First 6 Worship Journal Entries

Worship Journal Entry #1
9.8.10

This past weekend I had the opportunity of attending my home church’s family camp. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and growing together in oneness in our Savior. During one session, my pastor talked about being missional in purpose. Being missional in our worship is the key. Why do we worship? So we can spread the Gospel through our proclamation of His glory! The Bible did not create the mission of the Gospel, but through the Gospel’s mission emerged the Bible. The Bible aids us in helping us to know what true worship is like.
Through the mission came the Bible, through the Bible came instruction on how to worship, and through worship, we spread the Gospel which is the mission.
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Worship Journal Entry #2
9.17.10

In Worship Studies class the other day, we talked about what is blocking us from seeing what true worship is. One thing my teacher, Mr. Shuholm, pointed out was the term: “assumed intimacy.” When we go to church as worshipers, we automatically assume we will be in a right relationship with our Creator and expect our worship experience to have a spiritual impact. What we so easily forget is our sin. Our own fallen nature is what we forget when we worship such a holy God. Thankfully, Christ is our mediator who has made our relationship right with our God, yet we must not forget a very important Person in our worship: the Holy Spirit. In order to worship our holy Father with our whole hearts, we must start in the Spirit and end in the Spirit. We also must remind ourselves of the truth: what we know to be true about worshiping our God. Therefore, we must start and end in spirit and in truth.
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Worship Journal Entry #3
9.25.10

Tonight, two of my roommates didn’t know what to do. Of course, homework is always an option, but they wanted to take a break; it was Friday night, after all! Then one of them suggested something that might have seemed silly at the moment, but truly inspired me. She said: “Why don’t we pray?!” Then I observed and joined in the sweetest prayer: “Dear God, you know that we want to do something, we just don’t know what! Could you please help us to find something to do so we can enjoy our evening? Amen.” What an inspiration.
We all know we can talk to God at any time, but do we really take advantage of this access every chance we get? We should not be afraid of telling God what’s going on in our lives. He already knows, but to verbally admit it shows our love, adoration, and surrender to His will and plan for us.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” -Hebrews 4:16
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Worship Journal Entry #4
10.1.10

Who may we look to for an example of true worship? Sure, Paul is a good one, but he too was a sinful man like us all. What about Jesus Christ? His life was a literal living example of proclaiming the gospel, for after all, He is the center of the gospel.
When I was reading Tozer this week, I noticed an interesting point he brought up: people are fascinated by Jesus. Even Nietzsche who denied Him could not get over Christ and His persona. But it isn’t His outward appearance that still captures our attention even two thousand years later. The Bible makes it clear that He was a typical man with no particular physical attractiveness. Tozer puts it this way: “We may well say that when the eternal Son had taken on the form of a man, only His soul was beautiful.” He stuns us although we have not seen Him in person. Why? Because of His passion. Because of His mission. Because of His example.
One thing I’ve noticed as I walk through life is the friends I have. People who I truly want to be around aren’t necessarily people who are good-looking on the outside. They are people who desire God most on the inside and that alone makes them appealing. What I long for in my life is to be so dedicated to worshipping my Savior that I am naturally beautiful inside. I want attractiveness that points to Christ; I want a beauty that could only come from heaven and that shows the world where my heart and home is.
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Worship Journal Entry #5
10.6.10

I went to visit a Catholic mass this week for an assignment in Worship studies this week. It was an interesting experience and I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited to see how other people prefer to worship. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t very different from the way my own home church worships. The congregation is corporately involved in reciting scripture, creeds, taking communion, and confessing sins. Although the beliefs and motives behind these practices might be different than my home church, as a congregation, we all participate in these same acts of worship every Sunday. Some tend to blow off the Catholic church and its practices, but if you are willing to take a harder look, you might be able to find the traditions of Roman Catholicism true to the Word of God.
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Worship Journal Entry #6
10.10.10

For an assignment, I was reading chapter 3 in a book titled “Experience God in Worship”. As a follow-up to my previous entry, I found it a fascinating chapter. The main subject was liturgical worship. The author points out that maybe the fad of spontaneity in the modern church is not what is truly desired in the heart of the worshiper. Maybe this spontaneity and “looseness” in modern worship has replaced the awe and reverence that traditional methods present. Traditionally, people left a worship service with a great sense of wonder and mystery for their Creator. In comparison, modern day worship has led to an intellectual experience that causes us to think about our behavior rather than our heart and love for God. Would it be helpful to study and learn from the examples and reasons behind traditional worship?