The Fog

Last Summer, I started running. I quickly learned that I don't really like to run, but it's just a necessary torture for someone trying to get some exercise. So just about every night, right at 8:30 P.M. when my youngest son would go to bed, I would run. We live in the forest- in a house of course, but the house sits in the forest (just to clarify). We're not living out among the coyotes and squirrels per se, but our house does sit right smack dab in the middle of the woods. We have no lawn...we have trees. We live near the crest of a tall hill (our mountain), with valleys surrounding. Summer fog always creeps up the valleys and hangs over our hilltop. So picture, if you will, strapping on your running shoes and looking out into the woods at 8:30 twilight. A slow, grey curtain of fog was always starting to envelope the gravel driveway that my feet would soon be beating ferociously at that time of night. As I ran, the fog would get thicker and thicker until I could hardly see in front of me. Combined with the fact that it was 8:30 PM, it began to get dark rather quickly. I could just hear the pound, pound, pound of my feet on the road and assume that the surface was still there under my feet, even though it was obscured by the darkness and fog.

I feel like this is a picture of our faith at times. Sometimes it feels like we're running in the clarity of broad daylight and everything is picture perfect. Other times, there is a slow, grey fog creeping over us, keeping us from seeing the full panorama of what lies ahead. in the midst of runs in the fog, we can even feel like we should slow down out of fear. All the "what-if's" begin to creep in to our minds. "What if I trip over something I can't see...what if a deer runs out in front of me and totally clobbers me...what if I lose my way..." In the same way, when God seems distant, our first inclination is to kind of pull back. But the opposite needs to happen. At those times when God feels far away and our vision is dim, we've got to press in with more focus and determination. We need to repent, to seek life through the words of Scripture, to seek out counsel from Christ-like friends. I believe most importantly, we need to worship. To sing out to God. If our fog is in part a distraction caused by the enemy, nothing will send him packing faster than to hear our hearts singing in praise of a God who never leaves or forsakes us.

At those times when I'm looking around in the fog, not even sure which direction to go, the first logical thing to remember is that the road below my feet hasn't moved. The scenery around me is changed, but the path to the safety of my home is still the same as it always has been. The road will never move. In the same way, as we're running through our Spiritual journey in this life, Jesus is and always will be our firm foundation. Though we may pass through a section of living that doesn't seem clear or doesn't "feel right", we can count on Jesus. Always. He never fails. And His word never fails. I am seeing more in this season of life than any other I've been through that His word is critical. We can get by and survive as Christians when we  have a hit and miss routine of reading the scriptures, but we only begin to thrive when we dive in deep. My prayer today is that we will keep running. Even in the fog. That we'll press in and cling to the promises of God and sing in celebration that He always keeps those promises. The best part of my nightly runs was when it was finished! I'd stretch out my muscles on the front porch in the glow of our porch light, moths darting about trying to get closer than close to the warmth of the bulb. In the same way, God offers us comfort, peace, and sheds light on our situation when we finally come out of the fog. His presence is always a welcome, warm embrace. May He be your peace and comfort today and may you seek His presence always...even if you find yourself in the fog.


So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Isaiah 41:10

Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 

Matthew 10:26

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 

2 Timothy 1:7

For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

 Hebrews 13:5-6

The Only Voice That Matters

John 6:60-69 just really touched me last night and I wanted to share it here for all of you as well. Jesus was teaching people about how he is the bread of life and the disciples were having trouble understanding the cost of following him.




60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
   67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”




I just love that answer to the question, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" And Peter says- "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." 


It seems like our lives are inundated with voices telling us how to live- many of these voices are in direct opposition to scripture. It gets so difficult to drown out the chaotic noise of this world and listen for the One true voice- the voice of God. I would encourage all of us today with the thought that no voice matters but the One that "has the words of eternal life".  We have no one else to go to that matters. Jesus is the only one we need, the only one who can lead us, the only voice that matters. And His voice can be heard when we quiet ourselves, spend time in the Word, and spend time in prayer, seeking Him. Imagine the changes in our lives, in our church, and in our world if we all just took some time to break away from all the distracting voices of the world and listened to the one and only voice of God. 

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 30:21

Worship At LCC

 Well friends, if you were not at The Summit at Lancaster Community Church last Sunday evening, you truly missed out. I can't even begin to explain or describe the powerful wave of God that swept through our church that night. The view from behind the keyboard, watching the room just exploding with worship was incredible-hands raised, hearts engaged, voices belting out God's praises. It was a powerful bonding experience too- the sight of many men of our church worshiping together with arms linked in the front of the church will forever be in my mind. All the chatter on Facebook and watching our friendships begin and develop is such a blessing. It was a really special time. I still smile when I think about it. Sunday was a special day for me for a couple reasons- first of all, it was the Sunday that Matt Johnson was announced as Lead Pastor of LCC. We've had the privilege of working with Matt as worship leaders for four years. He's a very gifted, dynamic teacher and leader. I can't wait to see where God is going to lead our church under his direction. Secondly, it was my first Sunday as Worship Director. I have always hoped and prayed for an opportunity like this, but the timing has just never been right until now. I am so blessed to be able to jump in at this particular time at LCC. The Lord is certainly stirring in the hearts of His people at LCC and I see it as an honor and huge responsibility to help facilitate the proper, biblical atmosphere at our church for Him to reveal His glory to us, and to craft our proper, biblical responses to His revelation. 


 As I've started working on shaping and directing worship at LCC, I have come up with 2 main goals or priorities. The first goal deals with individual worship practices while the second goal revolves around corporate worship. 


1. The Importance of the Prepared Heart and Mind
I want LCC to be a church where worship is an individual way of life, not isolated to 20 minutes of singing songs on Sunday. In order to accomplish this, we need to emphasize the importance of the Prepared Heart and Mind. We can't waltz in on Sunday after living a week in which we rarely considered the Kingdom of God and our place in it, yet expect God to show Himself to us. We can't expect God to just suddenly be conjured up and make us feel happy and good while we sing a few worship songs on Sunday. This mentality has got to go. I believe that Sunday evening at the Summit, God laid the foundation for a Worshiping Community.  In his book, Worship Matters, by Bob Kauflin, he writes "A worshiping community is made up of individuals whose lives are centered around the Savior  they worship together each week. A worshiping community expects to encounter God 's presence not only on Sunday morning but every day. A worshiping community recognizes that passionate times of singing God's praise flow from and lead to passionate lives lived for the glory of Jesus Christ. " That's what we're aiming for, but how do we get there? We've got to get our minds and hearts centered on Christ. We've got to all, as Katie Harden shared Sunday evening at the Summit, "get our noses in the word." We've got to make the commitment to know the scriptures- to become students, scholars, and theologians. Yes, we have a gifted teacher at LCC, but he can't give us all the knowledge that our lives require in a forty minute message on Sunday. It's time to be immersed in the word of God. If I'm being honest, until very recently, I read the Bible and enjoyed it, but I sometimes found myself reading out of a sense of duty rather than out of a feeling of desire. Just lately, I have experienced an awakening- I want to know the Word, and more importantly, the Giver of the word. I want to know who God is, how He works, and how He wants us to worship Him. 


But knowledge is not enough- we've got to access and open our hearts as well. Throughout the week, we need to find ways to kindle our relationship with the Lord, so that by the time Sunday arrives, the corporate worship time we have is not much different than what we've experienced on a daily basis. It's a lot like marriage really- if my husband never spoke to me affectionately, never took the time to be with me for 6 whole days because he was too busy, too tired, too distracted, too...whatever,  and then all of a sudden wanted to whisk me off on a hurried date and expect me to be responsive and accepting of the fact that we had little to no contact all week long up to that point, I would be a little beyond upset. I think this is, sadly, the approach that we use with God sometimes. We've got to come against this with great diligence and discipline. It's time to ignite a deep relationship with the Lord. It's time to get serious about our part in the relationship with the Savior. It's time to develop meaningful prayer habits and take time out of the day to be still before the Lord and hear from Him. It's time to transfer those songs that we sing on Sunday into everyday- when you're driving to work- sing loud to God! He doesn't care if you have a beautiful voice or not. He looks at the heart, and a beautiful heart is one that makes the worship of God a priority above all else. Cultivating a relationship with God takes time and commitment and in our culture of instant everything, we may feel frustrated by the pace. But it's going to be worth it- our God is so immense in love, wisdom, and character that it takes more than a lifetime to begin to understand His ways- so how can we think for a minute that the process of getting to know Him will be quick, easy, and painless? It's a lifelong journey of the heart and mind to experience the greatness of God and I'm excited to partner with the people of LCC on the journey.


2. Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise
The second priority for worship at LCC is that we need an atmosphere where corporate worship can happen. I love the final verse from the hymn "Love Divine, All Love Excelling" by Charles Wesley, 


Finish then thy new creation
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see thy great salvation,
Perfectly restored in thee,
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise!


To be "lost in wonder, love, and praise" is a lofty goal. It requires excellence and diligence on the part of the worship teams at LCC and it requires open and expectant hearts on the part of the congregation. It requires us all to put aside distractions and focus our attention and affections on God. As we worship here, on earth, corporately, we're getting a glimpse of what eternity will be like. We've got to start practicing now! We all caught a glimpse at The Summit Sunday evening I think- the beautiful feeling of surrender and connection to a Holy God- His presence raining down, displacing all of our brokenness and sin. It was an amazing experience that I pray is just the beginning of what is to come at our church and in our daily lives. I've tried to figure out what exactly triggered such an outpouring of the Spirit on Sunday evening and I truly believe it boils down to the fact that people  came ready and willing to surrender and worship. I also believe that a lot of prayer prepared the way. I don't believe that it had to do with skill or excellent music- I would bet that if someone got up and led worship with a banjo, we might have seen the same effects :) Ok, maybe not a banjo, but you get my point. God was poised to move and was just waiting on us to open our hearts to Him and surrender. It was a beautiful night that I will never forget. Speaking of excellent music, we're blessed beyond imagination to have the number of talented musicians that we have in our church, Proportionately, it just doesn't make statistical sense that we would have such a concentration of talented, gifted, God-seeking musicians. The most important element of a worship team is making sure that the team members are worshipers, onstage and off. The state of our hearts and minds is of supreme importance to us. We're going to be very purposed about preparing our hearts and minds so that we can lead others to the throne of God with great confidence. We're working hard to ensure that all that we do is excellent. We're creating events, like The Summit, where passion for God can be fueled and ignited in unique ways. I'm also encouraged to see many talented artists emerging in our church. I love the idea of varied responses to God- some of them not even including music. We serve a very creative God and I believe, being created in His image, that He desires for us to respond to Him creatively. I love the thought of a community of artists emerging within our church, commissioned to create art that reflects our Creator and displays His attributes for the world to see.  In all that we do at LCC, our main desire is that God would receive the glory and praise.  We never want to substitute talent, skill, ability, or gifting for what God is truly after- our hearts fully and authentically surrendered to Him in worship. 


God has certainly started something amazing in our church and in our hearts. My prayer is that we continue to hunger and thirst for Him, that our hearts are open to His love, our minds immersed in His word, and our feet and hands ready to serve the waiting world. 


Grace and Peace,
Carrie

Breaking Habits

When a person becomes a parent, I believe that God is able to teach them things so much more effectively. After all, God is our Father and we are His children. As we are raising our own kids, the parallels and analogies to our relationship with God pop up on a daily basis. Lately, I  have been thinking a lot about Brokenness. Particularly as it relates to the passage in Isaiah 51:


¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
   and my mouth will declare your praise. 
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
   you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
   a broken and contrite heart
   you, God, will not despise.


Before we can truly worship God, we have to realize that there are some habits and ways about us that get in the way. Now I'm not saying that we can't approach God just as we are with all of our struggles and problems- quite the opposite. God wants surrender, not perfection. But it's important to understand that we are limited by our pride, our rejection of God's authority, and our stubbornness. 


My kids are 2 and 4. During my first 4 years of parenting, I have come to realize that there are a lot of inherent habits in children that need to be broken and also a lot of learned habits that need to be changed. From not wanting to sleep at night, to picking noses, to refusing to use the potty...the list goes on and on. As a parent, it is my responsibility to recognize habits that need to change and begin to teach my children better habits. Sometimes the habits are easy to change, but other habits die slowly. It takes constant vigilance on my part as a mom as well as complete receptiveness and cooperation on the part of my child to break these habits. Sometimes, I have to use strong disciplinary measures when my children are not willing to submit to my authority or are in total rebellion against changes I see as necessary. Other times, I can gently, lovingly model correct behavior for them and they instantly want to emulate that behavior. It takes a mixed bag of methods to change habits as a parent. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence on both my part and the part of my children. And in the end, when they are purposed, effective, God-loving adults, I hope they can look back and say, "Mom, thanks for not giving up on me." 


The beautiful correlation is that God is very much doing the same things in our lives, even as adults. We are loaded down with junk in our lives that He lovingly, and sometimes forcefully wants to chip away. He wants to strip down all the "sin that entangles" and free us from ourselves. He wants us to submit to His authority because He knows that His way is the best way possible. He wants our cooperation, to partner with us by the gift of His Holy Spirit, constantly guiding us in the direction we should go. To resist that guidance is just like one of my kids giving me that defiant look that says "No way am I going to do what you are telling me- I don't want to! I want to do this BY MYSELF!" And what a shame that is, both when our kids do that to us parents and also when we do that to God. As a parent, I know what's best. As our Father, God knows best. And brokenness is best. My favorite part of correcting my children is when they realize the error of their ways and have that look of understanding on their faces. Sometimes they walk, but other times they run into my arms. And I hold them. And they say they love me and that they're sorry they were wrong. And then we can begin anew, strengthened by the shared experience and changed for the better. I like to think that's God's favorite part of us giving in to brokenness as well- when we run to Him, with the look of understanding on our faces, when we cry out to Him in honest apology and promise to choose a better way with His divine leading. I like to think He holds us and cherishes those times just like I do with my own children. 


We all need to think about where we are in our relationship with God, our Father. We all need to thank Him for never giving up on us. In times that I fail as an earthly parent, I always take comfort in knowing that God, my heavenly Father cannot and will not fail. Ever. He will always lead me and love me perfectly. We need to give up on our own stubborn ways and surrender- trading our opposition and pride for a willing spirit of cooperation. We all need to go deeper and find the beauty of brokenness. When we do these things, our lives begin to take on more significance and our hearts are more in line with what God is doing right here, right now on this earth. We'll worship more deeply, love others more fully, and most importantly, live a life pleasing to God. So this week, I encourage you to think, as I have been, about what it means to be broken and, if you're brave enough, tell God that you want to cooperate with His plan for brokenness in your life. It may not be an entirely pleasant experience, but in the end, you'll find yourself embraced by our heavenly Father and know that He does indeed make all things work together for our good. 

Music Factory

It's a regular songwriting bonanza around here this week! And I'm not the only one in the house- I shared this on Facebook, so if it's redundant information for you, please skip to the next paragraph. Cohen was sitting on my bed early this morning and said, "Mommy, do you see this song about a train in my ear?" And of course I looked in his ear and pretended to see it. He's going to be so confused about what music is when he gets older as a result, but that's ok. It was super cute. I love that he loves music so much and that he's always got a song in his mind (or in his ear as the case may be).

So here's song 2 for the week. It's tough to give the full context and explain musical stylings and melodies with language. Until I get savvy enough to record the songs and post them on here, you're just getting lyric content. But I can tell you that the music is upbeat, driving, lots of good drum ideas (Shawn will love when I say, "You know like, budda, budda, boom, boom, boom, duh-duh-duh") But I  can hear it all in my head and it all just came zipping right out onto the page and I'm just really pumped that the songs are flowin' again.

This song is sort of a reflection/summary of Isaiah 55. You should read it because it's a great passage.

Verse:

We are thirsty
We are nothing without You and Your faithfulness
We are seeking
We are finding
_____(mad libs worship lyrics-something will be here, I just don't know what yet)___


Chorus:
Who is like You God?
There is no other
Who can know Your mind?
Your ways are higher
But still we draw near
And you see our hearts
Your Word marks our way;
The truth that endures---forever (or Your truth will endure---forever)

Bridge:
(No idea yet-it's always the bridge that stumps me)

That's all for now.

New Song

I am so incredibly excited today. In past years (before having kids) I devoted a lot of time to songwriting. I just had to put it on the backburner for a while, and I think in doing so, I sort of lost my abilities in that area. I've been really praying about what God wants people to sing to Him right now and I believe He has answered. I sat down at the piano today and these words just flowed out onto the paper (and a few tears in the process also dropped onto the paper!) It's not done yet, but I'm really excited about where it's heading. If you have any thoughts, please feel free to share. I also need a bridge, so anyone with any songwriting ability, if you want to contribute any ideas for what that could look like, have at it.

Verse
You held me, You knew me
Before I began to breathe
You called me, You loved me
Before I began to see
Your love for me
Your unfailing love for me

Chorus
Jesus you have been
And always will be
My everything
In my life I've seen
Again and again
Your plan for me

Verse 2
You hold me, You hear me
Whenever I call Your name
You heal me, You mend me
My life is forever changed
By Your love for me
Your unfailing love for me

Bridge
So I give all that I am to You
I give all that I am to You


It's really simple, but I think sometimes we try to say too much. I'm so thankful for these words and for the beautiful, pensive melody that goes with it.  Really excited to see how it's all going to come together!

A Tale of Two Books

I've been thoroughly enjoying two books simultaneously. Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan is a study we're doing for our small group. It's life-changing stuff. The second book, which I just started reading yesterday is Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin.  More life-changing stuff. At first I thought these books would have very little in common, but as it turns out, I was wrong. I think I have cracked open a gaping problem, certainly in my own life, but most likely, in the lives of many "average" Christians as I have been reading these two books. I just want to share with you today what I am processing through as I am reading these two books.

First of all, we have neglected the Holy Spirit in our churches and in our lives. I would highly suggest that you listen to the message from my church this past Sunday if you want to hear some solid, biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit. It should be online within the next couple days. You can do so by using the following link to LCC's messages: http://yourlcc.org/messages/
I think there are a lot of misconceptions in my own mind about the Holy Spirit because of my church history and background. There are some strange things going on in churches today being done in the name of the Holy Spirit. In my lifetime, I have seen people "pass out", falling backward in a stupor because a pastor touched them on the forehead. I have seen people run laps around a church building. I have seen people laughing and rolling hysterically on the floor, acting completely intoxicated. One time a guy who was "drunk in the Spirit" tried to get a drink at the water fountain in the entryway just off of our sanctuary and the water just fell right out of his mouth and he laughed and laughed, came into the sanctuary and spit it all down the front of his shirt. This, supposedly, was the work of the Holy Spirit.

These incidents from long ago have certainly shaped the way I believe the Holy Spirit works. I am very cautious and even nervous, not so much about the Holy Spirit, but of the fear that people around me will choose unbiblical ways to display what they think is the power of the Spirit in their lives. I have been very skeptical when someone says they have a word from the Lord.  I walk a fine line between discernment, being overly-cautious, and being downright critical. But I am beginning to see that I have to let these things go. I have to release my fear of what people have displayed in the past and believe that the Holy Spirit is not strange. I have to really examine what I believe and why.  This examination raises a host of questions: Do I believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to people? Yes. Do I believe that the Holy Spirit can come in power and cause people to react physically? Absolutely. But I do not believe that the Holy Spirit causes mass confusion, chaos, or reflects upon Himself in a manner that does not glorify His name and His cause. If you disagree with me, I invite you to look in your Bible and see where it says that the Holy Spirit does bizarre things that make people look like drunken, out-of-their-mind idiots. You won't find it. Dancing and celebrating His goodness with joyful singing? Sure. Working diligently to bring justice and mercy to those in need? Absolutely. Bringing a greater knowledge of who God is and imparting His attributes, character, and desires to those surrendered to Him? Definitely. I have always believed in the Holy Spirit and have felt the strong anointing and power of the Holy Spirit in my own life, but there has always been this fuzzy area of disbelief and uncertainty in relation to what the Holy Spirit does in our lives. I am coming to understand that the Holy Spirit is good and wants the best for us and for the world for which Jesus died. Only when we are surrendered to the true workings of the Holy Spirit will we understand our role in the story of God and have the power to carry out that role in an effective, revolutionary manner.

Secondly, in the book Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin talks about how worship leaders, and Christians in general, are not students. We do not study the Bible and we do not have a good understanding of theology for a variety of reasons. In my case, and I believe in the case of many Christians, we just believe what we have always been told and don't feel the need to take it upon ourselves to really understand our faith. We are largely undisciplined and lazy. We will research for hours upon hours about a new car we want to get or will study relentlessly in preparation for a degree or our jobs, but we do not devote the time to study and learn about the Word of God. I have lots of books, but I probably have one or two theology books among them. And they're really dusty. Maybe we feel like we have a relationship with God and don't need the "religious" knowledge found in theology books. To that, I would point to 2 Timothy 4:13 where Paul is writing a letter from prison requesting "the books" from Timothy. Charles Spurgeon says,

   " He (Paul) is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He has wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He has been caught up in the third heaven, and had heard things unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books! He has written a major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books!"

We rarely read theology books. It's difficult. It's time consuming.  We are used to instant everything in our culture. I saw this devotional called "The One Minute Devotional" the other day. What a shame. We're trading in true, life-changing knowledge for dumbed-down, quicker than quick readings that barely skim the surface of the information we need. We don't want to have to think too hard or examine our lives too closely. As Kauflin says in his book, "Given our small minds, our absolute dependence on revealed truth, and the immensity of God, how can we think there's an easy path to knowing the God we worship? There are no shortcuts. Only a grace-motivated, steadfast lifelong pursuit of the God who created us and redeemed us for his glory." Kauflin then warns that knowledge on it's own is never enough. Our hearts are what God truly wants. "If our doctrine is accurate but our hearts are cold toward God himself, our corporate worship will be true but lifeless. Or if we express fervent love for God, but present vague, inaccurate, or incomplete ideas of Him to those we're leading, our worship will be emotional but misleading- and possibly idolatrous. Neither option brings God glory."

As I process through all of the truths I'm reading, I'm nearly overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with how I've gone all this time without a full trust in the ways and workings of the Holy Spirit. Overwhelmed with how I am willing to squander so much of my time on pointless pursuits while a treasure of information sits on bookshelves waiting to be explored. Overwhelmed by the idea that God loves me and wants to hang out with me everyday. Overwhelmed that even in my inadequate and childish thinking and ways, He chooses to work through me anyway. I'm excited to put these ideas I'm reading about into practice. My greatest prayer as a worship leader is that as I grow in my relationship with the Holy Spirit and in my knowledge of God, that maybe I will present a picture of who He is that's more glorious and powerful than any song I could ever sing. Maybe people will be more excited by my God than by my music. I couldn't ask for anything more.