Why Worship?

(Source)


I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!" - Psalm 122:1

I've been thinking about this verse for many months now. If I'm honest, I can say that there have been many weekends that start with gladness and end with grumbling. My time at church begins with thoughts of joy to be in the Lord's house and end with complaints about my children. I typically end up sitting downstairs watching the service on a TV screen, nursing a baby and trying to contain a toddler with a quiet activity so that I can actually hear the sermon.

You'd think that with two services per weekend and the pastor available in my own home I'd be able to somehow eek out a full sermon's worth of listening. But week after week passes and when we arrive home I find myself venting frustration to my husband about how little I get out of the church service. I am a single parent in the pew as my husband preaches and leads the service. And sometimes I feel like my six children gang up on me!

In the last few weeks alone my children have broken two pews, ripped a hymnal, drawn in a church Bible, hummed through the entire service, sprawled out in the aisle during the sermon, distracted people during the children's sermon, and run like hooligans throughout the sanctuary. We've had many friends rescue us by sitting with one of the littles. I'm so thankful for those friends!

I know some of you are commiserating with me. You have the same problem. Week after week you bring your children to church and find that you return home feeling like you've been through a war. I meet you downstairs in the fellowship hall and you're just as strung out as I am. Perhaps you've reached the point of deciding to just forego bringing your kids to church until they are older. Maybe you don't even bother to come yourself during this time of intense parenting.

I don't judge you. I get it. And some Sundays I wonder why I am doing this over and over and over again.

It all comes down to this question: Why do we worship?

Is worship for me? Is it for my children? Is it so that I can tank up to survive another hectic week? Is the reason for church attendance so that I can put a check in the box now that I've done my religious duty? Or is there something more?

If worship is about me or my children then I can say it's not working on most weekends. It can't be just to fill me up, because I am often drained from the war in the pew. If I only go to fulfill a religious duty, then it's meaningless and empty.

No, worship is not about me. Worship is for the One I worship. The songs we sing focus our hearts on Christ. They remind us of Jesus' sacrifice, God's holiness, the hope of our salvation. The study of the Word teaches us more about the God we serve and draws us closer to Him. We learn how to live our lives in accordance with God's will and are brought face to face with the beauty of Christ. Worship is about God and for God. It springs from deep within us as we are stirred by the Holy Spirit. And then there's fellowship with other believers. And while that is filling, it is also a form of worship. A time to encourage one another, share what we are learning, and share one another's burdens.

I asked my daughter what she has learned from watching me go through this stage of struggle with the little ones. Her reply was this, "I've learned that you should worship God nomatter what."

Wow! That's a profound thought for a 10 year old. And do you know when that knowledge is going to be most helpful to her? When she's facing a difficult time in life. When her heart is breaking, when her health is weak, when her finances are a mess. At those times she will remember, "you worship God nomatter what."

It reminds me of the song that my kids love to belt out at the top of their lungs: Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman.

Blessed be Your name
When the suns's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name.

Yes! That's it! We worship when it's easy and when it's hard. Circumstances don't alter our need to worship the Lord of Lords. So whether it's just you in the pew, rested and completely focused, or if there are young children wrestling noisily by your side, worship is meant to be constant.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Making of a Man

In many cultures around the world, boys go through a ceremony or ritual. This is often a proving time. A time for them to demonstrate that they can take on the responsibilities of manhood. It's a setting apart. These boys begin the ceremony as a child and exit a man.

Here in the U.S. we have no such custom. We don't have special events that call boys to be young men. I think partly because of this, we see men in their twenties and even thirties clinging to the fun of boyhood, playing video games, living with Mom and Dad, shirking responsibility.

With a house full of five boys and one girl, we wanted something different for our young men. Traditionally, the age of 13 is the beginning of manhood. In the west, we've pushed that age to 18 or beyond. Society says the teen years are for experimentation, for boundary crossing, and for much indulgence. But as Josh and I anticipated the teen years, we knew we wanted to expect something different from our children than the norm.

We decided to have a ceremony to usher our oldest into manhood at the age of 13. Oh, we don't expect that he'll have it all together at such a young age. We're not kicking him out of the house or forcing him to work so he can contribute toward rent and food. Instead, we created a time for men to speak into his life, encourage him in his gifts and abilities, and push him toward great things.

On a Saturday evening shortly after our son's birthday, we invited several men to a special location. We utilized a friend's house set in a quiet, beautiful location. These men included grandfathers, elders in the church, and respected friends. All were grown men, except for our one 13 year old. All aspects of the evening were kept secret from our son until the actual time of the gathering. It was quite fun to watch his nervous excitement knowing that something special was about to happen.



We arranged a nice dinner of our teen's favorite foods. The attendees all arrived dressed in suits and ties. It was an evening clearly meant for something special. Each man was given the opportunity to share about what makes a good man. Each was able to speak directly to our 13 year old. Some shared about the leadership qualities they see in him, others told stories from their own youth. Josh talked about the legacy of our family, showing the family crest, and passing on the mantle of manhood to our son.

And then the best part. These men all gathered around our son, laid hands on him, and prayed for him. They petitioned the God of all the universe to lead, protect, and grow our son. Several men were invited from out of state and those wrote special letters containing their own words of wisdom and prayer. Those are a keepsake that our son will have to look back on to see how the prayers of these men shaped his early years of manhood.



The last aspect of the ceremony came a little late for the ceremony. We purchased a piece of armor for our son. Since he is the oldest, he received a helmet like the Romans would have worn. It is our hope to give each of our children one piece of armor as they reach their teens. Part of what we are training our children for is to be warriors in the Kingdom of God. No, not warriors with swords and shields. But warriors in a spiritual battle. Warriors who recognize that the greatest weapon is prayer; who are fitted with the spiritual armor talked of in Ephesians 6:10-20. Armor that includes the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, and the sword of the Spirit. These pieces of armor are symbolic of what is needed for our children to stand firm in their faith nomatter what may come.



It has been five months since my son's entrance into manhood. I see in him a young man eager to do great things and longing to make a difference. I love to hear his ambitions and witness his determination as he works toward those goals. He is not a typical teen. He is a young man.



(For those concerned that our daughter is missing out ... she'll also have a ceremony of some sort and receive a piece of armor. Although her ceremony is likely to be slightly different and will be attended by the important women in her life.)

The Best Pizza Dough EVER!

If you like homemade pizza dough and enjoy thick crusts, this is the recipe for you!

This recipe makes 3 pizza dough crusts and can be frozen.

Ingredients:
1 (.25 oz) pkg dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 Cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
5 1/2 Cups bread flour


In a large bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir olive oil, wheat flour, salt, and 4 cups bread flour into yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Stir well after each addition.

When done, knead dough on a floured surface for about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a mixing bowl and put in dough, coating all sides well. Cover with a damp cloth and put in warm place to rise until doubled (1 hour). Punch down and divide into 3 pieces.



Roll each piece into rounds and cover them to rise for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Use a rolling pin and roll each round to fit your pizza pans. Add desired toppings. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until the pizza is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

DIY Flannel Board

A certain little two year old in my life loves playing with magnets and stickers. He actually likes anything that can be put somewhere and feels great accomplishment after doing so. It may be keys in the trash can, phones placed on a random bookshelf, or batteries shoved into the VCR.

To provide a constructive outlet for his "putting" obsession, I created a flannelboard to give him at Christmas. It was super easy and I think he's going to love it.

To start with, head to a craft store. You'll need the following:

one art canvas - any size
flannel material - any color and large enough to cover the canvas with a little extra
rectangles of white felt - these are sold by the sheet and are usually around 9"x11"
printable iron-on transfer sheets.
(I got these at Walmart for much cheaper than at craft stores like Hobby Lobby. Craft stores had them 2 sheets for $10. I found them at Walmart 7 sheets for $10. I purchased the ones that are transfers for light fabric. If you choose to have darker felt pieces, then buy specific transfers for dark fabric.)
a pillowcase
a staple gun
an iron

To begin, iron out your flannel to remove any wrinkles. Then carefully and tightly wrap the flannel around the front of the canvas. Secure it to the back of the canvas using the staple gun. You should end up with a tightly stretched flannel canvas. You can trim the excess flannel after the whole piece is secured well.



Next, use your computer to find images you'd like to use for your flannel board pieces. You could just use felt to create your own pieces, but I'm not artistic enough for that. Some people use fabric paint, googly eyes, and all sorts of fancy things to make the felt pieces. For me, printing the images from the computer was good enough! Once you've chosen the images you want, just print them onto your printable transfer sheets. **Be sure to read the directions carefully so that you are printing on the right side!**



And a word to the wise. Numbers and letters will iron on backwards from how they print. So be sure they are printed backwards in order to have them correctly ironed on to your felt.

Once you've printed out your images, simply follow the directions on your transfer sheet package to iron the images onto the felt. It is not recommended to iron on an ironing board. Instead use the kitchen counter top and simply place a pillow case between the counter and your felt.

Once the transfers are complete, cut carefully around the images and voila! You have yourself a flannel board and several felt pieces to go with it! You can even place the pieces in a cute little container to keep things organized.



The thing I love about this is that I can add to the pieces as my children's interests change. Right now, he loves all things that move and animals. So I made him a barn set, a fishing scene, and several emergency vehicles and personnel. However, I'm sure that in the next month or two I'll be adding an entire Thomas the Tank Engine set complete with a roundabout and track. I also think a set of food in a restaurant series would be pretty neat. The possibilities are endless!

Purpose-filled Christmas Cards

Do you ever wonder what to do with all the beautiful Christmas cards that come in the mail at this time of year? Sure, some of them have pictures of friends which you can then put on your fridge. But others are just cards with a little note tucked in. It seems a shame to quickly read them and then toss them in the garbage. Why not do something productive with them since people have taken the time and expense to send them to you?


image from itsbetterhandmade.com

Last year a friend posted a status on facebook that has had me anticipating the arrival of Christmas cards for 12 months! She and her family recently left their comfortable home in the States to live in Kenya as missionaries. They gave up much and left all of their friends and family to live in an unknown place amongst strangers. Perhaps because of a little homesickness, the Christmas cards that made it to them in Africa were extra special. My sweet friend wrote something like this (and I'm paraphrasing): We love receiving the cards from friends and family. It is a joy to open one each evening, read the card and look at the picture, and then spend time in prayer for the ones who sent it.

Her post was like a refreshing glass of water! The sometimes seemingly ridiculous nature of sending out cards once a year was suddenly given new purpose. We receive cards from so many friends and family members. Cards that remind us of lasting friendships, cards that celebrate new life and wonderful happenings, cards that tell of sadness and hardship. While I love to get and read Christmas cards, I've found that my family rarely joins in. The kids look at the pictures sent, but often see only a sea of strangers. My husband reads the ones that I force into his hands, but otherwise takes no part in this particular holiday tradition.


This year will be different though! As we sit and enjoy our dinner together, we'll choose a different card each night to read. We'll tell of how we know the sender. As a family we'll rejoice or mourn with those we love while we read their news. And then we'll do something productive. We'll pray for the one who sent the card. We'll join our voices and our hearts together and seek the Lord on their behalf. Why? Because Christmas isn't about cards and gifts and busy schedules. Christmas is about Jesus. And one of the ways we honor Him is by loving our neighbors - nomatter how far away.

We've already begun our new tradition. And while the kids aren't used to it yet, I hope we'll get enough cards to be going long into January. I've already peeked at tonight's card and it's one from friends who have recently returned to the mission field in a very difficult place. I look forward to a sweet time of prayer for this dear couple, and I look forward to the seeds it will plant in my own children's hearts as they hear of God's work in the lives of others around the world.