Even in repentance we can worship God. Brandon Barker teaches Psalm 51 and how repentance is a prerequisite for worship.

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Starting this Sunday Westwind is teaching through eleven psalms throughout the Book of Psalms. The series is entitled Soul Dance: The Rhythm of Worship. Taking various psalms, the teaching team will look at how we as God’s children are to approach him in worship. It seems like something we would all benefit from, right?

I thought that most people would answer “yes” to this question, however, I was involved in a conversation recently in which two Jesus followers were sharing their lack of interest in Psalms to the point that they even questioned why someone would read them. Their view of this book in the Bible was almost as if it had slipped in somehow when no one was looking. I was disheartened, but I began to wonder if others felt the same way.

The central theme to the entire Book of Psalms is worship. God is to be worshipped in happy times, sad times, scared times, majestic times…you get the picture.

There are three benefits this series brings to our worshipping community as I see it. First, worship is more than singing. How many times have we heard the words, “and now let’s stand and worship the Lord”? We equate worshipping God with harmonies, words that rhyme and cool guys with tattoos leading congregations in song. But worship is so much more than that. At the heart of worship is giving God his due. When we are told that we are “awesome” it makes us feel good because it is a compliment. But, in all actuality we aren’t really awesome. At least not in the most literal form of the word. When we tell God he is awesome, it is true! He really deserves any and all praise that we give him. This series will help us worship God beyond the boundaries of verses and choruses.

Secondly, worshipping God means transparency. You don’t have to read too far into the Book of Psalms to see that the writers lay their feelings out to God. As you read each psalm you see the emotional breadth and width of the writers. This should open in our hearts a sense of transparency to God. God knows when we are angry, scared, lonely, afflicted, so why not admit these things to him and in turn let him connect with us at that level? My hope is that as a worshipping community, Westwind will raise its transparency level.

Lastly, this Soul Dance series will benefit the people of Westwind because it should inspire in us a new way of expressing ourselves to God. The Book of Psalms is poetry. It is heartfelt expressions by men who desperately wanted to know God at the deepest level. Too often we can get stuck in “instructional obedience” to God. By this I mean that we see the Bible more as an instruction manual and less as an expression of who God is. God created song, melody, harmony, color, passion, cadence, rhythm, so why not honor him with his creation? When we express ourselves to God in a poetic fashion we are just as worshipful as a flower opening its bloom, a bird singing its song, or a waterfall displaying its power. Our expression to God should be from the heart, which is where creativity and passion come from. This series should compel us toward poetic expression to God.

You may not be a psalms person now, but after experiencing this series, we hope you will be.

I enjoy gardening. This year I have attempted the biggest vegetable garden in my life. Lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, even watermelons have all been planted in my back yard with the expectation of a bountiful harvest. I envision a huge cornucopia basket overflowing with the fruits and vegetables that I have planted. But we all know that this can’t happen without work. Lots of work. Gardening involves weeding, watering, and waiting. It reminds me of our Christian relationships.

Almost every Jesus follower I know would love to have a fulfilling Christian relationship with someone who is just as passionate, if not more, about Christ than they are. They, like me in the garden, envision an overflowing of friendships that will fulfill them in times of spiritual hunger. But this, too, takes work. Our Christian relationships need to be watered, weeded, and waited upon.

The Friendship Drip Irrigation System
Your garden won’t make it too long without water. And, in the heat of the summer, you can’t just wait for the rain to nourish the gardens, you need a watering plan. Our Christian relationships are exactly the same way. Too many people are waiting for their relationship garden to be watered, when they need a plan to help nurture those Christian relationships. When we wait for the water to come to us, it could be too late. We could be too dried up. We need to have a means to nurture our spiritual relationships that can meet even our daily needs. This can be difficult for some because it means stepping out and initiating. So, why not start slow; invite someone out for coffee, or have a family over for dinner? For those who have Christian relationships already, why not bring them to the next level by asking that person to be an accountability partner? The key is to create relationships that can help you get you through the “dry times” in your life.

You Have to Pull From The Root
Weeds are no one’s friend when it comes to gardening. They steal nutrients from the soil, and soak up water that is intended for the plants your are trying to grow. There are weeds in our relationships that hurt our relationship fruit. One type is busyness. We fill our lives with so much that we actually don’t have time to develop deep spiritual relationships. This is a tough weed to pull, but if we don’t pull it, we will not reap the harvest of strong spiritual relationships. Another tough weed to pull is bitterness. When we have a grudge in our hearts we cannot connect with others. This weed has deep roots and it takes prayer, forgiveness, and patience to pull. Ridding our lives of weeds like these gives plenty of room to the good fruit we want to grow.

Patience is a Virtue
As much as I want to eat the harvest of my garden, I know that it will be months before I enjoy some of my effort. The same principle applies with spiritual relationships. You have to nurture them through time. I know there is a great debate over “Quality versus Quantity” time when it comes to relationship building. However, to me, there is no debate; quantity time wins every time. Sure, it is fun to do something special to build a relationship, but it is the quantity of time together that really grows a healthy spiritual relationship. More time equals more opportunities to deepen the relationship. You don’t have to be at Disneyland to do that.

How is your spiritual relationship garden? Dry? Weedy? Don’t let this summer pass by without being prepared to nurture your relationship garden. You will reap a cornucopia of spiritual fruit if you do.

We take a look at how we are supposed to relate to our enemies as we focus on Matthew 5:38-48.

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Geoff Stafford opens our eyes to Matthew 5:33-37 and what it means to represent God’s name well.

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6:15-8:15 PM

Bring your friends and family out to Clive Aquatic Center in Clive for a fun-filled evening with your favorite Westwind folk. We have the entire facility rented out for Westwind friends and family. This is a great summer kickoff event that is FREE to all.

There will also be a celebration of baptisms that evening, so if your would like to be baptized, contact our office (office@westwindchurch.org)