Remembering in Worship
In my last post I mentioned a bit about remembering in worship.
As I've been contemplating Psalm 139 I've been thinking . . . as I recall what God has done in my life and His power in creation and creating me . . . how important it is to be reminded.
I tend to forget things that are not right in front of me so I have to build reminders into my daily schedule to be sure to accomplish the work that I am intended to do.
. . . task lists are important !
I remember better when someone else describes for me how they experienced the same event that I was part of.
. . . others are important to expand my appreciation for God's work in my life !
Discussion on past experiences often help me reconsider the consequences of personal actions or involvement.
. . . community discussion is vital for evaluation !
I find family insights helpful in remember acurately. Things like . . . "O, remember when . . . it wasn't quite like that . . . it was like this" - they bring clarity to how I remember it.
. . . family keep us honest, help clarify how we see and how to express our memories better !
God knows me far more and better than anyone. I can trust him because he made me.
. . . God will help us remember what he has done for us !
Journaling is a great way to remember details. For a non-detail writer like me . . . journaling still jogs my mind about what I was thinking at the time I wrote it.
. . . there is something about the written word that captures thought and memory !
This is just a start to recording some thoughts on Remembering as I look at Psalm 139.
I've been fascinated by "memory" and remembering in worship. It's a big part of it.
As I've been contemplating Psalm 139 I've been thinking . . . as I recall what God has done in my life and His power in creation and creating me . . . how important it is to be reminded.
I tend to forget things that are not right in front of me so I have to build reminders into my daily schedule to be sure to accomplish the work that I am intended to do.
. . . task lists are important !
I remember better when someone else describes for me how they experienced the same event that I was part of.
. . . others are important to expand my appreciation for God's work in my life !
Discussion on past experiences often help me reconsider the consequences of personal actions or involvement.
. . . community discussion is vital for evaluation !
I find family insights helpful in remember acurately. Things like . . . "O, remember when . . . it wasn't quite like that . . . it was like this" - they bring clarity to how I remember it.
. . . family keep us honest, help clarify how we see and how to express our memories better !
God knows me far more and better than anyone. I can trust him because he made me.
. . . God will help us remember what he has done for us !
Journaling is a great way to remember details. For a non-detail writer like me . . . journaling still jogs my mind about what I was thinking at the time I wrote it.
. . . there is something about the written word that captures thought and memory !
This is just a start to recording some thoughts on Remembering as I look at Psalm 139.
I've been fascinated by "memory" and remembering in worship. It's a big part of it.
posted by Phil English at 8:36 PM
2 Comments:
I agree that remembering what God has done in our lives is very important, but also very wasy to forget. I think that's one of the reasons in the OT that God told everyone to keep telling their children what He has done for them, and how he saved them and delivered them from Egypt. But Something else I recall that God told them to do... was to build the stones by the river to remind them.. a visual of what has done... and I think that might be one of the reasons he asked them to do different sacrifices and such... a reminder of sorts... but in todays societ, it can be difficult to remember. So how do we job our memories? I have a small sign on my front door... it's actually a tree ornament, that simply says remember... but even with that reminder... i forget, even when I look at it... So how do we really remember and acknowledge on a deeper level what God has done in our lives?
Yes, remembering is so important in terms of being thankful and building our faith. Personally, I'm a huge fan of journalling, and have been since I took Mark Virkler's course many years ago. For people who don't "get into" writing, they can simply scribble points on a calendar, eg. a scripture God gave them, a prayer offered or answered, because even that creates a path of remembrance if they review it from time to time.
Recently I've discovered another excellent tool for this purpose...the power of props, word-pictures and metaphors. During a women's leadership course I took, we were given a small "dollar-store" prop to remind us of the content of each module. For instance, the importance of achieving work-life balance was compared to watering a garden. At the end of that module we were given a small watering can to place on our desks...what a great reminder! These word- pictures and simple props around my living space do a lot to help me remember key lessons. It is a well- known fact that our memory of presentations, sermons, and storytelling of scriptures is greatly enhanced by props and metaphors. I am experimenting with using more of these in presentations that I give. For instance, during a recent worship meeting for bannerers, I brought in a collection of helium-filled balloons to illustrate a vision for the team God wants to build from who we each are as we worship together. A goal I have is to build skill and creativity in developing powerful metaphors and props.
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