bamboosong

I’m moving to a new blog space

Lori Joanne — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:48:41 +0000

Blogs that is. Time to say goodbye to bamboosong…

So, please get ready update your blog feed reader or links :]

When I first started blogging, it wasn’t available and I just checked randomly today and it was!

I am ready for a fresh start, a new “place” and needed to change something, since I can’t actually move into a new place, or start a new school…this is my way of changing things up a bit! It’ll be a little slow transitioning old stuff, and organizing new categories, but I’ve got a new blog home! Now to just pack up and move the stuff that needs to come along!

One thing that is changing is I will be joining a new small group in a few weeks! I’m hoping to be in RD this year. {Relational Development}

Posted via email from LJo’s posterous

quotes from Erwin Lutzer’s How to Have a Whole Heart in a Broken World

Lori Joanne — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:15:53 +0000

Great quotes of the day:

From Erwin Lutzer’s How to Have a Whole Heart in a Broken World:

Lutzer, Quoting C.S. Lewis: “The ultimate purpose of God in all His work is to increase joy.” C.S. Lewis

“Joy is the ointment that can heal a fractured heart. Christ gives it to those who draw their spiritual strength from Him.”

“But the better we are friends with Christ, the easier it will be to love God’s difficult children.”

“If our Lord seems distant, it’s not because He is trying to play hide-and-seek. He’s waiting for us to make some hard choices that will make friendship with Him a priority.”

“We will never spend quality time with Christ unless we resist the other voices that call to us, begging for attention and involvement.”

Lutzer, after a lengthy quote from Hudson Taylor: “Rest in the sufficient Saviour” Instead of trying so hard, just rest in him.

To abide = To dwell in Christ

“In the manner that Christ did nothing apart from the strength of His Father, so we can do NOTHING apart from Him. The same dependece, faith and humility that characterized Christ must be ours as well.”

…That your joy may be full…John 15:11

You make known to me the path of life;in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

ESV Study Bible says:
Ps. 16:11 path of life. A master metaphor of the Bible: the covenant provides a “path” by which one walks to life in all its fullness (Prov. 5:6; 6:23; 10:17; 12:28; 15:24; Matt. 7:14); this is what the Lord makes known to his followers. To enjoy God’s presence, or his face, is the fruition of the covenant (cf. Ex. 33:14–15; Num. 6:24–26). The word pleasures is related to “pleasant places” (Ps. 16:6); the pleasure that he has begun in this life will continue into its fullness in the world to come

Posted via email from LJo’s posterous

exposing my soul…sharing one of my songs!

Lori Joanne — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:48:40 +0000

here you go. *gulp*

this is far from perfect…but the sooner i share it the sooner you get to hear it and yeah…

here it is:

you are all i need by Lori Jo [lj raw]

you can also check the song out on reverbnation.com/lorijomusic

just imagine it with a cello and a better piano player, i’m stuck with the one that i have…hehe. and you know, better equipment than just garageband…imagine the potential!

“Your Name is glorious because…”

Lori Joanne — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:55:56 +0000

last night in between the corporate worship sets, we met in our small groups and then come back to worship corporately before we leave. I usually have a pretty good idea of the flow and transitions of the songs etc. like this:

1. Glory to God Forever – Beeching & Fee

2. Holy is the Lord – Tomlin

3. You'll Come – Fraser

message

4. Tear Down the Walls [Your Name is glorious + For all your sons and daughters..]

challenge+prayer

5. How great thou art[Then sings my soul]/how great is our God

That was the plan. Not much changed in the structure, but rather it was added upon. read Psalm 93 at the beginning, pray here, etc.

I try to be listening as I plan, to see where God wants us to go, and to keep that as the priority and focus. Sometimes it's easier than other times. This week I didn't have any troubles planning the music as I had sat in on the rehearsal and had a pretty good idea of the focus-theme.

We had a full band, and it was fun to rejoice with all the instruments, and to not be behind the keyboard, as I had been the past 3 weeks. I was really pleased with the first part of our corporate worship time. In our small groups we talked about worship, and what we had learned and experienced on Sunday at church. Besides getting really excited about our conversation…which as you can see from my last post 'faster' worship excites me, i am super super passionate about it!! Towards the end of our conversation my heart started pounding and I felt like God prompted me, impressed on my heart and put the thought into my mind, to ask the college group to stand up and speak 'Your name is glorious because…' or "God is glorious because_____" Totally out of nowhere. It was really cool, several people stood up and gave glory to God and then together we sang "Your name is glorious, glorious, your love is changing us, calling us to worship in spirit and in truth…" That was a really powerful moment; a great reminder why we do this, any of this.

All for God's glory and honor and praise.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Posted via email from LJo’s posterous

faster – a poem

Lori Joanne — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:19:57 +0000

my heart beats faster
my speech gets faster
my heart is full
overwhelmed
with the beauty
the complex simplicity of
the subject of the worship of our God

worshiping in spirit and in truth
holy, holy, holy is the lamb, who sits on the throne
trust and obedience
love and obedience
[love with all our hearts, souls and minds and strength]
praise
delight
surrender
sacrifice
deny self
new life
hope

worship is more than music
music is just ONE way that we come to worship. praise softens our hearts, making us open
I believe God speaks through music but is not the only way.
{I kinda have a crush on music…but it’s not the end all}
worship in community, with fellow believers is powerful
worship in solitude, with our Creator, is powerful
worship is: ‘where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’

to be continued…
Sandals Church audio right here: http://www.sandalschurch.com/podcast/GLORYHONORPRAISE.mp3

Check out the Sandals Vimeo to see the video’s from Sunday: http://vimeo.com/sandalschurch (the last 4 are are from this past Sunday)

Posted via email from LJo’s posterous

Worship is – 2 quotes

Lori Joanne — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:28:20 +0000

Worship is powerful because God’s presence comes to dwell in our midst when we praise Him, and in His presence we find healing, transformation, and direction for our lives. In fact, the more time we spend praising the Lord, the more we will see ourselves and our circumstances grow in wholeness and completeness. That’s because praise softens our hearts and makes them pliable. It also covers us protectively. The more pliability and covering are maintained, the more quickly our hearts can be molded and healed. – Stormie Omartian, from Praying God’s Will for Your Life

“Worship is an act of obedience of the heart. It is a response that requires the very core of who you are to love the Lord for who He is, not just for what He does.” Darlene Zschech (I think it’s from one of her books, I have it written down, but don’t recall the source.)

Two of my favorite quotes on what worship is.

Posted via email from LJo’s posterous

waiting for the bus

Lori Joanne — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:29:01 +0000

this is just for felicity!

school days in Australia…

Posted via email from LJo’s posterous

What I’m thinking about tonight

Lori Joanne — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:31:25 +0000

Reflecting on some quotes from the portions of saddleback worship conference that I was able to watch online; journaling as I review the notes I took on Twitter and have printed out.

Buddy Owens:
“be faithful to His general instructions while you wait for more specific instructions”

“it’s actually the little things that matter most. God is not impressed by our talents and accomplishments. He is impressed by our character-how we become more like him – it’s an ongoing daily process.”
Wonder what aspects of my character need work …

‘God: “are you sure you wanted me to use you? Or did you just want to use Me?”‘

“be faithful in the little things that God asks us to do in Scripture, in living out his will”
Back to the basics. Faithful with the people, relationships, treasures, talents and gifts you’ve been given, and obedient to the things we know we are to be obedient in. I think obedience is huge and often overlooked these days. Back in college in my freshmen Bible class, Exodus-Deuteronomy, I learned that there were some treasures hidden in Deuteronomy. I better understood the relationship between obedience and love, and how obedience is one of God’s love languages- that God desires our obedience and that is one way we can show Him we love Him. Makes sense right? Check this out: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deut 6:5, nlt I won’t go into other verses and exegesis. I just wanted to share the connection I found.

“don’t miss what is right in front of you”

“the question of significance has nothing to do with you. The question of faithfulness has everything to do with you.”

James 4:17

“God’s will happens one day at a time – and usually in hindsight.”

“don’t be frozen by the specifics – the destination could change – the path, the way is what it’s all about.”

“we tend to think of God’s call as locations and activities, because we want to approve it first. Make your mind up to do what God wants you to do even before you know what it includes. Say yes now instead of later.”

“be a worshiper, be in the word and let Him change the way you think – then you will know His will” his good pleasing and perfect will – Romans 12

This last part is comforting to me. So much of the words above are hard for me to fully accept. I can pass them on as inspiring and convicting, but it is not easy to live out a life of obedience, it’s not easy to let God lead us, it’s not easy when God asks us to wait. It’s frustrating and confusing when all we have is trust and little things. Why do we crave significance, why are our occupations and careers and the pursuit of said careers so primary to us? Why does God plant dreams in our hearts when we have to wait…for a really long time…why is it so easy to think about tomorrow when we are still in the middle of today, with plenty of God’s will in one day..? Why do we get discouraged? Why do we wrestle with the same things over and over again…? I shared with a friend last weekend that there are things I don’t talk about, like my future hopes and dreams, because I’ve been made to feel like they shouldn’t be pursued. This has left me confused and all I want to do is serve the Lord, and find myself with ideas and I know that Gods dreams are bigger and better than mine, but I also believe firmly that my dreams are from God, or at least a variation of them. I know God wants us to use the gifts and talents he has given us, that we shouldn’t keep those to ourselves. I have been very conflicted regarding this over the past year.

It’s also hard to trust that God’s will happens everyday. Why are we so easily bored with the mundane…? The tedious tasks at work, the uncertainty of future…

Scary. But I know He’s in charge, Sovereign, and patiently listens to my questions, my cries and my prayers. Slowly revealing insights and truths through His word and time with the Lord.

Continuing to lean on Him – I wouldn’t be able to get up in the morning without Him. The joy of the Lord is my strength.

-Lori jo

Posted via email from LJo’s posterous

sorry i’ve been away…making music!

Lori Joanne — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:01:29 +0000

[All winners have been notified. Congratulations Jen and Ali!]

I have been busy and happily so…planning worship sets and leading worship for SCU and rehearsals, practicing [piano] lots, and I spent the weekend getting to know my new mac:

I’m so excited to get more of my songs recorded, and finalized, so they can be more than just words on a page, more than just a melody running through my bray-ee-yain. Sorry…started making up a song right there…did you catch that?

Haha. God is good. God is mysterious. God is faithful and His love is STEADFAST! Future is uncertain…as it always is…makes me a bit nervous, but my hope is in the certainty of eternity, and in the fact that His plans are good. I say this not because I don’t worry, or I don’t question, but to reassure and reaffirm the truth. God is sovereign. I’m on a songwriting adventure and life adventure as well and I can’t wait to see what else God has for me!

stay tuned….;]

Do you want a Christy Nockels CD?

Lori Joanne — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:40:30 +0000

Well then, leave a comment here from now through Sunday at midnight (pacific). Make sure to leave your correct email address (it doesn’t show up to anyone but me) so I can contact you, when, if you should win.

Tweet to win is still going on #lifelightupftw through Friday. Details here:

Would you like a free download of her title song? Click here

Watch part two of her video: