Transition transitions

So as my date of departure nears I plan on being a lot more frequent in my updates. I'm saying this before my official mailing list goes out and you might even be reading this as an archived post, but I don't really care. I need to get into the rhythm of updating and keeping chronicles.

I moved to Napa this week. Because of living situation issues I had to leave my former residence, but the plus side is that I get to spend time with family a lot more before I go on my longest term mission assignment ever.

The obvious minus is leaving my church family in Folsom. Lord willing I'll be able to make it once a month to fulfill my commitment to be on the worship core team I'm a part of over there, but even with that in mind, I had trouble holding back tears the whole last weekend.

My whole stay over the past 2-and-some-odd years has been a huge blessing. I can't really begin to say what I've learned the whole time, so I'll sum up some major points.

--> It's God's mission and career, not mine.
--> God is my sufficiency in lack.
--> Worship and the action are two different things.

That last one I learned in my last week of official residency of the Folsom area. Our church had a youth worship workshop for 3 days. My friend Katrina was teaching Bass in worship class, and I was sitting in on it. I used an illustration with Hosea 6:6 as a proof.

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."

This is pertinent to any good musicianship in a worship setting. Although you want to shoot for excellence, the heart behind what you are doing is completely different from the action. The knowledge of God and steadfast love are different from sacrifice and burnt offerings. For the original hearers of that word, sacrifice was the mode of worship. You could bring the fattest calf, or the purest bull, but if there is no steadfast love behind what you're doing, it's all for naught.

Fast forward to the last session of the week. Gabe (the worship director at my church) ends the worship session with a word about the inner critic. How a voice of condemnation or criticism is the only thing that keeps you from worshiping God fully. Then everything clicked. The general thrust of the whole week, my illustration in Katrina's class, Gabe's word about the inner critic.. it made sense. It was a big revelation that I thank God for over and over. I can see and feel it's affect in my life in so many areas.

It was a good not to kinda end on.