Aboda and Latreia

I don't blog unless I have something that I really want to talk about. So you can assume, what I am about to write has been on my heart and is something that I really want to hit on.

What do you think of when you hear the word, worship?

I assume some minds will go straight to the singing of songs on sunday mornings.

Many of you probably know that worship isn't just music, so maybe when you hear the word 'worship', you immediately think about the ways you worship God outside of music. Maybe that means doing your best at everything you do. Maybe you have the gift of encouraging, and you worship God by encouraging everyone you see. 

These are all acts of worship.

Worship- Noun: The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.

Sounds about right, right? In our language and time, yeah! That definition sounds pretty good! But we can't forget that the Bible was not written in english. I know you knew that... But we often times forget. 


There are two words in the Bible that are most frequently translated to our english word 'Worship'. Aboda (Hebrew, Old Testament) and Latreia (Greek, New Testament). I personally had never heard those words in my entire life until about an hour ago. Those are the words that are most commonly translated to 'Worship' in our english bibles. But in their Hebrew and Greek contexts, Aboda and Latreia mean something fairly different than our english definition of worship. 

Aboda in the Old Testament, in most cases, has to do with services done in the Temple or Tabernacle. Physical acts of service. 

Latreia, in the New Testament, often refers to the offering of a sacrifice or service to God.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Latreia)."-

Romans 12:1

Let's stick on that verse for a minute. Put these pieces together.

1. 'in view of God's mercy' - While looking at God's mercy! (Mercy- Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.) Basically saying "while watching Jesus, the one who could condemn us, die on the cross for us and having our minds set on the cross" 

2. 'to offer your bodies' - Offer. Offering. To present something. If you have made it this far into my blog, you have probably gone to church before. (If you have never gone to church before and you're still reading, I commend you.) We have all been a part of an offering at church. The basket or bucket comes by, the adults put money in, and the kids touch it just to touch it. Anyways, when you put money into that basket, when you give your 'offering', do you give it with intentions of getting it back? NO! That's the whole point! When you put your money in that basket you are saying, this money is no longer for me to take care of, it is for the church to take care of. In the Old Testament, when they 'Offer' God sacrifices, do they burn animals in the name of God with intentions of getting that animal back later? NO! So let's go ahead and change 'to offer your bodies' to 'to give up your entire body (mind, soul, thoughts, skin, bones, all of it) to God, with no plans or expectations of EVER getting it back. '

3. 'as a living sacrifice' - Key word here; living. God makes it clear here that you cannot worship him the way he desires if you are dead. Spiritually dead, literally dead. He doesn't want people to care nothing about him monday-saturday, then "worship" him on sunday. No no no. So let's say... 'as a spiritually active, growing, breathing sacrifice'

4. 'holy and pleasing to God' - Holy (Set apart, like God) and Pleasing (satisfying or appealing)....... Your telling me I can be appealing to God? What an incredible thought. So this continues to describe what our sacrifice should be like. It should be living, but it should also be holy and pleasing to God. So let's make this, 'Like Jesus was when he sacrificed himself and being a sacrifice that God appeals to and takes pleasure in.'

5. 'This is your true and proper worship.' - 'This is what real worship looks like.' 


That was a ton. Still reading? I'm almost there... 

Let's put those pieces together. Romans 12:1 New Blog Version

"I'm begging you my friends. While watching Jesus, the one who could condemn us, die on the cross for us and having our minds set on the cross: give up your entire body (mind, soul, thoughts, skin, bones, all of it) to God, with no plans or expectations of EVER getting it back, as a spiritually active, growing, breathing sacrifice like Jesus was when he sacrificed himself. And being a sacrifice that God appeals to and takes pleasure in. THIS is what real worship looks like." 

Read that again.

Let's talk musical worship.

Is that what WE look like on sunday morning? Do we have the cross on our minds? Do we come living or dead? Do we worship with a posture that says "We are sacrificing our lives with no plans of getting it back" ? 

I'll say this. Guy standing in the back, coffee in hand, watching the band, thinking about last night's football, is NOT worshipping the way that God desires in His Word. 

I'll also say this. Sometimes you will go to a church where the worship is very intense (as it should be) and very expressive (as it should be). And sometimes you will go to a church where there is a congregation of about 50 and there is one guy with his hands high, in the back. You feel more comfortable at the first church right? As most would. But one thing we have to get out of our heads... Worship is not about the church you are at. It isn't about the song that the band is playing. It isn't about rather you're in the mood or not, or if you are awake enough. It is about offering your life, like Jesus did, to God with no plans of getting it back, and giving him all you have.

When it comes to musical worship in church, are you doing that? Are you living Romans 12:1 EVERY song? God deserves more than a room of still, lifeless bodies, and He doesn't care how tired and uncomfortable you are. He doesn't care about the fact that you don't like the song. He cares that you worship him in a way that is desirable to him, AKA Romans 12:1. He DEMANDS your worship, Matthew 4:9-10. 

We don't worship because it feels good. Or because everyone else it. We throw our hands up and bow down on our knees because there is a living God living inside of us and not only does He deserve praise, He demands it. 

The 'Aboda' or services done in the Temple, had restrictions. Aboda was in the temple, the tabernacle, or in sacrifices. Aboda was confined to those places and events. 

But guess what? Jesus came, died, rose, gave us the Holy Spirit. Now our worship is not confined! 2 Corinthians 6:16 - "For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

We are the temple! Our worship has no constraints!

So friends, it's time we wake up. It's time we worship Him week in and week out, the way he desires and demands. 

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord” Psalm 134:2

"Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,

    when I cry to you for help,

when I lift up my hands

    toward your most holy sanctuary" Psalm 28:2
 

“Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven” Lamentations 3:41

“I call to you, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you.” Psalm 88:9 


Thanks for reading. You guys rock. 

Wake Up Sleeper

Wow. 

Wow. 

God is good. He is good when we are in pain, He is good when we aren't. He is good when sucky stuff happens and he is good when incredible things happen. 

For me personally, many things have happened lately. The dynamic of my life is changing daily. But God is not changing. The God I worship today is the same God i worshipped yesterday, same one i will worship tomorrow. 

I never blog without first jumping into God's word, and I love the fact that He never ceases to blow me away with the truth of scriptures.

Isaiah 62:6-7

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the name of the LORD, give yourselves NO rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

That is the word of God saying, "You believe in me? Don't miss a beat. Even when your down and out, even when you want so badly to sleep, CONTINUE to call on my name." It even goes on to say, give Him, God, no rest! It's not saying that, as if there's a fear that God will sleep. It is pleading with us to call on his name so constantly and so passionately that we never rest, we never stop, and God never has to slow down his process because of us. He will never have to stop or rest and wait on his people because his people will be so passionately pursuing and crying out His name, seeking His will. 

That is the church and that is beautiful. 
This last weekend God called me to leave the place I had been worshipping and follow his lead for my life into a new adventure that we have come to call Rising Church. The pastor Aaron Young and staff, Ryan Nelson, Lori Cotter, and Sarah DeLotelle are all people who God used to make me and many of my closest friends who we are today. My old church will be missed dearly, but like Aaron pointed out at our first meeting sunday; though churches may take different paths from each other, we are all sons and daughters of the living God and we will all worship the same Jesus in Heaven forever! What a joyful thought! I am excited to take part in this next chapter of my life that God has put me in and to lead a body of believers in musical worship of the Almighty on a weekly basis. I have never felt so blessed and so  close to my Father. Great things are coming. 

I want to end my post with this.
Rather you are catholic, protestant, episcopalian, non-denominational, whatever you may affiliate yourself with... If you are a believer in Jesus, YOU are a person of the rising. In an incredible song by Brett Younker, the chorus says, "Jesus! Jesus! There is power in your name! We sing Jesus! Jesus! You have pulled us from the grave, we are the people of the Rising."

So to the followers of Christ reading this, WE are of the rising! Ephesians 5:14 says "Awake, Oh sleeper! Rise from the dead and Christ will give you light!" 

He has risen us, so let's live like it! Jesus has lifted us out of the grave so why would we ever still live as if we are dead? No matter the church, denomination, or any of that. Tomorrow, ask God how you can reflect his light. Ask how you can live fully, listen to what he says, and do it. I'm going to try doing so. 

Thank you for all of you who read this and encourage me. I truly am blessed beyond belief and humbled by your collective love. 

Let's truly live.
God Bless! 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/come-to-the-water/id528017564?i=528017768&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Real

It is very late and I am somewhat tired. But looking back on today and looking forward to this weekend, I couldn't be more excited. 

A few hours ago I got to lead my church (my family) in worship. Musical worship that is. We sang songs to our God. We shouted out Psalm 100 together proclaiming our joy in the Lord. And to the average person, what I just typed isn't that big of a deal. Even to the "average christian", what I just typed might not have even been that stand out. Churches all over america and the world meet every day and sing songs like we just did. It's so easy to look at it that way. I have been leading worship for about three years now, give or take. I consider my role as being a worship pastor one of the greatest blessings God has poured on me in my entire life. And at a night like this, after having taken part in the musical worship of Jesus Christ again, I am very, very joyful. Why? Because worship is NOT some small, customary, traditional thing that we do in church because we are supposed to. Tonight, my friends, my leaders, and I got to LITERALLY enter the presence of God and walk into his courts singing praises of thanksgiving, like Psalm 100 says. How can we as a believer do that and not be ecstatic? Or even simply realize that Jesus has torn the veil once and for all and NOT be jumping up and down in joy?

Tonight, my friends and I got to raise our hands, not to empty skies, not to the ceiling, not to an imaginary feeling made to give us comfort, but to the God that created you, created me, created the earth we live on and has breathed life into our bones. We got to say glory to you God, not to me. All glory to you, because He deserves it. My challenge now to myself and to any believer that is reading this right now... How can I/we give glory to God to the best of our ability OUTSIDE of the church? Outside of the confides of music. Maybe that means encouraging someone. Maybe for me that means being bold when I'm fearful. Maybe it simply means smiling more, or choosing not to be lazy. Ask God what you can do. He will tell you. I promise. Remember, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find. Let's live by those words. 

Oh and my brother gets married in two days, that's pretty cool too. And by pretty cool, I mean freaking awesome. 

Have a great friday. 

Psalm 100:4-5

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

Looking and Building

Long time no blog! 

The thing with all of this is, I do not by any means want to blog just to blog. However, if something inspires me, of course I'm going to write! 

Music is a huge part of my life as most people reading this probably know. I play music a lot, but I listen to it even more. 

Many lyrics have stuck with me over the past few years. If you asked me what my favorite lyric is, I would probably spend a few minutes typing you out a list because I could never have one favorite. 

I LOVE listening to a song that I have heard 20+ times and getting something completely new out of it. It is so wonderful to see God's beauty and brilliance outside of just the bible or church. When we read our bibles we say "God illuminate something in this for me that I would never notice on my own. Teach me!" The thought that has just recently come in my head is what if we asked God to do that everyday? When we wake up? "Illuminate something to me and teach me something TODAY in my everyday life: school, work, home." 

We read a piece of scripture that we have read ten times before, yet God still teaches something completely new through the same words we have been reading for years! So shouldn't we believe that he can show us something new anywhere? God is NOT contained in a book or a building and that is something that we as christians HAVE to remind ourselves daily. He teaches us something new in a passage we have read before, can't he teach us something new in a school we've been walking into for years? Or at the home we have lived in for years? Or in a song we have been listening to for years? He can!... we just have to be open to it. 

God isn't stuck in a book. Look for him somewhere that you wouldn't expect him today, tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, the Bible is an incredible tool for coming in contact with God and God has used it to mature and grow me immensely. However, spend some time looking for God and listening for God in places you would never expect him to be or speak. 

Today I heard God in a song. 

The song is called Onward, to the Garden by So Long Forgotten. 

"Theirs is the house without the door. And I am the carpenter that refuses to pass idly by. Theirs is the house with a hole in the roof. And I am the builder that makes it a window for the sun to shine through. Yours was everything I could and could not see…Yours was everything I could and could not see…Yours was everything I could and could not see…Yours was everything, everything…"

This lyric has stuck with me for quite a while now. No matter someones condition, problems, issues, Christ can and will reach them. It is our job as christians to be the carpenters, to be the builders to connect Jesus to the hurting. We get to take part in "Not passing idly by", and  "making the hole in the roof a window". 

Don't pass idly by. Don't be content with oppression and evil in our world. Fight it. 

If you want to give that song a listen... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCm-tj4Xj-Q

-Matthew 7:7 

"Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Stop

Two days ago I was walking my dog, Trip. We got Trip last February while he was only a few weeks old. We named him Trip because he tripped about every other step he took for the first few days, so it was fitting. Trip is now about a year and a half old, however he is a golden retriever. Therefore he's got a few more months of being a puppy. 
Anyways, I was walking trip around the neighborhood which was something I hadn't done in quite some time. Usually my mom walks him or we play with him in the back yard. However I just happened to be bored so i decided to walk him. For those of you who don't know, my neighborhood is basically one large oval on a hill, the entrance at the top, my house at the bottom. So when we walk him, we generally just go all the way around said oval. Trip and I had made it about three fourths of the way up the hill when he basically stopped walking. My initial thought was oh he just needs to pee. But then he got weird and decided to just sit down. I shook the leash, yanked him. Yelled a little. Finally he stood up and walked a few feet, then he pulled from me. He layer down in the middle of the road, refusing to go any further. I had thought he was being stubborn because I had heard he got stung by a bee on a walk a few days ago. So i began to pull him thinking I wasn't going to let him develop this habit of being scared of one section of the neighborhood. He fought ruthlessly and after me yelling, pulling, and taking his leash, he got free. His collar was slightly loose and it just slipped right off. We made eye contact, me with a hint of fear/anger and him with a hint of freedom/confusion. He sprinted down the hill, me right after him shouting for him to come back. I am not as fast as him, nor do I have as much endurance. I would have never caught up to him, but finally he stopped. I told him to stay as i approached, he did. I got up to him, slid his collar on. I could have been mad at him... I almost wanted to. But my joy at him letting me come to him overpowered the anger. The joy of him coming back to me, in a sense, overpowered any sort of anger I had. He had the look on his face of "Oh lord, I'm about to be punished." You can tell with dogs. They put their heads down, don't look at you. But i praised him. Good boy, Trip! Good boy! Because at that point I cared less that he rain away. He came back. We eventually got back to the same spot, but instead of tugging him up the hill with the possibility of letting him loose again, I picked him up. He was fine with that, even though he is huge. I had to set him down a few times and rest, and it was hot...But we made it. And once we got to the top of the hill, i set him down and he was completely okay going down the other end of the hill back to our house. It was just one part he was scared of.


I love how closely that relates to the prodigal son. He ran off and eventually he came back. When he came back, the father wasn't the tinniest bit mad. He was ecstatic! 


I think for me there are parts of life that are hard to get through. Rather I'm scared, angry, sad, anything. We just want to turn around and go back in the direction we came from. And I know that many times in my life i try going through that block that I know I'm scared of just to get to the comfortable stuff, the down hill, and I can't do it. We have to rely on God to pick us up and hold us if we want to get anywhere with him in this world. If we want to take the next step with him, or if we want to find him. Trip was not fine walking through that block, but he was completely content with me carrying him through it. Open the door that God is beating on and  see what he will do. 


PSALM 62:1-2


For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
² He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

More and Acts

This will somewhat be a continuation of the last post. 


There were a few major aspects of my life that I would love to talk on. 
As a many people who are my friends know, I play music. I love guitar, acoustic and electric. I love singing. I even play a tiny bit of drums and bass... but what musician CAN'T play bass?  Anyways, as you can tell I love music. Playing and listening. My favorite bands are As Cities Burn, mewithoutYou and So Long Forgotten. Anyways, that's enough small detail. 
For the past 3 years I have been leading worship on a weekly basis for the youth programs at my church. One year there were many of us guys who could sing, play, and lead. The next year there were 3. And this past year there was for a big chunk of the year only two of us. One of my best friends on earth Blaine Tiller and I. Over this last year I learned a lot about worship leading. Being on a stage almost every thursday and every other wednesday and sunday grew me tremendously. I have learned that I do have a passion for writing and doing this for a long time, and I also learned one huge lesson. From the words of Aaron Keyes, "a worship leader leads worship sets. I worship pastor leads people." It is not my job to simply lead a band in a set of songs. It is my job to lead the people that God has entrusted me with. 
Learning new things rocks. 
Another awesome part of my life is my beautiful girlfriend Ana and my friends.
Ana is probably the nicest person I have ever met, you should meet her.
My friends and I are possibly the sloppiest hang-out buds that you will ever meet. You should hang out with us. 
My friend Graham who leads  behind me on stage by passionately playing drums lives in my basement. We used to be in a band together. We might have covered a Katy Perry song. Don't ask. 
Just in-case it wasn't made clear though.. The church I lead worship at isn't just a place for me to go and play music. Altaer (high school ministry) is my family. I love those people so much. I try my best not to speed on my way there because in all honesty I'm happier around my family at altaer than I am anywhere else. Shift (middle school ministry) is so full of such crazy, awkward, goofy, off-the-walls middle schoolers...and I love every second of it. 


God has blessed me so much and I am so thankful.


Last thing...
One major lesson I have learned in my life is that you don't have to be 21+ to make a difference in this world. Sometimes that lesson slips away from me, but this afternoon God reminded me through his word. In Acts 23 many Jewish people are plotting to kill Paul. They vow to not eat or drink until he is dead. A young man, most likely in his teens overhears this plan. He tells Paul, who sends him with a centurion to the commander. The commander has paul moved to a different city so as to have a fair trial and not die that night. 
A teenager. He saw something bad about to happen and he decided to help, to do something. Paul didn't die that night. 


You don't have to be an adult to make a difference. Nor do you have to go to Africa or go volunteer at a shelter. Even though those things are great, look for something that you can do today or tomorrow that will bring joy to another. That's what I'm going to challenge myself to do, and you are totally invited. 


If you read all that, you rock. I love you. 

That first post where you talk about yourself some.

I've always wanted to blog... I don't really know about what, but it has always been a desire of mine. So, here goes nothing!

If you're reading this first post there is a pretty great chance you know me pretty well, but before I blog anything I'd love to lay out who I am and where I am in life right now.

I have one more week of summer before my senior year of school begins at Collins Hill High School. Everyone says senior year is easy, which I must say I'm hoping is true. I've got the classic case of senioritis. What senior doesn't? High school has been great, but school got old to me once I hit 7th grade... I'm not really a scholar. I make decent grades and I love learning new things. But enough about school! I've got one more week and I'm going to enjoy it.

My parents are teachers. Elementary school. Which is funny because I'm not the biggest fan of humans under the age of 12. But they love what they do. I have two awesome brothers. Joshua, who is 7 years older than me, is about to get married! It's weird having a brother who is about to be married... I don't think it has actually clicked yet. Josh has been an example to me for years with his wisdom and discipline. Jacob (whom I am aloud to call Jake, and you are not) is 5 years older than me and is finishing up school at UGA. He works with videography and that's about the extent of what I know of his schooling haha. Jake has also been a huge influence in my life through his passion and artistic-ness. Both of my brothers are incredible people, leaders, and friends. 

The most important and central part of my life however, isn't family. And it definitely isn't school. 3 years ago I made the choice to follow Christ. Best decision of my life. My life was going nowhere fast and I was quickly given purpose. That purpose wasn't to go to church and look like a good boy. It wasn't to just NOT do 'bad' things. It was to passionately pursue the living God who had awakened me from death. A dead man can't bring himself back to life. I didn't wake myself up. He woke me up; he put life in my dead bones. Now as a result of that, it is my PRIVILEGE not my RIGHT to proclaim his name until the day I die. I named this blog Be Still, because at this point in my life I find myself very busy almost every day. Always going and doing things. Friends, school in a week, family, and church. Don't get me wrong, I love these things. However, amidst all these things I sometimes have to remind myself to BE STILL. Exodus 14:14 says The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still. How awesome is that? We learn how to be still, and God will fight for us. I love it. 

I will end this first blog there. Hopefully you know more about me than you did 3 minutes ago, and hopefully you are encouraged in some way by this brief version of my testimony. 

"What a beautiful God, what a beautiful God there must be. What a beautiful God, what a beautiful God You must be." - mewithoutYou