If Only…….
If only I did it that way……. If only I said it differently…….
I’m sure you’ve said these exact words before, trying to justify some of your actions.
You’ve let God become a teacher, a father who gives instructions and expects you to obey him, even though you can see the truth behind all what God is showing you, you still don’t connect with him!
God is not just a father that wants us to obey him, he wants to have communion with us, he looking for a sincere relationship! He is passionate about us, he demonstrated his immense Love on the cross.
The cross is a symbol of death not of faith, he became a man & died for our sins even the ones we will do. God took his wrath on Jesus to show he’s just, he treated him like one of us, he took our filth & our sin and the beauty of it is if we’re in Jesus we are included in him!
Jesus tasted death & it didn’t feel right, still doesn’t sink in right? God actually died and it looked like a king & father had given up his crown, reign and children. But after the 3rd day he rose again & we’re no longer under sin but under grace. He’s already said not guilty & the resurrection proves it.
So stop trying to pay your own debt or say only if I did it this way, God doesn’t even expect it, the resurrection is not just a stamp but it’s a guarantee. Jesus paid it all.
May we live in freedom as he has set us free.
WS: Dynamic Relationship
So here it goes,
You are not an accident of science or a cosmic mistake. Your life is not meaningless and your choices matter. You were created with a purpose. The Bible tells us that God made the universe and breathed life into the human race, and calls you to ‘know that the Lord is God’, and that ‘you are his’. (Psalm 100:3-4) God created you – just as he created all of us – to be caught up in a dynamic relationship with him at every level of your life: heart, soul and mind. That is your purpose: the dynamic relationship between you and your heavenly Father that impacts every level of your life. That’s what worship is.
Worship is central to your existence because the God who created you as an act of pure joy intends you to know his love and to love him in response. The Bible tells us that before the creation of the world God chose us to be in relationship with him, and that your very existence is to be for ‘the praise of his glory’ (Ephesians 1:6). Just as sin is described as not giving glory to God (Rom 1:18-25), our great rescue by Jesus will ultimately lead to the arrival of heaven, which is portrayed in terms of worship (Rev 4:11).
You live, breathe, move and love as expressions of God’s joy. You were made to know him, to connect with him, to follow him, to serve him and to enjoy the mind-blowing, heart-stirring fullness of this world he has created. In other words, you were created to worship. It’s deep in your spiritual DNA, in every encounter with God, is this sense of coming home – worship.
Everybody worships something. Whatever captivates your heart’s affection, your mind’s attention and your soul’s ambition, it effectively has your worship. The English word ‘worship’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘weorthscipe’ which literally means to ascribe worth to something, and today we worship anything from rock stars to endorphin-exploding experiences.
Those things that you value, admire, love and enjoy most, are by definition objects of your affection. C.S. Lewis explains this really well, writing, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.
The Place I find Purpose
Worship is going on all around us in every possible form and style you could imagine, on earth and in heaven, today, right now just as it has been for thousands of years. Throughout the world and throughout history, wherever there is worship, there has always been a conversation going on about worship; from the Church Fathers wrestling with what worship should look like in the decades after Jesus, to the reformers asking what God requires of us in the light of Scripture. Today, this discussion is still as relevant as ever.
For the past couple of months I’ve spent some time thinking of why my life is so full of failures. Failures in relationships, job interviews and life in general. My entire existence is full of failures, but is that my purpose? Should I let that influence the way I worship?
Like me today you might be disillusioned with worship, tired of performance instead of praise, or burnt out by empty religion, or you may be afraid of the change that seems to be sweeping away all around you and uncertain of what you can bring? Or perhaps you are excited about growing in your worship but unsure how to build a firm foundation for a lifetime of authentic worship?
Whoever you are, whatever has led you to this moment, you start here with this simple yet all-important question: why is worship so important?
So as a worship leader I’ve set my self a challenge which is to help some very gifted & talented musicians I know in my church to be more worshippers.
So guess what my next posts will be about?
Effective Worship
Posts like this need to have clever hooks right up here in the first paragraph. They’re the bits that get pasted on walls and make you want to read more. Without something that sparkles, who’s going to click through to read whatever comes next?
Looks like I’ve blown it.
If you’ve got this far then well done. And thank you. And sorry – because I’ve not really got all that much for you. All I have is one thought on this piece of timeless wisdom that Paul delivers in Colossians 2:
‘In Christ you have been brought to fullness’ [verse 10]
In just eight words Paul absolutely nails it. He nails it for those of us living in fear, living in luxury, living in the past or living in denial. And he nails it for worship leaders too.
We all approach the task of leading people in sung worship with different experiences, different baggage, different backgrounds. And that’s OK. It’s even a good thing as it allows us to connect with a different range of people (most often those with similar experiences, baggage and backgrounds).
But sometimes we can be tempted to allow where we have come from to be the most important thing about our times of worship. We can be tempted to put our creativity front and centre, to mine the past for the brightest colours and boldest sounds.
Somehow that doesn’t seem quite enough.
Our songs, our sounds and our creativity should only ever be the tool that helps us worship – never the focus. For no matter how bright or bold our work, it will never be a match for the fulness in Christ that Paul reminds of.
That fulness of life is on offer to us all – whatever our background, whatever our past, whatever our style. The question is, what are we going to do with the life ahead of us? Are we going to live with self-imposed limits or are we going to live a life abandoned to Christ? Are we going to use our creativity to leave people in awe of God, to set them off in pursuit of our Maker, one step closer to the fulness that only Christ can offer?
Are we going to see our times of worship as the destination to arrive at, or the departure gate for the fullest life of all?
Go……… Green!
Many people today have the mentality that “the grass is greener on the other side.” They look at others who appear to be more successful and think, Boy, they must be lucky. And then they look at their own circumstances and think, “If only…If only I had a better job. If only…my spouse was like so-and-so. If only…I had gone to college. If only…I had the opportunities that so-and-so had.” It’s easy for people to look around and think everyone else simply has it better.
I believe this kind of constant comparing will get you off course in life and keep you from God’s best. If we assume that other people just happen to have it better, it gives us an excuse to live in mediocrity. The truth is that the principles of God’s Word apply to every person. As believers we all have the same opportunity to receive blessing, peace, joy and victory.
I don’t personally believe the grass is greener on the other side; I believe the grass is greener where you water it. In other words, we have to tend to the things that are inside of us if we want to see our lives blossom and grow. If you want better relationships, you have to invest in the people around you. If you want a better job, you have to invest in your skill set to qualify for that promotion, and then go after it. We all have the capacity to come up higher.
God has given you tremendous opportunities, and that’s why you can’t focus on what everyone else has. If you do, you’ll miss out on what God has especially for you! It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from; it doesn’t matter where you are right now. If you’ll step out and be faithful with what is in your hand today, God will bless it and multiply it and take you places that you never dreamed.
Today, instead of focusing on what you don’t have, look inside at what you do have. Make the decision to cultivate the dry areas of your life. Begin to water and invest in the areas where you want to see change. As you tend to what the Lord has given you, I believe He’ll pour out His blessings and you’ll see your life flourish beyond anything you could have ever hoped or dreamed.
Plant your Tree
We are often advised that our success is personal, that it is just down to us. However, it can often be useful to compare yourself with someone who is doing the same thing as you. Someone you admire in the same field. Without that i feel i am self obsessed and frankly, it’s a very nice thought that you can measure success by your inner peace and calm, but want more than that. That mean I need to compare.
Now let’s get one thing clear. When I say compare i don’t mean compete. To compare yourself is to stand back and take an honest look at what you are doing in the same area. That other ice-cream van down the beach-how come there are always more people in his line? Is it because he is doing something better or is he simply slow at serving? See what i mean. This sort of thing helps you to ask questions about yourself that you might not think of otherwise. It helps make you better. Learn to be the observer. Don’t say anything like you normally do. Just see how others do it. I bet you learn something, make it habit to ask questions of yourself. Be humble enough to ask questions of others. Learn the art of being an observer and you will be surprised how much you see that you didn’t see before. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know everything. Then you stop learning. “SUCCEED IN 2012”.
Success can be a strange feeling. The road to success will probably be full of rejection, pain, hard work as well as many other things. In the end, no matter how small it is. You will feel proud of yourself for getting past all of those obstacles and for stand still. Be aware that, as you move forward, it also keeps shifting. Success in one area often opens door in another. Money is a by- product of success. It is not the success itself.
For me, the ultimate key to success is to value your achievements, and to value the people around you-family and friends, workmates and the people you work for. Finally, i recently met up with a very rich friend of mine. All he could talk about was the trees he was planting. The money only made sense to him when he turned it into trees- Now isn’t that funny. Money is made out paper, which is made out of trees. He was returning his money to the trees where it all started. Good on him. If you want to be the biggest and the best, then good luck. But don’t turn your thirst into a boring quest for status. Go look at the trees. They will be here when you have gone.
Just let it go past
In order to move forward in life, we have to “let go of the past.” But have you ever wondered exactly how to do that? First, understand that we take hold of things in our minds with our thoughts. Our thoughts become words and actions that determine the direction of our lives. It’s that simple. If you want to choose a new direction for your life, you have to choose new thoughts. If you want to let go of the past, you have to quit thinking about it, quit talking about it, and quit reliving every negative experience.
Remember, forgiveness is for you. Letting go of bitterness is for you. Don’t let the past hold you back from your future any longer. Get past the past by choosing right thoughts.
Community
Tonight at my weekly meeting we discussed about “Why do we believe in God”?
For me the whole evening I was totally confused on why we would need all those info. But in the end it was a good question as it revealed areas in which we wouldn’t necessarily see God in.
As Christians we shouldn’t be ignorant or not liked to be confronted. This I believe challenged us tonight as there were lots of points being raised it and views we didn’t all agree on.
This makes CCM the community it is today. In all sincerity I love being part of this community.
For those who didn’t know:
Did you know that “Dammit I’m Mad” spelled backwards is “Dammit I’m Mad?”
Summer? Oh wait we are in England
So this summer has been a little bit different. Lots of interesting things happening. A weekend to Hamburg to meet the entire German family, my sister engagement/traditional wedding, a new job role & new shop, riots, alwaysawake recording session & lots of bbq.
I’ve never experienced a summer like this. All i can say is next year will be even better.
This was definitely a season also with plenty of things to think about. My faith in God has been tested but He’s always faithful. I think i will write a bit more in my next posts.
So WATCH OUT!!!
BOOM!!
Dedicated to Michael Fasola
After a day of hard work I came back to the news that my childhood friend was gone.
We used to do everything together. We went to the same primary school, learnt how to play football together, got into trouble together. We also performed our power rangers duties together as he was the “Black Ranger”. Such great adventures.
Now I realised that after we both moved to 2 different countries we lost contact and just recently got back in touch. Too little time to plan too see each other again.
God gives and takes away. Am sure Gods plans for him was good. God makes all things work together for our good.
My heart now goes to the Fasola family especially his mum.
May your soul rest in peace Michael Tosin Ayinla Fasola!
AA Recording Day
Boom,
So this last Monday I spent almost an entire day recording some tracks with my band AlwaysAwake. First i would like to say thanks to everyone that helped us out. It really was a great day.
We recorded 4 tracks, and we will use these tracks for our EP which we will give out for free on the 5th of May, the night of our first gig.
So pls come & support us would be great to see you there.
For more info pls do not hesitate to contact me.
Stay connected
Wow what a week, am so blessed to be surrounded with such amazing people.
Week started great with an exciting new start and so much to look forward to.
Sun was shining and everyone had pulled out their shorts and shades, gutted I missed a BBQ.
So am more convinced that I can’t really make things happen on my own, and if I did tried then I will fail.
Last week Sunday I went straight from work to lead our evening service worship at church, I was so tired that I couldn’t connect with the band and also with God, I allowed my tiredness to take over and it was hard. I was so frustrated inside that I just was in that position.
So I just led the first two songs which I led awfully, and got to the next song and I just couldn’t connect with God.
The word that was preached a few mins earlier was on how we can plant a seed of faith:
(Matthew 17:20 (NIV) “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. “)
I just had to put that into action, but still I couldn’t connect. Even though I didn’t connect with God others did, l just had to step down and let him be God.
After that evening where everyone said I led well even though I know I didn’t just proved to me that it’s not what I do or the songs I pick that will make God be God.
I suck, God rocks
AlwaysAwake
I just realised that I’ve never mentioned my band on my blog. Booo see I suck!
Anyway I am the drummer for a band called “AlwaysAwake”. Joined them in autumn/winter last year when they were “re-awakened”.
It’s been a great journey so far, we wrote new songs together, bought some crazy gears and really going for it. I love these guys they are really passionate about what we do which I think is vital.
We will be doing our first charity gig on the 5th of may in Fallowfield, I seriously can’t wait. We are also planning to record our EP, so watch out Manchester be ready to be blown away.
Here’s a video of us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx-7A7GvdTM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Selfishness:- i suck, God Rocks
I think I’m going to start a series on how much I suck and God Rocks. Sometimes we get caught up in our awesomeness, that we forget who the awesome one is. So I’m going to try and mention a few things in which I suck at.
Selfishness:-
At church we being going through some stuff about consumerism and how much we long for stuff that we don’t actually need. Personally am in a position where if I see anything I like, or anything that will make me cool then I’ll go for it and buy it.
There are so many things that I don’t take into consideration at all. I just spend lavishly and feel really cool for a certain amount of time after that I need another stuff.
You know what I am so selfish, well we all are so this makes me feel a little bit better. Still it’s a huge problem.
I am selfish and God is not.
I suck, God Rocks
It’s a lovely day!
Right now I’m overwhelmed with love. Today has been a lovely day, it’s just a lovely day. Ok you get it, it’s a lovely day.
Anyhoo Christ was born today. He was born in a manger, he was born in a unsophisticated era, where there were no such commodities as we have today.
His birth made a way for all of us.
So in this lovely day may we remember our Lord & Saviour, The One who made a way, The One who delivered us, Let us celebrate, rejoice and honour Him.
Merry Christmas to you all..
—->
I’ve found myself having to adapt or learn different cultures quite easily. I remember my first day at school when we moved to Italy, it was a unique experience that I can’t easily forget. Having to move countries is also annoying because you have to start all over again. You have to learn their culture, language etc…… but most importantly create new relationships.
That is the hard bit, it’s not easy to just “BOOM” come out of nowhere and integrate. Nope not possible..
For the me the worst part is I have good solid friendships everywhere else apart from my Native Land. It’s true when they say “There’s no where else like Home”. I could say this wasn’t my fault as we moved when I was very young, but still the truth I never really kept contact with anyone.
Now imagine if the Politics changes everything and they come out with a new state order that everyone has to moved back to their Native Land, well I would be screwed up because I’ll have to start all over again rather than being already part of it.
Basically all am trying to say is no matter where you go on Planet Earth or Parallel Universe, you can’t run away from your true Native identity. I know I’ve tried so many times to ignore my Culture because I thought it wouldn’t made me fit it rather than making it part of it.
Intimate
Worship for me is something essential, it’s something I do naturally. I don’t have to be holding a guitar or playing the drums to get that intimate place with the father. I would hate myself if I was to be considered just a worship leader and not a worshipper.
Now I have noticed that when we gather to worship at an event we expect big lights, good quality sound and most important a good band. I’m not saying that all this are not good, they are because they easily create the type of atmosphere that we want, and that’s a good thing.I’m also one the first person that would spend a lot on musical equipments without thinking twice. I just love it.
The only thing I’ve noticed is we depend too much on that kind of stuff when we are in the process of planning and on the actual event. Now think about it, in the days when all this technology was not available they had such powerful times of prayer and worship, when all they did was singing and maybe harmonised by a single instrument.
I wonder if we experienced that kind of intimacy what would it feel and sound like to us.
Love the World!
It’s not our words, our words will not change the world, it might attract them but won’t change it.
It’s not normally even our music, our music edifies us, our music glorifies the father. Once in a while one crosses over, but it’s not our music that will change the world or attract people more than likely.
It’s not our buildings, it’s grand and beautiful as some of our churches are, it’s not the architecture that will change the world.
But one thing for sure will change the world is when we begin to love each other, and begin to love the world and when we begin to reach out to those in need, those who don’t have what we have,those with lower income in our community, so when the world see this kind of love, an undeniable love, this will attract them, they’ll want whatever we have.
So when a house is full of love, open the back door to let it out into the street.
Satisfy Me
Just finished watching a movie which made me think of how much we take things for granted. We often forget how important life is, how in a moment, in a final last breath we go back to our creator.
After my incident last week my view has changed a lot. I am grateful for the little things that happen to me, but am sure I’ll soon be back in my comfort zone and all this will be normal things for me, but I don’t want that. I want to be able to enjoy and be satisfied with all I have.
I still have flashback of the moment of the crash, it was like in the “Inception” moment where every second was vital, and am amazed on how I managed to get out with only few bruises.
I don’t know what I’ll have to do to enjoy and appreciate the simple things that I often take for granted.
My prayer is that I can simply get to enjoy & appreciate all the little things that comes my way.
SAVING ONE
I now understand why when they advertise accidents they are so dramatic. Well first of all because it’s the real thing that happens. I’ve always thought they were a bit exaggerating and that a careful driver like me was smart enough to not do does things they suggested.
Anyhoo, my accident didn’t involved me texting, being distracted, drunk, drugged, or speeding. I simply lost control of Max (my car) and crashed.
This is why I suggest to fairly new drivers to go for more secure cars and always wear your seatbelt.
Apparently I was lucky enough to have survived the crash ( police report). They said I have now used my luck, but something they don’t know is, that the SAVING ONE has saved again.
Autumn
So as seasons come and go, so does life presents itself with surprises. This year has been so far exciting, transformation took place, lets not even mention Redemption and Grace. I’ve been inspired not by amazing speakers or worldwide famous people, but simply by people around me: friends and family. Just like autumn I feel like I’ve or I have to drop plenty leaves from my branches so that I can focus.
Now this does not mean that all the leaves that are falling are just the stuff that have passed away, but rather they are the things that helped me grow strong to be who I am today. Hope this made sense!!
I love my Church CCM: East & City, our vision is focused and led by humble servants. Through out the year we have been blessed immensely, God has showed up amongst us in different ways; he has healed, restored and he hasn’t stopped yet! This is what you should expect from a growing church. So yes I am truly blessed to be a member and part of CCM. I want to be more part of it, I want to serve.
I’ve returned to be regular on drum and last night yesterday my wrist started to hurt which is good, as it means I am coming back in form cause I hit the snare really hard, so watch out, don’t stand near me if you have any hearing problems. This is because I love my new snare drum, I bought it a few months ago but only starting to appreciate it properly now. It’s a Tama Rockstar 14 x 6’5 so yes it is really loud, the snare has a really crisp and punchy attack, so yes it’s pretty sweet.
Anyhoo, autumn is here!
Update!!
Hallo, well it’s been a really interesting summer (if you can call this summer) with lots of new things and surprises. Also working full time was a new thing for me which really helped me a lot during this summer.
Anyhoo am excited and awaiting what’s God’s next plan, I cannot count his blessings and how I keep meeting amazing people. God is shaping me in his own way, you know its like am getting to know what am really about, and having people supporting me is great. God has always provided in his own ways.
Couldn’t attend the summer festival I was planning too but then had a good family time at home and had an awesome day trip away. Fell in love with Franky & Bennys, dislike Mc-Donald’s but for some reason we still always end up there for a quick snack and for the loo :). We have even made friends with the cleaner now, but we haven;t seen her in ages..
Now CCM City is something you should come and check out if you live in/around Manchester, it’s our new evening service and it’s right in the heart of Fallowfield. We are very excited about what God wants to do in that side of Manchester. So if you are passionate about God and Manchester then come check us out!!
It’s good to be back online.
KelaniDrums 