In 2009, my friends Mingo and Lucy Barron wrote a song whose bridge captivated me. It's been part of my devotional life, and a mini-chorus I've often led in corporate worship, ever since. This August, when ideas started echoing in my head around these four lines, Pastor Mingo gave me permission to recraft a new song around it. The best part? Charis collaborated with me. So amazing to worship Jesus with my baby girl! What name could I breathe to make darkness flee Who else can I call to see giants fall Whose feet can melt the highest peaks Whose glory makes the heavens sing It’s a name like no other It’s a love like no other It’s a grace like no other Jesus What love gives its life for an enemy Who crawls in this ditch just to rescue me What love would pursue me across the sea What grace carries me through all my grief It’s a name like no other It’s a love like no other It’s a grace like no other Jesus Jesus Jesus You’re a name like no other You’re a love like no other You’re a grace like no other Jesus ©2009, 2020 Christian City Music by Mingo Barron, Lucy Barron, Mike Noviskie, & Charis Noviskie
CCLI# 7162359 by Charis Well, we’re stuck inside our houses With the people we claim to know and love best And now, with televisions, laptops or radios tuned in We discover something called worship, online. And it’s not the same Weird without the coloured lights The sound of a hundred speakers And people—hundreds or more—just beside But now: There’re no dimmed lights No loudspeakers No crowds Instead we have dizzy sunlight, Gleaming through familiar frames And tinny sounds from only one speaker A couple of people—family And nowhere else to go Suddenly The sounds of family nearby Are loud We can hear every breath And the exact way that they might sing And the sound of clothes rustling No more big, dark, comfy spaces to throw loud voices into No more forests of raised arms to secure our own hands No more dimmed lights to hide expression And, suddenly My soul is vulnerable In a different way than before Can I still worship in such a way? When the world, The people around me Refuse to fade away? When even closing my eyes seems wrong And engaging is suddenly so much harder Because I can hear the kids next door playing And construction down the street Someone sneezing Somebody laughing too loud I can hear cars and sirens and neighbours And I can hear dishes clanging in the kitchen I can smell the spices of home food I am too distracted to worship! But all these distractions Aren’t they just the simple things that were always there? Gifts That we’ve forgotten in spectacle—lights, crowds, stages Maybe I am learning to appreciate Richness The copious aroma of life Spicy, sweet, tangy Salty, savoury, tender flavour The taste and touch and feel of life-- In everyday moments I can no longer block out That the people around me are more precious than spectacles And that God can be worshipped by us too Together, in a way that doesn’t deny This rich aroma Of our everyday lives Now I share with God The kitchen cooking, dishwashing, couch-sitting, pillow-fighting, Debating, laughing, crying, smiling, Secret handshakes Nicknames, chores Pet projects, pet peeves Smallest thoughts Biggest dreams… The smell of home-cooked food My everyday life Because God loves to see life Life Is Richness © 2020 Charis Noviskie. All rights reserved.
Words & Music by Mike Noviskie & Dan Erickson (When I Survey the Wondrous Cross written by Isaac Watts, 1707) Verse 1When I survey the wondrous Cross Where my Savior died My richest gain I count as loss and throw away my pride I see from Your head, Your hands and feet Sorrow and love pour down Here perfect love and sorrow meet and thorns make a Victor's crown Chorus 1I am free from the shadow of my sin You've won it all You've won it all Your victory is where I start again You've won it all You've won it all You've won it all Verse 2Here at the Cross our seas of pain Forever drain away Oceans of war and waves of hate All break on Jesus' name Chorus 2We are free from the shadow of our sin You've won it all You've won it all Your victory is where we start again You've won it all You've won it all BridgeGreater than all our shame
Deeper than all our pain Your Cross is big enough Your Cross is strong enough You've won it all You've won it all The local church here in Pretoria is currently busy with a theme called Faith for Tough Times. One of the first things I thought when I saw the phrase "faith for tough times" is that perhaps one of the greatest, and most important, acts of faith during tough times is to avoid closing oneself off from God and from others. Closing offMaybe it's related to the whole "fight, flight, or freeze" thing. But often, when hard things come, we humans close off. We close off relationships when someone hurts us. We stop investing in organizations, family, or church when we a group or leader fails us. We stop tithing or giving offerings in times of broad economic or personal financial crisis. It's natural, and intuitive. But I'd like to suggest that it's counterproductive. Counter-culture richnessA dear friend of mine said something crazy to me in 1993. He'd just been betrayed, profoundly and painfully, by one of his closest associates. The individual had quietly conspired with about a third of my friend's contacts, luring them away to start a competing venture. It was a costly, difficult, and painful time. As the dust was beginning to settle, we were chatting late one night in a parking lot and I asked him what he was going to do. "I'm going to trust again. Eventually, I'm going to get burned again. But, Mike, I'd rather get burned a hundred times and still love people than close myself off." I've never forgotten this. I was pretty young in 1993 (and pretty stupid, but that's another story for another day...), and I've always been grateful to have heard this message of forgiveness, trust, and living richly before I ever went through anything difficult myself. What a response! It's easy to be cynical. It doesn't take a lot of courage to believe the worst in others. But this: this took courage. My friend wasn't planning (or advocating) blind trust in folks with proven poor character. He was resolving to continue to build relationships, allow others to share in his life's work and passion, and to continue to live richly towards others, even when at times he gets "burned". Counter-intuitive. Counter-cultural. Brave. Living richlyI took a decision that night in that parking lot, and I'd like to invite you to join me in the decision. The decision? I will live richly towards others, regardless of what offenses are committed against me. I've chosen to love and trust the people God's allowed me to have in my life. I don't "check the wind" to determine whether or not to love and invest in others. As another friend of mine says, "I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it!" The Message paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 6 paints a beautiful picture of living richly towards others, in good times and in tough times. Check it out: People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all. He's described a few good times and a lot of hard times. Now, dig his response: Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! Christ's life inside of us is so magnificently, expansively, great! He is greater than every offense, every betrayal, every economic downturn, every "you-name-it"! And that's why--He's why--my family and I have decided to always live richly towards God and towards others. Won't you join us?
Where we wentWe traveled to Kinshasa, then spent a week in Kananga before finishing our journey in Lubumbashi. Kinshasa, located in the far southwest, is the capital city of the DRC (the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Kananga, a large but profoundly poor city, is the capital of DRC's Kasaï-Occidental province and lies near the Lulua River in the south central part of the country. Lubumbashi is in DRC's extreme southeast, a large city fueled by a booming mining industry. Who we worked withPastor Willy Tshipamba pastors Ambassade du Royaume de Dieu (Embassy of the Kingdom of God) church in Kananga and leads a network of churches that covers most of southern DRC. Pastor Willy invited Pastors Johan and Electa Potgieter of Hatfield Christian Church to continue the Church Development Plan. Chandra and I were part of this team, and we ministered to nearly one hundred pastors between the three cities. What's the Church Development Plan?It takes good leaders and healthy churches to effect kingdom advance. As such, the Church Development Plan takes a "hearts, heads, and hands" approach to developing pastors and leaders who will build strong churches. Rather than solely dispensing information, the Church Development Plan focuses first on impartation and heart formation of church leaders. When the heart is healthy, then information (heads) becomes more relevant and useful, and there is proper motivation for increasing practical skills (hands). I also adopted this approach for the worship workshops I was able to give in Kananga and Lubumbashi. The school in KanangaSeveral years ago, Pastor Willy's church in Kananga started a school in their city. They modeled the school after Hatfield Christian School here in Pretoria. They planned for a small beginning of fifty students, but finally had to stop enrollment at one hundred. The school has been so successful that the government has asked its leadership to help them establish more schools based on the same model. During our stay in Kananga, Chandra was invited to minister to around fifty teachers and faculty at the school. She spoke on the value of a child. There was a beautiful impartation as she ministered, and afterward she was able to pray with many teachers and staff members. We are looking forward to visiting the school next year and building relationships. Worship workshopsI was able to encourage senior pastors and leaders in all three cities on corporate worship and relating to worship leaders. These sessions were fun and fruitful! In Lubumbashi, there were also several worship leaders, musicians, and vocalists in attendance. An extra session was scheduled in Kananga with the local church's worship team and choir. We had a great time practically applying the principles we looked at! I have been invited back next year to host an extend worship workshop in both Kananga and in Lubumbashi. Visit this album on Facebook for more photos of our time in DRC.
We recently witnessed a wonderful move of God at Hatfield Christian Church, the local church out of which we work in the communities surrounding Pretoria.
During corporate worship a group of children found their way to the front of the auditorium, waving flags and dancing. They didn't look like mature worship leaders or professional dancers. They looked like kids having fun. Someone in leadership saw them, and rather than shut them down, he invited them onto the platform to dance and wave their flags before the Lord in full view of the congregation. Before long, there were reconciliations happening all throughout the building. Generation affirming generation, male honouring female, and every tribe and race embracing and celebrating one another, all in the context of glorious praise to God in at least five languages. It was stunning! And we pray that what God has begun among His people will cover this scarred nation, a salve bringing healing and peace. Psalm 8:2 says that God has ordained strength from the praises of children to silence the enemy. Everyone's praise is always powerful--because of a mighty God! But there is something special when God moves amidst children's praise. What better to silence the jaded, demonic voices of bitterness, gender tension, and racial strife than the wonder-filled praise of all-powerful God coming from innocent lips! The millenia-old saying is still true today: there comes a beautiful clarity in the spirit when children praise. What would happen if you and I praise today? What would happen if you and I empower our children to praise today? Most of the book of Job is a long conversation among Job and three of his friends. When the younger Elihu finally speaks, his words are marked with awe and wonder. In a sense he is appalled with the matter-of-fact manner the others had discussed God and His ways. He begins with rebuke, but he concludes with worship: At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place. Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth... God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding... The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. (37:1,2,5,23) What happens as soon as Elihu finishes speaking? God shows up! I find it poignant and instructive that His presence never manifested while folks were debating the finer points of righteousness, sin, judgment, and suffering. But when the worshiper began to speak, when God was spoken of with wonder and reverence, He appeared on the scene--immediately.
Does your conversation about God invite His presence?
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Mike & Chandra Noviskie,
missionaries to South Africa CCF Missions is a ministry of Christian City Fellowship. |