Without Excuse Ministries
  • Home
    • About WEM
    • Our Beliefs
    • Board of Directors
  • Video Ministry
  • Podcast
  • Devotionals
  • Prostaff
  • Hunts
  • Photo Gallery
  • Pro Staff Kitchen
  • Contact
    • Prayer Request
  • Booking Paul
    • In Their Words

Child Like Faith and Worship

11/23/2010

3 Comments

 
Picture
Jason Cruise Founder Outdoor Ministry Network
The Man Minute- Second second investments in Christ-like manhood.

Recently my five year old son, Cole, went with me to worship. Mama stayed at home as she was just days away from giving birth to our son, Tucker. The band started cranking the music and Cole, on his own, starts clapping. For the most part, he was clapping in time with the beat, which surprised me even more! The thing was, nobody else was clapping. It wasn't really a clapping-type song. Didn't stop my boy, though. He was clapping because the mood just hit him.


Out of my periphory I see two small hands stretch toward the heavens. First he was clapping, now he's a hand-raising five year old. Just singing away.

My heart was full. Mainly because, to be really candid with you, I know that in my attempts to worship the Lord there are times when I am repressed. I am far too concerned about what someone else may think of me. Which is stupid, I know, but it's the truth.

My heart was full because my son has yet to learn what it means to have other people tell you how to worship. He was happy, and he wanted to show God that he was happy, in a way that made sense to his five year old mind. So he clapped, and raised his hands, because it felt right.

Picture
Cole Cruise
Here's what I've learned about reverence. Reverence is a state of the heart. An attitude. Church culture has always taught me that reverence is about trying not to offend God by the way you dress, or by making too much noise when you sing, or by making sure you don't move around too much, because God might see you moving and grooving and then He's gonna hammer you for it.

The facts are that a man can come to church in an Armani suit, wearing a Rolex, and stroke a large check for the offering plate, and yet the entire time be a fowl smell in the nostrils of God because that man's heart is a stiff as the starch in his shirt. Reverence might have a bit to do with dress codes, but it has far more to do with a heart set free than a heart bound to traditions that God never created.

The worst thing I could have done with Cole would have been to shut him down in a moment that would have forever taught him that God was not a fan of his happy self. Whether he fully understood what he was doing didn't matter to me. What matters most is that as a dad I allow him to do worship in a way that makes sense to him.

That day, sitting beside my son, I saw first hand what liberated worshiped looked like. And it was beautiful.

"I never saw the members of my father's church enjoying themselves."- Friedrich Nietzsche, when asked why he rejected Christianity. He's the father of modern atheism who is considered by many to be the greatest philosopher of all time. He is the man who coined the concept of "nihilism" ... the idea that life has no real purpose, therefore, live however you want to live.

Never think that your ability to live in the joy of Jesus has no profound affect on those around you.



3 Comments
Air Jordan link
2/16/2011 03:20:38 pm

Accept good advice gracefully--as long as it doesn't interfere with what you intended to do in the first place. Do you think so?

Reply
Pastor Paul
2/18/2011 01:11:21 am

If you do what you inteded to do in the first place did you really "ACCEPT" the good advice gracefully or did you mearly disregard it with a smile.

Job 5:13 NKJV - He(God) catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.

Blessings on your day!

Reply
comprar sibutramina link
3/4/2011 11:31:12 am

I just stopped by your blog and thought I would say hello. I like your site design. Looking forward to reading more down the road.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Jason Cruise

    Jason Cruise is the founder of Mission.  Mission was created to "vindicate the fatherless" in a country known as Moldova.  To learn more go to www.themissionvision.net   Jason is a well known speaker traveling across the country sharing his love for Christ at wildgame dinners and conferences.  Jason has created many valuable resources for the outdoorsmen to take them deeper into their walk with their Creator.  These items include DVD's, Bibles, and Bible studies.

    Archives

    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
Home
Gallery
Prostaff
Hunts
Contact us
Without Excuse Ministries Family of Sponsors
  • Home
    • About WEM
    • Our Beliefs
    • Board of Directors
  • Video Ministry
  • Podcast
  • Devotionals
  • Prostaff
  • Hunts
  • Photo Gallery
  • Pro Staff Kitchen
  • Contact
    • Prayer Request
  • Booking Paul
    • In Their Words