Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Every Sunday morning, a group of twenty or so ladies meet together to love on Jesus and each other, and learn more about Him.  Every three months, we have a yummy breakfast as well. To this world, we may look like a motley crew.  We bring our baggage--sickness, broken homes, financial concerns, wandering children, losing those we love.  We all struggle; we all are needy. To God, we look like children.  We are a reservoir of His strength, of His power. We hold each other up through the storms, and rejoice together when the clouds disappear. These are my sisters, and I love them all. The food is just a lovely bonus.

Worship is loving, being thankful. Worship is spontaneous, voluntary. It's not a science. Worship is not something that can be taught or learned with theories and formulas. We can't train for it, we can't buy it. If worship doesn't ignite and expand in the heart, it's not worship at all, but something man-made, not God-made. The first disciples worshipped. Can you imagine what it must have been like when Jesus walked the earth? When word spread of his miracles, they ran to Jesus for help, bringing the lame, the blind,the mute, the discards of society. Jesus healed them. The crowds gasped, astounded, confused about how this was happening, but knowing God was among them. They worshiped Him. They didn't call a committee meeting to decide proper methods of worship. They didn't wait until Sunday when they had on their best clothing. They probably didn't worry that they were outdoors and in public. It really didn't matter to them that there were unbeliever...