FlickrFriday: Worshipers…
By · CommentsOne of my own this week…
Film-capture of a welded, steel sculpture in Southfield, MI…
How many P’s in worshipers?
FlickrFriday features images from the WorshipOnPurpose group at Flickr.com. If you photoshare on Flickr, join us and post up to 3 images to the group each day.
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Cultivating Discipline, Part 5: Suck It Up…
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Aw... Poor thing... Suck it up...
The “path of least resistance” is virtually the same as the “road of good intentions”…
Think about this: If you have a goal (let’s say you intend to lose 10 pounds) but you skip the gym every time you come to an obstacle or time conflict, you are never going to reach that goal…
Because all of our worthy aspirations are met with resistance…
I don’t really have an explanation for this, but I have a theory:
Since our best, most worthy goals are designed to improve us or our world, they are likely to run afoul the status quo…
I’ve never made it my goal to gain 10 pounds of fat, unlearn an instrument or narrow my friend-network to something manageable like 2 or 3 people… Those outcomes can happen all by themselves because I am introverted, lazy and tend to medicate with Oreos…
Paul has this to say:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Paul, The Bible, Philippians 3:13-14
It always makes me smile when I hear Christians talking about “pressing on” or “pressing in” because that’s so 15th century… Modern paraphrase: “Suck it up.”
To conquer the inertia of the-way-things-are, I have to suck it up to reach for the-way-things-could be…
Here’s an example:
I’ve been trying to interview an artist for the site for 3 months. We’ve set appointments and I’ve missed them… sometimes through no fault of my own… but I feel like a schmuck every time it has happened. The temptation to just quietly stop trying is overwhelming to an introvert like me…
But the goal is more important than my insecurity… The prize more appealing than the comfort of retreating into my embarrassment…
So, I suck it up and keep trying…
The payoff is that I’ll have the opportunity to learn from this artist, share his encouragement with you and move closer to my own larger goals…
So, what inner turmoil is holding you back? What does it look like when you “suck it up” and push toward your goals?
Psst... Pass it on...NEXT in this series: Cut Yourself Some Slack…
Upcoming FeaturedArtists…
By · CommentsI’m really geeked about the lineup of new FeaturedArtists that are coming up on WOP… Here’s a sneak peek:
Jason Tockey is an amateur photographer who’s gorgeous sunsets first caught my eye back in the spring. I’ll be talking with Jason about his art and a vision he has to connect artists in an online community… August 23.
Mary Freeman is a mixed-medium artist who created striking collage work for visual journaling. She also does seminars to teach her techniques to other artists and hobbyists in her community… September 6.
Troy Rowe is a professional portrait and event photographer who is using his considerable gifts to serve children at a local foster-care home. I’ll be talking with Troy about this unique ministry and other ways he uses his gifts… September 20.
Hannah Krohn is a dancer and dance teacher. I’ve worked with Hannah in some of my own projects at LVC. She has a great gift and heart and we’ll be talking together about unique ministry and missions opportunities that dance has opened up for her… October 4.
Jim Holt is sketching his way through the Bible… I found his pen and ink sketches on Tumbler.com. I’ll be talking with Jim about this project and his insightful visual blog… October 18.
Philip Davis is a graphic artist and photographer. We’ll be talking about an interesting project that he’s working on as he designs through the book of Psalms… November 1.
A Short Definition of “Worship”…
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Is this guy worshipping
As I work on my book (which btw now has a working title: Reigniting Renaissance), I’m trying to develop a “short definition” of what worship is… apart from how it is expressed…
I think that the distinction is important for several reasons:
1. The expression of worship varies between different traditions and denominations of Christ-followers… A Pentecostal expression, just for example, will be radically different from a Catholic expression… We might be able to find some “common ground” but I’m looking for something more foundational… I want to be able to use the term “worship” and have it mean something specific to my readers, rather than have it mean 10 different things to ten different people…
2. Not to keep beating this drum, but the expression of worship in most traditions is still largely dominated by music… If we say our church is “traditional” or “contemporary” or “blended,” we are talking about musical style more than anything else… If artists in any medium are going to “worship” through their dance, drama, painting or photography, then the meaning of worship has to be broader than this…
Now, a definition of worship has to be based on what the Bible says about worship… Which, for the record, is mostly anecdotal… Paul didn’t give us an easy theological foundation and Jesus just said that “true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4: 23-24)
There are a few definitions out there that I like:
According to Worship.com, “worship” is:
Everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do, revealing that which you treasure and value most in life.
-Homepage, Worship.com
This is obviously a definition of “lifestyle worship” or the idea that an authentic, Jesus-following lifestyle is what Jesus was talking about in John 4.
In terms of a more specific “act” of worship, Vineyard worship leader, David Ruis, says that
…it’s just giving God all of your attention…
-David Ruis, Winds of Worship 3
I thought you guys might have something else good to add… or maybe a good way of combining the practice of lifestyle worship with the act of worshipping…
Psst... Pass it on...FlickrFriday: My Kingdom… by MarkLawrenceGallery.com
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My Kingdom Is Not Of This World. John 18:36, VerseVisions X Collection. Mixed media on canvas. Copyright © 2010 by Mark Lawrence. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
I want to thank Mark and the other artists who share their work in our Flickr group. If you photoshare on Flickr, why not join us?
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