Relax, relate, release (in my Whitley Gilbert voice)

I'm at a point in my life where I have a lot of issues going on and often find that I'm looking for small ways to escape. You know how we do - treating ourselves to small treats to try to unwind. (e.g., coffee, shopping, chocolate, vacations, mani/pedis, the list goes on.)

I've been telling myself that I need to be more active so I started going for walks recently. This was going to be some much needed "me time." Time where I could listen to the music I wanted and walk to whatever destination fancied my interest (as opposed to the park when my toddler and I are walking). I set out early this morning before work and turned my Pandora station to Beyonce radio. I was gonna listen to some upbeat, mindless music to keep my tempo up.

I was halfway into the first Bey song and I wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was too early for all of that mess. Enter Tasha Cobbs's station. Immediately I felt more relaxed. Then I thought about the scripture that I posted to IG Psalm 5:3 "... in the morning shalt thou hear my voice..." so I started singing along with the songs that were playing. 2 of them I didn't know, but caught on to fairly easily. Let's just say that the good thing about walking at 5 am is that there aren't many people outside to hear your raspy morning voice.

Then to confirm that I needed that moment of time in worship, my morning devotional talked about how society's way of refueling is different that how Jesus refueled. (Read the devotional Unshakable Mom Day 2 here.)

If you are like me alone time is a rarity and you might find yourself filling that space up by catching up on a TV series you've neglected, reading a book or magazine, or taking a nap. But when life seems especially hectic choosing to lean into worship, prayer, and connecting with God is always the right way to escape.

Blessings

The sound

You know, I'm always amazed when I remember to dial into the iLead Escape Frontliners call. As a full time working mom and wife, my schedule is crazy busy sometimes. Last night Tasha Cobbs's guest led us in prayer.

The call really struck a cord with me for 2 reasons. First, I have become more intentional in praying over the last year or so. I am definitely praying more frequently through out the day and am drawn to various prayer outlets. Have you ever seen so many prayer conference calls and services?! We surely need it as the body of Christ! Second, one of the things she prayed for was that us worship leaders would usher in the sound from heaven. Since I am personally in a season of creating and writing, this was a good prayer for me.

I have been a musical person probably all of my life. I remember playing the tonette (yes, reading music). I unsuccessfully took up piano. (My brothers stole all of the piano genes.) I played the flute and piccolo from fourth grade into college. I love musicals and enjoy attending live opera. I hum and whistle a lot. I'm singing to myself even when the radio is on. But how do you turn this into what we should be doing in P&W?

It seems that the tunes I'm creating are coming to me so fast. (Not a bad problem to have, but it can definitely be distracting.) In creating new music, I feel like there IS a sound from heaven and I know when I've got it right. Parts of the song click right away and when I try to get fancy and all musically interesting I seem to be drifting from the pull of the song. I think the sound of heaven is not a particular genre or trying to create the next "big song." It's the anointing, it's the lyrics, it's the sounds that will lead people into worship or praise. It doesn't matter if the song is a chart topper or a home-brew. It's the heart beat of the song that shifts us closer to God's presence.

Tasha definitely has the sound of heaven, but God is no respector of person. I am trusting and believing that as I continue to pray and create, that my sound will have a similar effect.

Blessings

Waking up with Jesus

This Saturday I attended my "other church," New Life Covenant. No, I do not belong there, but I listen to their 2 pm broadcast most Sundays. They had a sunrise service on the lakefront that was absolutely beautiful.

While there was a lot of singing and an awesome dance team, my favorite thing is that they had people lined up at the entrance reading bible verses out loud as we made our way to the beach. There were also small groups of people singing along the way. It was a wonderful way to start the day.

When was the last time you stayed awake or woke up to see the sunrise? When was the last time you stood by the lake, ocean, in a field, anyplace in nature and thought "how great thou art!" Slowing down and taking in God's love for us is often not done because we lead busy lives and forget or simply fail to still ourselves. 

What I learned from attending the service is that worship isn't always singing or dancing. It's carving out time to think about the great God that we serve.

Blessings

The Prayer Project

While this is a P&W blog, I am of the mindset that prayer is of utmost important in a worship leader's or team member's life. It is part of what makes you a praise and worshiper - that you love spending time with God.

With that in mind, I found a prayer challenge that I'm very excited about while poking around on Instagram.

Check out Saunya Shelise and Prayer Project #5 - praying for a young person in your life. This is a beautiful concept and I wish I would've stumbled upon her at the beginning of the year. The short of it is that for the month of September, you will write a prayer a day for the child or teen God has placed on your heart and at the end of the month you present him/her with it as a gift. (You don't tell them that you're praying for them until the end of the project.) How beautiful is that?!

So I did day 1 (today) and the funny thing about it is that part of my prayer included prayers for myself and other mentors in the teen's life that we will be helpful, supportive, good listeners, empathetic, and will share in his defeats and triumphs.With the school year just starting, this is right on time!

Take a look at A Love Perfect's webpage and join the prayer bandwagon!

Blessings