How Great Is Our God

How great is our God
Lord, I delight in the easy times of seeing your greatness. But I’ve grown to appreciate the hard times, when your greatness catches me off guard, and surprises me anew when I least expect to see it, like…

Sing with me

tonight. Tonight I needed to sing of your greatness with my family. I needed to hear myself say it and I needed to hear my brothers and sisters say it, that you are indeed great, no matter what,

How great is our God

even on the 8^th floor of the hospital. After I left behind the singing and the cocoon of my comfortable Christian family, I stepped into the world of the desperate ones. Desperately seeking a miracle; desperately seeking traces of a husband or mother or best friend as they once were; desperately seeking a Hope to cling to,

And all will see

and I saw you. In a nurse named Kathy. She’s been ministering there 22 years, not burning out, because she sees your greatness. She sees miracles all the time. Miracles of life, and miracles in death. You. And,

How great, how great is our God

my spirit joins hers tonight in saying that you are great, our God. We remember your greatness 8 years ago on the 8th floor with our own Mike-miracle. So,

Name above all names

we bless your name for Who you are—our King, clothed in majesty, wrapped in light,

Worthy of our praise

and we give you all our worship—because you are deserving. We explode with joy in you;

My heart will sing

our hearts overflow; and we agree that…

How great is our God

yes, how great you are, our God!

So be it…amen.

Invited through Worship

Worship.

It's a gift that extends to the giver as well. Through worship, we come to see God more clearly. God invites us, through worship, to see his face so he can change ours. In worship, we simply stand before God with a prepared and willing heart and let God do his work.

And he does.

He wipes away the tears. He mops away the perspiration. He softens our furrowed brows. He touches our cheeks. He changes our faces as we worship. The wise men sought the child of God, just as God seeks his children. "The Father is actively seeking such people to worship him" (John 4:23).

~ from One Incredible Moment by Max Lucado

Central--From the Inside Out

The door opened for me before I even got to it Sunday morning. I was heartily welcomed into the building by someone 20+ years my age, who remembered to ask about my most recent trip.

After services, I was escorted to my car by someone more than 20 years my junior, yet with similar attentiveness.

At a committee meeting that afternoon, we were asked to relate a recent reading or scripture that was meaningful. Everyone quickly had something to share. Something they were excited about in their personal study—discovering the gospel message in Jeremiah; extra clarity on idols as counterfeits; the power of setting examples; personal instructions in James; an encouraging study on discipling. I soaked it in, encouraged by the genuine enthusiasm and love for the Lord these brothers portrayed.

There are people here truly seeking God—to obey Him, to worship Him, to love Him. That’s what clinched it for me to stay at Central after my trial run here several years ago. And that’s what keeps me here. A family in love with their Father.

I shared with the group about my study on prayer for an upcoming retreat. I don’t go it alone. I’m surrounded by a Central "cloud of witnesses" cheering me on: one editing a clip for me; another sending me graphics; others relaying testimonies I can share. All are giving freely. Of time, of thought, of faith. Because that’s what family does.

I ended the day around a table sharing physical food with my spiritual family, my Life Talk brothers and sisters, leading to a spiritual feast over conversations about and then with our Father.

A blessed Sunday.

That’s Central--from the inside out.
That’s family.
Praise to our Father!

~ Lisa

Here I Am...I Am Here

Where’s Your Emphasis?

Occasionally on Wednesdays when Stuart leads “Here I Am to Worship”, he provokes us to prioritize our emphasis in that song. Perhaps go a little lighter on the “here”. Granted, we are worshiping “here” at Central when we’re together, but the “here” can be and should be everywhere, anywhere.

It’s the “I” that is critical.

How available am I on Wednesday nights to worship? How about Sunday mornings? Mondays? Tuesdays,…? Am I worshiping on Thursday afternoon when I’m vacuuming my house? Or on Monday morning when I’m teaching math?

I am here for a purpose. And that purpose isn’t dependent upon my location. It doesn’t change with my surroundings. Wherever I go, will I be there to worship the Lord?

“I am here to worship
I am here to bow down
I am here to say that You’re my God”