Category: Simple worship

I am so thankful for all the guest bloggers who stepped in and offered their work for guest posts. It was nice to take a step back for a couple weeks and rest.

Rest is something I have a hard time with. I like to fill quiet moments with something, be it my phone, Facebook, or T.V. I have a really hard time with stillness.

Yet it’s something that I desperately need to do. For life in general, and in worship.

Worship isn’t always about the things we do for God. Sometimes it’s more of the things we don’t do. Putting away all the busyness and just sitting quietly. I think God likes that. I think He can speak into us easier with less distractions going on.

I miss my vacation mountain cabin, where I could sit on the back porch and gaze out at an incredible view. It’s easier to slow down when you’re in vacation mode. But I’m coming to grips with the fact that I can’t always be in vacation mode. I’m learning to appreciate front porch moments at home. I live in a peaceful, quiet neighborhood, and my front porch is a great place to sit and gaze out at the trees and watch the birds fight over the feeder. Now that fall is slowly settling in, I’m excited for more front porch moments (it’s hard to sit out there restfully in 98 degree heat).

I’m gradually training myself to slow down a bit more.

What are your front porch moments? How do you slow down and rest in everyday life?

I have a confession. I skipped church yesterday. It was great.

Now, I don’t recommend doing this every week. Fellowship is important and as much as I really don’t like church people right now, I need them in my life. Plus, if you miss too many weeks in a row. you risk finding something like this in your mailbox.

C  H  __  __  CH

What’s missing from church? U R!

I really thought my church was above cheesy guilt trip postcards, but apparently not. We received not one, but two of these postcards in the course of a couple months. I don’t even know why we got the second one. We hadn’t been skipping and I swear I signed the sign-in pad.

But I digress…

After a long (and a not very good) week, the thought of putting nice clothes on and smiling at people was the last thing I wanted to do. So I put on workout clothes and took a leisurely walk around my neighborhood. I enjoyed the green grass of my neighbors, hearing birds chirp all around me, and even the dense humidity of a summer morning.

Some days I don’t need loud music and a worship order.

Some days I just want quiet and God.

Some days a walk alone on a warm, summer morning, taking the sunshine on my face is exactly what I need. I can sense God more in that than in the church building.

 

I was on the second floor of my retirement community job recently when a sound drifted up from the dining room.

A harmonica.

I smiled as I realized it was one of my residents. He’s 97, always smiling and joyful, and loves to sit in the dining room or hallway and play his harmonica for anyone passing by.

As I listened from the second floor balcony, it took me a minute to recognize that he was playing Amazing Grace. He finished, and the residents eating lunch exploded into applause. He launched into another hymn. He played hymn after hymn, and some residents began quietly singing along to each tune.

That buzzy sounding harmonica is beautiful to me. Harmonica is not an instrument I would normally describe as beautiful. Violins or piano maybe. For some reason, when this 97 year old sits, playing hymns on his rusty harmonica, it’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

And worshipful.

I’m finding less of a need for a full band and a stage for worship these days. Simple is good for me. One guitar seems more than enough. A big African drum is more than substantial. One harmonica? Sure!

Those simple, unexpected moments of worship speak to my heart more than the planned ones do.

Have you had a simple, worshipful moment that sticks out to you?