passion @ uwa

Hello !! =)

Here's a little contribution from me from day-2 of Hillsongs! It's been a really LONGGG and full-on day; there's so much to share I dont quite know which one to pick on! (think i wrote a total of 7 pages back to back today?? lol) Don't worry though, i will make this short and sweet for you! Hah!

Well, like what Eunice mentioned, yesterday's speaker was AWESOME!! And day 2 just got even better and better. Hallelujah! We had Brian Houston and Jentezen Franklin as our main speakers today; and many other great leaders who shared their wisdom with us through the different workshops they offered. I am frankly very empowered by every single message that I heard today but as I pondered upon what to share here tonight, I really feel that God wants me to share the real spirit of worship with you guys. I could be sharing Jentezen Franklin's awesome message, but something nudges me to pass on the spirit of excellent yet heartfilled worship to our zone back home.

We all know that worship is not so much about the great music or the awesome voice or even the "keng-ness" of the lyrics. It is about the HEART. And what Ive noticed from this conference so far is that, without fail, every single worship session has been so POWERFUL and personal despite the big congregation. Every one singing with all their heart and might, losing themselves in the presence of the Almighty; giving God what He deserves and honoring Him with our voices. It is really not about the song itself, because we could be singing just one line over and over again, yet the atmosphere did not die down with a boring repetition; instead, the more we sang, the more powerful it got. It's really like getting a touch from Heaven as we bless His Name.

Why am I sharing this? My heart's cry is to see our people honoring God and giving Him what He deserves through our worship. True, we give Him glory with our entire life (not just worship) but I would like to specifically focus on worship today because we have to know that worship is one of the essential elements in our walk with Him. Darlene Zschech shared today that our songs welcome the Holy Spirit, they speak of FAITH and they draw us closer to God. So as we worship, may our worship be not of lip-service (Matt 15:8-9), may our worship be sincere, REAL, between just YOU and GOD (pausing there.. remember, JUST you and God.. you and God..), a worship that draws down the presence of God, a worship that is so powerful that can shake the whole atmosphere. Shall we challenge ourselves this semester to grow in this area perhaps? (Hah, those in my cell...wink wink!)

Darlene Zschech came up today to share with us her testimony about the hard times she went through and how she held on despite being challenged in her faith. One thing God led her to was to worship. She very strongly told us that that was NOT just a suggestion, it was an instruction. Many times we come across the phrase "I WILL sing..." in the bible and the word "will" here tells us that it is a decision. (eg Judges 5:3, Ps 108:1, Ps 57:7 etc etc). Wow! When Darlene mentioned that singing is not just a suggestion, but an instruction, that really got me thinking. May our hearts be ever singing to our Lord be it the ups or the downs sides of our lives.

God bless!!

love,
Let