During this past week, our lesson and homework was to create a worship set for our summer Lifeburst praise tour to California with Touchlife Missions. Each one of us was to first choose a set of songs for worship as an opening, followed by some of the original songs that we have written as well as a sharing about those songs. Finally, we needed to select a song for the prayer and for the reflection of the entire event. Harmony was the one who went first, and I went second. As I was choosing my set of songs, I wanted to have a focus on the praise and worship of God. Since our theme was called "Lifeburst," my vision was that we express the love and joy we have for God by praising Him and singing of all of His wonderful qualities. To me, Lifeburst means to be filled to the brim- to be overwhelmed- by Him. The following will be an overview of the songs I chose, and why I chose them. Worship Set: 1) I chose the song Open Up The Gates because I want to invite the congregation to open up their heart's gates and let the Holy Spirit fill them. Every time I sing this song, I am reminded to let myself go and wholeheartedly praise Him because God is worthy of our praise. What more can be more important than to redirect our focus towards Him? 2) I connected this song to Fountain of Joy because now that we have opened our hearts to Him, we want to sing about his great qualities. In this song, it talks of all of the things that Jesus can do... He can fix broken hearts, He can help us let go of our troubles, He can heal our physical ailments. 3) Our God was next. Every time I sing this song, my heart is pierced because I am reminded of all of the things that I have tried to accomplish on my own when the entire time I should have relied on our Father. Especially in the chorus when it says, "And if our God is for us, then who can ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?" it makes me feel so foolish to be afraid to express my faith. The world needs the love of God, and yet as Christians we are so scared to stand up for what should be the most important. But our God is truly greater and more powerful than anyone else... so what are we so scared of? 4) After this song, I wanted the congregation to reflect on our own walk with God. To The Ends of the Earth is a proclamation about following Jesus, and believing in Him no matter what may happen. It is not an easy proclamation, so I really want the congregation to think about what they are singing. If we believe that our God is truly greater than all else, are we willing to go to the ends of the Earth with Him? Can our words and faith be backed up by actions? Song Sharing: 1) Forever Yours was a song written by Yee Su about his love song to God. I thought that it would be a nice introduction because it is a different approach to expressing our love to God. 2) Love Song is next because it continues the idea of singing a love song, and expressing a love relationship with God. 3) 祷 is a song of prayer and praise expressing how God is always there for us when we pray, and thanking Him 4) Creator God is a song of reminder, letting us know that our God is the one who created the heavens, the Earth, and each one of us. And so, God knows us individually, and we should know that he loves us and cares for us. Prayer and Reflection: 1) After the sharing and sermon by Reverend Li, there will be a section for prayer. I really want the congregation to know that although there are so many things happening in our lives, we need to remember to be still and trust in the Lord. And so, I chose the song Still so that we can remind ourselves to have patience. There is peace in the Lord and it is in Him that we can find rest. 2) After the prayer and calling, we will sing With All I Am. My wish that everyone can have Lifeburst regardless of who they are, how old they, or where in their life's walk they are in. 10 year old kids can have a heart of worship, as can 95 year old grandpa and grandmas. It is a matter of whether or not we are willing to... not if we can or cannot. And so, once again we want to dedicate ourselves to God and re-orient ourselves. 3) The praise night will end with the dance Lifeburst where we will invite the dance group up and worship through dance as we play and sing the song together. Before we started practice on these songs, we prayed together and I really hoped that we wouldn't focus on playing perfect music, but rather singing and praising God. I was being video-taped so that I could look back and see how I did leading, and to be honest it was awkward. However, in the beginning praise section I really felt like our group was playing not to practice, but to worship. It is an amazing feeling when we are playing as a team and doing it all for a common goal! As the set went on, there were definitely areas that need to be worked on and I need to put more preparation in connecting these songs as a worship leader, but I am glad that we were able to use this time that we usually spend to practice to stop, worship, and get closer to God. One thing that Tim mentioned was that although I may be able to see a connection with my set, the congregation might not so it is my responsibility as a worship leader to help them connect. May it be through reading the scripture or saying a few things in between songs, our responsibility is to lead them into worship. When the congregation starts to worship, I am reminded that I am able to step back because my job is done. Worship is between you and God, and my job is to help make that happen. I hope that in future I will be able to keep that in mind while preparing a set so that it is beneficial to the congregation! As an ending thought, what I really wanted to get out of this worship set was the idea that it is our responsibility to be filled with Jesus... filled to the point of overflowing and the people around us know that we live in Christ. However, it is a commitment, and requires action instead of just words. We need to choose to believe in Him, have faith in Him, and choose to walk with Him wherever He will lead us. Yes, His path for us is the best, but we need to be able to truly believe in Him. Although I don't know if this set will be used when we go to California, I really hope that our group will be able to choose songs that will make an impact. I hope that we will be guided by the Holy Spirit and choose songs that are NEEDED in each of the place that we go, where we can help serve as a reminder that we should be bursting with life for Jesus. Since we are still in the process of choosing songs, I hope that all who read this can please pray for Life Transforming Foundation. Please pray that we will have wisdom as a group, as well as proceed with a humble heart. I also ask that you pray for the churches that we will be going to, that no matter who goes, will go with a heart that is willing to hear and to be reminded. Finally, please pray for Touchlife Missions for there is a lot of work to be done as well, and that Reverend Li and everyone will be protected against evil and harm. We are preparing ourselves for a spiritual battle so please pray for strength in faith and strength to be unified as a family of God! Thank you! And God bless you all! -Kathy