Blowin’ Kisses And Closet Prayers! Hung Up On Closest Worship!

So, I couldn’t sleep last night.  I got to thinking while I was talking to my Father in heaven. I was thinking about how He must want and so love for us to call Him Father.  After all, we are his children.  So, I really thought on that. And, thought...  So, my story for today is much longer than usual.  It's kind of a compilation of my thoughts over the past year or so with 3 songs and a bit of humor added in to help explain my heart.  So, if you expect an expert, just export that thought.  I'm no expert on the subject.  Just life experienced! Like everyone.  Hope you will stick around and experience it with me!  Okay, so I was thinking about how calling God, my father, had to do with another hot topic in the world these days. "Worship".  Well, not the world, but you know what I mean.  It's been very prevalent in TV, churches, etc.  It's not really a "worldly" thing at all, but sometimes it seems like it.  I mean, it is a spiritual thing, but it must extend out to the world if we are indeed truly loving and worshipping God the way I see it.  We must touch the world.  And, worship is not just music.  I will talk about that more later in this story.  Speaking musically, when I see alot of the bands on TV, I look for interaction with each other and into their eyes for their hearts.  Not just for show.  I mean I know we perform, but performance should show the form of our hearts, even if it is a sacrifice when you're not up to it.  God is.  If the band isn't connecting with each other and the audience with their eyes and hearts and interacting, then I just don't get it.  If we can't connect with those we see, how can we connect with God whom we can't see?  It seems all for self, then.  I'm not judging, just trying to figure this whole thing out.  Even in the world, outside church I mean, I like to feel the band mates connect and see that.  In fact, that's my way when I'm singing no matter what the stage.  I have to look at my mates and the audience and connect.  Whilst my spirit is connecting with God and them, too.  Not just stay in my own box.  I can have alone time with God at home.  Or, even simultaneously.  When I'm with others?  I gotta actually be connected.  Our performance should speak to hearts about the form of ours.  Right off the bat, I will just say that I am no expert on the matter.  Just experience, not expertise, and thoughts. PIMP LOL.  So, anyways, back to the subject and how it pertains as a Father.  Well, speaking as a mother and, I think, speaking as most fathers think, parentally, I would rather my daughter spend time talking with me or her father just getting to know each other, than just telling us how great we  are.  Please don’t have a cow or take that wrong.  I do think it is a most awesome and beneficial thing to tell God that.  I do that so very often in the good AND the bad times. Sometimes, it is quiet and sometimes it’s a loud yay or a song or a smile.  Or just obedience.  And our getting to know each other leads to us doing things for each other, sometimes, or a physical outpouring, like a hug or a kiss. Worship is not just the outward show, but more the inward flow, first.  Without the inward flow, the outward flow is flawed.  We are not to judge each other on that.  Worship is def between each individual and God, first. But, then, it should be evident to those around by your life. If you can "worship" musically and then be unloving, it's time to check your worship in the closet. I'll talk about that later.  Worship to God should not push others out.  And, the outward flow isn’t the same for everyone.  No one should feel forced to sit or forced to stand and clap or raise hands or keep them raised. Or feel you can’t move or dance. Or let God move in you.  Which I love to do. Or feel that there is a certain way to worship or a certain method to talk to God.  Or not talk.  How 'bout listen? Right?  Unless it’s God himself doing the forcing, then we should leave the force stuff up to Star Wars.  PIMP LOL. And, each of us knows that force inside of us, by His power in us.  Conviction.  I also thought about the times I felt closest and it was in my “closet” time.  Kinda was a slip of the tongue when I was talking about this to God in my prayer time once.  I said closet to God instead of closest. And, that stuck. That’s what I call my private time with God my “Closet Time”. It seems to me that the private one-on-one “closet” time talks with God are the closest we get to seeing Him. Same with singing alone with HIm.  We should always check our worship in the closet and see how it hangs!  TNT LOL. Closet chats are the closest chats. Closet prayers prove closest to true.  In secret. In private. Where there’s no putting on.  And you can leave all the hang-ups…umm..hung up where God can help you most!  Well?  It is a closet! Maybe you can even dig out your transparent strong suit! PIMP LOL. What? We should be getting our transparent on!  Let others see our hearts.  Okay! Now! Also, I do pray with my family and we do music together and study our bible and I call that worship. Because He is with us even then. We value and appreciate and are ever so thankful that He is with us always.  Our simple worship.  Going to help someone at their home and recognizing God’s power and presence is worship.  Same with going to the hospital or anything that you include God in.  Which we should try always to include Him.  I can’t seem to turn God on and off, so I see God in everything.  I never knew about him until I was in my 20’s, so, it may be diff for me.  Oh! I knew something was up because I was so darn sensitive and could feel everyone else’s hearts even at a young age.  I knew Someone was with me who could see everything and who knew me.  Really knew me.  So, back to the worship thoughts.  I also realize there is public corporate worship and that is the big thing these days on TV and at all churches. They want us to do the same music and the same styles and the same production on every song.  And, the same outward flow.  Everyone and every stage looks the same.  A formula.  I know it seems to work for some and I am not judging nor saying it’s wrong.  Just not always right for me.  Hate formulas.  Except the ones in the bible.  I know that in each town and every church, there are amazing and gifted individuals who want to serve and share songs.  Not just the ones on the radio.  They are great to do also, but after all?  God uses even donkeys, why not churches use their own people to serve.  Not to say the people are donkeys!  PIMP LOL!  But, adults and kids alike. I think we're missing out on some great relationships and music by keeping God in a box.  I say "Don't keep your bibles in the box they came in.  And, don't try to keep God in the one He didn't.  Then, too, sometimes we might surely take our bibles outta the box and put God right in it.  You know?  Quoting scripture, but really not quite living out the script.  We need to get to know Him before we're in a box!" PIMP LOL.  So, the thing about us calling Him Father.  Well, I was thinking that God made us male and female to have families so we could learn about the relationship thing He wants us to have with Him. It’s called love.  Worshipping God is our outpouring of God’s value and worth that’s been poured into our life. Again, I see God in all things and people. And, if I was asked if I would rather have our kids worship us or spend time together getting closer.  I think you know what I would say.  I would rather they spend time with us, which speaks love, than speak love and have no time left to spend with us. I don’t claim to know God more than anyone else. No.  In fact, I want to know Him so much more than I do.  Just seems like a lot of people worshipping God and not really relating to each other or being real. Being forgiving and gracious and loving. Building real family relationships at church.  I want to know God in His words AND in His people.  Church and worship have to be in the heart, too.  Then it can be anywhere and any way.  And you must know that this is just my thoughts.  Again! I'm not an expert!  I was just up late doing some thankin’ and prayin. When my thankin’ got turned to thinkin’.  I just know that for me?  I think when we’re with people, God wants us to serve and love them.  Really be WITH them. And let them do the same for us.  That’s how we serve Him.  To sum this up, I want to share a song of ours.  The songs are a big part of my heart on this subject.  What began my story and thoughts.  You see, we did a song with my daughter many years ago when she was like 6 and it was about how we listen to sermons and go to church together, serving, but never getting to know each other, really.  Not really a cut, just that we spend so much time trying to do the “worship” and “religion” thing that sometimes we forget that we are the body of Christ. ANS, we are human.  God made us human, also.  Sometimes, we try to act so heavenly that we are of no earthly good.  Personally, I want to be close and have family we can be there for and vice versa.  I've been missing that for some time.  As our church grew, we built a new one and then split, and then changed even more.  Now, I know the doors are open for all and we preach to all.  But, if churches have many numbers, maybe they need to look at the revolving door numbers, too.  Heart growth outweighs numbers. I still see "friends" and "family" that worship but still aren't close.  Or forgive. Or communicate or seem to care.  I can't seem to reconcile that notion in my mind.   Our churches may have to pay bills, but we are not a corporation, only.  We need to work together and serve together and love together.  That is real worship. That is real bible.  It's not some kind of hocus-pocus magic.  We must work at loving.  Work at being family. Imagine our family if we never got close or talked or cared about each other.  Doing all that? Now, that's can be magical! PIMP LOL. When parents see their kids doing things together or simply obeying with a grateful heart, don’t they feel loved all the more? Doesn’t God feel that way when He sees His children serve together and get to know each others hearts and really care?  REALLY care.   How can we say we know God who we can’t see, if we don’t know people whom we see.  I’m not preaching to anyone, just thinking.  So here is a link to the song.  We are fixing to redo the song on our studio very soon.  I think I have talked my girl into singing it and me doing backup.  Yes!  Take a listen to this! I Dreamed I Awoke Oh!  And, here is another song that I think fits with my thoughts here. Better Than A Hallelujah! Well, did you like them? Hope you took time for both. They are really what my heart is trying to say.  There will be one more at the end.   So, have a wonderful week.  Have some closet time with God and spend some outta the closet time with his children.  You will remember them as your closests times. A last thought.  Worship for me is when I acknowledge either quietly or singing or serving or in any way...His ways...His love...His value and worth to me...in all things. ALL.  Good and not so good.   And praise is when I show my thanks and praise Him...in all things.  Good and not so good.  Like when I would blow a kiss to my daughter when she was in 1st grade...as she was leaving the car and going to class.  Everything I had in me, was going out to her in that blown kiss.  And everything she had came back in one.  That memory and our song is really the whole crux of my story.   Where it grew from.  Blowin' Kisses is actually another song by Nicole Mullen that says it all. Another of my faves like the other two. It will be at the end.  So, also, worship is actually the translation of two Greek words combined, meaning "toward" plus "to kiss." This Greek word combination is the most frequent word rendered to worship. "Worship" means to do reverence to. How striking! Worship means to kiss towards.  It is like blowing a kiss to someone. We do reverence towards God by blowing Him a gentle kiss of affection to our Father and Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.  I always have that eternal picture in my head of being in the car loop blowing her a kiss and her smile as she caught it and blew one back.  Everything we could possibly feel for each other was in that kiss.  Though it couldn’t be seen with eyes.  It was seen by the heart and soul and spirit.  That is our worship and interaction with God.  It is in our spirit.  That part can’t be seen. And, the outward flow? Well, to me, it is my hope that when I am doing something I am putting my whole self into it as I do blowing a kiss.  And, blow it forward to God.  Saying, this is for You.  I love you.  In whatever you do… Whether it be saying I love you to someone that’s hard to love or giving something in secret.  Or singing. Or, yes, even dancing or stepping back so someone else can shine.  Maybe even not remembering a hurt done.  Or forgiving…  Fixing someone’s computer, cleaning a home.  And, guess what?  It's especially worship when you don't feel like it and things just aren't going good.  I know that for me, I sing and can especially connect with people and God when I am weak, which is always.  Because He is ALWAYS strong in me.  His value hasn't changed at all.  No matter how I value myself that day.  Like today, even.  It is so medicinal to be obedient.  To just sing when you hurt.  But, that was another story I wrote.  And, I don't just mean music.  I mean it every sense of the word...service, too.  Whatever it may be.  It is worship when it is He that you desire to please.  Here is the final song:  Blowin Kisses (click this link, then click arrow to play) It was fantastic, right? Thank you for stopping by to talk about worship with me. And for staying a bit longer.  Leave a comment if you wish or blow a kiss. Hope you enjoyed this. As that would overjoy me.  Oh!  And, the photograph?  It's my daughter, Garnet Rose.  Had one of us both blowing kisses to each other.  We looked so much the same.  Wow!  I decided to just put hers as I have been using me as a subject for too long.  PIMP LOL.   Now, go out and get blowin' kisses...  Spend a li'l time with the hurting, honey.  Get lovified!   I appreciate you spending a li'l more time with me on this one.  My usual articles are very short.  Love, Trace