Let me start off with a quote from a book I'm currently reading. "The HEART of the ARTIST" by Rory Noland.

... this is one of the biggest differences between performing and ministry. I've seen many professional entertainers try to approach ministry the same way they've always approached performing.

Performance is entertainment. You have to own the stage. You have to appear self-confident and enthusiastic. It doesn't matter if you're going through a deep personal crisis. The show must go on. You have to put it all behind you and step onstage and wow everybody one more time.

Ministry, on the other hand, is not entertainment. Instead of pretence, there is authenticity -- we need to be real onstage. Instead of working hard to whip up confidence, we need to be humble. Ministry demands that we allow the Holy Spirit to own the stage.

It is not easy to keep checking your heart to see what our attitude or intentions are but that is exactly what we have to do. And this doesn't just involve our attitude towards worship but towards everything that we do in life. Worship, as we so often hear, is more than just singing or getting everyone stirred up. Its not about putting a tear in congregation's eye. Its a form of expressing a lifestyle.
It is what happens when you really realise how BIG God is, how much He LOVES you and how much He has given.

Every attempt to worship has to begin from this understanding. There needs to be a capacity to recognise God's Love before we can receive God's Love. That is why John says in 1 John 4:7-12:
We -- we love him, because He -- He first loved us;

This is taken from Young's Literal Translation. You can almost imagine the way John would verbalise this. He pauses as if his breath is taken away by remembering the Love of Jesus. As if He had to compose himself before saying it. He had that understanding of Love. He realised that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved. This is the basis for all worship.

And my God will supply every need of mine according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
:: Philippians 4:19-20 ::

And He does it again. Thank you God.

Hello dear blog... Hello old friend. What have I learnt in my absence from the world of journalling? If anything, I've learnt the importance of journalling and its significance in my life. Life is far too complicated, too detailed, too romantic to simply experience in one shot. Its too brilliant, too rich in content, too intense to handle and process at any one time. That is why we have different forms of capturing media. The digital camera, the mp3 recorder, or even in the more primitive forms. The pencil and paper.

Why has mankind come up with all these devices? My opinion is that mankind has been looking for a way to extend life ever since man got separated from God. We've been searching for the "fountain of youth". And media provides a way to capture the instances in life which take our breath away. The moments which we enjoy. We try to prolong these moments by talking about them, by reminiscing or critiquing them. Why do we do it? Because these are the moments which make time stop for us. Praise God for these moments... It is as if He places these things just for us to enjoy and just to give life and strength to our souls. I just need to take time to think about His love and it just amazes me. It takes my breath away. That is is why I worship Him. Because He gives me so much to experience, so much to learn.

Recently, we've been learning a lot about the book of Jonah during cell group and one key characteristic I've learnt about God is His grace. Whenever you turn back to Him, He's still willing to use you. Even when you feel that you are not deserving of His blessings, He continues to bless.

One of the things I hear Him saying to me whenever I feel unworthy.
"Get over yourself!!! Get up from that pit of self-pity and get to work on what I've intended for you. Self-abasement is just a waste of time. It gives Me no glory for you to remain in that state. Encourage yourself in Me."

Indeed, God has been opening doors for me. Choices laid before me that excite me. Naturally, I would shy away from things which I don't have a clue on how to achieve. But things that God shows me, He puts in me the desire to learn and do. God amazes me.