I grew up in the CRC, and am still here, along with my family. I'm married to Daryl, who has a construction business. I had a CPA license for 10 or so years, then I added EX to the front, and MOM to the back, so now I'm an EX CPA, MOM =). I am MOM to Duncan, Ian and Samantha. Our family also owns a raspberry farm, and in the summers we get to work out there together.
Bless you Blain, what beauty from ashes... thanks for sharing your powerful journey & experiences of high praise, even though some of what you share is also very painful... I pray you will continue to find deep healing as you continue to seek God's face/heart in worship & prayer...
You are a precious & priceless child of the Most High God, you are a new creation in Christ & a temple of His Holy Spirit... may many more encounter God in these life changing ways, giving Him the glory & praise, as He is worthy...
His chesed/lovingkindness endures forever!!! He is abounding in Love & His love is higher than the heavens... may you sense His sweet shalom as you continue to grow & mature in your relationship with our Heavenly Father, abiding in Christ Jesus & in step with the Holy Spirit!
Worship is primarily about God, but because He's a generous and loving God, He makes it about us too. He longs to bless us when we spend time with Him. He ministers to our hearts through music, sermons, prayers, people... I have found when I've gone into worship with no agenda of my own, other than to praise Him and be open to what's on His heart, He will bless my heart many times over.
I do look forward to worship with Him, because He often will give insight or confirmation or encouragement, but that's not the primary purpose. It's primarily for His glory, but because He's God, it will also be for our good, that's His promise and we can bank on it! I love 2 Chron 20. The people starting praising God, and He responded by orchestrating an ambush between the enemy, and the enemy killed each other instead of the people of Judah. Yep, He often/always will bless His people when we worship Him. Will we always realize it? that's another question =) I do often joke that sometimes at church I'm praising Him with one hand and "threatening" my kids with the other =).
I don't know if I've said it here on the network, but God can use any song, any style to minister to us if He wants, it can be 1000 years old or just minutes old, it can be spiritual or secular. I remember in 2006, i was at a women of faith conference and had a "bad" attitude about the concert that was suppose to be at the end. God didn't let me keep that attitude for very long and would not let me worship Him with it, because it wasn't even one minute into the concert (so no emotional manipulation through music) and He melted me, I was undone! and basically what the "lesson" was, is "don't limit Me, I can use anything, anytime to minister to you". That encounter was so deep and powerful, that up to a year later, whenever I heard the songs that were played there, on the radio, tears would immediately begin.
and one other "side effect" of worship, is it's a weapon that brings down the enemy and his strongholds (Ps. 149:6-7; Ps. 8:2, 2 Cor. 10:4) again, not a primary reason we worship and praise, but encouraging to know!
I know many believers and congregations that start each year with a fast. It is amazing the difference this "discipline" can make in "listening" to God and being sensitive to His leading throughout the year. I would encourage anyone who might be sensing the LORD putting this on their heart or who desire a deeper relationship with Him to look into it further. I will simply say after the LORD put fasting on my heart a few years ago, it has now become a lifestyle.
hmmm... great thoughts... Spirit's a stirring and making us think about what's eternal/important, and what's not.
During my prayer time this morning, prompted by Karl W's thoughts on spiritual discernment at ecclesiastical assemblies in the classis discussion forum, I was thinking about the many board and committee meetings I've been at, that are 95% business/corporate like focus with Robert and his rules governing the structure (do I dare say, maybe sometimes in place of the Holy Spirit?? and makes me wonder if we are much more comfortable with Robert than the Holy Spirit), bookended by prayers. and the thought was, we're in a rut. I've often thought we're kind of stuck as a denomination for whatever reason, but had never had the word rut connected to it. as Melissa stated, stuck in a routine, which confirms the thought I had this morning.
I really think the LORD is working on converting us from "Miss Marthas" to Miss Marys", by us spending more time in His Presence, seeking His leading and guiding and then carrying out whatever it is He puts on our hearts during that time. I have found, that when I am in this "rhythm" with Him, that when I do have to get the "Miss Martha" work done, it is far more effective and flows much smoother, with unbelievable statistical probabilities of timing that can only be Divine. and it is far more enjoyable =), a delight, not a duty, always a bonus when doing Kingdom work =) !
Someone just shared the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, with me... haven't read it yet, but looking forward to it =) !!
Yep, our culture (& the dutch do too) values a hard working, driven, dynamic person, that gets the job done. The ones who keep their homes (& cars) immaculate, bring the best dishes to potlucks, as well as sing in the choir, play 5 instruments and can shoot a pretty mean hoop as well ( and probably run marathons too)! Of course, I'm being a bit snarky! But our time/relationship with Jesus is sometimes/often viewed as "wasting" time and not valued.
anyway, the Rob bell quote reminded me of this scripture...
Gal. 1:10 (NKJV) For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
I hope that we are able to do more than just talk about some changes, and we will be able to move forward with a fresh vitality. As Clarence Vos stated at the end of his article in the Nov. Banner (p38) boq It would seem the need of the hour is prayer, openness to the Spirit's leading, and an expectation that in the end our Christian faith will be more vital than ever! eoq
I really appreciate the network, and the opportunity to share and sharpen ideas/test thoughts that might be from the LORD, or whatever might be on your heart, with other believers that come from a similar perspective (mainly reformed)...
I have to laugh, last fall, about this time, I mentioned to a crc leader in the area, that I had some concerns about our denomination, and some of our position statements, etc. The response was basically, no one locally cares (i'm in the pnw), and it won't make any difference at the denominational level. So i thought, well LORD, I know I won't make a difference on my own, but I know You can, and You can use me if You want to.
When I first learned about the network in Febr. this year, I joined. I have been blessed by the many thoughtful, honest posts, seeking God's way of doing His Church. I have been encouraged by the expression of others, seeking better understanding of what it means to listen to and be led by the Holy Spirit. I have seen answers to prayers, that i believe the LORD put on my heart about His Church, and seeing posts that start to bring up some of the concepts. Other posts give insight on how to pray on behalf of His Bride, and some specifically for the crc denomination.
I too wish more people would share their thoughts here, and I encourage everyone to do so, because that helps the Body/Bride of Christ work together better for the common good, and we are much healthier.
definitely agree with the quiet shift of resources to more local ministries. I know we (my husband and I) feel the tension when our church's ministry shares are short, but we feel led to support the local prayer ministry I'm involved with instead.
I'm with you Colin, that our long prayer is too short... I'm sorry but if we consider 2 minutes a long prayer, we're in trouble... sorry, another pet peeve of mine is when we will have a minute or so of silent prayer and it's 10, maybe 15 seconds... dang, it takes more time than that (usually a lot more) to be still and quiet our souls...
it's already next to impossible to convince people that we should be praying corporately together in addition to the Sunday svc. I've heard so many excuses, one excuse I've heard, is it's easier to let someone else pray... argh!!! this one is sad and funny... they weren't sure if God heard them when they prayed in Dutch... of course He does... if He can understand praying in tongues, Dutch is a piece of cake... oh, wait, did I mention praying in tongues on a CRC forum... oops! That one people are really uncomfortable with... even if it's not done corporately...
We have almost completely lost corporate prayer... it's "Our Father", it's teach US how to pray, they were praying in one accord, NT prayer was often in a communal context (Acts 1:14; 4:24).. even the prayer "closet" in the KJV times (1600's), was the kings and queens sitting room off their chamber that was used as a gathering place with their closest friends and family, it was not our modern day concept of our closets...
crying while we're praying... in the CRC?!?! Praise God... it might not be pretty, but it's powerful, those tears are powerful prayers... Jesus prayed with tears... it's called travail, don't know that I've seen it too often in the CRC... and yes, it does make us uncomfortable, because we aren't used to it. LORD, multiply the tears in prayer on behalf of the hurting and wounded... in fact, a few days ago, I just listened to the late David Wilkersons "A call to anguish"... let's see if I can find the link again..it's about 7 minutes.
I'm sure the scriptures mention the concept of crying out to God" several times... pretty sure it was usually King David, who was a man after God's heart...
here's a powerful testimony by Keith Green...about 1:50 in he shares on when he wrote Oh LORD, You're beautiful... and how he was feeling cold and distant in his relationship, and so God "told" him..."cry", and Keith said I can't or don't feel like cyring... God "said" "I'll wait"... the result is this amazing song... this video doesn't have all the verses, so I encourage you to check out all the verses...
my prayer is that instead of people saying "I'll pray for you", they will pray for that person right on the spot, whether it's over the phone or in the back of church, or in the grocery store, or at the park, or wherever it comes up... my prayer is that we'll be praying and worshipping 24/7... just like in the temple of David...
but back to corporate prayer... we somehow have gotten significantly out of balance between private and corporate prayer... they are both equally important... I apologize if my frustration with our lack of enthusiasm for corporate prayer is coming through with snarky remarks... hehehehe =)
btw, Colin... are you going to be able to make it to the prayer summit next week... and was the young adult, Rudy's son, and if so how long ago was this? (I met Rudy at the prayer summit at the Firs in B'ham last yearish). thx. Bev S (Susan Dotinga's niece from Lynden)
Thanks Paul for taking on this corner of the network for a while... I too believe, God will use this tool to connect those with an "interest" in these concerns... Last year, I mentioned some of my denominational concerns with a local CRC leader, and the response was essentially no one cares, and you won't make any difference at the denominational level. Well, I didn't receive that, and was a "little" put out, and frustrated, so I prayed, and educated myself more on what's going on at the higher levels of the CRC... I had kind of given up for a while, then joined the network when they sent out the email in late Feb, then I was struggling with some issue again, and briefly thought with a defeatist attitude, I don't care if I'm in disagreement...and the Holy Spirit really impressed on me that it is very important to be in one accord... If I'm a part of this denomination, then I need to be praying and working toward being in agreement, however that might look...
a couple of concepts that we have used in our area (not through classis though) are seek God for Lynden, based on seek God for the city... we gather as "the church of Lynden", not as one particular church or denomination...
Houston prays is another powerful ministry that connects churches in a regional area... I have met the director for this ministry, and see amazing things going on in the Houston area... here's one for example:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FB1B9CNU a powerful celebration of diversity, as 2000 believers come together in Houston to celebrate the Risen LORD, with dance... this is a beautiful picture of young and old, and various ethnicities all celebrating Christ. I cry just about every time I watch it...
the 3rd example is the Light of the World Prayer center that is a county wide prayer center. again, a beautiful blend of believers from various streams, reformed, pentecostal, baptist, catholic, etc. praying together. This is what we have found to be the most powerful way that unity in spirit is achieved, is when we pray together. A couple of weeks ago, we had reformed, mennonite and baptist pastors and area leaders praying together for 3 days. I believe this is very significant for reconciliation, because of our role in the split with the anabaptists many years ago... some might say ancient history, but as I've become more involved in digging into the roots of some issues, they can go back a long way.
One of the rays of hope for me is that since we (the crc) reversed our position on cessationism, as we did in 1973, a significant change of doctrine, then it's possible that these other issues I struggle with can be worked out as well.
Like you said, confessing that there is something unhealthy is a good start... Now LORD, purge, purify and cleanse us of what is not from You... Raise up Spirit led leaders that are men and women of prayer... those who know that prayer is life or death for our denomination...In Your precious Son's Name...JESUS!
As i was walking the track for relay for life in the wee am hours, another possibility entered my mind, for helping bring unity... Dr. Alvin Vander Griend of the CRC and Harvest Prayer ministries (author of Love to Pray, Joy of Prayer, Praying the Father's Heart), has a wonderful teaching on a culture of prayer. I am on the Light of the World prayer board with him, and so can't believe I forgot about it. He has expressed interest in going to regional areas and inviting particularly the CRC and RC from that area for a combined gathering focusing on prayer, helping to bring increased unity through prayer. Hope that helps.
Posted in: What Exactly is High Praise?
Thanks for your encouragement David! You are a blessing!
PRAISE THE LORD, HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!
also, thanks for the confirmation on cultivating God's Presence... I've been reading this lately...
The Presence: Experiencing More of God: Rowlands, Alec, Cymbala, Jim: 9781414387246: Amazon.com: Books
Posted in: What Exactly is High Praise?
love this high praise!!!
(364) Release the Sound - IBC Live - Indiana Bible College - YouTube
Posted in: What Exactly is High Praise?
Bless you Blain, what beauty from ashes... thanks for sharing your powerful journey & experiences of high praise, even though some of what you share is also very painful... I pray you will continue to find deep healing as you continue to seek God's face/heart in worship & prayer...
You are a precious & priceless child of the Most High God, you are a new creation in Christ & a temple of His Holy Spirit... may many more encounter God in these life changing ways, giving Him the glory & praise, as He is worthy...
His chesed/lovingkindness endures forever!!! He is abounding in Love & His love is higher than the heavens... may you sense His sweet shalom as you continue to grow & mature in your relationship with our Heavenly Father, abiding in Christ Jesus & in step with the Holy Spirit!
Your sister in Christ,
Bev Sterk
Posted in: On the Potter’s Wheel
Worship is primarily about God, but because He's a generous and loving God, He makes it about us too. He longs to bless us when we spend time with Him. He ministers to our hearts through music, sermons, prayers, people... I have found when I've gone into worship with no agenda of my own, other than to praise Him and be open to what's on His heart, He will bless my heart many times over.
I do look forward to worship with Him, because He often will give insight or confirmation or encouragement, but that's not the primary purpose. It's primarily for His glory, but because He's God, it will also be for our good, that's His promise and we can bank on it! I love 2 Chron 20. The people starting praising God, and He responded by orchestrating an ambush between the enemy, and the enemy killed each other instead of the people of Judah. Yep, He often/always will bless His people when we worship Him. Will we always realize it? that's another question =) I do often joke that sometimes at church I'm praising Him with one hand and "threatening" my kids with the other =).
I don't know if I've said it here on the network, but God can use any song, any style to minister to us if He wants, it can be 1000 years old or just minutes old, it can be spiritual or secular. I remember in 2006, i was at a women of faith conference and had a "bad" attitude about the concert that was suppose to be at the end. God didn't let me keep that attitude for very long and would not let me worship Him with it, because it wasn't even one minute into the concert (so no emotional manipulation through music) and He melted me, I was undone! and basically what the "lesson" was, is "don't limit Me, I can use anything, anytime to minister to you". That encounter was so deep and powerful, that up to a year later, whenever I heard the songs that were played there, on the radio, tears would immediately begin.
and one other "side effect" of worship, is it's a weapon that brings down the enemy and his strongholds (Ps. 149:6-7; Ps. 8:2, 2 Cor. 10:4) again, not a primary reason we worship and praise, but encouraging to know!
Posted in: New Year's Resolution - Seek God's Face
I know many believers and congregations that start each year with a fast. It is amazing the difference this "discipline" can make in "listening" to God and being sensitive to His leading throughout the year. I would encourage anyone who might be sensing the LORD putting this on their heart or who desire a deeper relationship with Him to look into it further. I will simply say after the LORD put fasting on my heart a few years ago, it has now become a lifestyle.
http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/fasting/
Posted in: Over-Committed Seeks Sabbath
hmmm... great thoughts... Spirit's a stirring and making us think about what's eternal/important, and what's not.
During my prayer time this morning, prompted by Karl W's thoughts on spiritual discernment at ecclesiastical assemblies in the classis discussion forum, I was thinking about the many board and committee meetings I've been at, that are 95% business/corporate like focus with Robert and his rules governing the structure (do I dare say, maybe sometimes in place of the Holy Spirit?? and makes me wonder if we are much more comfortable with Robert than the Holy Spirit), bookended by prayers. and the thought was, we're in a rut. I've often thought we're kind of stuck as a denomination for whatever reason, but had never had the word rut connected to it. as Melissa stated, stuck in a routine, which confirms the thought I had this morning.
I really think the LORD is working on converting us from "Miss Marthas" to Miss Marys", by us spending more time in His Presence, seeking His leading and guiding and then carrying out whatever it is He puts on our hearts during that time. I have found, that when I am in this "rhythm" with Him, that when I do have to get the "Miss Martha" work done, it is far more effective and flows much smoother, with unbelievable statistical probabilities of timing that can only be Divine. and it is far more enjoyable =), a delight, not a duty, always a bonus when doing Kingdom work =) !
Someone just shared the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, with me... haven't read it yet, but looking forward to it =) !!
Yep, our culture (& the dutch do too) values a hard working, driven, dynamic person, that gets the job done. The ones who keep their homes (& cars) immaculate, bring the best dishes to potlucks, as well as sing in the choir, play 5 instruments and can shoot a pretty mean hoop as well ( and probably run marathons too)! Of course, I'm being a bit snarky! But our time/relationship with Jesus is sometimes/often viewed as "wasting" time and not valued.
anyway, the Rob bell quote reminded me of this scripture...
Gal. 1:10 (NKJV) For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
I hope that we are able to do more than just talk about some changes, and we will be able to move forward with a fresh vitality. As Clarence Vos stated at the end of his article in the Nov. Banner (p38) boq It would seem the need of the hour is prayer, openness to the Spirit's leading, and an expectation that in the end our Christian faith will be more vital than ever! eoq
and to that I say AMEN!!
.
Posted in: Next Steps for Me...and for The Network
I really appreciate the network, and the opportunity to share and sharpen ideas/test thoughts that might be from the LORD, or whatever might be on your heart, with other believers that come from a similar perspective (mainly reformed)...
I have to laugh, last fall, about this time, I mentioned to a crc leader in the area, that I had some concerns about our denomination, and some of our position statements, etc. The response was basically, no one locally cares (i'm in the pnw), and it won't make any difference at the denominational level. So i thought, well LORD, I know I won't make a difference on my own, but I know You can, and You can use me if You want to.
When I first learned about the network in Febr. this year, I joined. I have been blessed by the many thoughtful, honest posts, seeking God's way of doing His Church. I have been encouraged by the expression of others, seeking better understanding of what it means to listen to and be led by the Holy Spirit. I have seen answers to prayers, that i believe the LORD put on my heart about His Church, and seeing posts that start to bring up some of the concepts. Other posts give insight on how to pray on behalf of His Bride, and some specifically for the crc denomination.
I too wish more people would share their thoughts here, and I encourage everyone to do so, because that helps the Body/Bride of Christ work together better for the common good, and we are much healthier.
Posted in: Drama Queen
Got a good chuckle out of your intro...
great points, worth a lot more discussion...
definitely agree with the quiet shift of resources to more local ministries. I know we (my husband and I) feel the tension when our church's ministry shares are short, but we feel led to support the local prayer ministry I'm involved with instead.
Posted in: The Long Prayer
I'm with you Colin, that our long prayer is too short... I'm sorry but if we consider 2 minutes a long prayer, we're in trouble... sorry, another pet peeve of mine is when we will have a minute or so of silent prayer and it's 10, maybe 15 seconds... dang, it takes more time than that (usually a lot more) to be still and quiet our souls...
it's already next to impossible to convince people that we should be praying corporately together in addition to the Sunday svc. I've heard so many excuses, one excuse I've heard, is it's easier to let someone else pray... argh!!! this one is sad and funny... they weren't sure if God heard them when they prayed in Dutch... of course He does... if He can understand praying in tongues, Dutch is a piece of cake... oh, wait, did I mention praying in tongues on a CRC forum... oops! That one people are really uncomfortable with... even if it's not done corporately...
We have almost completely lost corporate prayer... it's "Our Father", it's teach US how to pray, they were praying in one accord, NT prayer was often in a communal context (Acts 1:14; 4:24).. even the prayer "closet" in the KJV times (1600's), was the kings and queens sitting room off their chamber that was used as a gathering place with their closest friends and family, it was not our modern day concept of our closets...
crying while we're praying... in the CRC?!?! Praise God... it might not be pretty, but it's powerful, those tears are powerful prayers... Jesus prayed with tears... it's called travail, don't know that I've seen it too often in the CRC... and yes, it does make us uncomfortable, because we aren't used to it. LORD, multiply the tears in prayer on behalf of the hurting and wounded... in fact, a few days ago, I just listened to the late David Wilkersons "A call to anguish"... let's see if I can find the link again..it's about 7 minutes.
http://video.christianpost.com/a-call-to-anguish-by-david-wilkerson-2506/
I'm sure the scriptures mention the concept of crying out to God" several times... pretty sure it was usually King David, who was a man after God's heart...
here's a powerful testimony by Keith Green...about 1:50 in he shares on when he wrote Oh LORD, You're beautiful... and how he was feeling cold and distant in his relationship, and so God "told" him..."cry", and Keith said I can't or don't feel like cyring... God "said" "I'll wait"... the result is this amazing song... this video doesn't have all the verses, so I encourage you to check out all the verses...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di4Pw93fKv8&feature=player_embedded
my prayer is that instead of people saying "I'll pray for you", they will pray for that person right on the spot, whether it's over the phone or in the back of church, or in the grocery store, or at the park, or wherever it comes up... my prayer is that we'll be praying and worshipping 24/7... just like in the temple of David...
but back to corporate prayer... we somehow have gotten significantly out of balance between private and corporate prayer... they are both equally important... I apologize if my frustration with our lack of enthusiasm for corporate prayer is coming through with snarky remarks... hehehehe =)
btw, Colin... are you going to be able to make it to the prayer summit next week... and was the young adult, Rudy's son, and if so how long ago was this? (I met Rudy at the prayer summit at the Firs in B'ham last yearish). thx. Bev S (Susan Dotinga's niece from Lynden)
Posted in: The Long Prayer
here's Keith's song with all the verses... very powerful... especially if you've never heard v2 and 3...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVgPQm06g2c&feature=related
Posted in: Classis: The Right Tool for Three Important Needs
Thanks Paul for taking on this corner of the network for a while... I too believe, God will use this tool to connect those with an "interest" in these concerns... Last year, I mentioned some of my denominational concerns with a local CRC leader, and the response was essentially no one cares, and you won't make any difference at the denominational level. Well, I didn't receive that, and was a "little" put out, and frustrated, so I prayed, and educated myself more on what's going on at the higher levels of the CRC... I had kind of given up for a while, then joined the network when they sent out the email in late Feb, then I was struggling with some issue again, and briefly thought with a defeatist attitude, I don't care if I'm in disagreement...and the Holy Spirit really impressed on me that it is very important to be in one accord... If I'm a part of this denomination, then I need to be praying and working toward being in agreement, however that might look...
a couple of concepts that we have used in our area (not through classis though) are seek God for Lynden, based on seek God for the city... we gather as "the church of Lynden", not as one particular church or denomination...
Houston prays is another powerful ministry that connects churches in a regional area... I have met the director for this ministry, and see amazing things going on in the Houston area... here's one for example:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FB1B9CNU a powerful celebration of diversity, as 2000 believers come together in Houston to celebrate the Risen LORD, with dance... this is a beautiful picture of young and old, and various ethnicities all celebrating Christ. I cry just about every time I watch it...
the 3rd example is the Light of the World Prayer center that is a county wide prayer center. again, a beautiful blend of believers from various streams, reformed, pentecostal, baptist, catholic, etc. praying together. This is what we have found to be the most powerful way that unity in spirit is achieved, is when we pray together. A couple of weeks ago, we had reformed, mennonite and baptist pastors and area leaders praying together for 3 days. I believe this is very significant for reconciliation, because of our role in the split with the anabaptists many years ago... some might say ancient history, but as I've become more involved in digging into the roots of some issues, they can go back a long way.
One of the rays of hope for me is that since we (the crc) reversed our position on cessationism, as we did in 1973, a significant change of doctrine, then it's possible that these other issues I struggle with can be worked out as well.
Like you said, confessing that there is something unhealthy is a good start... Now LORD, purge, purify and cleanse us of what is not from You... Raise up Spirit led leaders that are men and women of prayer... those who know that prayer is life or death for our denomination...In Your precious Son's Name...JESUS!
Posted in: Classis: The Right Tool for Three Important Needs
As i was walking the track for relay for life in the wee am hours, another possibility entered my mind, for helping bring unity... Dr. Alvin Vander Griend of the CRC and Harvest Prayer ministries (author of Love to Pray, Joy of Prayer, Praying the Father's Heart), has a wonderful teaching on a culture of prayer. I am on the Light of the World prayer board with him, and so can't believe I forgot about it. He has expressed interest in going to regional areas and inviting particularly the CRC and RC from that area for a combined gathering focusing on prayer, helping to bring increased unity through prayer. Hope that helps.
http://harvestprayer.com/