Worship Matters

I’m back in the States now, and grateful that God returned me safely to my family. They are too. On the flight home, I had time to think about what most impacted me from my time in India. I have so many fond memories, so many moments when I was aware of God’s Spirit at work, so many reasons to be amazed that God allowed me to go on this trip. One of the things I was aware of was how important the local church is to effectively communicating a theology of worship. The fact that these were pastors and not simply musicians wanting to learn more about “worship,” affected what I shared, the way I shared it, and the potential fruit. We weren’t …

Well, I’m sitting here in a hotel in Mumbai, India, waiting to head home. I was unable to post yesterday, because the Internet café near our hotel was closed for the Hindu holiday, Holi. Yesterday, I finished the final two sessions with these precious pastors from Northern India. I spoke on How Do We Sing to God? We focused on singing with our minds, our hearts, and our bodies. As in Visakhaptnam, we took time to express how Psalm 23 applied to our lives. Three people shared stories of God’s faithfulness, protection, and power. Then one woman, a new Christian, began to describe through tears the recent persecution the believers in her …

Well, I thought I might make it back to the States without any health issues, but I thought wrong. I suspected last night that something was going on in my stomach, but hoped that God would keep it under control. For His own reasons, He didn’t. I’ll spare you the details, but it wasn’t pretty. I ended up giving a significantly shortened version of one of the sessions, and then took an hour nap. During that time God renewed my strength, and I was able to give the whole last session sitting down. I’m definitely on the mend. I began the morning by sharing that I had an impression that God wanted to minister to those who were married and had families. …

I’m typing this from Bharuch, India, in the state of Gujurat in the northwest part of India. We arrived yesterday evening, after spending the previous night in Mumbai (Bombay). When we got to Bharuch, we were rushed into a Christian concert, being held in the center of town. Larry and I were recognized as special guests, and I was asked to sing a song. Let’s just say it was a humbling moment, but I trust the Lord encouraged people through it. I’m teaching a three day conference at a “spiritual life center” in Bharuch. The center is made up of various rustic buildings, including some for sleeping, and a meeting room for 150 people. It was started …

Well, our three day worship conference for Indian pastors and worship leaders connected with Love-N-Care Ministries is over. I’ll warn you – this is a long post. I began by reviewing all we had covered in the previous two days. This was partly so that men would remember it, and partly because pastors were still arriving last night. I then spoke on How Does God Want Us to Sing? My first point was that God wants us to sing with our minds. That means he wants us to understand what we’re singing, remember the words, and come to know God better through our singing. I shared that we aren’t to sing out of routine, duty, or ignorance. God …

I’m at the end of day 2 of teaching in Visag, India. We’ve continued to have pastors come, and I met one tonight who traveled over 600 miles to be with us. Amazing. There are now about 120 pastors attending, along with about 30 women. Today I addressed the topic of What Do We Sing? However, before we started I shared that I felt God wanted specifically to encourage some of the men there. I shared Psalm 40:17 with them: As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! I asked if any of the men had been feeling "poor and needy," unaware of God’s care for them. …

It’s 9:30 PM, at the end of my first day of teaching at Love-N-Care Ministries. There are close to 80 pastors who have come from surrounding villages and towns to hear teaching on worship, and to reconnect with one another. Right now I can hear them in the distance, singing praises to God in their native tongue of Telugu. The day seemed to go well. One of the things I asked people to pray for is that I would be able to connect quickly with the men. I felt the Lord answered those prayers, even though only a handful of pastors speak English. I addressed the topics What is Worship? and Why Do We Sing? As I expected, being here is helping me see …

Well, we’ve arrived in Visakhapatnam, which I’ve learned is Visag (why-zag) for short. The conference starts tomorrow, and Yesupadam, the leader of Love-N-Care is expecting around 200 pastors and worship leaders. Probably a little over half will know English to some degree. Fortunately, someone will be translating what I say into Telugu, the native language. I stopped by a prayer meeting shortly after we arrived and got my first taste of Indian corporate worship with about 25 young men who are in a training school. I had no idea what they were singing but it was loud, it was enthusiastic, and it was accompanied by loud drums. I learned later …