The Spiritual Discipline of Worship:
      
              A little different than you would think


"They gathered with anticipation, knowing that God was present among them and would teach them and touch them with His living power." 

              Celebrating the Disciplines, Richard Foster, page 161

Upon being asked what true worship felt like, our class was surprised to hear several different scenarios that allowed for "true" worship. Some mentioned singing, some mentioned prayer, and even a wedding was mentioned. Everyone had different physical elements and different rituals that were being performed when they truly encountered the Holy Spirit of God. What did remain the same, was what it felt like. Being in the presence of God is a feeling of renewal. Whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally or spirituality, the Holy Spirit of God is one that refreshes us. 

We all agreed that Sunday was a day set aside for worship. No matter what our worship looks or feels like, Sunday is a day that God has ordained to be His holy day. However, the question in my own head was, "do I really end every Sunday feeling refreshed as if I have just encountered the Holy Spirit?" Do I really come to Sunday with a heart prepared for worship? In reading Richard Foster's book, discussing in class, and meditating on my own, I realized that I rarely treat Sunday and it's worship service as a chance to let the Holy Spirit energize me for my service in the week ahead. Except for a few unique phases in my life, I usually come to Church socially in order to sing some songs and hope that the sermon speaks to me. But do I really hope that the Holy Spirit speaks to me?

So for my assignment this week, I decided to interpret "worship" differently. I decided to come to Sunday's worship service with a "holy expectancy." Because I believe that God is omnipresent, I do not need to doubt that He will reveal himself to me during church, or throughout the day. In fact, this Sunday I started my weekend expecting that I could have a "true" worship experience and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. I expected that I would be refreshed for Monday to continue worship throughout the week. And as it turned out, I did. And I will now come to every Sunday with this holy expectancy and trust that God will meet me there. 

Practically speaking, there are a lot of things I did in order to treat this Sunday differently. I went to bed early Saturday night. I spent the evening watching the ever so wholesome Hercules movie with some girls from the dorms, and went to bed immediately after. That activity got me prepared to spend Sunday restfully and reverently. That way, I could wake up early Sunday morning. Sunday service starts at 11:15, which is perfect for those that need the weekend to sleep in and be refreshed. However, what I have been convicted of lately is how lazy it is to sleep in when the morning provides a perfectly good amount of time to get stuff done. Waking up and doing devotions or praying is in fact a far better way to feel refreshed than sleeping in. God honors time that is dedicated to Him, and I can give testament to the fact that He will more than pay you back for that time. So that is what I decided to do. I woke up at 8:00 am and immediately gave the morning to God. I read through scripture, prayed, and glorified God by doing homework and the dishes. I feel so strongly that by waking up and spending those three hours productively, God blessed me with refreshment. I was walking with the Spirit right up until I arrived at church, even though they weren't your typical "spiritual" activities. And that is exactly what I meant by defining worship differently. I worshiped God in the kitchen and in my studies. 

Church was fantastic. I don't like to Church shop or complain about what Churches do or don't do for me, but I will say I have not yet found a home church in this area. This has put strain on my relationship to Sunday morning worship, but this week I set that aside. Turns out, God appreciated that. I learned that it is not going to matter where I go because God is omnipresent, and He is speaking through several different pastors and worship leaders. I firmly believe that my holy expectancy for the day changed my entire outlook on Who was doing the speaking to the church. I heard the Holy Spirit speaking directly to me. 

After that experience, the entire rest of my day felt like worship. I have expanded my understanding of the word "worship" even more. I now see how basic activities such as early rising, dishes, and prayer can change my entire outlook on a day. Holy expectancy works. As was said in the sermon, God will speak when we are ready to listen and obey. This Sunday I was ready to obey, and I ended the day so refreshed. The Holy Spirit truly met me, cleansed me, and energized me. If I, and we, treat every Sunday this way, we will be more than prepared to be lights in this broken land. We can then treat every day as worship. But we have got to remember that worship isn't tied to rituals, practices, or an hour every week. It is tied to encountering God's Gospel. And what a blessing that we get to do it in community every Sunday morning! I vow now not to squander that blessing. It is something I plan to enjoy and allow to be the driving force for my ministry for the rest of my life. This spiritual discipline works. 

Thanks be to God! 

Journey

The reason this blog is entitled "simplicity" is because this is a blog about walking through life with Jesus Christ. It is a simple story about myself and what Christ has done for me. It is in no way fancy, exaggerated, or unbelievable. I commit this blog to being real, raw, and honest. It will be simple, which is the only way I believe it is possible to live with Christ.

I have been a Christian for almost my whole life. Throughout the years, I was not immune to sin and heartache. During all of those times, God remained faithful to me and blessed me with His presence. I tell my testimony to encourage people to remain in Christ, because God provided for me in ways I could never ask or even imagine. Our God is bigger than any circumstance earth could provide and He is well worth the surrender. I love to be able to see God lead people into deeper relationships with Him because of the evidence of His faithfulness in my life. But my story is not unique. Almost all Jesus followers will have stories that glorify God. I am just choosing to share my journey publicly. Perhaps the readers of this blog will even learn something about our great God and be encouraged through my honest writing about the Christian walk. I would love for fellow believers to join me on this endeavor and experience the Holy Spirit in the same way.

The faithful Holy Spirit led me early on in high school to attend a small bible college. This is currently my third year here. This blog is actually the result of an assignment for the Spiritual Formation class I am taking. We were asked to start a blog and write a few posts about different spiritual practices we are going to talk about and experience. The wonderful thing about this assignment is the timing. This year, I have committed to living in a Living and Learning community. If you have not heard of these, they are all the rage on college campuses. Students will choose to live together because they have a similar passion, skill or interest. Through sharing these passions, skills and interests, students will also learn what it means to share life with other people. This is a perfect picture for a Christian campus. The Church is designed to be communal, as we see depicted in the Trinity. This college has decided to start a Living and Learning community that is circled around spiritual development and discipleship. This group that I am a part of is comprised of three girls and four guys that live next door. As a community we pray, worship, dine together, share recreation activities together, edify one another, and encourage one another. We are a community that is committed towards seeking truly biblical community and helping these brothers and sisters grow stronger in their faith. Meanwhile, we also lead the campus in discipleship activities, mentor students one-on-one, and lead weekly bible studies. Our goal as a group is to serve as a microcosm for what the entire campus should look like. We are on a journey to discover what God has designed for his people. This living experience is in and of itself a spiritual practice that will provide a lot to be discussed in this blog.

My entire life goal is to live simply. I believe that Jesus has called us engage the world but not indulge in it. A big portion of my experiences with these spiritual practices will hopefully help me simplify my life. I want to empty myself and be filled with what is Christ-like. So I am going to walk with the Spirit. As a part of an assignment, as a part of my job as a Living and Learning community member, and as a lover of Jesus Christ. I am going to learn what it means to walk the Spirit. I do not have all the answers; this will be a brand new part of my life. And I am going to share my journey with the readers of this blog.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 

 2 Corinthians 3:17