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Journey To Worship: A Worship Musical
Journey To Worship: The Musical
Have you ever wondered if this is all there is?
David asked himself that question one day and didn’t like his answer. So he set out on a journey to discover the meaning and purpose of his life. Although blessed at a young age to have a taste of money and fame he still didn’t have peace and joy inside. He decided to leave his familiar surroundings and head to South Korea as a missionary to teach English.
During his journey he discovers that God has been drawing him into a life of worship where everything that he does is for God’s glory. And before his oversees adventure comes to an unexpected stop he is transformed from a life of uncertainty into living with a purpose worthy of dying.
Join us as we share David’s Journey To Worship!
Please purchase tickets or sponsor event below. (note: General Admission Tickets are $25 in advance but $30 at the door. VIP tickets are the first 3 rows)
Written by David Griffiths
Produced by David Griffiths and Gerald Young
Directed by Nicole Morgan
Starring: Dante Pope and Monique Griffiths
Musical Director: Edmond Charles
When: December 5, 2015 at 5:30pm
Where: Nineteenth Street Baptist Church
4606 16th Street, N.W. Washington DC 20011
Maryland Eastern Shore Ministry Opportunity
Maryland Eastern Shore Ministry Opportunity
I am so excited to be returning to Denton, Maryland to teach voice. I will be teaching Tuesday thru Thursday at the Denton Christian Learning Center. Here’s an article as to why I would personally recommend their center if you have a young child who needs daycare; ARTICLE.
I am impressed everytime I am here in Denton, Easton, and Ridgely, by how friendly the people are. When my son and I take our daily walk people are always so friendly to wave as they go by. And you seem to bump into people that you’ve seen in one place at another (Recently we saw a lady who worked in the AT&T store at the Amish Market having supper. We love eating at the Amish Market. Apparently a lot of other people do too.).
Many folks may wonder why I would go teach in an area where I will be charging 60% of what I make across the bridge (And I still have students wanting to study with me over there that I haven’t been able to schedule yet.)
The reason is simple. Teaching music, whether in church or in private one on one lessons for me is about ministry. On my journey to worship, as I have come to know my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He leads me to places where I can nourish those who are eagerly awaiting help. While I enjoy sharing music everywhere, I especially like that I’ll be helping with a ministry that has as it’s primary goal to develop young people in the principals of God’s word. I believe these principals will make anyone’s life better. They make me a more valuable teacher, performer, and Father. When I searched google I didn’t find any voice teachers in Denton. I think God has sent me here because there is a need.
Would you please pray with me for this new ministry venture? I thank you in advance for your help.
David
P.S. I want to thank you for your continued support. If you would like to help us in this ministry of bringing worship that nourishes to a starving world, please consider partnering with us by clicking the donate button and blessing us with your financial support. Your support determines the amount of people we are able to reach and we are grateful that you even take the time to read what we are sharing. God bless you!
Dcg
Does God Prefer Mandarin Mantras Or Hispanic Hallelujahs?
Does God prefer Manderin mantras or Hispanic Hallelujahs?
Does God prefer Mandarin Mantras or Hispanic Hallelujahs? In other words does God accept worship from one cultural context over another? Is one location for worship superior than another? Do I need to make a pilgrimage? Do I need to renounce my African American mannerisms and song stylings in favor of something more british or better yet yiddish?
Imagine leaving the familiar vestiges of worship and going to a far far away place. In this place they don’t speak english. They don’t enjoy the same songs that you have come to know as being part of coming together in God’s presence. They read the bible in their own language. They love Jesus. But they don’t even greet each other the same way you do. They bow to each other. Now imagine that you must preach a sermon there. In fact, you must stay there for nearly a year preaching every weekend. The best english level of any church member other than the pastor is probably equivalent to a 5th or 6th graders level of understanding. Will you sense God’s presence? Will you “feel God’s Spirit moving?”
That was my challenge. I was a missionary in Korea. I was faced with a stunning realization. What I called worship wasn’t worship at all. And I had to find Jesus in a new context and realize that true worship can be found in many cultural contexts. And that one context should not proclaim itself as the end all be all.
Jesus teaches us this in his conversation with the woman at the well found in John 4. She wants to know whether salvation is of the Samaritans or of the Jews. Do we worship in the right place or do the Jews have it right. Jesus let her know that while the Jews have the honor of being the historical repository of God’s relationship with man, the time now is when God’s main concern is “Do you worship me in spirit and in truth.”
What does this mean? And how does that answer the question as to whether God prefers Mandarin Mantras or Hispanic Hallelujahs?
To worship in spirit is to worship from the inside out. In I Corinthians 2 we are told that no one knows the thoughts of another person except that person’s spirit. We are then told that God has shared his Spirit with us so that we are made aware of his thoughts. Those who worship God in spirit receive God’s presence into their heart and are made aware of God’s desires and his plans. The water that wells up inside us so that we need never thirst again is God’s Spirit overwhelming us with His love and revelation.
In addition to God’s revelation through His Spirit he also leads the true worshippers into truth. We find God’s truth in his word. That’s why the combination of prayer and bible study is so effective. We are moved by His spirit. We are instructed by His word. We learn what is true. We then live in sincerity from the inside out that which is pleasing to God and verified to be according to His ways.
So we are not champions of liturgical structure–we must have a morning hymn before scripture reading in order to have real worship. The woman at the well had real worship because Jesus met her where she was and filled her to overflowing. She then shared with those from her cultural context what he had told her–the truth. She was filled with his Spirit and in sincerity of spirit shared the truth He revealed to her. Then they listened to Him for themselves and said that they now believed as well. No longer caught up on which mountain to worship on they instead became focused on spirit and truth.
It was hard for me to worship for so many months there in Korea without the extemporaneous eruptions of “Sing” and “Well. Preach Preacha!” When I sang there was no encouragement from the saints that listened that they were feeling God’s presence through my songs. I didn’t hear as many “Amens” as I preached God’s word. But nevertheless HE WAS PRESENT BOTH IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. And that’s all that matters.
Much of what we call worship isn’t. We have deified the ritual. If we don’t hear our favorite style of music we don’t think that God is in the building. If the presentation doesn’t give us the warm fuzzies we had when we first came to know and love the Saviour of the world then we feel something is wrong. Perhaps what is wrong is our definition of worship. Let us come to God with a sincere heart praying for the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Let us read daily His word. Let us meet together in one another’s homes. Let us eat together and pray together and sing together. Let us live a life of worship IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.
My prayer is that we will focus less on where we are and more on being in His presence where He is!
Where You Are
I wanna be in your presence
I wanna stay on your hill, Lord
I wanna be in your presence
Where you are
(Repeat)
I wanna stay on your mountain
Play on your hill
I wanna stay on your mountain
I’ll yield and be still
I wanna stay on your mountain
Play on your hill, Lord
I wanna be in your presence
Where You are
I wanna be in your presence
I wanna stay on your hill, Lord
I wanna be in your presence
Where you are
(Repeat)
For there is salvation
On your holy hill
For there is salvation
I’ll wait and be still
For there is salvation
On your holy hill, Lord
I want to be in your presence
Where You are
I wanna be in your presence
I wanna stay on your hill, Lord
I wanna be in your presence
Where you are
(Repeat)
If You Believe, Ask!
Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”(NLT)
It’s really very simple: If you believe, ask!
Let’s say I’m your best friend. I happen to own a rental car business that’s in multiple locations and very successful. We’ve been friends since childhood.
You hear bad news that your aunt has passed away and she lives in a small town 5 hours away that doesn’t have a major airport near it. Unfortunately, you’ve messed up your credit with a bankruptcy and you don’t have a credit card to use to get a rent a car. And so you decide not to go as you don’t own a car either. Later that day we go out to eat and you share with me how sad you are that you are missing your aunt’s funeral. I ask why you can’t make it and you explain the situation. I have a puzzled look on my face and scratch my head. Then I ask you, “Why didn’t you ask me for my help?” You stare without response silently at the floor.
So let me think about this from a heavenly perspective. The bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Revelation 4:11 let’s us know that he made it because it’s what he decided he wanted–it pleased Him to create everything. He made everything and not at someone else’s command but just ‘cause He wanted to, and the bible also says that God loves us. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus, His only son, to die for our sins. So if God is the creator of everything and God love us so much that He wouldn’t even hold back His very son to help us, why wouldn’t we ask Him for his help in any and every situation? It doesn’t add up.
If we believed God was powerful enough then why wouldn’t we ask. So we must not believe He is as described in the bible. We must not believe in the flood–God sending a prolonged hurricane or typhoon to submerge the whole earth except for Noah and all who would get on the ark. We must not believe Daniel was kept safe in the lion’s den. We must not believe that Jesus showed up and kept the 3 hebrews in the fiery furnace safe. We must not believe, or we would ask.
But probably closer to the truth is that we don’t believe God will do what we want. We may believe the stories of the parting of the Red Sea or the tumbling down of the walls of Jericho, but we probably remember prayers that we prayed when we first believed that didn’t go our way. Did someone forget to tell us that God is not a genie?
From what I learned about the dwellers of the special bottles, they are suppose to come out when we rub the bottle and grant us three wishes. I think that many of us were introduced to prayer like it was rubbing the bottle and we would get whatever our three requests were. Perhaps someone could have enlightened us to know God can say, no!
So maybe what we are really saying is this: I believe you exist. I believe you created everything cause you wanted it. I even believe that you sent Jesus to die for my sins. So you must love me. But I just don’t trust you enough to let you decide what’s best for me. And so many others have hurt me by not doing what they said they’d do or not having my best interest at heart when they said no that I don’t want to open myself up to be disappointed like that again! God, I don’t want you to break my heart. God, I don’t want to give up what little control I think I have. But if I believe He can, and I believe He loves me, then I trust that He who made me and loves me knows what’s best for me. He could do things as he pleases and not regard my wishes at all. But instead God has given me an opportunity to give input because this draws me into a close relationship with Him. He wants me to have worship that nourshes by having a personal relationship with Him..
So I return to where we began.
It’s simple, really. If you believe, ask!
Revival
To me there’s nothing more exciting than revival!
Imagine your neighbor comes over to your house with tears in her eyes. You invite her in and she tells you her son is in Iraq and can’t be found. She came to you because she knows that you pray. So you say to her let’s bow together and let me pray for you and your son. You spend time praying with her and then finish. She feels a sense of calm she didn’t have before. You assure her you’ll keep praying. A few weeks later she comes over to your house again on a Friday night when a few of your friends have come over for dinner and to sing a few worship songs. She is all smiles and tells you the great news that her son has been found alive and unharmed. You rejoice with her. In fact you suggest that she join you and your friends in a circle of prayer saying thanks to God. She agrees. After you are finished praying you invite her to stay and sing along with your friends. She does and completely enjoys herself.
A few days later you get the idea of having a regular weekly prayer meeting with some of your friends and it dawns on you that you should invite your neighbor. She agrees to come and asks if she can bring her best friend along. You say that would be just wonderful. And so you begin a journey of revival.
There are several things that can help revival to start.
1. Bad news. In 2 Kings 20:1-3 we read about Hezekiah the king of Judah receiving a solemn declaration:
1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'” 2Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3″Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
King Hezekiah got some really bad news. He was told by the prophet Isaiah that he was going to die. The bible says his response was to turn to the wall and pray. That sounds like revival!
When the people of Nineveh heard the bad news from Jonah they repented…revival broke out. Their version of turning to the wall and praying was putting on sackcloth and ashes and weeping and saying sorry to God. Sometimes God allows bad things that will draws us close to Him and give Him a chance to show His deep love and concern for us. He also demonstrates his awesome power in the times when we are distressed. It’s not that God isn’t regularly showing His care. But we take it for granted and don’t recognize it’s from Him. But when the rug is pulled out from under our feet we suddenly know where our help comes from.
2. Not eating. If you ever want to pray with greater intensity try skipping a few meals. Spiritual veterans call it fasting. There is something about fasting that not only gets God’s attention but captures our complete attention as well. When we stop providing ourselves with what nourishes us we put our bodies into crisis mode. And when we pray in crisis mode there seems to be greater benefit. Jesus one day alluded to this when he told his disciples that a situation they were dealing with was of a severe nature and required both prayer and fasting in order to remedy things. You and I who are called by God to be disciples of Jesus need to utilize this spiritual power boost of fasting. Some for medical reasons shouldn’t fast. However, for everyone else it’s a tool that should be used.
3. Reading the word. When the children of Israel were returning from exile in Babylon, Nehemiah was put in charge of helping the people rebuild the wall of their city. A scribe named Ezra came a bit later and was called upon to read the scriptures to the people. In verse 9 it tells us that all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. They had drifted away from their pure worship to God. When the word of God was opened up to them and explained they were convicted. Than revival came.
Today if you want better worship than choose to have a revival.
The bad news is all around us: Violence, hatred, disease, global warming, pollution and on and on. The good book is right in front of us. We can get it on our phones, tablets, and laptops. Let’s plan right now! Fast on Friday and invite some Christian friends to join you and have an hour long season of prayer followed by breaking your fast with a simple meal at say 7pm. It could be that easy.
When Solomon had dedicated the temple he had built for God he was over the top with his sacrifice and praise. God responded by descending in a glory cloud that shut down the temple. Afterward Our heavenly Father told Solomon the pattern for revival. Let’s read it together.
12 And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.
13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Let this be our pattern. When the bad stuff happens, humble ourselves–we acknowledge we need help, and pray–fast and pray if necessary, seek my face–turn off the TV and the texting and give God our undivided attention, and turn from their wicked ways-remove yourself from doing stuff you know is sin. Get help from a pastor or a friend, but flee that which is foul to our God.
Then God says He will hear, forgive, and heal. That’s what we need! God’s presence, His forgiveness, and His power. We need a revival. Why not start one today?
I’m on this journey to worship with you. Please share with me your thoughts about what I shared with you today. I love you and pray for you to find worship that nourishes through revival!
10 Tips To Better Singing (x10 cont)
Hopefully, you’ve been enjoying our better singing tips. In case you missed the first two parts here they are:
I’ve enjoyed teaching so many students over the last more than 25 years. One thing I’ve learned from the experience which will be our next tip.
8. Be focused and committed to grow. One of my favorite students was Jason. He was on a mission to improve his voice. He wanted to extend his range and wanted to improve his sense of pitch. We were able to help him do both! But why he was so successful was the focus he demonstrated. We met two times a week. He faithfully worked on what we went over in the lesson. He had a goal in mind of recording in a major studio in a few months and he needed to be in tip top shape. So he leveraged this goal to help him stay focused. You can do the same!
9. Visualize your desired result daily. When I was first starting out with singing in high school I wasn’t very good. In fact one day my best friend came and told me I should stick to writing songs and let someone else sing them. THIS WAS DEVASTATING! But I didn’t give up! And I did listen to what he was saying. I did need to work some more. But one way that I found most effective was using the inner-game of singing. I had heard our basketball coach say that a study was done once where different players practiced shooting free throws in two different ways. One set actually stood at the fowl line and practiced their shots. But the second group sat and visualized successfully shooting and making the fowl shoots for the same amount of time (20 min. a day) as the other group literally practiced physically.
At the end of the study they found that the group that used their imagination for practice did best. I took this concept and started using it when I had to sing. I would picture the audience being moved to tears as I sang (hopefully not because it hurt to listen to me lol). I would imagine feeling good because my voice was effectively communicating my heart’s feelings and so many people were enjoying the experience. I would do this daily in preparation for a singing opportunity. And when I sang a very strange thing happened. I almost felt as though I was watching myself sing. It was as if I was singing on autopilot and enjoying the song along with the audience.
Today I don’t do this for every singing opportunity, but I probably should given the great results I achieved.
10. Partner with God. I know that not all singers believe in God. But I want to share with you what has worked for me. I am blessed and have grown in so many ways. I’ve travelled to many countries singing and met so many wonderful people. I’ve enjoyed singing with children dying of AIDS in Kenya and I’ve enjoyed singing for 70,000 people in a hugh arena. I’m so blessed and so grateful. I give all the glory to God! He’s my ultimate vocal and life coach. Try Him and I know you’ll see results!
Life as a singers won’t be easy but the joy that you bring to others and the love they can feel is worth the pain of the process. Ask God to take you where your voice will do the greatest good for Him and you’ll never regret it.
Thank you for honoring me with your presence as you read today. I am grateful! I wish for you better singing and better worship.
10 Tips To Better Singing (x10)
Here’s the second part to our 10 Tips To Better Singing. Click here if you missed the first post.
I thought we’d give you the list in a different and more powerful way. Check it out!
5. Open your mouth when you’re singing. Ken Taylor, a vocal coach from Orlando, points out that singers who keep their mouths mostly closed are likely tense in the tongue and are far from achieving maximum quality of tone. He likes the two finger rule. If you can fit two fingers between your teeth while singing (esp on open vowels like “ah” and “oh”), then you’re good. If not, open your mouth more. For 7 more tips from Ken click here.
6. Stop using glottal attacks! Cari Cole, celebrity vocal coach shares that glottals’ happen when the edges of the vocal cords bang together in over-closure. This results from poor vocal technique. The way to avoid it is to add a soft “h” to the onset of words that begin with vowels, i.e.; “hh-everyone”, “hh-“I”; “hh-always”. To read more of her excellent singing advice (way more than 10 more tips) click here.
7. Water Water Water. Vocal coach Yvonne DeBandi stresses that we need to drink lots of room temperature water all day and not just when we feel dehydrated. Because if we drink it when we feel dehydrated when we are singing the water will first go to the large muscles and not to the vocal folds. For more help from Yvonne and at least 20 more tips click here.
To Be Continued…
A Lingering Spirit
Genesis 19:16 “And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.” (KJV)
Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”(KJV)
Have you ever known that you should do something but you didn’t do it? Everyone has. But this is a lethal choice.
One would think that all that is necessary is for us to be made aware of the truth. “Smoking is bad for you.” “Pornography objectifies women and men.” “Processed foods rich in sugar and various preservatives are strongly contributing to our obesity epidemic.” “By beholding we become changed.” We know a lot but don’t seem to change our behavior.
In James 4 after giving admonition to among other things draw close to God and not be friends with the world he wrote in verse 17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Our problem in finding worship that nourishes is often not just a lack of knowledge. Instead it is the deadliness of knowing but not taking action. I call it “deadliness” and “lethal choice” for a reason.
Lot was visited by angels that told him that the city he lived in would be destroyed and he must leave immediately. But Lot lingered!!!!!! The angels took hold upon him and his family and removed them from the city. But the sad truth is that there were consequences that Lot’s family received because they had hung out in the godless city of Sodom for so long. They weren’t who they used to be when they were living with uncle Abraham. I’m sure it wasn’t immediate but their hearts changed. In fact Lot’s wife’s heart changed so much that she defied the angel’s command not to look back at the city they were fleeing. She looked back and was transformed into a pillar of salt.
Don’t look back and don’t stay put. Let me say that again. Don’t look back and don’t stay put. Our worship is to God. Heaven is our destination. Becoming like Him is our goal and a continuous process. If we don’t take action to leave what we know is bad for us and if we don’t take action to stop doing what we know hurts us and others then we will be what we’ve been and have what we’ve had. We won’t look like Jesus because we’ve been focused on the world. David says in Psalm 51:5 “I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” If we stay where we are we will continue to be shaped by iniquity. We have to leave to be God’s dream for us.
Abraham left in order to be God’s vision for his life.
Genesis 12:1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
You and I must leave what’s familiar and what’s comfortable in order to find God’s best for us. But God’s best for us also affects our family and friends. Imagine if you made decisions everyday in the same way that Jesus made decisions. If you did the same things Jesus did how would that affect the lives of those you work with? I guarantee that everyone who you love will have a better life because you let go and let God.
Don’t linger. A lingering spirit is similar to what the bible calls double-mindedness.
James 1: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (KJV)
If you ask God for something but don’t believe He exists or that He will hear and help you than you aren’t likely to receive your request. Likewise if you know something that you should do in order to have a better outcome in your life but you don’t choose to do it, you most likely will continue to have the miserable results you have always had.
Take immediate action on what you know will improve your life. Take immediate action on what you know will give God glory and create better worship. And take immediate action on what you know will allow you to have a decisive and not a lingering spirit.
Letting Go
In order to grow we must learn to let go.
It’s been hard for me to observe my son trying to navigate life. Adults say what a warm, intelligent and loving boy he is. He has demonstrated his gifts as a singer and drummer. From the time he was young he has been surrounded by favor. One day we were waiting to be seated at IHOP and a man engaged him in conversation. Pleased with the dialog the man reached into his wallet and gave David a 20 dollar bill.
Despite his many similar special stories David has been teased and bullied for years. Because he is overweight children say the meanest things. And I can’t stop them. Christian school or secular school, it’s all the same. So when we are at the swimming pool of our hotel as we are travelling on our Journey To Wellness, and David asks the kids in the swimming pool to play Marco Polo and they do…and they all have a good time…David becomes my hero. He Let’s go.
He doesn’t let previous rejections keep him from reaching out again. And even when he’s playing with a group of kids who are not paying attention to him and including him, he still has fun.
In order for us to heal we must let go. Bitterness destroys. Forgiveness mends.
So today my son David has taught me to let go of past hurts and reach out for new potential. Thank you, David.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 NIV All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
