You probably know by now that I tour with the Women of Faith conference as a member of the worship team. Well, I thought I'd give you a literal peek (via video) into what we do on those wonderful weekends!
The conference lasts from Friday morning until late Saturday afternoon. We do lots of singing, listening to speakers, watching dramas, and just plain partying as only a large group of mainly women can do. There is one moment in the conference, though, that is one of my favorites. It's the moment where we, the Women of Faith worship team, sing "Revelation Song." It's one of my favorite worship songs ever, and it's such a privilege to be able to sing it in front of thousands of women who worship along with us. Below is a link to a portion of the song that was recorded by one of our wonderful speakers, Sheila Walsh. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
http://www.twitvid.com/XMWYU
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Curse of the Ham
So, this past weekend, EJ and I were in the Chicago/Milwaukee area multi-tasking. EJ had to report on the McDonald's Gospel tour, and we made sure we caught up with our family while there. On the last leg of our trip, we saw my mother, my sister and brother, and my niece. Just for backstory, my sweet niece has never given me the time of DAY! She has always been partial to EJ, which is fine. Most babies choose one of us to love. But this particular trip, she was a fan of Auntie Janice. It was such a precious gift to me that it made me think of some prayer time I had had recently.
A while back, my hubby EJ and I received as a parting gift from our former church home in NYC the English Standard Version Study Bible, published by Crossway Bibles. Upon giving it to us, our former pastor told us that it was such a good Bible that it was like "seminary in a book." Having already attended seminary, I almost wanted my thousands of dollars back. Turns out, though, he was good to endorse this Study Bible, because it really is wonderful! I'm such a nerd that I love to learn; and I'm such a visual learner, that they had me at the colorful maps. Well, this particular day, the caption of one of the maps in Genesis caught my attention: It said, "In general, the descendants of Ham settled in North Africa and the eastern Mediterannean coast" (Table of Nations, ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles).
Now if you don't remember (or know) the glimpse of Ham given in Genesis, I'll do my best to refresh your memory (or give a decent introduction). After the great flood of the earth where God wipes out everyone and every living thing except those on the ark that Noah built (Noah, his family, two of every kind of animal, and the animals to be used as a sacrifice upon disembarkment), Noah becomes a "man of the soil" and plants a vineyard. He drinks wine (I'm assuming it's from the grapes of his vineyard) and becomes drunk and lays uncovered in his tent. Ham comes in and sees his father's nakedness (which would be humiliating to a father) and then goes to get his brothers to come and see (and contribute to their father's humiliation). The other brothers do not participate, but walk backwards holding a garment to cover their father. Noah wakes up, comprehends what Ham has done and curses Ham's son, Canaan.
What's interesting is that it wasn't Ham that got punished directly, it was his youngest son. Maybe Noah wanted Ham to know what it felt like to see his youngest going astray. Either way, it was Canaan who bore the brunt of Ham's sin, wouldn't you say?
Having spent a weekend with my beautiful niece, I'm extremely sensitive today about how precious the children in my family are. It makes me want to be mindful myself and remind my siblings of how mindful they should actually be of those things that we pass on to the children in our lives. Sometimes our flippant actions don't affect us directly, but they affect the children that God has entrusted us with. If you've ever loved a child, you know that you want to do everything you can to protect them from all that is harmful. Sometimes that means getting oneself together first. Makes me scared to have children... what about you?
A while back, my hubby EJ and I received as a parting gift from our former church home in NYC the English Standard Version Study Bible, published by Crossway Bibles. Upon giving it to us, our former pastor told us that it was such a good Bible that it was like "seminary in a book." Having already attended seminary, I almost wanted my thousands of dollars back. Turns out, though, he was good to endorse this Study Bible, because it really is wonderful! I'm such a nerd that I love to learn; and I'm such a visual learner, that they had me at the colorful maps. Well, this particular day, the caption of one of the maps in Genesis caught my attention: It said, "In general, the descendants of Ham settled in North Africa and the eastern Mediterannean coast" (Table of Nations, ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles).
Now if you don't remember (or know) the glimpse of Ham given in Genesis, I'll do my best to refresh your memory (or give a decent introduction). After the great flood of the earth where God wipes out everyone and every living thing except those on the ark that Noah built (Noah, his family, two of every kind of animal, and the animals to be used as a sacrifice upon disembarkment), Noah becomes a "man of the soil" and plants a vineyard. He drinks wine (I'm assuming it's from the grapes of his vineyard) and becomes drunk and lays uncovered in his tent. Ham comes in and sees his father's nakedness (which would be humiliating to a father) and then goes to get his brothers to come and see (and contribute to their father's humiliation). The other brothers do not participate, but walk backwards holding a garment to cover their father. Noah wakes up, comprehends what Ham has done and curses Ham's son, Canaan.
What's interesting is that it wasn't Ham that got punished directly, it was his youngest son. Maybe Noah wanted Ham to know what it felt like to see his youngest going astray. Either way, it was Canaan who bore the brunt of Ham's sin, wouldn't you say?
Having spent a weekend with my beautiful niece, I'm extremely sensitive today about how precious the children in my family are. It makes me want to be mindful myself and remind my siblings of how mindful they should actually be of those things that we pass on to the children in our lives. Sometimes our flippant actions don't affect us directly, but they affect the children that God has entrusted us with. If you've ever loved a child, you know that you want to do everything you can to protect them from all that is harmful. Sometimes that means getting oneself together first. Makes me scared to have children... what about you?
Hour of Power Video
So, after our Women of Faith conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, the four of us ladies on the West Coast worship team were privileged enough to sing on the Hour of Power at the Crystal Cathedral. I don't think I've EVER been to a more beautiful edifice! (Too churchy with the use of "edifice?" I thought so....)
Anwho, it was a wonderful experience. The four of us (myself, Allison Abbott, Laura Cooksey and Jenifer Thigpen) get along so well, that an extra day of "work" was more than pleasant. We got to the church early Sunday morning, and they had wonderful food laid out for us, a sweet make-up artist to get us ready for television, and the sweetest couple, Fred and Wilma, to keep us company backstage. Seriously, they're an older married couple named Fred and Wilma. ;-)
We sang at both services, but the one you'll see was recorded at the second service when they had opened their large floor to ceiling window. It was just so beautiful! Almost like being outside. Oh, and you guys will get to kinda meet the other ladies on the team on the video. All you have to do is click on the link below. When the page has loaded, you'll see a larger video window with four pictures below. Click on the picture with four ladies (including me) and the video segment with the Women of Faith worship team should fill the larger video section. (As you move your cursor over that picture, it should actually say, "Women of Faith Worship Team). I hope you like it! Let me know!
http://www.crystalcathedral.org/hour_of_power/videos/detail.php?contentid=5526&programID=2101
Anwho, it was a wonderful experience. The four of us (myself, Allison Abbott, Laura Cooksey and Jenifer Thigpen) get along so well, that an extra day of "work" was more than pleasant. We got to the church early Sunday morning, and they had wonderful food laid out for us, a sweet make-up artist to get us ready for television, and the sweetest couple, Fred and Wilma, to keep us company backstage. Seriously, they're an older married couple named Fred and Wilma. ;-)
We sang at both services, but the one you'll see was recorded at the second service when they had opened their large floor to ceiling window. It was just so beautiful! Almost like being outside. Oh, and you guys will get to kinda meet the other ladies on the team on the video. All you have to do is click on the link below. When the page has loaded, you'll see a larger video window with four pictures below. Click on the picture with four ladies (including me) and the video segment with the Women of Faith worship team should fill the larger video section. (As you move your cursor over that picture, it should actually say, "Women of Faith Worship Team). I hope you like it! Let me know!
http://www.crystalcathedral.org/hour_of_power/videos/detail.php?contentid=5526&programID=2101
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Fishin' in a Crawdad Hole
Anybody know what a crawdad is?! I didn't... until last week.
When I was in the sixth grade, I was chosen to be a part of this music program called All-City that featured musically-gifted children around the middle school age. It was the beginning of me really enjoying being on stage while singing and dancing. This particular show, we sang a song with lyrics that went like this: "You get a line and I'll get a pole, honey. You get a line and I'll get a pole, Babe. You get a line and I'll get a pole; We'll go fishin' in a crawdad hole, Honey, Baby mine." Don't judge us. It was the South.
Silly, right? As a eleven-year old (going on twelve), I had no CLUE what that song was talking about. And what the heck is a crawdad?!
Cut to a week ago when I was privileged enough to sub for the soprano in Mandisa's band. You remember Mandisa as a finalist on American Idol. She is sooooo sweet, and she really loves the Lord. If you haven't checked out her music already, please do so!
Anyway, so we were in Monroe, Louisiana, for a wonderful city-wide reconciliation service. The sets went great, the people were wonderful, and we (Mandisa and us background singers) were backstage getting ready to get back on the road. As I was going to the bus for a moment to get the rest of my things, I ran into our road manager who was talking to a local police officer. The officer asked me randomly if I'd ever had crawfish, to which I answered absolutely not, and thirty minutes later, Officer Smith had a big box full of freshly boiled crawfish, complete with corn and potatoes. He proceeded to teach us how to eat them, but there was no way to know how influential those crawfish would become for our trip to Monroe....
http://www.twitvid.com/BN1SF
When I was in the sixth grade, I was chosen to be a part of this music program called All-City that featured musically-gifted children around the middle school age. It was the beginning of me really enjoying being on stage while singing and dancing. This particular show, we sang a song with lyrics that went like this: "You get a line and I'll get a pole, honey. You get a line and I'll get a pole, Babe. You get a line and I'll get a pole; We'll go fishin' in a crawdad hole, Honey, Baby mine." Don't judge us. It was the South.
Silly, right? As a eleven-year old (going on twelve), I had no CLUE what that song was talking about. And what the heck is a crawdad?!
Cut to a week ago when I was privileged enough to sub for the soprano in Mandisa's band. You remember Mandisa as a finalist on American Idol. She is sooooo sweet, and she really loves the Lord. If you haven't checked out her music already, please do so!
Anyway, so we were in Monroe, Louisiana, for a wonderful city-wide reconciliation service. The sets went great, the people were wonderful, and we (Mandisa and us background singers) were backstage getting ready to get back on the road. As I was going to the bus for a moment to get the rest of my things, I ran into our road manager who was talking to a local police officer. The officer asked me randomly if I'd ever had crawfish, to which I answered absolutely not, and thirty minutes later, Officer Smith had a big box full of freshly boiled crawfish, complete with corn and potatoes. He proceeded to teach us how to eat them, but there was no way to know how influential those crawfish would become for our trip to Monroe....
http://www.twitvid.com/BN1SF
Monday, May 10, 2010
Fairytales and Nightmares
I'm a part of a Bible study with some wonderful women in my area that are all involved in ministry some kind of way. We're using Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart" as our guide. It's been SUCH a blessing so far! Considering the fact that growing up I had one friend-- my older brother, Jon-- and the fact that I was more than ok with that (he really is the best big brother anyone could ask for), this Bible study group is the Lord showing me His love in a new and refreshing way-- through a bunch of women!
So, catching up on some overdue homework for our next meeting, I came across a paragraph where Beth Moore is describing the condition of one's heart without fellowship with God. She quotes Jeremiah 17:9 that says, "the heart is more deceitful than anything else" (HCSB). She goes on to say that the phrase, " ...'Follow your heart' is the stuff of fairy tales and the stuff of many a nightmare."
Immediately I thought of an episode of Oprah that I watched not too long ago. It was the show where Oprah was interviewing Rielle Hunter, the alleged mistress of John Edwards. Now, I really don't care to start bashing these two and others involved in this saga that has so saturated the media over the last several years. Instead, I want to focus on something Ms. Hunter said in her interview. After Ms. Hunter admitted to committing adultery, Oprah asked her if she thought she was wrong for any of the things she had done (paraphrased). Ms. Hunter replied, "No, because I followed my heart."
Now, you can think what you want to think about Rielle Hunter, but I do believe that she believes every word she spoke in that interview. As Christians, we know that adultery is wrong no matter what anyone felt. But how different are we from Rielle Hunter? Often times those of us "in the Church" respond to something we know we've done that was wrong by saying or thinking flippantly, "God knows my heart." Well... yeah, He knows its potential to be deceitful. So, where does that leave us? Definitely in no better predicament than Ms. Hunter who has been heavily judged for her actions and opinions.
If following one's heart is something of fairytales and nightmares, then that's not really something I want to do. For one, fairytales aren't real and two, nightmares are scary. I want to follow the heart of the One whose will is perfect and give my heart to Him in the process. I'm starting by asking the Lord (like King David) to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Anybody with me on this uphill journey?
So, catching up on some overdue homework for our next meeting, I came across a paragraph where Beth Moore is describing the condition of one's heart without fellowship with God. She quotes Jeremiah 17:9 that says, "the heart is more deceitful than anything else" (HCSB). She goes on to say that the phrase, " ...'Follow your heart' is the stuff of fairy tales and the stuff of many a nightmare."
Immediately I thought of an episode of Oprah that I watched not too long ago. It was the show where Oprah was interviewing Rielle Hunter, the alleged mistress of John Edwards. Now, I really don't care to start bashing these two and others involved in this saga that has so saturated the media over the last several years. Instead, I want to focus on something Ms. Hunter said in her interview. After Ms. Hunter admitted to committing adultery, Oprah asked her if she thought she was wrong for any of the things she had done (paraphrased). Ms. Hunter replied, "No, because I followed my heart."
Now, you can think what you want to think about Rielle Hunter, but I do believe that she believes every word she spoke in that interview. As Christians, we know that adultery is wrong no matter what anyone felt. But how different are we from Rielle Hunter? Often times those of us "in the Church" respond to something we know we've done that was wrong by saying or thinking flippantly, "God knows my heart." Well... yeah, He knows its potential to be deceitful. So, where does that leave us? Definitely in no better predicament than Ms. Hunter who has been heavily judged for her actions and opinions.
If following one's heart is something of fairytales and nightmares, then that's not really something I want to do. For one, fairytales aren't real and two, nightmares are scary. I want to follow the heart of the One whose will is perfect and give my heart to Him in the process. I'm starting by asking the Lord (like King David) to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Anybody with me on this uphill journey?
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