Day 9 Bethel School of Worship

Today in the worship I stepped outside to encourage one of the ladies who was painting on the stage.  She was nervous about it, so I thought I would tell her how amazing her picture was.  But a lady followed me out and gave me the most encouraging word.  She said I had the most amazing voice (which was really nice as I am still trying to soak these compliments in), but as she left to go back in the hall the lady I was encouraging said “Do you know who she is?  I said no.  She said ‘she is an amazing opera singer’.  I cannot remember the name she gave me, but I still feel like God is saying “see you can do this.  Now go home and step into what I have prepared for you”.

Ray Hughes was the main speaker again today.  He has the most enormous moustache which I find very disconcerting.  I am not big on facial hair, and this moustache is big enough for a bird to nest in..

His main points were:

• What we believe and say about us becomes our new song.  When we believe in what the liar says about us, that is our song.  When we come into agreement with what God says about us, our sound changes and our song changes. 
• Sound waves can move the earth.  Sound changes the atmosphere.  When we put on a worship CD it can change the atmosphere in the house. 
• When you get a song stuck in your head, that goes round and round, the only thing you can do is sing a new song: because new song will break repeating cycles. 
• Loads of the psalms start with “sing new song to the Lord” then David got them to sing it.
• Each revival has a fresh new expression a new sound.   
• 1904, in Newquay UK a pastor Joseph Jenkins decided it was time for people to see what the young girls in his church had seen.  As they were dancing the holy spirit descended on the girls with blue light and flames of fire.  For 10 years people thought he was a bit bonkers but….
• Welsh revival: In 1914 on Feb 14 Florrie Evans  said ‘I love Jesus with all my heart.  He died for me’.  The tears in her eyes became an outpouring to all people.  This started a new song which was the beginning of a revival that went around the world. “Here is love”.  She led it all around Wales.
• The power of the testimony is your song.  What ever you value, write songs about it.  It will happen. 
• Let’s live our lives bigger than church.  When the passion for God rises higher then an any resistance we may have. 
• Evan Roberts was the preacher in the revival.  But he would often just lie on his front and just pray for hours.  Not even preach, but just pray for God to move.  They would sometimes sing, sometimes be silent.  The whole land sang the song. 
• Whatever your song is for this generation, we pray that it will not be snubbed out by religious ideas, or church structure, or criticism from others.  Let it rise.

Next I went to probably my most favourite class yet.  It was more than awesome.  It was a class on bible meditation with Will Matthews.  I have tried meditating on the bible before and to be very honest I have become distracted and lost momentum.  In this class (a 2 hour class) I was so upset when it ended – I could have done this all day.  I so so so so very much want to bring this back home, to do on my own and teach others to do it. 

So first here are his main points and then after I will describe how we did it:

• In the old testament they meditated on the word of God all the time
• In this culture with social media we live in a time where people think that just commenting on your status on facebook, that you are good friends.  But good friends spend time together, they eat together and commune together.  Just as Jesus did with his deciples.  It is the same with God: we need to spend time with him, sharing the word together. 
• Purpose of Meditation
• To reflect on, contemplate on and imagine (thinking on)
• To plant in the mind and intend in your mind (planning)
• To engage in devotional contemplation, especially in prayer (engaging)
• To think on something deeply, to reflect deeply on spiritual matters, to mull over, to muse, to ponder and chew, to speculate and contemplate.
• Meditation is not about empying our minds but about filling it with the truth of who God is.
• In Ephesians 5 v 26 it talks about washing ourselves clean with the word of God.  Meditation is like taking a bath in the word.
• Where your mind is determines where your life will be.  If you think about junk, your life will be like trash.  But when you think about God his word will renew our minds.
• Colossians 3 talks about setting your mind on things above and on the mind of Christ.
• When you meditate on and speak out a verse, first we just say it.  After a while we feel it, and then we see it.  A bit like sitting at a door, then knocking on and having it opened for us.
• The greatest thing in life you can do is to sit at His feet feeding on His word.  More than a missionary position, or a leadership position.  When we spend time with Him, these things will flow out.

Ok so how did we do it?  First we had to choose a scripture.  We were all given Psalm 27 v1. 

The Lord is my light and my salvation

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the Stronghold of my life

Of whom shall I be afraid?

1. READ  First we read it.
2. WRITE  Next we wrote it down
3. SAY  We said it, over and over, lingering on one word and saying it over or just saying it all.
4. SING  Then we sang it.  Everyone had a different song.  We had some great guys from IHOP just playing in the background.  They sang out bits too.  In fact we started by singing the words we had written and then just spun into other things that the Lord revealed from the scripture.  It was awesome.   Some sang and some spoke it out at the same time (like at IHOP).  It was an awesome sound.  Then we started to write down what God was saying to us through it.  I certainly got enough stuff that I could easily turn it into a song.
5. DANCE  Some of us felt really moved to dance it too.  Will was so encouraging as he said he often looks out when he leads worship to see what the dancers do as they are often the 1^st ones to receive the prophetic.  He said that he asks God to interpret their dance.
6. PRAY  Then we were praying it over our lives.  It was the most powerful prayer.  After an hour you really know the scripture and believe it to be true. 

We then shared what God had been saying to us.  Many of us had visions that were amazing.   When I was singing out and dancing I closed my eyes and saw angels.  I had seen these while I have been here when we worship (only when I close my eyes though).  When I danced I saw these angels again…  but this time they were dancing with me.  They were copying me exactly.  When we worship Him the angels join with us….. and now I know that angels dance!  How cool is that!  Other people shared what had said to them and I found it so encouraging.  We all heard differently from the same scripture but it was awesome to hear what everyone else saw.

Next I went to a main session with Jeremy Riddle.  He was talking about hosting the presence.  He said we cannot release the presence unless we first learn to host the presence. He said as leaders we must not pursue the power of God, but we peruse the presence of God.  He said unless we know what God’s presence looks like in our own private worship we will not be able to know when it comes corporately.  Many worship leaders completely miss the presence of God when it comes in worship because they do not know His presence in their own devotions.  He said a leader should step back and assess the room and the spirit rather than ploughing through their song list.  I hope this is something I do.  I try to see where God is moving.  He said that God is omnipresent (all the time), but also sometimes comes as a manifest presence (like the glory cloud or as a tangible presence in the room).  The things he thought were vital in hosting the presence were:

• RISK  He said that obedience requires some risk.  If you feel that God wants you to sing out, or have a period of stillness it can be a risk to do it.  But it is when risk happens that God’s presence comes.
• FAMILY  A beautiful family takes time to cultivate.  Church is not a business venture.  Church will feel like home when it feels like a family.  Families have intimacy and this is alluring to the world.
• CULTURE OF HONOUR  Don’t criticize other worship movements.  Ask God to show you what is beautiful in them and ask God what to make that beautiful in you.  Don’t imitate others…  their sound is good because it is their sound.  Take good elements by all means, but don’t try and be them.  You are you and your sound is what God wants to hear.
• SPIRITUAL EXCELLENCE  Not performance excellence.  Seek God.
• PERSONAL EXCELLECE Be very careful.  The enemy most wants to derail those who hear God.  The easiest way for him to do this is though a lack of sexual purity.
• AUTHENTICITY  Being yourself will release your anointing.
• SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY  Don’t stand in the authority of your giftings… Stand in the authority of God.  Your amazing guitar playing and sweet voice might move hearts, but when you have spiritual authority you will move not only hearts, but heaven itself.

He ended the session by praying for us.  Then we just waited on the Lord.  It was awesome.  To sit in silence with others all seeking God’s face is electric.  After about 10 minutes the spirit started to move people.  Some were crying and some were laughing hysterically.  We then sang several worship songs – just voices.   The presence of God was so thick and I ended up dancing on my chair.  Others did too and we rocked the joint.

After dinner I decided to sit in the 24 hour prayer room and soak while catching up with my notes and blog.  An hour passed so quickly.  I must try and go in there just to soak and pray before I go.

Next I went to the loo (I know this information is too much for some of you), and I could hear this amazing beat of a drum through the wall.  I then went to find out where this noise was coming from.  It was a dance Jam.  Like a music jam with all the instruments – but people were dancing to it.  It was the most amazing dancing vibe I have ever witnessed.  They danced to Mexican music (complete with a trumpet), African music (with loads of different drums), in fact every kind of music.  People were just dancing completely free and uninhibited.  I watched from the window and then some girls came out and got me and dragged me in.  They had already been dancing for an hour but there was still an hour and a half to go.  I danced and danced.  I watched loads of men come in and they danced too.  There were people breakdancing and leapfrogging everywhere.  It was so very very cool.  I am still on a high.  I managed to dance (not just bobbing up and down but skipping, leaping and running) for an hour and a half.  And my hips do not hurt at all.  My back is stiff but my hips are good.  That in itself is a miracle.

 

Day 6 Bethel School of Worship

Today I woke up so miserable.  I cried and cried.  I miss my family and friends so much.  I have never been away from my kids and husband this long before.  I feel quite low today.

I felt much better after I had talked to John, he is good at picking me up and setting me back on my feet. 

The worship was wonderful today.  It was led by Christa Black Gifford (she is a great worship leader but has recently been playing violin, touring with Michael W Smith).  We were resting in God’s presence.  We lingered on this song “I love your presence”.  I really needed to rest in God.

She then talked to us about Mary and Martha.  She was talking about how Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and Martha was busy running around worrying and doing.  There is nothing wrong with doing but Jesus said that one thing is the most important: Listening to and hearing God. 

• When we listen to God and we hear him, we see how much He loves us. 
• When we know He loves us, when we know what He thinks of us, everything else will come from it. 
• Are we like Mary or Martha when we plan our worship set?  Yes we need to get it organised and photocopy, BUT if we have sat at Jesus’ feet and filled up on his love and vision, we will be able to do the doing from a different place. 
• The word obedience in Hebrew means ‘to hear, to listen towards’.  When we spend time hearing God we will be obedient to what he has for us.  You cannot give what you have not received, so we need to sit (quietly) and listen and receive so that we can give out of a wellspring.
• She also talked about how we should stop asking God to come down, he is already alive in us.  We should be still and listen to Him inside of us.  Train yourself and your senses to know when God is on the move.  If we listen, we will see Him moving in power.

I had a dance class next and it was ok, but I did not realise it was a 2 hour class so I think I missed the best bit.  I decided to go to my next class half way through which was all about the music industry.  I thought it would be good to learn about copy-writing or royalties, production and manufacture.  It was heavy.  I think it completely turned me off the idea of making an album.  I think perhaps it was something I should not have gone too.  I think being naive is a better option.  A lot to take in and a scary road to take. 

Brian Johnson talked next about being authentic to who God has made you to be.  He said

• We need to get quiet and ask God who we are, what has he made us to be?
• Perhaps we are not in the right ministry now?  Is God telling you he needs you somewhere else?
• Are we confident in our own sound? Are we trying to be like someone else?  Are we stepping out in the word that God has for our life?
• Tonight I went to a lecture by Ray Hughes.  He was speaking on the tabernacle of David and how it relates to worship.  

 He said that there are 7 different Hebrew words for praise.  

1. Halal is a primary Hebrew root word for praise. Our word "hallelujah" comes from this base word. It means "to be clear, to shine, to boast, show, to rave, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish."

2. Yadah  is a verb with a root meaning, "the extended hand, to throw out the hand, therefore to worship with extended hand." According to the Lexicon, the opposite meaning is "to bemoan, the wringing of the hands."

3. Towdah   comes from the same principle root word as yadah, but is used more specifically. Towdah literally means, "an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal, or acceptance." By way of application, it is apparent in the Psalms and elsewhere that it is used for thanking God for "things not yet received" as well as things already at hand.

4. Shabach  means, "to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph."

5. Barak   means "to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration."

6. Zamar   means "to pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing, to praise; a musical word which is largely involved with joyful expressions of music with musical instruments.

7. Tehillah   is derived from the word halal and means "the singing of halals, to sing or to laud; perceived to involve music, especially singing; hymns of the Spirit.

We need to know which one is which.  David would write the songs and then he would give the songs to the musicians.  To be  musician you had to

• go through 7 years of training. 
• You had to be over 30. 
• You had to be aware of the times. 
• You would have to build your own instrument. 
• You would have to be able to quote the whole bible by heart. 

If you get rubbish in, you will get rubbish out.  You get the word in you, the word will come out.  They would prophesy on their instrument.  They would release the power of heaven in the room.

Now I am off to another dance class: Beginners Modern Dance.  ?  I have no clue whether I will manage it.  I am still hoping for a healing as I dance.

Ok... just back from my class.  It was not as I expected....  and I really struggled.  We spent about 40 mins contorting ourselves into stretches I would not have been able to when my body was well, let alone now with my gonky pelvis, hips and knees.  I did my best but did feel after 40 mins of trying and really not bending very far, I decided to tell the teacher that I have been in and out of a wheel chair for 8 years.  She then seemed to warm a bit to me.  It was too hard for me unlike the one I was in this morning.  I did my best but I think I will have to rethink my classes.  I like the creative ones and not so much the precise technical ones.  I am still holding out to God healing me while I dance. 

Every one else went out after class today.... I decided to come home an chill out.

This is the song that has captured my heart and I want to bring back home and do in our church.   I have bought their album... it is great.

Day 5 Bethel School of Worship

Today was a hard day.  I have been here a week now and I am really missing home.  I am exhausted and my brain is so full of information I have not had time to process I am seriously in need of a break.

I decided to skip one of the main sessions today to try and catch up on my blog.  I really needed some time to myself so I bought a coffee and sat in the cafe.  Bliss.

I tried really hard to concentrate all day but struggled a bit.  I knew things were on a downward turn when I couldn't keep my eyes open and started to yawn all through my classes.

My first class was with Will Matthews.  He really inspires me.  He was going through the processes of turning a spontaneous song into congregational song.  I loved his openness to show us the process.  He was talking about how his song started as a spontaneous song and he grabbed his iphone to record it.  He played us the original recording.

I have been wanting an iphone for a while now and he really stressed how important it is to carry something that can record sound wherever you go.  I felt this message completely validated my need for an iphone.... :))))))))))))))  I might have to save a while for that though.

He then let us listen to another sound track of him and Brian Johnson working on his song.  He stressed that we need to let others help us citique our songs (even if the songs are our babies!)

Here is the song in the finished form.. I love this one.

Then I went to another Danno McCollam class 'Worship bigger than the room'.  He talked about how we are always busy getting God's presence to fill the room, and we should be aiming for more than the room.  He told a story of a church who always sang asking God to fill their church and the nearby highway with His glory.  They used to get so many people turn up at the church, not knowing why they were there, their car just drove them off the highway.

He said how we often are in church and we sing a song that does directly apply to us.  BUT he said we can sing that song directly at someone outside the church or even your town.  Eg, if you sang a song that that says I am lost, you could sing it towards someone who is lost.  If you worship directionally it will have huge impact.

He also talked about the worship team and how in his church they hire people on the basis of the 4 c's.

• Character - are they a follower of Jesus? Do they have intergrity?
• Commitment - Do they come to band practices?  Do they show up on time on a Sunday?
• Chemistry - Do they get on with others in the group?  Do they love others and do they work well in the team?
• Competence - Can they do the job.  How can you encourage them to invest in their craft?  Do you need to encourage them to have some vocal lessons?

He said you really need to invest in your team and develop friendships.  He says the best teams are like family: they eat together and have fun together too.

After that we were dismissed from classes and given the evening off.

I was all up for staying home and chilling out but the girls dangled a trip to the 99cents store in front of me so I took it with both hands.  Unfortunately they only needed one thing from there and we made a move to a health food shop,  which was so expensive.  I was sad not to have time to look for bargains... But I soon felt better when we went to look at the sundial bridge.  It was so beautiful (but covered in midgies). 



I cannot wait to kick back a bit this weekend.  We are thinking of going to a lake so I might just get a little bit of sun on my skin after spending a whole week indoors.