worship

Something really cool happened to me on Friday night.

But it deserves a prelude for the full effect :)

I grew up Catholic, and my idea of worshiping the Lord was through hymns. Well, I didn't know what it looked like. A group activity only done in church. Then, I started at Trinity Academy, and saw worship happen with lots of young people. Hands were raised, eyes were closed. But I was torn. I didn't want to lift my hands out of obligation or to do it because everyone else was. People who raised their hands were extreme christians who were showy, in my mind. So I quietly stood, simply singing the words and meditating on their meaning. A year and a half into college, I realized what it looked like to worship practically, and in every day life.

-Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. -Ps 99:5
-Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.- Ps 96:9
-Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' "-Luke 4:8
-Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe- Hebrews 12:28
-God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."- John 4:24

In college, I starting raising one hand, maybe, and never above my shoulders. Still missing that feeling, or I guess just thinking that I wasn't called to physically reach up to God. Then, I read Praise Habit, by David Crowder, and was challenged to live a life of praise in every single thing I did, not just with a guitar in a church or gathering.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. -Romans 12:1 (the real kicker!!)

Finally, God has called me to Hawaii, and into singing with the praise and worship team. And I absolutely adore singing to my King. Harmonizing my praise and adoration up to His eager ears. Lately I've been catching myself standing on my tip toes during worship, wanting to be closer to Him. On Friday night, we were singing The Stand. The lyrics are something like this:

You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

So I’ll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

All this to say, that when the chorus came, My arms went straight up and I abandoned my fears, failures, shame, and stood in awe of the One who gave it all. He has been absolutely rocking my tiny world and I can barely find the words to express my heart (Romans 8:26). And when I was reading in Genesis 47, verse 31 stood out to me. I pray this for my future.

"...and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff."

busy-ness

January is a month of lots of promotion and pushes for small groups! So I've been busy keeping up with connecting people and doing administrative work! I was able to serve Jason by aiding him in his small group dinner that he put on for all of Hope Chapel's small group leaders and it went really well! Almost 70 people came! It was good to touch base with all of them and assess our mission of outreach and growth. It's a lot of work! But I'm adoring it. We have started a leadership team for Rise that I am blessed to be a part of and the excitement of growth and equipping is definitely something I am enjoying being a part of. Rise is going on a hike this Saturday that I am looking forward to as well!

Alyssa and I are slowly continuing making our room homey. We put up a shelf on Monday (a day off!) and even though it seemed completely and unnecessarily complicated......we did it! I could just sing praises about Alyssa all day long, we have such fun together and I can't think of a better person to be serving our King with! :) And Christy and Jena were both gone to the Tweens Camp up in the mountains so we had a pretty quiet home for the weekend. Praise the Lord for the work He did with those Tweens over the weekend. Quite a few of them accepted Christ! Please pray for continued encouragement and ministry opps.

I discovered Tutti Frutti and love their coconut frozen yogurt with pineapple, papaya, and strawberries. It's so good!

We have a volunteer receptionist at Hope, named Shannon, and she is the most encouraging woman of God! Some of us intern girls were blessed to grab dinner and just chat with her about life. I'm looking forward to the next time we hang out with Shannon!

Something I've been connecting this past week is that what energizes us is a passion. I have been able to identify some of the things that energize me.... Singing/worship, connecting people, and sharing the gospel. I come away from those situations feeling completely amped with adrenaline and ready for more! So it's been a solid challenge to look at some of the things that I really pull energy from, recognizing that they are my passions, and then pursuing them more! This has been especially helpful in what I want to pursue for my future.

Here is a good word from 1st Samuel 12:20-25

"Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."

Risa

hauoli makahiki hou! (happy new year!)

Hello all!

I am back from chilly Kansas and ready to jump back into Maui life. I apologize for taking so long to post. I hope everyone had a Happy Christmas! What a reminder to celebrate the birth of our King all year round!

I was so blessed by my time at home. I was able to see Katherine and Sally a few times, and they are both pregnant! So exciting, it's hard to believe the next time I see them they will have children! Kelly and Staci were able to come stay for a few days and we got to spend time uplifting and challenging each other. Those girls are such great friends and I love them so much! Graham bought a new puppy, Collins, so Cooper and I spent a lot of our time cuddling and playing with him and Graham's house. It was relaxing to come back and simply be with family and friends.

January will be very busy! There is lots of young adult activities that will be starting up. Jason is starting to prepare for our trip to Brazil in April so I am getting VERY excited about that! My parents got me Rosetta Stone:Portuguese so I will be starting on that this month. All of the interns will be back after this week and we will be fresh and ready for new adventures. When I was flying into Maui and they were announcing that the temperature was 77 degrees I just shook my head in wonder that I just left 9 degree weather! I am just so thankful for the life I have here and I could praise the Lord all day long for the work He is doing in my life and in the lives of others here (and back home)!

The sermon yesterday was a challenge to have our New Year's resolutions be to dig deeper into the Word of God. The Word will sustain you, satisfy you, fill you. It is our salvation, our growth. It applies perfectly to our lives. The Church grows when we are in the Word. My joy is in the Word of God. Remember the Promise.

"Kinohi ka Logou, me ke Akua ka Logou, a o ke Akua no ka Logou."
-In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1)

In Him,
Risa Elena