tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post116338398687807300..comments2024-03-19T08:09:22.326-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: Joy In Worship - The Thaw ContinuesAssistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163633646607746942006-11-15T18:34:00.000-05:002006-11-15T18:34:00.000-05:00Absolutely!! I have my mop bucket and mop ready!!...Absolutely!! I have my mop bucket and mop ready!! ;^)<BR/><BR/>---BubbaBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163611073004448152006-11-15T12:17:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:17:00.000-05:00AVI, you always struck me as the sort who would fi...AVI, you always struck me as the sort who would find his joy of worship in areas other than the more traditional ways of Sunday worship. As more the sort of person who would enjoy the special music as much as anyone, but find that the fellowship afterwards, or a startling thought on a rainy Wednesday morning, would seem to bring to joy and presence of the Lord a little clearer than anything else would. But maybe I'm just seeing myself in you.<BR/><BR/>And I don't mean to argue with you, BubbaB, because I do agree, but I don't think it's out of the question that there may be people who really find their joy of worship in mopping the floors of Heaven.Ben Wymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12491745981357751416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163546777979335582006-11-14T18:26:00.000-05:002006-11-14T18:26:00.000-05:00Lelia:Perhaps it was a bit simplistic to say that ...Lelia:<BR/><BR/>Perhaps it was a bit simplistic to say that I immediately find myself in the presence of the Lord... But I find my biggest issue is focus.<BR/><BR/>I have an image of myself, bowing down before Jesus sitting on His throne, as a peasant would do before his King. I often find myself thinking of that image when I enter God's presence - and everything else seems to melt away... At least, until my two-year old starts jumping up and down on my feet. ;^)<BR/><BR/>God doesn't want us to be apart from Him. He wants to meet us. Often-times, during worship, I feel like I need to ask forgiveness for my sin, or feel a burden about some area in my life. I have found that many people seem to have that problem - the "I don't feel I can worship until I am worthy" thoughts.<BR/><BR/>The problem is, <I>we are never worthy</I>. No matter what we do, we cannot make ourselves worthy of anything having to do with God, or His grace.<BR/><BR/>We often get hung up on the mechanics. We need to be hung up on Him, and making Him happy.<BR/><BR/>---BubbaBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163512741674472082006-11-14T08:59:00.000-05:002006-11-14T08:59:00.000-05:00Excellent, Erin. The quote is indeed from Eliot's...Excellent, Erin. The quote is indeed from Eliot's "Four Quartets." When I went to look it up more exactly, I found it was "a dry <I>brain </I>in a dry season." Which I don't like anywhere near as well, and probably why I misremembered it.<BR/><BR/>There was a student-written play called "Dry Seasons" my freshman year at W&M; that's where I first heard the line. I am still quite sure I heard "dry mind." Glenn Close directed it. Perhaps Glennie, the playwright, or the actor changed it.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163479553747411172006-11-13T23:45:00.000-05:002006-11-13T23:45:00.000-05:00BubbaB, I too am a pentacostal/charismatic. I fo...BubbaB, I too am a pentacostal/charismatic. I found your statement that all you have to do is focus and you find yourself in the presence of God amazing. I FEEL the presence of God maybe twice a decade. I am always surprised when it happens. Pleasently so. For me, worship is an act of obedience and faith. Since I so seldom have appropriate feelings, I don't go by them.<BR/> Although.... the feeling that this is the time to go to Rwanda is settled in my heart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163463867150208622006-11-13T19:24:00.000-05:002006-11-13T19:24:00.000-05:00On the allusion, I recognize the second half as pa...On the allusion, I recognize the second half as part of Eliot's "The Hollow Men" but I'm not too sure about the first half. Is it from another one of his poems?Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17872840299941324602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163452122497309472006-11-13T16:08:00.000-05:002006-11-13T16:08:00.000-05:00No offense taken, BubbaB. Thank you for your advi...No offense taken, BubbaB. Thank you for your advice.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163444605334737442006-11-13T14:03:00.000-05:002006-11-13T14:03:00.000-05:00I may be preaching to the choir, er, the worshippe...I may be preaching to the choir, er, the worshippers, but one thing struck me several years back, and I would like to share it with you:<BR/><BR/>When we get to heaven, what will our job be? Will we be busy mopping the floors? Will we be dusting the halos? Will we be writing software that runs heaven? Will we be helping people overcome addictions, or mental illnesses?<BR/><BR/>No. We will have one job in heaven: To worship our Lord. (Read Revelations if you don't believe me.) Certainly, the Lord can help us learn to do things that we haven't learned to do once we get to heaven, but we really should be learning to worship now.<BR/><BR/>There are hundreds of scriptures that show the importance of worship. Enemies were defeated through worship. People were saved through worship. Entire chapters of the Bible were written about worship. David was known as "a man after God's own heart" because he was a worshipper.<BR/><BR/>I guess my point is, never stop striving to worship. Worship is not about our feelings, or what we can get from God, but what we can give to God. We <I>choose</I> to worship.<BR/><BR/>Full Disclosure: I am a Pentecostal/Charismatic. I raise my hands, and make lots of noise when I worship. I have worshipped to old hymns, and new worship choruses.<BR/><BR/>I have also been in slumps before. I have found, almost exclusively, that I am not focusing on worship. Two active sons (5 and 2) and a bi-weekly responsibility to run sound sometimes makes it difficult to focus, and I have a tendency to let other things take over my thoughts in worship. But when I <I>choose</I> to focus, I find myself in His presence immediately. What a wonderful gift we have, to be so unworthy to even talk to our Lord, and yet He even gives us the privilege to <I>sing</I> to Him!!<BR/><BR/>And AVI, I am by no means criticizing you. It sounds like you have returned to the "heart of worship". But maybe others can learn from me...<BR/><BR/>---BubbaBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-1163428281360336742006-11-13T09:31:00.000-05:002006-11-13T09:31:00.000-05:00Faith and continued worship in the dry times of li...Faith and continued worship in the dry times of life are a true measure of what we believe. Often it seems as if we have to re-remember lessons we have already learned but have lost in the minutiae of daily life. Maybe you don't need to learn something new so much as you might need to recall something you already know but have pushed to the back of your mind.<BR/><BR/>I have found Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel" sometimes helpful fo re-remembering at times.<BR/><BR/>I hope your thaw blossoms into full-blown summer!terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12399706958844399216noreply@blogger.com