Pastor Keith's

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The Burden

When God takes you somewhere, He does things that we don’t expect. This is especially true when we go somewhere we’ve gone before. I was caught by surprise last month when I took my fourth trip to France to reach others for Jesus.

This trip to France was entirely unexpected, because of what God did. I had a clear understanding of what we would be doing when we got there. We would be distributing the Scriptures to people. We would also be doing something new: reaching out to local people who are from our target region who now live in France. We would also be doing some prayerwalking. Nothing unexpected there.

Prayerwalking. It’s simple, but it can be very intense, if one approaches it the right way. It involves waking through a specific area in order to ask God to move there. You use the sights, sounds, and even the smells around you to inspire you to pray for people who need Jesus.

I’ve done quite a bit of prayerwalking. I like it very much, because I feel the Holy Spirit inspiring me to pray. It allows me to do exercise a privilege that is much neglected in our prayer lives: listening. When someone listens in prayer, he can hear and see from God’s perspective. It would be appropriate to do at least as much listening in our prayer lives as we do speaking. Prayer can be a 2-way conversation. If you haven’t tried it before, try it when you have your quiet time today. Prepare to be caught by surprise by what God says to you.

Here is where the unexpected entered into the equation. While walking through a government-provided housing area in Marseille and praying for the people who live there, I saw the sheer magnitude of the need there. I felt a bit of the burden of love and desire God has for the people. Words can’t really capture the emotion, but I felt this weight: deep sadness, longing, warmth, fondness, and even joy all mingled together, all brought to life by the love God has for those people.

God so desperately loves those people; He desperately loves us all! He loves us so much, He came to earth and suffered, all so our sins could be taken away. He allowed me to taste that love. I am sure that burden will remain on my heart for many years to come, if not for the balance of my life. It’s inspiring me in other ways, now that I’m back in the U.S. … more on that subject next time.

Good Times

Last weekend (5/22), we had an awesome "guest artist" with us in worship: Ashley McClearn. Ashley, as many of you may already know, was once a regular member of our worship team, before they relocated to Albany, GA. When Ashley approached me about singing while she was in town, I was tremendously excited. Ashley has a great vocal gift. At the same time, she had an equally important gift: humility. It's almost as if she doesn't know that she is gifted, and that's appropriate. After all, what's so awesome about being an awesome singer when compared to the awesomeness of the Creator of the universe? Nothing is worth even an honorable mention when compared to Him.

Anyway, Sunday morning rolled around, with our normal sound check. We were running through "Desert Song." Ashley and Bethany Brown (also exTREMEly talented) were singing in unison on the choruses. I was astounded by the way their voices blended, both in tone and in their pitch. It was like 2 voices became one, and they were worshipping in the Spirit. It was a beautiful thing! The actual beauty of the music itself was extraordinary. I found myself thinking, "I wish it was like this every week."

Immediately, I felt the Spirit telling me, "I'm here every time you come together to worship. Yes, the music sounds awesome, but it doesn't matter who is doing the singing. I am the difference-maker." I didn't hear any actual words, but the thought-impression was instant. And I knew God was at work. He was helping me focus on what's important: Him! The whole thought process took about 0.3 seconds, start to finish.

What I needed to hear, and what we all need to be reminded of regularly, is this: We must look for the presence of God each time we come together to worship Him. He deserves no less. We should set aside distractions, whether they are struggles or good times. Good times and bad times have an equal potential to distract. God has an agenda and a plan that reaches far deeper and farther than we can imagine. So we need to heed the command: "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." [Col. 3.2] So, put those spiritual blinders on whenever you set aside time to connect with God. Whether it's a Sunday morning in a church service, or a Tuesday night, praying before bedtime, we need to put our focus on God and not on ourselves.

Leave Yourself in the Parking Lot

What is the church here for? More specifically, what is a Sunday service all about? What’s the purpose? Ask 10 people, and I’m beginning to believe that 9 of them would answer something along the lines of, “Church is where I get fed,” or, “Church is where I get filled up for a long week at work.” “Then, by Wednesday, I feel empty, so I get a recharge in Bible study.” As the worship pastor, it’s my job and my call to prayerfully consider these things. I think people lose...