Restoration of Worship

Micah has been helping teach at our church for the past year and a half now. Our church is going through a series on Ezra and Nehemiah right now, with the theme of restoration. Yesterday he taught on the Restoration of Worship. Feel free to listen to the complete teaching by clicking on Restoration of Worship. 

Some interesting thoughts from the teaching:

God is in the business of restoration. 

Sometimes we grow unaware of the things we have and it has to be taken away from us in order for us to worship God fully again. 

Your ability to worship comes out of your own process of renewal. 

"Americans worship God out of convenience. Africans worship God out of necessity."

First for the Season

After Micah finished teaching today we headed for the Snowies with our friends to spend the evening camp. The 1st of the season...and it was definitely needed. Things have been somewhat hectic lately with the finishing up of the school year and getting everything done. An evening spent sitting around a campfire visiting with friends always does a heart good though. Thank goodness for the times that we can get away from the demands of life and get lost in peace provided by nature.

A Challenge

O Lord, give us more charity, more self-denial, more likeness to you. Make us kindly in thought, gentle in word, generous in deed. Teach us that it is better to give than to receive; better to forget ourselves than put ourselves forward; better to minister than be ministered to. And to you, the God of love, be glory and praise forever. Amen

                                          Henry Alford (1810-1871)