I breathe in the wide open sky.
Beloved, pull back the cloudy curtain to the blue beyond;
take me to where my soul can expand.
I want to chase those sunbeams to where they began.

(drive to Columbus 2/23/05)

Whoa, three blog postings in a month! Aaron's going to fall over from shock.

Speaking of Aaron, I know he would encourage me to write my thoughts from the past weekend of "A Conversation with Eric Herron". The conversation was loosely structured and revolved around these words "Missional Worship Artist".

Here's some of my favorite important thoughts:

Worship= a wholehearted response to God with accurate understanding of who He is and what He does

Worship Artist = a skilled maker who makes things that COMPEL others to worship God

(I've never really considered myself to be an artist, but with the above definitions, my little prayer poem efforts make the cut :)

Art = is a process not just the artifact or result.
Creating art is like taking light with a magnifying glass and focusing it on something specific. The artist creates a symbol/artifact and then the receiver receives it. But then there is the meaning. The meaning connects it all. Will the receiver get the meaning? Will the receiver surpass the artist's intention?

Interesting perspective: Dorothy L. Sayers in Mind of the Maker said that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are like the process of creativity. The Father is abstract and invisible. The Son is the artifact made, the Incarnate Word, the visible image of the invisible God. The Holy Spirit is the brooding force, like the meaning of the creative process.

The Mission of God = to create more worshippers (not get more to pray the sinner's prayer, fill your church pew, etc)

Some conclusions....
Conclusion 1 - Each of us is like an instrument adding our own sound when He breathes into us.

Conclusion 2 - In the end, we will all worship together! Worship is a sliding scale....right now we are in the shallow end of the pool (when worshipping corporately or alone) but when we see Him face to face, we'll finally be in the deep end of the pool. And we'll be together - entire body of Christ worshipping corporately.

Each sound adds to the orchestra of heavenly worship. We're meant for the orchestra!!

Conclusion 3 - Our purpose as worship artists? To create more worshippers....to create in skilled way that COMPELS others to worship.

Here is my first attempt to link two passages that we discussed coming home from Monday night House of Prayer: Psalm 133:1-2 and Ps 45:2 (which we were singing).


Behold,
how good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together
in unity!
It is like the precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.

Precious oil, sacred oil
poured out in heady perfume.
The mystical anoints with mystery.
As the fragrance rises,
the divine unites with humanity.

Oh Jesus,
You are fairer than the sons of men;
grace is poured upon Your lips....
It is like precious oil poured out,
kindness running down the beard,
favor running down on Your beard,
generosity filling Your mouth and spilling,
spilling upon Your garments and Your people.

Precious oil, sacred oil
poured out in heady perfume.
The Beautiful anoints with grace.
As the fragrance rises,
You unite with us.

-2/16/05 Kendra Barrow

On New Year's Eve, I had gotten a fresh word from the Lord, "Suddenly, a new season". I didn't know if it was for someone else, or for us. I'm thinking it is for us.

Two little parts: "Suddenly" and "a new season". With incredible rapidity, our booming housechurch birthed a new one and then quickly died itself. John and I find ourselves, after a decision to formally close down Identity housechurch, in a position similar to "man without a country". Actually, in a very ironic way, similar to the main character in the movie Terminal, which we just watched last night. Joy and sorrow. Emotion and logic. Thoughts of the flesh battle thoughts of the spirit. Pride in new leadership and new beginnings. Excitement for our own unknown journey. Loss of what has been known.

And with incredible rapidity, John's parents have come to stay off and on in our upstairs apartment. The last few days have been ones of joy and richness for our family.

We're entering a new season.... rapidly. Suddenly, everything has changed.

Now we must put our "money where our mouth is". We choose daily to trust Him. He is an ever-present help in times of trouble. He is our Guide, our Comforter. He knows me and He loves me still. The words of our own VC song echo in my ear, "I will follow You, where You lead me...."