Sunday morning. Alarm clock rings. I swing my arm down upon the snooze button; a momentary lapse in noise, a momentary lapse in judgment. A few minutes of restless quiet envelope my sleepy frame before reality smacks me in the face. It is Sunday morning. It is SUNDAY morning! I am going to be late for church! I throw an outfit together and freshen up before heading downstairs to my family – some still decked out in pajamas. I guess I wasn’t the only one…

In my mind, church that week had just become another routine activity to check off my list. My primary concern was not anticipating a gripping message but merely on the routine activities I had to complete before I scurried out the door. My focus was entirely skewed and I didn’t plan on gaining anything from the morning service. However, nothing could have prepared me for the unreal experience that lay ahead.

I arrived on time with enough to spare to talk with some friends and get settled in the seats with my family. Soon the guitars cued the congregation to rise to their feet. We began singing awesome praises to our Savior. (But praises only ring if the heart is rejoicing.) We all bowed our heads in reverent prayer. (But it can only touch our hearts if we do more than close our eyes.) Finally, we sat back down as the pastor got ready to speak. He spoke of Jesus becoming entirely humble and servant-like as his disciples arrived for a meal one day to find the foot-washer was “off-duty.” He painted a picture of the disciples’ pride and negligence to stoop to such a task then illustrated the probable, contrasting silence as the disciples realized their Master was washing their feet. While this story is incredibly moving, especially if you have ever had the humbling experience of having a loved one wash your own feet, this is not what stirred me most.

The pastor went on to say that Jesus made a sacrifice so He could teach a lesson to His disciples. “For he who is least among you all-he is greatest,” Jesus says in Luke 9:48. Jesus’ sacrifice was key in many areas of His life on earth, but sometimes the sacrifice part is missed. However, I don’t think I will ever forget the wonder that comes in sacrifice after the wonder that captured me next.

“You may think I’m crazy,” the pastor began, “but I want to try something. I want you to take off your shoes. If you feel led, I want you to take off your shoes and bring them right here to the front,” he gestured towards the stairs at the foot of the stage. “Some of us are going to walk out of here barefoot today, and some people might think we are crazy, but you know what? That’s okay. These shoes are going to go to the Soles for Souls program where people who have to walk miles without shoes every day in countries everywhere will have shoes on their feet. “

I have never been more amazed, overjoyed, or stunned in church than in that moment. Gradually people all around from all different areas of the sanctuary began to come up, shoes in hand, feet bared to the world. Some of these people had on their Sunday best – their most impressive pair of kicks. And you know what? They placed them all over the front of the sanctuary and walked out of that church barefoot.

Sometimes God places a call in the church that we know about ahead of time. But oftentimes, God is spontaneous and may ask something of us that we are not prepared for. Our heart condition and responsiveness will determine our reaction to such an incredible call. And let me tell you – the immediacy of people’s sacrifice was awing. It was incredibly moving to see people so willingly sacrifice forever their prized possessions. Who knows what intangible burdens the congregation laid at the feet of the cross that morning? But somewhere, men and women who have never known the comfort of soles, who have never known the blessing of a Spirit-blessed soul, will receive both gifts just as quickly as the congregation sacrificed.

I was having one of those days where I couldn’t seem to stay awake. After class I went out to my car and started driving home. I knew I needed either a strong caffeinated beverage or a nap to survive the rest of the day. I checked my car’s ash tray for money, but was greeted only by cobwebs and tumbleweeds, so decided on option B. The drive home only takes five minutes, but today it seemed like an eternity. All I could think about was sleep…blissful sleep. When I finally pulled up to the apartment complex, beautiful thoughts were beginning to fill my head: Thoughts of my soft pillow; thoughts of my quiet room; thoughts of the giant rock right in front of me. GIANT ROCK?! I snapped out of my day-dream, but not fast enough. My car snuck off the road and smashed into the decorative rock at the entrance of the parking lot. Sheepishly, I gathered my wits (now more awake than I’ve ever been!) and glanced around, hoping no one had watched me. Several LARGE scratches now adorned my front bumper, just begging people to ask about their origins.

As I explained to the car mechanic about the giant lion that attacked my car (he didn’t buy it), I thought more about the incident. It was fascinating to me how one rock could do so much damage. It was much smaller than the car that hit it, and weighed less as well. However, when I hit that boulder, it didn’t move an inch! It was so solidly rooted in the ground where it lay that my car was not going to make it budge. Despite the $300 in damage to my car, I was impressed by that rock!

That incident made me think of my Christian life. So often I seem to seek unstable things as my foundations. I worry about having lots of friends, or being materially comfortable, or having influence or success. I try to build my life up with these at its base, but disaster always follows. Life can change in the blink of an eye. Watching Hurricane Ike on the news showed me that everything can be washed away like a sand castle on the beach. Worldly pursuits are unstable to build a life on because they are weak and temporary. It made me think of something Jesus said: “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.” (Luke 6:27-48). In the aftermath of natural disasters like Hurricane Ike, it is a vital reminder that Jesus alone offers a firm foundation for life. I may try other things, but it’s only a matter of time until they are washed away.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! Praise him, all this angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being. He established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked. Psalm 149:1-6

On a recent camping trip, as I looked to the sky of Colorado from the mountains and took in the beauty surrounding, the anthem of this Psalm really sunk in. God’s creation is praising Him constantly; Christ is glorified in all His handiwork. Sometimes I lose this sense of wonder: the power of God and the splendor of His creation. For me, it took a hike into the wilderness to rediscover the intensity of Christ’s glory. His beauty as revealed through His creation astounds me!

In Psalm 149, the psalmist is filled with an abundant joy and adoration for our Savior. In his excitement he calls upon the skies, the angels, the creatures of the earth to all give praise to their Creator. God created us to glorify Him. His endless creativity is a testimony to His love for us. I am amazed that He would gift us with lush, green fields, intriguing rock forms, snow-capped mountains and rolling seascapes. At the same time, all of these wonders of nature praise their Creator. In Luke, Jesus tells the Pharisees that even if his followers were to stay silent, “the stones would cry out!”

I fear that too often I miss the splendor of the King as I busy myself with various activities and focus, too narrowly, on the chaos around me. Pausing to reflect on His breathtaking scenery and realizing that all of creation worships the King shifted my perspective and opened in me a fresh burst of adoration for my Lord. The eyes of my heart were opened and I realized more fully that I am here to glorify and point others to Christ. As His Creation, I am meant to bring honor to Him. Therefore, I must praise Him along with creation and glorify Him, for He is worthy to be praised!

How can we sing the Lord’s song on foreign soil? Psalm 137:4

When the psalmist wrote these words, he was with the exiled Israelites in a strange and hostile culture. In his grief, he had hung up his harp, sat down, and was weeping along the banks of the “rivers of Babylon.” In painful honesty, he cried out, “How can I sing, Lord?” Do you ever feel the same? Beaten down, oppressed, discouraged? I do, and let me tell you, the last thing I feel like doing is singing. But (and I bet you knew this was coming) when I do sing, I am amazed by what God can do with my broken heart. As I lift my voice, He lifts my head and gives me a new song to sing to Him (Ps. 33:3), one that isn’t dependent on my circumstances but rather comes from deep within.

An awesome example of choosing to sing despite the circumstances is found in Acts 16. Paul and Silas had been severely flogged and thrown into prison. Their jailor “put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks” to make certain they would not escape. Can you imagine their dire situation? Bleeding, aching, locked into an uncomfortable position in the darkness of a dungeon cell. It really couldn’t get much worse. No one would have blamed them for “hanging up their harps” and weeping with their fellow prisoners.

Yet, that is the very opposite of what Paul and Silas chose to do. “About midnight,” the darkest hour of their dreadful night, “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” It was weird! It was unexpected. It was a choice, and it caused others to take notice. Verse 25 tells us that “the other prisoners were listening to them.” I don’t know what their reactions were, but I can imagine that some mocked them, some were encouraged by them, and some probably even gave their lives to the God who could inspire and deserve praise in such a dark and terrible place.

How are your choices affecting the people around you? Are your “fellow prisoners” more likely to hear crying and complaining coming from your lips or have you made a choice to “pray and sing hymns to God?”

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; Proclaim His salvation from day to day. Ps. 96:122

Why? Because He is worthy. Why? Because others are listening. Why? Because it’s the best choice!

Father, may I choose to praise You in the gardens as well as in the dungeons of life. Let my voice be a joyful noise to Your ears and to the ears of those around me. Use me as a harp to accompany those who do not yet know how to sing in a foreign land, and let all of creation sing to the Lord! Amen.

The other night I had one of those awe moments that occasionally slips up on us. It happens when our spiritual being completely overpowers our analytical and physical being. For once, we are totally in tune to our Savior and are completely amazed by Him. We feel a part of Him entirely and pour out our thanks and praise. We experience what we are always meant to experience – a sense of wonder and awe in our marvelous Creator.

The other night I cried out to God and marveled at His wonder and glory. It is an amazing experience to look at the sky and realize that an incredible, spiritual Being breathed it into existence. It is incredible to realize that God’s fingerprint is all over my heart and life. It is so awesome to see His plans coming together and realize that He wants to use me to glorify Himself.

A little while ago, I expressed my disappointment and confusion in being unable to attend the college of my dreams in Indiana. However, over the past month or so, God has been working on my behalf without my knowledge. He arranged for me to attend Belmont, a school in the city with ministry opportunities I would never have experienced if I were out in the corn fields. I believe God brought me to Taylor in Indiana to see how amazing a community of believers truly is, but I believe He has me in my new home for a reason.

I cannot wait to embark on new discoveries and journeys known only to God. The mystery and wonder of our surprising God is so much to take in, yet it is a breath of fresh air. My imagination’s expanses are not great enough to realize the complexity of our creative Savior. He is so unpredictable yet rewarding.

I have been praying for quite some time for everything to fall into place and have also been praying that my will may align with Christ’s, even if it is not comfortable. I am realizing, with great joy, that my prayers and the prayers of others around me that love and care for me, are great and far-reaching. God is delivering me more than I could have possibly asked for. I am certain that the near future holds treasures I could not even begin to think up.

Our God is loving and will give us the desires of our hearts. I encourage you to do as Proverbs 3:5-6 advises, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Whether or not we can see what is ahead, we must pray fervently, seeking after Christ and He will truly bless us. He is worthy to be praised!

Truthfully, though, I had little idea what those words meant. I didn’t know the kind of desire and pain and hope and disappointment that came along with such a simple declaration. We usually grasp the gravity of our profound experiences later, as we actually begin to live them.

This seems particularly true for the few faithful women who wept at Jesus’ tomb that first Easter morning. Jesus’ body was gone, and the women feared foul play. But a strong, radiant angel appeared and spoke earth-bending words. Jesus is not here; He has risen (Luke 24:5-6) This declaration gives us immediate truths: death has no hold on Jesus; and in His triumph, Jesus has won life and forgiveness for us.

But there’s more…

If you had to define God in a word (of course we can’t – absurd, but if we could…), about the best we could do would be this: life. Likewise, if we had to define Satan in a word, about the best we could come up with would be this: death. Death (Satan) aligned against life (God).

As a result, we are in a world drowning in death. Have you noticed? Do you see death in the eyes of children whose families have been ripped to shreds? Do you see death in the wars that rage and in neighborhoods submerged in hopeless cycles of poverty? Do you see death in your own heart when fear will not loosen its grip, when the accusing voice will never shut up, when your emptiness or your sin will never leave you alone? Are you drowning in all the death?

Drowning in death, what is our hope? If the Kingdom of Death has us in a stranglehold, what is our hope? The only possible remedy is preposterous – that God would come and dive into our cesspool with us, take into His own body all of the rage and the assault of death and extinguish it in Himself. This unthinkable rescue is precisely what Jesus did.

When Scripture announced Jesus trouncing death, the pronouncement asserted something even more cataclysmic, more total, than we imagined. This is the stunning revelation: in Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus broke “the power of him who holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14). Along with securing human forgiveness, Jesus’ resurrection shattered the tyrannical power of evil, every smidgeon of it.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death… [The Troparian of Pascha]

We have a lot to sing about; we always have! In 1 Chronicles 16, beginning in verse 23, David declared, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth…Declare His Glory among the nations.” I can do that! I can declare God’s glory! I don’t have to worry about what people will think either. Since we receive strength and joy in His presence, worshiping benefits my relationship with Christ!

As 1 Chronicles 16 continues, I began to see the parallel in this Scripture and the video. What I see is this—the world proclaiming God’s Glory! O Praise Him, He is holy, He is holy!