In each Epistle, this column features a single question to which our pastors are asked to reply. It is usually connected to the issue’s theme and crafted to reveal the unique personalities and experiences of our beloved leaders.
What helps you to live your day-to-day life as an act of worship?
Pastor June Barrow
Gratitude is the key to many blessings—emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Grateful people are happier with their own lives, relationships, and circumstances. The practice of gratitude—the learned habit of being thankful—naturally leads to worship. To whom am I grateful? Who do I thank for beautiful days, welcoming faces, the health I have, and for the opportunities before me? The Bible tells us that God is the giver of every good gift. When we recognize God’s goodness (and how blind we often are to it), our hearts lift in praise—in worship. Gratitude is natural for all of us to some degree, but as a discipline, a practice, a learned habit, it becomes heart-changing. Grateful people magnify the Lord and joyful worship follows.
Pastor Steve Clark
Oswald Chambers’ quote has resonated with me: “The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain.” I am continually coming to realize that ten minutes in silence with Jesus is more important than ten more minutes of rushed sermon preparation, that taking time to truly listen to someone is more important than providing quick advice, and that growing in my daily walk with God is more valuable than accomplishing various tasks. One of my mentors explained: “The strength of my ministry is my relationship with God.” As someone who leads others into worship, I am learning that daily worship is the most important thing I can do to maintain my walk with God. I think this goes for all of us—why would we want to invite others into a relationship with God when we ourselves lack it?
Pastor Steven Grant
The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the ancient question about the meaning of life. “What is the chief end of man?” The brief answer is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Our life’s purpose is to glorify the Creator and have a relationship with Him—regardless of our walk of life, career choices, relationships, or all other ingredients in our life. This may seem daunting unless we recognize that the more our relationship with God deepens, the more authentic and all-consuming that relationship is, and the more our lives will naturally reflect that relationship, ultimately bringing Him glory. Living a life of worship results from wholly embracing the One we strive to worship. The deeper our relationship, the more authentic and joyous our worship becomes!
Pastor Doug Pratt
My time at the start of every day (typically just after breakfast and while I enjoy my second cup of coffee) is important to me, and I don’t feel prepared for the day if I rush out of the house without it. In addition to reading my devotional book (and the Bible verses it references) and praying for the individuals on my prayer list that day, I also try to preview the day ahead of me in my mind. Of course, I can never predict what will happen. But when I imagine each activity on my schedule, I try to picture how the Lord wants me to act, speak, and feel during it. That allows me to thoughtfully bring God into all those situations in advance, prepare me for them, and keep me from reacting improperly and impulsively at the moment.
Pastor Brad Rogers
My home has quite a bit of noise—two working adults, three kids, two dogs, three cats, two gerbils, and a bearded dragon! Amid the noise, one can worship. My roles as husband, father, and pastor are an offering of my life to the Lord. However, there is also a time in the morning after the flurry of preparing the family for school when animals are still waking up and the sun is just peeking over the horizon, that is quiet. I find essential communion with the Lord in the stillness of those moments. I tend to think of worship as an activity—we go to church, participate in corporate worship, listen to sermons, sing hymns, and engage in fellowship. However, in those quiet moments I worship in stillness and solitude. This form of worship—through study, prayer, and listening to the Lord—is more precious to me than rubies.
Pastor Allen Walworth
Our weekend worship services are dedicated times for community and corporate worship of God, but they also teach us how to stay in communion with God throughout the week. I try to see God in the smallest details of the day: the interruptions, the flashes of natural beauty, the moments of human kindness—and when I do, it leads me to reflect, to pray with my eyes open, to be grateful, and to join God in whatever He seems to be doing around me. In this way, worship spills out of the Sunday pew and moistens every day of the week.
Another Perspective
Jeff Faux | Sacred Arts Director
When I remember that the Spirit dwells within me, I am more aware of my role as a member of the Body of Christ: everything I do is to make God visible to the world. My day-to-day life is an act of worship every time I authentically reflect the image of God, allowing others to know more about Him.
