AN ALTERED STATE OF MIND

My children (both of them at some time or other) used to accuse church people of being hypocritical. They said they went to church and pasted on smiles and pretended all was fine when it wasn't.

Today I decided that's not hypocritical. That's what worship is meant to do: to shift our attention from the things of this world to the sovereign God we worship.

I'm a musician, and I love to sing at church. (This morning a gentleman asked who was going to be blessed to have me sit behind them today!)

Sometimes I sing quietly--especially when it's a new song and with today's lack of music, I don't know the melody. But sometimes it's a familiar song, the melody soars and suits my soprano voice, and the words inspire my deepest worship. That happened today with Michael W. Smith's "Great is the Lord." As we sang "now lift up your voice," I lifted my voice and sang my heart out.

Then during the offering, they turned on a recording of my all-time favorite Resurrection hymn: Charles Wesley's "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." I wasn't the only one humming along. Oh, and I can't forget the rare treat of singing a hymn by my favorite hymn writer, Fanny Crosby: "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It"--with the original melody, no less.

Our pastor continued his series on Revelation, this time focusing on the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church (from the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 20). He described worship attendance as a date night and admitted how he often struggles with being distracted from worship. Don't we all?

But then he turned the tables. Our prayer should be that God, in all His awesome glory, should distract us from the petty problems that turn our attention away from Him.

Music, more than anything else, does that for me.

This has been a banner month for my blog. The most comments ever--over 60. So far we are scheduled for six giveaways during August. Keep up the good work!

Jolene Speaks

Oh God I love thee.

I have praised you since the day I was born.

Rejoice, rejoice, God Almighty reigns.

You are my King. I will always rejoice

in your almighty person.

Oh thy God how you plan my life

and created who I am at the beginning of life.

I worship thee God day and night.

I worship thee God day and night.

Praise you from dawn to dust.

I will sing a great song to thee.

I will praise Thy name for all his good deads.

Praise, praise to the Lamb.

The times I worship because of what he did.

I worship thee Oh God forevermore.

Amen.

By Jolene Franklin

1-5-2001