Jul 3, 2012

Journal starter

Reflect back to elementary school. You there? Okay-- did your teacher (circa 4th or 5th grade) ever give you "journal starters" to spark a creative writing exercise? The one I most easily recall went something like...  "On my summer vacation I..." We would then be encouraged to write without stopping... to let the creative words flow.

Okay. Back to present day.

This morning at my mom's I was reading a coffee table book she got from my cousin Hasso, who is raising support to go full time with Wycliffe Bible Translators. The book is called "Worship The Global Hallelujah" and it's infused with scripture, photos, quotes and ... journal starters!

This one caught my attention, and I plan to spend time pondering it: "If at the end of my life God showed me what my worship of Him looked like, here is what I'd want to see..."

I can immediately think of what I don't want to see. It's selfish. It focus on MY wants, MY emotions, MY needs. What I want to see when worshiping the Author and Creator of my life should have nothing to do with me.

In their book, Wycliffe suggest worship is:
-what we were created for.
-expressing our love to God.
-God's children gathering to proclaim His faithfulness.
-both quiet trusting and loud proclaiming of God's eternal Word.
-the flow of God's Spirit through lives of those who depend on Him.
-welcoming God to change us.
-surrendering our will to God's will.
-both a personal experience and a shared experience.
-proclaiming the victory of Christ in the midst of difficulties.
-praising God no matter where we are or who we are.
... just to name a few.

So I'll ask you again, "If at the end of my life God showed me what my worship of Him looked like, here is what I'd want to see..."

Boys and girls, you have 15 minutes to complete this task. I should hear no talking, and your pencils should keep moving the entire time. You don't have to write in complete sentences. Just jot down whatever comes to mind. You may stop writing when the bell rings.

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