My feelings during worship today
The FBC choir had a guest choir join them today. 40+ people filled the right half of the stage. The voice were pure and it sounded wonderful.
They played 'Mighty God', and I’ve never heard that song performed live where I wasn’t playing it .. it made me think back to my time with my friends in the FBC Worship Experience and how much I love and appreciate all of you .. I miss you in a deep way .. 'Mighty God' made me cry, not just for the message and the music (God does that to me all the time anyway) but for the recollection of our time together and our shared love and friendship ..
Each one of you made an impact in my life mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I’ve grown with you. You’ve helped make me a better man.
I appreciate you! I love you! I’m grateful for our time together. No matter what God does with me in the future, I’ll always have a cherished place in my heart for each of you ..
God bless!
Love,
Dale
They played 'Mighty God', and I’ve never heard that song performed live where I wasn’t playing it .. it made me think back to my time with my friends in the FBC Worship Experience and how much I love and appreciate all of you .. I miss you in a deep way .. 'Mighty God' made me cry, not just for the message and the music (God does that to me all the time anyway) but for the recollection of our time together and our shared love and friendship ..
Each one of you made an impact in my life mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I’ve grown with you. You’ve helped make me a better man.
I appreciate you! I love you! I’m grateful for our time together. No matter what God does with me in the future, I’ll always have a cherished place in my heart for each of you ..
God bless!
Love,
Dale
posted by Wealthedge at 12:00 PM
19 Comments:
I was not in the Worship Experience (thought Steve was), but any FBCers who read this I want you to know Steve and I miss all of you too. Dale, I only got to know you and Diane just a tiny bit on the Mexico mission trip, but I love you guys and I want to get to know you better even though we are not at FBC. Today, Laurence and Jason came to the Cheyenne house and it was just so wonderful to have them there. Our friends, whether you are still at FBC or not, we love you and we want relationships to CONTINUE to grow. I know we can do that. We are not seperate in the kingdom of God! You guys are deeply loved by the Dawson family!
This post makes my knee hurt...
just kidding...
I'm glad we don't have to miss you because we get to share our lives together...but I hear you (heart amp is way up)...and I get misty and some of our cool memories too.
Looking WAY forward to the ones we'll be making as we journey together now...love you...
I've experienced the same thing many times in the last month or so, Dale. Let's all get together soon, and bring your guitar! We can't go back, but we can certainly make new experiences and memories.
Worship was an incredible experience today. With so many voices filling the sanctuary, it was amazing.
But, it was also a little bitter-sweet, in that so many people were missing from the picture. I thank God that most of you have not been removed from my life completely, if only on Sunday.
First, let me just say how much I personally miss you guys too. I wish we could still see you all often and talk face to face instead of in blogs or phone calls. But I wouldn't step backward for any reason, other than God's direction...
Okay, Dale, I'm going to say this 'cuz I know you'll take it the right way...
Was that the only time you worshiped today?
That's what I fear. I fear it for myself on a daily basis. And I fear it for all those who have done their best to erase any evidence that I was once a pastor at FBC. As we hear about the Prayer Room being torn down, or the offices being repainted, or whatever...Candace asked me if we were unwittingly part of the new "FBC Witness Relocation Program". It's a funny thought, but then it's sad.
Subtract the personal feelings, and the bottom line for me is that I hope and pray the people of FBC have not erased what God was trying to teach us all over the past 5 years, simply because of my failures or inability to build relationships of trust and respect with certain people.
If worship of the living God only happens during Sunday morning services, then we've all missed God's message.
I'm pretty sure you know this, Dale, and it's just the semantics of what your post was saying. But I'm in a place where the words we use and the way we say things mean SO much. Especially to those who are on the outside looking in (no pun intended.)
Just some food for thought...
Oh, by the way...next time you're playing music for God, would you please turn your guitar UP?!? I would like to be able to hear you...
"Brian said...
Oh, by the way...next time you're playing music for God, would you please turn your guitar UP?!? I would like to be able to hear you..."
You know, it would almost be worth the airplane ticket to go to HI and pop you one, RIGHT IN THE KISSER! POW -- TO THE MOON, ALICE!
You are a bad person, and I don’t like you.
:)
When I was talking about 'worship' in my post, I was talking about the organized instrumental vocal worship we used to enact in the sanctuary of FBC on Sunday mornings.
Not the Biblical concept of 'worship.'
I was talking about triangles, and you were talking about trigonometry.
I feel that I am striving toward my whole life being worship to God. Something that makes Him happy. Something that blesses His heart, even in the small things. Having coffee. Writing blogs. Helping people. Building relationships.
I suck at it, usually. But sometimes it’s a good thing.
I’m getting to the point where my life doesn’t have to be a huge dichotomy of THIS is worship and THAT is not.
The talents that were given to me that I increase and give back to God – that is a form of worship.
Making the right decisions for my kids, and my wife, and my business, and my relationships, and my example to the world – that is worship.
Making the right purity decisions .. the right responses to adversity .. the right choice of what I allow into my mind (TV, entertainment, etc) – that is worship.
Maybe that doesn’t have to always be accompanied with music or song or lyrics.
Maybe in all the cacophony we miss the small still voice.
My worship isn’t for FBC. It isn’t for Crash. It isn’t for anyone but God and myself.
And I’m getting clearer on that everyday.
And my original post was really not about worship so much as it was pining for lost friends and lost comfortable loving relationships.
To quote Cinderella – the rock band, not the fairy tale (*shudder* Am I really quoting Cinderella? What has the world come to?): You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
Now, I’m going to say some things and I hope you take them in the spirit they are meant:
As far as the FBC Witness Relocation Program, God is bigger than all that.
You’ve got your Word from God. I believe that it is real. I believe that you are passionately pursuing it. I support you in that with all my will, because I love you and I love your passion for God.
I also believe that the stuff over here, the hurt feelings, the Witness Relocation Program, etc – that’s all small potatoes. Beneath your radar. Not even a blip.
You’ve got giants to slay over there. You’ve got a bean field to defend. You’ve got one sword and an armor-bearer.
Leave small petty things to small petty people.
There is NOTHING that FBC can do to erase what God Almighty has done at the church through you. NOTHING.
So don’t worry about that. Don’t feel sad. You did your work. You made mistakes, sure – show me someone who hasn’t that doesn’t have nail holes.
I’m a shining example of your work at FBC. You and Candace were one of the most instrumental people at FBC in showing me a Godly marriage and how to worship, how to pray, how to be in the “juice”. God turned my heart of stone to a heart of flesh through your example.
No one can take that away from you, no matter how many Prayer Rooms they tear down or how many walls they paint.
And, really, they tore down the Prayer Room? So what?
God was the Prayer Room? Nah ..
God was the paint on the walls? Nah ..
God’s bigger than all that. Even the words we use and the words we don’t use.
I love you, man.
God’s got all this figured out.
You rock.
Dale
PS. Another amp volume joke and we’re boxing .. :)
Crystal,
Yes, you can print this and show it on Tues ..
I'll be in Salt Lake speaking at a seminar, so I won't be there ..
Love ya!
Dale
Crystal: If I moved into a new house and liked the color of the paint, I would leave it up. I would make the house mine by what I bring to it. The paint is just the decoration (see Dale's reply). I know I definitely wouldn't try to erase the memory of 40 days of prayer. But hey, that's just me...
Dale: hope you know my comment wasn't about your own understanding of worship, as much as it was about the words we use and the lives we live and how they speak to others in ways we intend or don't intend. That's all. And I wasn't joking about the guitar. I really would like to be able to hear you. From here. Across the ocean.
I'll be listening...
Yeah, I got that, bro .. I know what you mean ..
We are the only Bibles that some people will ever read ..
It's all about love ..
Relationships are the nuclear bombs in this world .. build enough good ones and you can change EVERYTHING ..
I'm wichoo ..
Dale
PS. You know you don't like guitar, you piano-based-band guy you ..
"Uh, yeah, you'll have to turn the GUITAR down, because we are a piano based band .. I mean, can't you tell? I'm the worship pastor and I play keys .. so, yeah, less guitar, please .. "
See, maybe you didn't know, but I remember EVERYTHING .. :)
I'm counting on you remembering EVERYTHING...
:^)
I pretty dang loved if I do say so myself. Just kidding!!! Thanks for the encouraging post Daleena!!
Alex
Man, oh man! This is better than a tennis match!!! :>)
I AM moving on in Hawaii, Crystal. Definitely. But it's extremely difficult when the majority of the contact I receive from current FBC attenders is angry, hateful and accusatory.
Yes, just last week I got a wonderful email from a good, "Christian" woman from FBC who took time out of her day to accuse me, among many other things, of being self-serving, racist, unloving, and a liar. Meanwhile, since being told I'm no longer allowed to return to FBC, I have heard from only a small handful of people who still attend FBC and have made the effort to apologize for the way I was treated, continue to pray for me and my family, and other loving things that followers of Jesus should be expected to do.
Honestly, I'm trying to forget FBC and move on, but there are far too many people who I love that still attend there. I pray for them (including you) often, and try to maintain relationship with them. I do this because I don't care anything at ALL about the building. I think you know me well enough to know that.
It's what is being done in and to the building and the spirit it is being done in - notice I didn't capitalize 'spirit' - that is disappointing.
Please understand that there is so much that has gone on and is going on that you don't know. So much that I am trying my hardest (and failing sometimes) to take the high road and keep from saying. I have been in all the closed door meetings for 5+ years. When I started to share my own failures at participating and allowing duplicitous things to happen at FBC, I was accused of 'airing our dirty laundry'. Well, shouldn't a church, a representative of the Almighty God, be honest and transparent and admit mistakes???
Be very cautious. Test everything against the Word. Worship and follow God alone, as you said. There is only one Shepherd, as the Word says. And it ain't a man or a church. And yes, I know ain't ain't right!
:^)
And Dale, I too apologize for the hijacking of your very nice post. Let us know if you want us to stop the tennis match.
;^)
Nah, it's cool .. I like passionate debate ..
I'd just like to say that since Crash is going to be a force for good in the world, and God is going to annoint it and make it thrive, then this stuff here at FBC should be tiny, microscopic, beneath concern.
"What's that? They did what at FBC? Oh .. man, I've got dragons to slay here .. let's them do what they want! Get me my shield and my sword!"
It should be a big NEXT.
Someone doesn't want to buy a car? NEXT.
Someone doesn't want your help with their finances? NEXT.
Someone is trying to drag you down at FBC and you feel tender about it? NEXT.
Tell your brain (or the person writing you nasty emails), "Thanks for sharing!" then click off a big NEXT.
The only person you have to impress is God.
The rest of us are subject to a big NEXT.
Dale
"NEXT" has been done. Countless times in the last 2 months. Even to the relentless people who want me to be gone but simultaneously can't stop expressing their anger and hatred to me.
I'm not whining (I hope). Just stating fact. I personally can't erase all of those I left behind out of my heart or my mind, even if I wanted to. That is exactly why I express my concern. Not because it hurts. But because I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I did (and am).
I'm hoping to help others learn. To help people who want to be more than just sheep to ask questions and test everything.
Perception is not reality (sorry, Mercedes Benz.)
Yup, there is such a thing as absolute truth .. I agree ..
off the subject... LOVE ME'SOME DALE!! MISS ME'SOME DALE!!
Post a Comment
<< Home