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Repentance Is Worship
There is a treatment update at the end of this message. www.caringbidge.org/visit/carlstam ===================================== DORIS STAM has written a book. www.tinyurl.com/mountaineducators ===================================== Today’s WORSHIP QUOTE deals with repentance of sin. Many of us probably think of repentance as something that prepares us to worship God. We view repentance as prelude to real worship, as prerequisite for praise. Worship leader and songwriter Graham Kendrick sees repentance as central to our attitude and actions in Christian discipleship and worship. REPENTANCE IS WORSHIP We do not always think of repentance as worship, but it can be much easier to sing a rousing hymn than to turn away from our favorite sin. A sinful act involves worship of the wrong kind, submitting ourselves at that moment to serve the appetites of our pride or lust, and so repentance is literally a transfer of our worship back to the One who rightfully owns it. . . . . Worship has been misunderstood as something that arises from a feeling which “comes upon you,” but it is vital that we understand that it is rooted in a conscious act of the will, to serve and obey the Lord Jesus Christ. The feelings, the joy of having been forgiven, follow on as a consequence of our reunion with him. –– Graham Kendrick, from WORSHIP, Kingsway Publications, 1984, p.26. ISBN 978-0860652748 Remember that repenting from sin is quite different from "just" confessing our sin, acknowledging that we have "missed the mark." Repentance is turning, changing course. KYRIE ELEISON. Lord, have mercy, and by your grace, help us to turn away from sin. Today, help us to turn towards you. Amen! Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Ministries The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.wqotw.org www.sbts.edu/icw ============================== TOPICAL INDEX FOR FORTY-THREE GETTY/TOWNEND HYMNS http://www.gettymusic.com/topicalindex.pdf ============================== ============================== THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 1 (Ed Willmington): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-05 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 2 (Carl Stam): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-12 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 3 (Donald Hustad): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-19 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 4 (Ron Man): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-26 ============================== ============================== HEALTH UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST FOR CHIP STAM, CANCER PATIENT www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam ============================== December 1 Treatment Update Dear friends and family (and some strangers), Once again, thanks for loving us and praying for us faithfully during this long (really long!) cancer journey. Journal entries and some new pictures are found at www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam. God has been very good to us in so many ways. GRAFT VS. HOST DISEASE—ROLLER COASTER More of the same; my body is battling my new blood system. I think I can keep this part short. I will see the neurologist today, December 1. They are trying to get a read on my peripheral neuropathy (numbness, swelling, and tingling in my feet, ankles, legs, and hands). There have also been some adjustments in my steroids doses and the medicines they are giving me to control my blood pressure. The clinician who saw me yesterday, November 30, explained again that many of the medicines that are combating the GvsH disease are in delicate balance with each other. A HAPPY GATHERING AND A BREAK FROM THE ROUTINE The Friday after Thanksgiving Day was the day our family gathered for a big afternoon meal and a time of giving thanks to our gracious God. We had some family from North Carolina, some missionary friends of Clara, some seminary students from foreign countries (like California), and some stranded friends who needed to be with us. Last week, Doris looked at Dr. Herzig, and asked, "Can't Chip have one day off from his clinic visits?" The request was granted, and for the first time in at least 160 days, I did not go in for testing and treatment. What a joy! The nurses saw me again at 7:45am the next morning. Another happy thing was that my clinic visit on Sunday morning was concise (no platelets, blood, or growth factor injections), such that I was able to attend worship at our precious church at 10:45am. What a gift! CHRISTMAS PRESENT IDEA—DORIS'S BOOK Please take a look at the material on the web site: MOUNTAIN EDUCATORS: THE DOUGHERTY FAMILY AND THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF APPALACHIAN. Doris's relatives started Watauga Academy in 1899 (Boone, NC), a little mountain school that finally became Appalachian State University. If you know happy alumni or fans of ASU, please pass this information to them. (www.tinyurl.com/mountaineducators) CANCER CARE Please keep praying fervently for us; and don't forget to pray for and care for the cancer patients in your families, churches, neighborhoods, and places of employment. OUR STEM CELL DRIVE IS OVER. Thanks to so many of you who helped make it such a success. We gathered 1,853 new DNA samples in the database, and we raised over $55,000 to pay for the testing. This will save lives. Straining towards Jesus, Chip Stam www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam www.wqotw.org www.carlstam.org |