Archive for the Category »worship «

08
Dec
How to Celebrate Christmas When You’re Not in the Mood
Christmas Bible text

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com

Are you avoiding Christmas this year because you aren’t in the mood? Is busyness or financial troubles making Christmas seem like too much of a hassle? I have a friend who doesn’t decorate for Christmas because she feels there is no one to enjoy it. The kids have all left home, and her husband has passed away. Another friend just isn’t in the mood for Christmas and plans to ignore it this year.

I can relate to sorrow invading the Christmas season, limiting our joy. I lost my mother a week before Christmas a few years ago, and it was a very sad time. The Christmas gathering at my house gets smaller every year as the kids marry and get involved in their extended families. Loneliness, sorrow, and depression are all valid feelings and shouldn’t be ignored during the holidays. But Christmas shouldn’t be ignored either.

Christmas isn’t about us. It is about the celebration of the coming of our King to planet earth–God becoming man. We call this season Advent, which means “arrival.” Christmas sets us up for the Christian’s main celebration of Easter–the death, burial, and resurrection of this God Man so that our sins could be forgiven. Without Christmas, there would be no Easter. In my book, celebrating Christmas is a form of worship.

Are you avoiding Christmas this year? Too busy? Financially strapped? Have sorrow, loneliness, or depression robbed you of the opportunity to worship the King?

Here are five tips for how to celebrate Christmas when you’re not in the mood:

1. Get yourself over to a senior citizen facility and ask the receptionist for the names and room numbers of those who have no family in the area to visit them. Then visit each senior and listen to their stories, pray with them, and leave a Christmas card or plate of cookies. If you have children still at home, get them involved in the baking and visiting.

2. Give a gift of value to those you love–a heart felt letter of appreciation for how their lives have touched yours, a pretty plate that belonged to your grandmother, a box of family recipes you’ve copied, or that set of teacups that are gathering dust in the china cabinet. Some things shouldn’t be left until you are too old to enjoy giving them away.

3. Plan a day to make Christmas crafts or cookies with your kids, grandkids, or some of the children from the church whose mother works and has little time for this kind of special activity. Play Christmas music, serve hot chocolate, and share with the children your memories of Christmas and how Jesus has impacted your life. Let them tell you their stories of Jesus.

4. Call your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen and find out what they need during December. Choose one avenue in which to help serve those less fortunate than you. Then do it.

5. Visit Ann Voskamp’s blog, A Holy Experience, and download her free Advent Jesse Tree book. For many years, our family has enjoyed the story of the coming of the Messiah as a December daily devotional. The kids enjoy putting the symbols of each Old Testament promise on the special tree as we slowly work our way up to December 25th, the day of the birth of the King. We use a traditional small fir tree, but my friend Vickie always finds a bare branch that she sprays white and sets in a weighted pot for her family’s Jessie Tree. Even though the kids have all left home, Vickie and Dave still celebrate Advent with their Jessie Tree.

What have you found helpful in keeping Christmas as a time of worship to our King? What brings Advent alive for you? I’d love to have your input.

Susan Gaddis, Helping you build your spiritual legacy

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Category: Advent, My village, raising kids, worship  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
01
Dec
Decorate Your Home With a Godly Heritage
window view at my Finnish home

Window view from our Finnish "home"

My home is decorated with a Godly heritage, and the decorating has taken years. I thought about this fact as I cradled my hot cup of coffee during a pause in my Christmas decorating.

Surveying the living room and kitchen from my perch on the couch, I noticed the hole in the vinyl floorcovering in front of the oven. The hole appeared about a week after the vinyl was put in when one of my sons dropped a hot skillet onto it. I’ve kept a kitchen throw rug over the hole in the years since the “christening.”  Today, the rug is in the laundry for a weekly cleaning. The laundry room floor, as well the hallway, is the original vinyl, over 27 years old. *sigh*

You’d think by now we would have replaced it all, but with the cost of raising six kids and other expenses that come with life, we haven’t. There. I’ve said it. My house reminds me of my grandmother’s–old, worn in places, and holding memories in each bump and bruise.

Luhtala home

The Luhtala home in Finland--our farmhouse "home"

This last summer we stayed in an old farmhouse while visiting Finland for our son Jonathan’s wedding. As soon as I walked in the door I felt the spiritual atmosphere of a godly heritage lived out in that home.

The small house stood empty now, but the memories smiled at me from the photos on the walls and the stash of knitted mittens in the mudroom. Loving family had lost a baby daughter and raised godly sons under a roof that kept the dark winters outside. Scrapbooks revealed a routine of worship services held in the main living area. Something else besides the physical memories lingered in that place–a sense of peace. The week we spent in that home remains one of my fondest memories of Finland.

Call me odd, but I’ve been an intercessor long enough to know that the physical realm is often influenced by the spiritual realm and visa versa. When a house has held prayer meetings, laughter, tears, and the daily living of honest Christian folk, there remains a sense of the Lord’s presence. You can feel it, and it wells up within your spirit connecting you with the kindred spirits who birthed the things of God in that house.

If you come to my home, you won’t find fancy decorating or the latest furniture styles. You’ll just find peace, people, and lots of books stacked next to each couch and comfy chair. Royal Rangers have graced my halls as well as many home groups and prayer meetings. Most of the children have been raised and the lessons taught and learned. Some of the dishes are chipped and the glasses don’t match, and that is how I like it. My house is almost done with its role in raising a godly heritage. I believe a little of our spiritual legacy has been deposited in this house for the next family who lives here. I hope they feel God here.

Are you decorating your home with a godly heritage? Are you leaving a spiritual legacy in the place where you live? Share your thoughts by clicking the green Leave a Comment link below.

(For more on this subject of creating a godly heritage in the place where you live, see my post “Is Your Home a Thin Place?“)

Susan Gaddis, Helping you build a spiritual legacy.

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26
Sep
What! Me Worship an Idol? No Way!

No way am I an idol worshipper. At least I don’t think I am. I don’t give much thought to idols unless I’m traveling to an underdeveloped country. Well that will have to change after viewing this short clip!

If you received this post via RSS or email and cannot view the clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to give your brain a tweak for today.

So, what do you think? What are some of the idols you’ve encountered in our culture, and what makes them idols?

If you enjoyed this post and clip from the Skit Guys, please pass it on by using one of the Share and Enjoy buttons below.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Monday's Moment Videos, worship  Tags: , , ,
28
Mar
Releasing the Presence of God Through Artistic Expression

Crosses by Bob

Have you ever seen a sunset and knew there had to be a Creator, or heard music that made your soul long to dance before the Lord? 

We were made to reflect our Creator. To do so means to create. I am a simple person, but I believe that one of my highest callings is to reflect the Creator through my writing. 

At our church we have Bob Burrows—maker of unique wooden crosses, Jeremy Sizemore–creator of wooden flutes, M. Christine Weber–author,  Carolyn Watson, Sarah Leader, and Donna Johnson–gifted photographers, as well as many other individuals who share their gifts and talents with Father’s House. 

In her book, Prophetic Worship, Releasing the Presence of God, Vivien Hibbert makes a case for the Lord being the Consummate Artist: 

He is a sculptor and potter who made his own clay and a painter who created all the colors (Genesis 1-2; Jeremiah 18:1-6). 

He is a musician who formed every sound and gave ears to hear with, a dancer, and singer (Zephaniah. 3:17; Revelation 1:10). 

He is a poet (Job 38-41). 

He is a writer who has written the greatest best-seller of all time—the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). 

He is a story teller and actor. Jesus used parables in the Gospels to convey mysteries (Hosea 12:10). 

He is an architect (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 44:24). 

He is a worker of needle and thread. He has woven a garment of light for himself (Psalm 104:2) and has provided a golden wedding garment for his bride (Psalm 45:9, 13-14). 

He is a creator of culinary delights (Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:7-8; Psalm 34:8; 119:103; Song of Solomon 2:3). 

He is a perfumer (Psalm 45:8; Song of Solomon 1:3; 3:6; 5:1; 5:13). 

In all of these, he is without compare. There is none who can match his artistry, excellence, and genius. 

How do you display the wonder of the Lord through your art? In what way do you release the presence of God through the artistic gift he has given you? I’d love to hear from you. 

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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31
Jan
Your Surrender is Requested

The God of the universe is madly in love with you and has claimed you for his bride. Your beauty overwhelms him. You have captured his heart. Yet another would seek to buy your affections. Jesus requests your surrender in Joe Niemand’s Your Surrender, a song written from the Song of Solomon.


(If  you received this post via RSS or e-mail and cannot view this short clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to view it. You know you need a truth injection today!)

Isn’t it amazing how often you listen to the enemy of your soul and lean toward his definitions of love and beauty? Yet the Prince of Heaven loves you passionately and finds immeasurable pleasure in your beauty. Nothing in all of creation can conquer the Lord Jesus except your complete surrender to his love.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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17
Jan
Truth and Nonsense about Worship

When I was about five years old a missionary told me that when I got to Heaven I would be a spirit without a body and resembling the air and clouds. Everyone would be like this, and all we would do is worship the Lord every moment. I knew he was wrong then, and I still believe so.

Worship is a whole spirit, soul, and body experience. Therefore, I know we will have bodies in Heaven. Peter, James, and John all recognized Moses and Elijah who showed up in bodies to talk with Jesus long after they were dead (see Matthew 17:1-10). I’m sure Moses and Elijah used their new bodies to worship when they stood on Heaven’s soil as well.

And that whole thing of sitting on clouds and playing harps that some folks think represents heavenly worship is all wrong too. Worship comprises everything we do all day long with our thoughts, intentions, and actions. Washing dishes can be a worship experience if I am scrubbing with a right heart attitude and doing so as “unto the Lord.” 

Why would Heaven be any different? You can sit on a cloud and play a harp if you so choose, but I intend to hang out with Jesus, explore my new location, and in every second I will be worshipping him with my whole heart. And yes, I will also participate in the group worship sessions because from the descriptions I read of them in the book of Revelation, they are off the charts!

Worship isn’t reserved for someday in Heaven. God is more than awesome right here on earth. Jeremy Sizemore, our pastor who facilitates worship at Father’s House, says that our corporate worship is practice for Heaven. I agree. Even though washing dishes can also be practice for worship in Heaven, finding daily time to give my whole spirit, soul, and body to God in worship—my undivided focus—is something I need to practice more. “Worship the Lord with your full focus at least once a day. He deserves it”—so says #6 on my New Year’s resolution list for 2011.

Will you feel comfortable with worship in Heaven—like it is something you have been preparing for your whole life? How do you give your full focus to God in worship on a daily basis?

(By the way, I capitalize Heaven because it is a specific name of a specific location. If this troubles you, I’ll add you to my list of favorite grammar critics.)

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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15
Nov
Taking Worship to the Market Place for the Holidays

The holidays are closing in fast, and what better way to make God known during this season than to take worship to the market place. On October 30th, 2010, the Opera Company of Philadelphia chorus and over 650 area choristers met at Macy’s in Philadelphia to give shoppers a surprise blessing. They called it a Random Act of Culture. I call it worship! (If you don’t cry while watching and listening to this, then you seriously need a infusion of the Holy Spirit.)

((If you received this post via a RSS reader or by email and cannot view the video, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to have your socks knocked off.)

Thanks to the Creative Minority Report for sharing this great video. In one sentence, what’s your response?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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08
Nov
What’s the Theme of Your Song?

I enjoy all kinds of music, from soft jazz to classical. Cooking dinner isn’t the same without some sort of music to match my mood of the moment. Recently I came across a statement that confirmed what I already suspected: “Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge” (Psalm 119:54 NIV).

No matter where you are, a place becomes a home when music that reflects the Scriptures permeates the atmosphere. I enjoy the soft flow of quiet worship music as it lingers in the background of my office when I’m counseling. Walking through the house and hearing my son worshiping with his guitar makes my heart sing. I missed out on talent when it comes to singing, but I’ll sing along with him.

We often played the latest kid’s worship CDs when our children were young. As they became teens their worship music evolved too. With six kids this meant that we might have all different kinds of music playing throughout the house. I finally enjoy a wide range of my own CDs as most of the kids are now grown and gone, but my favorite is the modern hymns written by Keith and Kristyn Getty—they often carry a Celtic sound and always center on the words of Scripture.

Since God is the creator of music, a good deal of music reflects some part of his character and nature. Thankfully, new technology provides many ways to bring such music into our homes. Soft jazz often accompanies dinner unless my husband is playing his 60s favorites on Pandora. The Beach Boys may not be considered traditional worship music, but if it brings a smile to our face and a thankful heart, it is music that brings God closer.

Still, there needs to be a place in my home for music that finds a theme in Scripture, and I believe I have found a good balance.

What types of music do you listen to at your home? Is Scripture the theme of your song? What have you been listening to today?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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08
Oct
How to Recover the Lost Art of Reverencing Others

“Reverence begins in a deep understanding of human limitations; from this grows the capacity to be in awe of whatever we believe lies outside our control—God, truth, justice, nature, even death. The capacity for awe, as it grows, brings with it the capacity for respecting fellow human beings, flaws and all.” So says Paul Woodruff in his book Reverence, Renewing a Forgotten Virtue.

The difference between reverence and respect

Reverence and respect are close cousins, but not twins. Humility is found in both, yet only reverence honors in a way that respect cannot. Reverence lives in the heart, where as respect resides in the mind. Respect can be taught and given without a heart connection, but reverence can’t—reverence flows from the heart. You can respect wrong things and people, but you can’t reverence wrong things or people in a life giving way. Reverence stands as the wellspring of respect.

Indications that reverence is a lost art

I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself losing the capacity for reverence in little ways—and it scares me.

  • I’ve been known to call my son on his cell phone while he is doing homework in his bedroom instead of walking down the hall to talk with him face to face.
  • I grow frustrated with people who can’t always comprehend what I am trying to explain.
  • It becomes easier to set dinner out on the counter and let the family eat on the run instead of sitting down as a family to have dinner and talk over our day.
  • I can mentally dismiss people if they fall short of my expectations or have flaws that irritate me.
  • I’ll notice the orange sunset as I pass my living room windows, but not stop to reverence the God who created the sunset.

How about you, can you relate to any of the above? (Now—on to the positive….)

Recovering the lost art of reverencing others

Our capacity for reverence is diminished in a culture full of fast food, fast technology, and little commitment. How much of this erosion spills over into our relationship with God? More than we realize I suspect.

Here are some tips for recovering the lost art of reverencing others.

  • Worship God from a place of awe and do so often. It is from this position that reverence flows.
  • Talk with people face to face more than by phone or email.
  • Realize that frustration with others can lead to a lack of reverence for them—catch yourself and put reverence first. It will change the way you communicate.
  • Stand in awe of others—see the image of God in them—even people that drive you nuts. They are valued and loved by God, and they belong to him. Reverence him and reverence his kids.
  • Take time—intentionally be present to people. Take the time that is needed to be with people physically, mentally, and spiritually.

So, what can you add to my two lists above? Where do you lack reverence and what tips can you share for recovering the lost art of reverence?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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11
Aug
Unexpected Encounters With the Holy

I walked along the rugged shoreline of Shell Beach today, remembering a time long ago when I was young and often came to these cliffs to play my flute. I recorded one such memory in my book, Intercessors, God’s End-time Vanguard. I reprint it here as a reminder that finding the Holy in the daily often comes when we least expect it.

“Years ago, when I was in college, my roommate, Pam, and I went to the beach for some quiet time. It was late at night and Pam decided to go for a walk. I sat down by the cliff and listened to the waves breaking over the rocks below. Pulling out my flute, I began to play songs of worship and songs from my spirit. This had become a way of expressing my heart in prayer to the Lord and I often felt His presence closest during these times of musical intercession. Suddenly there appeared a woman in front of me walking out of the fog by the edge of the cliff. I probably jumped three feet but calmed down when I realized she was crying.

Sobbing she explained that her life had no meaning and no hope. She had come to the edge of the cliff intending to jump onto the rocks below. As she contemplated her final decision she heard music floating up through the fog. Feeling compelled to follow the sound she ended up weeping in front of me. Not knowing what else to do, I led her to the Lord! Pam arrived in time to answer more of her questions about Jesus and together we took her home.”

Most of my encounters with the Lord are not so dramatic, but an occasional in-you-face experience does reinforce his authority and activity in my life. Do you have a story of an unexpected encounter with the Holy in the course of your day? I’d love to hear about it. My comment section is a blue link at the bottom of this post.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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