It's our nine year anniversary!! Can you believe someone...besides my momma...has put up with me for 9 whole years! Unbelievable! Jennifer is the best thing to ever happen to me. I would be a total mess with out her. She's WAY out of my league and she makes me want to be a better person. We have been through a storm or two in our nine years and I'm sure there will be more. Yet here we are! Jennifer has stood strong, right beside me when Billy, the bold protector, had little security and protection to give. When my hope is gone she remains a testament that God has big plans and He's not done yet. We are still in love. We are not just in it for the kids! We are in love! How many people can say that anymore after 9 years. I'm pretty sure that I am not the best husband. I'm pretty sure Jennifer has very small, fractional room for improvement. And I am pretty sure our lives may look like a mess sometimes from the outside. But If I am sure of anything, it is this...God put Billy & Jennifer Langley together and nothing can tear us apart!! I love my beautiful girl more than ever! Happy Anniversary BABE!!
We pulled a switcher-roo last night at Link and Jeremy led worship and I spoke. We are in a series called Church Words and I spoke on Worship. It was not the best Worship message and not the best job I've ever done speaking but I think it was timely for the Students that were there. Below is my notes from the message and here's a link to the Power Point file if you want it.
Church Words
Worship
English Definition:
To honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power; to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
Hebrew Words:
Shachah (shaw-khaw') bow down, fall down (flat), do reverence, worship.
Hallal (hal-lal’)–praise, be clamorously foolish or mad before the Lord. – hallelujah.
Worship in Psalms: (I had a student mime these actions)
Make a loud noise.Still your heart.
Dance before Him.Stand in awe.
Bow down.Lift up your heads.
Lift your hands.Clap your hands.
Run to Him.Walk in his ways.
Meditate on His truth.Shout to God.
Clash the cymbals.Seek His face.
The Plan Truth About Worship
We are made to Worship
We WILL Worship something
We WILL worship whatever we value the most
We WILL become like whatever you worship
Exodus 20:3-5
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God
Singing, Lifting our hands, Shouting, Dancing all of those things are an extension of a LIFESTYLYE of worship. Not just at Church but anywhere Worship can be lived out day to day Samaritan Woman Story Jesus spoke with the woman at the well. She said the Jews worship God in Jerusalem and we worship God on this mountain. Jesus responded…John 4:23 a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
Samaritan Woman-We don’t have to be a certain kind of person doing it a certain kind of way. We don’t just worship at church. Worship is a lifestyle. Anytime anywhere. Worship Him by doing a good job at work or school. There’s at least a million ways.
TRANS-So, If worship is not about singing at church then why do we come together and sing and do all of that when it’s not really what it’s all about?
Link Worship
What is this experience about? “Link is a place to connect with God. I believe every Wednesday night service is a stacking stone in the foundation of a relationship with God. It is an opportunity to acknowledge with my mouth who God is and what He has done for me or others. It gives us a chance to search for truth together, seeking to know more about God.” Jeremy Isaacs
Corporate Worship Definition
When a group of people join together with the unified goal of Worshiping
Spectator Worship (The Worship Show)
The Audience-The people who show up at 7ish and stand on the ground level
The Performer-The people on the stage, worship leaders, musicians and speakers
The Director-The Holy Spirit directs the “performers” to lead appropriately
Negative Results of Spectator Worship
·Commentator Accounts…I don’t like the worship, too loud, too soft, too slow, too fast, He’s ugly, I don’t like her voice, this song is stupid ect.
·The goal can become pleasing the people more than worshiping
·Songs can become fake to God
**SoundBoarding** Soundboarding is where someone will sample audio clips from a movie or an interview then play then prank call a poor soul playing back the samples so that it seems like they are talking to a movie star.
I believe that spectator worship and the worship show mentality could get so bad that it seems that we are piecing together audio clips of the newest coolest worship songs and just soundboarding them to God. No genuine love for God, no passion just us responding to a good song.
SHAKE THAT OFF!! IT IS WRONG!!!!!!!!!
Meaningful Corporate Worship-
The Audience- The Audience of one. The Lord God Almighty
The Performer- All of us: Recognizing what God has done or is doing and responding
The Director- The Holy Spirit does not just lead a worship leader or pastor but leads all of us to do what God has created us to do…Worship
Someone said the other day that the only other person they know of that goes by Billy is Billy Mays of the famous Oxy Clean commercials and many more commercials. Then they said, the beard, the black hair…dude you kinda look like him! I was not very happy at all! Just so we are clear…I’m not trying to Billy Mays you. I’m not selling you worship. Act now or God will not be pleased! No, God doesn’t want you to come forward and make a decision to worship and struggle to keep it up. He wants it to be your choice. Your love for Him should be the easiest thing you do. What you should work for and struggle with, is knowing more about Him. When you find out how great He is…you will not be able to keep from worshiping. It won’t matter who is leading worship…what songs we are singing or the style music. It won’t matter if there is music at all. You will worship not because we pick the right songs and we have the sound loud or soft enough but you will worship because you want to worship.
A Geyser is caused by surface water gradually seeping down through the ground until it meets rock heated by magma. When you discipline yourself to know more about God and you let that knowledge sink in. It will meet the burning passion you have for God and explode out in worship and praise. When your eyes are truly opened to the awesomeness of God, you will grab every opportunity you can to let deep well of love, thanksgiving and adoration spring up like a geyser.
The Langley Family has come to the end of an era. At the ripe old age of 189,553 miles our 1997 Chevy Blazer was towed out of our driveway today to be sold for parts. I didn't get much money for it but at least it's no longer just sitting in our driveway rotting away. It's kind of a sad moment for me. I liked the Blazer. I mean it had it's downfalls, like, it would ride about as smooth as bull in the middle of a red banner dance routine. At least it was dependable and it carried my family and all my instruments around the south east for 6 years. We are sooo blessed to have a third car!!! My 1966 Ford Mustang is taking the role as my main mule. Toting me back and forth from home to work is an easy task for this classic beauty with only 53k miles. I plan to do this for about a year or until we can afford a car payment. For now, the Blazer Phase is over and a new era has begun. I am still excited like a little boy to see what God will do next in our lives.
Honestly, there is too much to say about this past week's Summer Camp in Panama City, Florida. I'll choose to keep my observations on the worship times. Around 8:00pm, Sunday through Thursday 90+ High School students and leaders congregated in a small room overlooking the gulf coast. The band consisted of Justin Walker Chris DuncanBen CharityClay DavisJennifer Langley and your's truly. The worship at camp would best be described as sweet and vulnerable. I was proud of the band. They did an awesome job! But their availability to the move of the Spirit far out-weighed their ability to play or sing. I felt that at the end of every service you couldn't really point at any one person and say they made it happen, they are awesome. You were simply left pointing to God and saying He made this happen and He is AWESOME! After all my years of worship leading I'm sure I could explain and bring up several points on how we got to that beautifully surrendered place but really, honestly, I have no idea. All I know is, this is where I want worship to stay, a beautiful surrender.
Only God knows all that happened in those evening services at camp. Ignite Summer Camp was different than the previous 7 Mount Paran North High School camps I have been a part of. (Of coarse, they are all different) What I mean is...I believe the fire Ignited at this years camp will continue to burn. I believe a revival started at camp and it will be a lasting effect! Not because we hype it up. Not because we have good services on the up coming Wednesday nights. Not because we start some new program to "keep the flame burning." But because the students want more!! I sense a hunger from these students that I have yet to experience. I don't think camp scratched their itch. I think it caused another breakout of itchiness! Is that a word? Anyway, I love what God is doing! I'm so thankful that I get to be a witness of His greatness at work in these students that I care about so much. My prayer is that God will continue to light us on fire and let the world around us watch us burn!!
To see more about camp you can go to Jeremy's blog. He has a bunch of videos and stories from camp.
These are just some thoughts I had today. Actually they were in a message to a friend of mine and thought they were worth sharing.
God is a beautiful mystery. The more I know Him the more I find I don't know very much. The place of not understanding and the place of just giving up are great places to be. Because then He can BE. When we make the choice to surrender then God can be I AM in our life. And He can be I AM to others through our life. And there is no more beautiful thing than the larger-than-can-be-imagined I AM working through a small human with all the faults and limitations. It really shows you how big God really is AND how fond He is of these small people.
Me and the boys made a music video on our vacation to Atlantic Beach, NC. It's a silly little video but these images really capture their personalities. These boys are the best! I love them more everyday!! Sometimes I wish I could just pause time so they won't grow up any more and just stay my little TroubleMakers Forever!!
