re-Training Me Up...

My son, a kindergartner, noted recently how orange a tree was as we drove past it at 45 mph. Until recently I hadn't noticed the tree's. To be honest I'd sort of forgotten about them.

I'm in North Eastern Ohio, surrounded by millions of beautiful trees, woods, forests. It's Fall at that. And I'd not noticed the colors of the trees until my 5 yr. old described them as we drove by unnecessarily fast.

In the past I'd taken time to notice them. In fact, I would have been the one to point them out to my children, my friends, my wife. I would have pointed out the individual leaves, noted the depth of color, divine art in organic motion. I would regularly, daily even, walk with my family through town, through parks, neighborhoods, the city and we would speak of and enjoy the movement of the Spirit yet partaking in creation as He did in the beginning (Genesis 1:1-2).

Now, once again, I'm able to take in the trees amidst the forest.

The Patriarch Moses noted years before that our role as fathers, as parents, is to raise our children to journey with God. My 5 yr. old, in pointing out the trees and noting how God had made them turn his favorite color orange (just for him!), was simply doing what I had trained him to do: note Gods work, point it out to others, and give Him Glory.

It not only feels good to see the trees again, but all the more I'm able to hear my son give God Glory as well.

Read Deut. 6:4-9 - How would you raise your children to glorify God all the more if you could do it again? Start that rhythm tomorrow.

Worship

...holistically giving ones honor and respect and glory to the Creator and Savior.

We lift up Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength.

We speak of Him and to Him.
We kneel before His presence and Stand Firm in His power.
We move when He moves and stay when He stays.
Our thoughts are redeemed by Him and directed toward His goodness.
Our hearts are broken at the cross and made new in salvation.
Our souls come alive at the sound of His Word.

We gather not simply to sing, but sing to connect on a deeper level with the movement and fluidity of the Spirit as the living and active Word.

We pray not to hear ourselves speak, but we pray to be unified with our Creator.

We listen to the Word being taught, not simply because it's what Christians do, we listen to gather and profess truth, equip the saints, encourage one another, renew our hearts and minds, ground ourselves in divine knowledge…and become like Christ as we breath in the very Words He has breathed out.

Out of obedience we gather yet out of desire we worship.

We gather to worship just as we will throughout eternity.