In Every Season

Just over a week before Hillsong recorded their live album "This is our God", one of their main worship leaders suffered a major tragedy. Here is Jill's story (from youtube)



I love the lyrics of this song - particularly in this time of financial uncertainty. Regardless of the season we find ourselves, this song is a declaration we need to keep always on our lips - in every season.

Here are the Lyrics

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in hunger and need
My God is the God who provides


And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've recieved I will sow

Financial health in the midst of a Global Financial Pandemic

I haven't done the math, but I would guestimate that 70% - 80% of journalistic articles released at present are concerned about the financial 'flu' that is overwhelming the globe.

It started beyond our nation, and has spread to our own neighbourhoods. Jobs, originally disappearing mainly in the US, are now disappearing in Brisbane CBD and Gold Coast.. numbering in the hundreds.

They say it will get worse. Are we ready for a recession?

This weekend, Westlife is finalising it's "Get Fit" series by looking at being Financially Fit.

Now, more than ever, we need to hear what God has to say about money, how it should be managed, and keeping money in the right perspective.

See you in church this Sunday.

www.westlife.org.au

Who are we overlooking?

Many of the following facts are from the Washington Post

It was 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, the middle of the morning rush hour at L'enfant plaza station - the nucleus of federal Washington.

A youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap removed a violin from a small case and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket.

In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on the way to work.

Each passerby had a quick choice to make: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?

Have a look and see what happened - from this youtube link.



No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall was one of the finest classical musicians in the world. He was playing some of the most elegant music ever written, on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His name was Joshua Bell.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

Yet, in the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment... an experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

A comment by one commuter gives this reason. She says, ""I had a time crunch," recalls Sheron Parker, an IT director for a federal agency. "I had an 8:30 training class, and first I had to rush Evvie off to his teacher, then rush back to work, then to the training facility in the basement."

I was so intrigued by this story - how we get so busy and preoccupied with our own agendas that we miss opportunities in the madness, we miss the extraordinary in the chaos and we miss the people we should be noticing while we're focussed on our own needs.

Who should we be noticing? Take a look at this from Matthew:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.' "Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' (SEE 25:38) Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.' (Mat 25:34-40 - MSG)

I think about my commute to work. I awkwardly rush past the homeless guy selling "the big issue" - could he be Jesus? the Salvo collecting money every Friday for the community - could he be Jesus? I get an email from a local pastor asking for furniture for a new family - could they be Jesus?

I use all the excuses I can find - "well.. I'm not sure the Big Issue has any articles that interest me" or "I don't really have any coins today and I'm not giving notes!" or "I might need that lounge one day"

I move on - feeling uncomfortable but unchanged. Who have I just overlooked?

For each person I encounter wanting something from me, I have a quick choice to make: Do I stop and listen? Do I hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation? Do I throw in a buck, just to be polite?

The challenge for all of us is to see the opportunities we are presented with everyday - as opportunities to notice Jesus in the crowd.

Unleashed - Obama Style

Unleashed - from Paste Magazine

I think we should all get one.. and create the wall of lives unleashed!

Prepare to be Unleashed

Preparation. We've all heard the slogans, the cliches.. here are a couple:





You get the point - Preparation is important!

The session for today from WordLive is about a man who was unleashed AND was prepared for the moment it happened.

Of course, I'm talking about Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2). Nehemiah was a cupbearer for the king, but had a deep sadness that the wall of Jerusalem lay in ruins. At the right time (the God prompted moment) Nehemiah shared his heart with the King, and the King unleashed Nehemiah to rebuild the wall.

However, this unleashing happened AFTER the King first asked a range of questions including how long, what's involved and why. Nehemiah was able to answer all the King's questions.

When Nehemiah's time came to be unleashed into the next big thing of his life, he had already thought through the project that God had laid on his heart. He had already thought about what resources were required for the task, how long the task would take, how to go about completing the task etc.

There are few points that we can take from Nehemiah for our year of being unleashed.

1. Nehemiah served faithfully where he was until his 'God moment' arrived to be unleashed - in spite of his intense sadness and frustration, he remained a faithful employee (and servant);

2. There is no substitute for good planning so that when your opportunity arises to be unleashed, you are ready to go. I can remember years ago joining toastmasters so that when the opportunity came to fulfil the longing of my heart to preach, I would be ready - not starting from scratch.

3. When his God moment arrived to be unleashed, Nehemiah took a risk.. but God was with him. Nehemiah could have lost his life for sharing his heart's burden - but when God directs his people to take that step, then we can trust God's grace to protect us through any situation.


But.. (to refer to a previous blog) how do we know if we're preparing for a good intention, or a God intention? How do we discern whether our preparations to be unleashed are a God thing, or merely our own good intentions?

Sarah Bingham poses these questions which I think are brilliant:

• Does the desire match or clash with scripture and what we know about God’s purpose and promises (Nehemiah 1:8,9)?

• Is there an inner pressure or passion in you to do it (Nehemiah 1:4)?

• What has prayer revealed to you about it (Nehemiah 1:5–11)?

• Do you have peace in your head and heart, having surrendered the matter to God (see Philippians 4:6,7)?

• Are there practical ‘green lights’ that enable you to do it (Nehemiah 2:2–6)?

All of these questions above require you to have thought in advance about the promptings of the heart, the desires that don't go away, and a call of God on your life that scares and excites you all at the same time!

In this year of being unleashed - spend some time in the thinking chair - spend some time in the prayer closet.

Spend some time with pad and pen in hand seeking God about His "next right steps" for your life, and how you can prepare for that.

Find The Best, not the Worst

One of the things that I get most disappointed about myself is when I buy into a lie straight from the devil. At the time, I don't realise I'm get taken for a ride, until afterwards and I realise I was a doofus!

These lies include statements such as, "what if you and Bevan lose your job? that's going to be horrible!" or "they're all leaving you behind - you're being left out" or "that's not the way you'd do it - I'm sure you'd do a better job" or "You're such an idiot.. how embarrassing are you!"

All these things do nothing but steal, kill and destroy my peace, my contentment and my focus on the goal.. and they're all LIES. They take God off the throne, and are void of my faith that says, "God has a plan and purpose for me" and "God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory", and "I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

One of the worst attitudes that flows from buying into these lies is negativity, condemnation and judgment. Big words.. but a bigger problem.

Joyce Meyer says it takes no effort at all to find the negative in someone, or something. We effortlessly find the negatives in our job. We effortlessly find the negatives in the people around us - our spouses, our leaders, our parents!

Our insecurities mix with the lies being fed to us, and we find ourselves picking faults with others because it makes us feel (temporarily) better, yet it is the opposite of the fruits of the spirit. Criticism is the opposite of love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self control and humility.

Here's what the bible says about judging others:

James 4:11 "My friends, don't say cruel things about others! If you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning God's Law. And if you condemn the Law, you put yourself above the Law and refuse to obey either it 12 or God who gave it. God is our judge, and he can save or destroy us. What right do you have to condemn anyone? "

Romans 14:13 "Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavor never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother. "

Rom 14:10 "So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly--or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. "

Looking at others with a critical eye doesn't benefit us one bit, but it is poison to the unity of any organisation we're a part of - be it the church; our workplace or our families.

Instead, we need to:

"Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] " Php 2:5

Philippians 4:8 "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. pan>"

Last night God challenged me. Everytime I catch myself with a negative thought about someone or something, I am to respond by finding 2 positive things. For every thought that focusses on the 'Worst', I am now challenged to find 2 thoughts that focus on the 'Best'.

This is my way of "doing my best" to fill my mind on the best, not the worst.

Choir of Hard Knocks

Last night I caught the end of "Choir of Hard Knocks", a choir of homeless people guided by Jonathon Welch, well known Tenor and Choir Director. Jonathon had been inspired by a random article in an old Reader's Digest magazine about a choir for homeless people that had been set up in Montreal, and he sought to set up his own.

With the help of another charity, the recruiting process began - flyers on the streets, meeting with agencies, visits to crisis accommodation centres and hostels.

Jonathon describes waiting for members to arrive on the first day "like having a party - you've invited lots of people, but you have no idea if anyone will turn up. In fact, more than 20 did turn up, with that number rising to 50 regular participants within a few weeks. "

As I was watching the program, I firstly found myself being taken back by their rawness, their lack of 'social skills' for want of a better term. They were brash, they hogged the microphones, they seemed to have fights over nothing and their singing voices were crude.

But Jonathan saw the potential in them all. Through his skilled guidance, they created the most amazing music. They themselves were shocked at how beautiful the music sounded, and couldn't believe they had done it. Of course, they couldn't have done it without Jonathon.

It was at this point it hit me - this is like the Kingdom of God!

Matthew 22 describes the Kingdom of God like a king who prepared a wedding dinner for his Son. Those who he originally invited didn't come. So he told his servants to, "Go to the street corners. Invite to the dinner anyone you can find.' So the servants went out into the streets. They gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad. Soon the wedding hall was filled with guests. "

When Jesus came, he didn't come for the rich in spirit or healthy, he came for sick, he came for the poor in spirit, he came for the lost.

Just as Jonathon sent out flyers to all the streed corners seeking the disadvantaged and said "come", Jesus sends out that same message to all in the world today - "come - I have a plan for you".

And come we do, with our warts, our faults, our brash comments, our filth, and self-centred egos - trying to hog the spotlight.

However, there is no judgment, there is no condemnation - because the 'Supreme Choir Master' Christ sees past the faults, and sees our potential. He takes our sin, our shame, our filth and blots it out with His blood.

Then he grooms us. As we keep turning up for His guidance, and as we sit under His leadership, He takes what was a clanging noise, and turns it into sweet music - often shocking even us that we could be part of something so amazing.

It's important to notice that it is a 'choir' of hard knocks - not an individual. Jesus wants us too to be in his choir - with others - because it's as group that we are most effective. As a group we support each other, we encourage each other, and increase our impact in this world.

The church is that choir, and we need to be a part of the church - His choir.

On the web, Jonathon says, 'the formation of the Choir of Hard Knocks has given me the opportunity to use the musical gifts I have been blessed with and wonderful experiences I have had as a professional singer and conductor, to bring pleasure and a sense of belonging and self esteem to those who've joined this exciting new project.

'As many of the participants come from marginalised and often financially difficult backgrounds, it is my hope that the joy and euphoria that music making in a group dynamic will give a sense of purpose, structure and respect to their lives and help them look forward to belonging to a 'family' - albeit a musical one!

Let me re-word his comments to apply to us.

'Being a part of my Church has given me the opportunity to use the [insert] gifts I have been blessed with and wonderful experiences I have had, to bring pleasure and a sense of belonging and self esteem to those in my Church.

'As many of the participants come from marginalised and often financially difficult backgrounds, it is my hope that the joy and euphoria that following Christ in a group dynamic will give a sense of purpose, structure and respect to their lives and help them look forward to belonging to a 'family' - albeit a spiritual one!

We need to be ready to welcome a continual stream of seekers from a life of hard knocks - look past their obvious, and see their potential.... because that's what Jesus did for us.

Spot the Fake

This week I have seen several news reports about a Church that is, amongst other things, blessing homosexual couples, having baptisms at the church which are not in the name of the "Father, Son and Holy Ghost", and distributing a book that claims Jesus is not the son of God.

Matthew 24:11 says that in the last days, there will be "many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." The Bible also talks about false teachers appearing to preach in the name of Christ, but are leading people away from God.

There are a lot of speakers out there today claiming to be preaching the Good News. Some of them are successful, sound great and are certainly convincing. But how can we tell if they are teaching truth or deception?

How do we spot the fake? We spot the fake the same way scotland yard does:

"You must spend a lot of time handling counterfeit money to know what it looks like," said Ruth Bell Graham to a man from Scotland Yard, who was in charge of identifying counterfeit money.



"No," he replied. "We never touch the stuff. All day long, we just handle the real thing: genuine currency. And when a counterfeit bill comes our way—we can quickly detect it."

How do we spot the fake? We become very intimate with the real thing.. the genuine currency.

This morning, Ps Andrew Staggs encouraged us to be intellectually fit. He said we should invest time in getting our minds skilled up in the things of God, understanding God and knowing the word of God.

The more time we invest in God's word and in prayer, the quicker we'll be able to spot the fake ... and flee.

If One Member Suffers

1 Corinthians 12:26 "And if one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it."

Today is a day that we share in the sadness and suffering of the Locke family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.

Good intentions aren't always God's intentions

In Genesis 16, Abram received his own 'unleashed' promised. God promised him land, and lots of it, and generation after generation of descendants.

The problem was he had no children. Worse, Sarai, his only wife, was barren and past child bearing years.

Almost 10 years after the promise, Abram and Sarai were still childless. So Sarai made a suggestion that Abram take a second wife, the servant Hagar, and Abram can have children through her.

One commentator says, "By the custom of the times it is altogether proper, even if somewhat personally humiliating, for a woman of Sarai's position to give her servant to her husband for the purpose of bearing children...

When viewed from a strictly human perspective, Sarai's suggestion is both unselfish and ostensibly designed to bring about God's promise to Abram"

Remarkably, even though the promise was from God to Abram not Sarai, when Sarai makes this suggestion - neither of them take the idea to God to say, "is this what you meant?"

Despite Sarai's best intentions, this was not God's intention. This is not how God planned for the promise to be fulfilled.

Despite Sarai's best intentions, their actions created a multitude of complex and dynamic problems including pride, jealousy, alienation and disunity.. for generations to come.

God's way is not only the best way - but the only way.

Hebrews 13:21 says that God "equip us in every good thing to do His will"

Philippians 2:13 says "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure"

God equips us, and works in us to do His will. The ultimate responsibility for the fulfilment of God's promises rests with God.

"We are like passengers on a 747 jet. The way we travel is to rest in Him. His power is what will get us to our destination, not the frenzied flapping of our own wings" (Practical Life of Faith, Chuck Swindoll, p133)



In 2009, we have entered a season of being unleashed. But that does not mean we all start flapping like crazy. We'll get burnt out going nowhere!

The key to living out God's intentions are found in these verses:

Psa 37:23 The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].

Pro 16:9 A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. [Ps. 37:23; Prov. 20:24; Jer. 10:23.]

God shows us the "what will come", but we have to wait on God for the "how to get there" - step by step.

Don't doubt the promise even if it takes a while. Don't try to force the promise. What for the "God opportunity", then take a step of faith.

When faith, obedience, and God opportunities collide, it is exciting to watch.

2009 is going to be exciting to watch!

Technology to help your walk

There is a plethora of free technological tools available to help people get more into the word and get more out of the word. I thought I'd share a couple that I think are great:

1. Daily Bible Reading. www.youversion.com

This is an initiative of livechurch.tv. Accessible from the web and mobile phones (if you're web enabled), you can log in and get daily readings that will result in reading the bible in a year. You can also record your thoughts about the readings, and see what others have written. It's really a community of bible readers.

2. Wordlive. http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/2981.id

This is similar to youversion, however it also provides the main points, questions to ponder etc to help you get the most out of your daily bible reading. This is another resource accessible from your web enabled phone.

3. E-sword. http://e-sword.net/index.html

I have been a big fan of e-sword for years. This software provides, from one convenient location, multiple versions of bibles, commentaries and dictionaries, maps and daily devotions. You can add on extras for a cost, but there are plenty that are free. The best part of e-sword is when you click on a verse, all of the commentaries and dictionaries that refer to that verse light up. Well worth the download.

4. Google Blog reader. http://www.google.com/ig

Many of the top speakers/leaders in the world put out blogs (including our own Ps Andrew Staggs and Ps Jillian Staggs). It can be tough keeping track of them all. If you have a google account, then you can load all of these blog feeds into igoogle so that, at a glance, you can see what new blogs have been loaded for you to read. I've attached a screenshot for you to see.



5. Podcasts. www.itunes.com

No doubt many of you have heard of podcasts. These are mp3 files of, amongst other things, sermons, that are available for free through itunes, regardless of whether you own an apple device such as an iphone or ipod. Once you have installed itunes, you click on "itunes store" and search your favourite speaker to see if they have a podcast that you can 'subscribe' to. My favourites are Joyce Meyer, Chuck Swindoll and Wayne Cordeiro, but there are so so so many more. Once you subscribe, then each time you open up itunes, it updates the podcasts with the next new message for you to save onto your mp3 player, or burn to cd.

For some, the above list of technology may seem daunting. However, don't be afraid to ask for help. Most techno-nerds will relish the opportunity to help out and help get you set up... me included.

A remarkable phone call.

A remarkable phone call from a 13-yr old boy to Houston radio station KSBJ FM 89.3. So profound, the station has it posted on their web site. Click below (youtube) to listen to it. It's short.

Say what you need to say

In any relationship, closeness depends on honesty.

Our relationship with God is no different. Our closeness with God needs our honesty with God.

For years, I would pray to God what I thought he wanted to hear. I would give him the sanitised version of my heart - so that I wouldn't disappoint Him. I would pray what I thought He wanted to hear from me.

I wouldn't share my disappointments lest I show a lack of faith. I wouldn't share my temptations lest I show weakness. I wouldn't show my frustrations, lest I show a lack of patience.

The problem was, I wasn't showing me. I was showing the glossy version of me.

In the old testament, a good example of honest praying is David. He gave the true version of his heart. He would say things like, "why is my soul downcast?", that means, "why am I feeling depressed?" Even Jesus said, "God, why have you forsaken me??"

God is real and ready to meet us where we are at. But are we ready to tell God where we are really at? He can handle that. Are we ready to admit our failings to God? Are we ready to openly discuss our dreams and aspirations? Are we ready to admit our vulnerabilities to God?

Whatever we don't discuss with God, we are probably trying to deal with on our own. however, when we do confess or discuss these real issues with God, we can ask for His help, and His Spirit gives us power where we are weak, His spirit equips us where we lack, His spirit opens doors that were once closed.

But you gotta say what you need to say. It's so tempting to think, "how could God love me the way that I really am?" But don't fear God's view of you, or any judgment, because there is no condemnation through Christ Jesus - only love. Say what you need to say, but let God's answer transform your thinking and your life.

John Mayer has inspired this blog by his song, "Say"

The lyrics are below - have a look at the music below on youtube:

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems,
Better put 'em in quotations

Say what you need to say [x8]

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you'd be better off instead,
If you could only . . .

Say what you need to say [x8]

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You'd better know that in the end
Its better to say too much
Then never say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say [x24]

Adaptability

I regularly get emails from Dr Tony Alessandra, a speaker focussed on "building Customers, Relationships, and the Bottom-Line."

This month's email on adaptability prompted my thinking further about Nick Todd's message from last Sunday on the PR of Christians to those in our community.

Alessandra says,

"Adaptable people make the choice to go beyond their own comfort zones so others feel more comfortable. Adaptability is your willingness and ability to behave in ways that are not necessarily characteristic of your style in order to deal effectively with the requirements of a situation or relationship.

With adaptability, you can treat people the way they want to be treated. You practice adaptability every time you slow down with another person who does not feel as comfortable moving as fast as you do. You also practice adaptability when you take time to listen to a personal story from another person, rather than getting right down to the task at hand.

Adaptability is important because people are different and need to be treated differently. You develop open and honest relationships with others by being tactful, reasonable, and understanding. "

To use Nick's analogy, at church, instead of wearing a shirt branded "Mr Fussy", or "Mr Grumpy", or "Ms Task-driven" or worse "Mrs Elitist", we could wear a shirt that says, "Mr/s Adaptable". Being adaptable makes us focus on others, and realising that while we're comfortable, perhaps they're not; while the surroundings are "normal" to us, perhaps they feel like a fish out of water.



We can't treat people the way they want to be treated unless we have our ears and eyes open to where the other person is at.

Is this there first time at church?
Have they ever been to a church before?
Do they drink tea or coffee?
Do you have any children? are they here?

Knowing the answers to these simple questions may enable us to adapt ourselves to make them feel more comfortable.. such as:

Would you like to sit with us this morning?
Can I introduce you to ... (who may have similar demographics)
Can I help you up the stairs? Did you realise we have an elevator that might make it easier?
(after the service) Can I get you a coffee?

Ps Andrew Staggs recently blogged on a Church without Sound. One the points in the article was "When you take away the words, are the greeters authentic?" Churches communicate in ways far beyond the sermon. The church body as a whole communicate to visitors much earlier than the preacher. We can make or break the visitor's experience.

Let's make the choice to go beyond our own comfort zones by being adaptable people so others feel more comfortable.

An Unknown Future

On this 1st January, 2009, today's blog is from a daily devotion of Ps Greg Laurie - which I really appreciated after reading multiple reports about 2009 and our current global outlook:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. — Jeremiah 29:11

We never know what the New Year will bring. We don't know what problems we will encounter or what changes will come our way. We don't even know what blessings the Lord has in store for us.

But one thing is guaranteed. No matter what the New Year brings our way, we don't have to be afraid because Jesus Christ will be there for us.

I like the words of Corrie ten Boom, that wonderful woman of God, who said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." God is in control of our future. He is ready to bless us in this coming year. But we must be ready to walk with Him, worshipping Him and obeying Him"