Day 8 Bethel School of Worship

Today the worship was loud and we danced a lot.  It was great.  Jeremy Riddle was praying that we would be stubborn and have faces set like flint to God.  I am so pleased I got a picture of him saying this:

Then Steffany Frizzell prayed that we would lose our own minds and take on the mind of Christ. 

After this Christa Black Gifford came and talked about ‘Perfection V’s Excellence’.  It was one of the most amazing talks I have ever listened to.  In fact I went to the book shop and bought her book.  I tried to upload the talk on here but is not working so I will have to try tomorrow.

Her main points were:

• Perfection is the fruit of performance but excellence is the fruit of sonship.
• If you only think you are loved when you do well, you will be a perfectionist.
• Adam and Eve were in the garden in the beginning, before the fall they walked with no shame.  Even in their nakedness they had no self awareness, they were outward looking and had intimacy with God. 
• When the fall happened they then became aware of their nakedness.  They became self aware and inward focussed.
• Some of us are wearing a cloak of shame too.
• But, in the garden of Eden God walked with them.  Now, he lives in us.  So why are we still wearning the cloak of shame?
• Why are we not living like God is inside of us?
• Shame makes us focus on what we don’t have and not on what we have been given.
• When we judge ourselves we also judge others. 
• 1 cor 4 v3-5 says that we are not allowed to judge ourselves or others before Jesus comes back because we are in a supernatural period of grace.  Even when we reach judgement day we will receive praise from our God.
• John 16 v7-11  Christ lives in me.  My sin is dead because Christ lives in me.  Because my sin is dead, I cannot receive judgment for it. 
• The Holy spirit is here to convict you of your righteousness not your sin.  When God points to an area of your life – He is not pointing at your sin, He is pointing you towards the truth about Him you have not realised.  For example instead of pointing at you in your food binge saying ‘you disgust me’ he is pointing at His love saying ‘You just don’t know yet how much I love you.  Bask in my love’
• Again she told the story about the man who was dwelling in his misery of years ago.  Jesus said “I want my stuff back.  I paid for that.  I want it back.  It is not yours anymore!”
• She gave a testimony of how one day she needed a binge fix.  So she snuck into the kitchen and started to devour food.  Suddenly she heard a pop behind her: It was her new husband opening a packet of crisps.  She stood full of shame at being caught.  He said to her, ‘oh honey.  If you need to binge I am just gonna sit here and binge with you.  I don’t want you to be alone in this’.  She said this is what God does in our sin.  He comes to the darkest place, shines his light and loves into wellness.

I have to say I just sat after and cried.  Not in sadness but in relief … as condemnation left me.

 

After lunch I went to a Spoken word class.  I went to this one for my friend Rachael… I have recorded it for you lovely friend.  This is mike last year at Bethel School of Worship:

He gave the history of the spoken word and then performed some of his spoken word stuff.   It is basically dramatic poetry.  He is very good.  I would love to see some of this in our church: another creative expression.  I would also love to see dance and art incorporated into our services too.  I watched a lady paint a picture in the service a few days ago and it spoke so clearly to me prophetically.  

Also he endorsed getting an iPhone to record lyrics and to record poem and song ideas.  I am going to have to save up for one of these.  Might take me a while.

Next I went to another class with Christina Black Gifford.  She was talking about leading in rest.

God does not expect Christains to give every minute to ‘the cause’ at the expense of their families.  God wants us to rest in Him and love our families. 

• God will not ask you to give and give at the expense of your health – we do not need to strive in the Kingdom.
• We get the wrong idea about work and striving though our culture (you must be the 1^st in and the last out to be successful), our families (you have to get good grades, you have to be the best), and the structure of  religion and Church (all about the Sunday service and meetings).  But God modelled rest to us in Genesis 2 v 1-2.  God rested on the 7^th day.
• Jewish people have a day off one a week – always.  But they are very productive.
• When you rest in God He will give you all you need for the rest of the day. You will be more productive. 
• 2 Cron v20   We don’t need to fight the enemy – he has a third of the angels, we have 2 thirds and Jesus, and God and the Holy spirit.  We are on the winning side…  When we rest and praise God defeats our enemies for us.
• Soak and still yourself in the Lord and He will bless you and keep you.

After one more main session we went out to celebrate July 4^th.  I will post about that later.  It was awesome!!!!

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.