It's been a crazy few months in the ministry of Kathleen Baxter. Many avenues, many opportunities, many choices, many rewards. Through all of the 13-hour days, stacks of files, song lists, voicemails, meetings, and effort being put forth, I have been carried to a new level in my worship. My desire to worship has been fueled by all of these things, & so many more. My understanding of the important of lifting high the name of Jesus through song has expanded. I have grown to cherish and anticipate the many different elements that come together to form an effective worship service.
Today, I write this with an anticipation in my heart for the coming months- not only for my own personal times of worship, but for our times of worship as a corporate body. I have been blessed to be a witness of what God is stirring up in His bride. He's bringing us to a point of being "antzy"... wondering, hoping, thinking, expecting, dreaming... what's next! He is opening the already-opened eyes to see even more of who He is.
He is filling our ears with soft whispers... "Are you ready for this? Will you step off the egde? Are you coming with Me? How high are your expectations?".... "I'm going to blow your expectations out of the water!" is His response. The body of Christ over the past ten to twenty years has become boxed. Following tradition. Following the routine. Following what others are doing. But, God has finally woken us up from the stagnant state of normal that we've been in. We've been sleeping. We are now awake. We are changing as the world changes- but in the opposite direction! We are fueling believers, and opening doors for them to act. Now is a critical time in our age, as the world is weak and hanging on by a thread. We see this and we are moving in on the forces of the enemy. We ARE advancing the Kingdom of God. Through worship, we are connecting with Him and discovering How real He is.
I've had a few handfuls of powerful, raw worship experiences these past few months. Times of intense ministry, full altars, hands lifted high, voices louder than they've ever been within our church walls.... People are thirsty. They are hungry for MORE. God sees this, and He is flooding in every single weekend with more than we can stand- it's overwhelming. It brings us to our knees. It's happening in our youth, our prayer groups, our home groups, the children's ministry, among the worship team, in the office, on the grounds, but most importantly all over our city. It's contagious, and it's AWESOME.
Thinking of this summer and all that God wants to do in my personal ministry of worship, and in our church, excites me more than you could imagine! I warn you... Brace yourself, because the spirit of God is blowing through our city and is taking over. You can't run from it, you can't hide. So grab hold of it and let it change you from the inside out. Be a part of the movement. Hear Him speak to you- He's opening doors for you, even today. He's tearing down walls that may be in your way. He's calling out your name to join the team. Will you?
