I tell them that information is confidential and then proceed with one question for everyone to answer at the table. They would never admit it, but I think they have come to enjoy my dinner time question. Or maybe I am just in denial. Either way, everyone does end up participating. By the way, I need to come up with a dinner question for this year and I am open to suggestions. Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions? I'd love to hear from you!
Tozer. I recently turned a much needed corner after having pneumonia for four weeks, and while I was out of commission I read the book, Whatever Happened to Worship, by A.W. Tozer. True to this author's style, it was a marvelous book that stirred my heart and stimulated my thoughts. Tozer delves into the heart of worship by addressing the heart of the worshiper, emphasizing sincerity and exposing hypocrisy. He defines genuine worship and also explains that counterfeit worship exists - along with the possibility for us to engage in it. Tozer reminds his readers that we were created to worship, and everyone is worshiping something. There were a couple of statements he made that caused me to stop reading dead in my tracks, and I have been reminded of one particular statement nearly every day since I've read it. Tozer says, "I mean it when I say that I would rather worship God than do anything else." (p. 18)
I want that. With all my heart, I want that.
Oh but how short I fall. How often I stumble, not merely in the things I do or don't do, but in the posture of my heart. Relating more to Burger King than Tozer I often hear myself say, "I want it my way!" How short I fall, yet how I desire for Tozer's passion to be my own. To love Christ more than anything else with each passing day, to strive to know Him more, and to live a life of worship. Sounds so nice and neat on paper, but the world we live in can be characterized as anything but nice and neat. I'll revert back to my first topic for a moment and tell you something I'm experiencing more and more the older I get. If I am not careful, it would be extremely easy for me to become cynical. Reading the paper and watching the news - not to mention the hurt, heartache, pain, and injustice in my circle of family, friends, and in my own life... My heart wrenches in response. I have got to be very intentional - and diligent on where I am placing my hope, where I am drawing my strength, and where I turn for comfort. I know full well that pursuing any of the above in any source other than Jesus Christ will leave me empty, unchanged, and full of anguish.
So is it possible to worship God when our surroundings, situations, and even our heart is in chaos? You bet it is, and Scripture has no shortage of examples to prove this point. Paul offered songs of praise from a beaten, battered, and bruised body while bound by shackles in a prison cell. David approached Goliath in an act of worship as he declared to all who gathered that his battle was in the hands of His God. When death was looming, we are told that King David bowed in worship before his God on his deathbed. And on a dark night, our Savior bowed before His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane in submission and worship. No circumstance or persecution can prevent you or me from bowing in worship before our God.
I have continued to experience the proverbial, "when it rains, it pours" incidents since my last post. Just seems like one thing after another lately. I know you can relate, as these seasons come into all of our lives. I started to daydream about a trip to the beach to get a break and clear my mind! But I know a change in scenery will never change my heart, and a clear mind is not what I need - in fact that is a dangerous thing! Just moving geographical locations just means taking all your junk with you to another place, so this morning I abandoned my thoughts of the beach as I bowed before my God. I asked Him to give me the grace to surrender all my concerns, trials, and anxiety producing scenarios (you know, the kind that begins with "What if") to His sovereign authority. Not wanting to care for and carry them anymore, I have asked Him to fill me with His peace and joy as I surrender. I fell on my face before Him in worship. It is not piousness that drives to this posture, it is adoration. It is not my strength that allows me to fall before Him, but a keen awareness of my weakness. How I desire to take the posture of worship from my face on the ground to walking around - for the overflow of worship to fill my words and actions. Not in order to strive to be good, and certainly not in an effort to make myself look good, but to bring glory to my God.
A.W. Tozer also said, "Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died on the cross and rose from the dead to make worshipers out of rebels! He has done it all through grace. We are the recipients." (p. 11) May this reality flood our hearts with such gratitude that we strive to become former rebels with a distinct and focused cause... To desire to worship our God more than anything else.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friend.
Love,
Jennifer
posted by Jennifer at
6:44 AM
1 Comments
