Blocking out the blockers

I don't read much. When I do, I enjoy it. However, in order for me to enjoy reading, and really get into a book I need things around me to be just right.

I can't just sit in a noisy room and block everything out, it just doesn't work for me.

It's sort of the same for worship. I find it really difficult losing myself in worship and I've been wracking my brains to think why. Then it came to me. I need to concentrate too much!

What I mean is, I shouldn't need to concentrate, I should be able to focus completely on God. But I can't, or haven't been able to at least while we met at the URC. The conditions just have been right for me.

Why then, have I been able to completely lose myself in a huge tent with plastic seats and temporary floor - at Roots? Here's why:

- everybody is there for the same reason
- nobody cares what I'm doing or why
- the music is loud and my bad singing voice can't be heard
- the words to the songs hit the screen before they are needed

Not an exhaustive list - another reason is that the songs become so well known over a few days that the words aren't often needed to be seen - we know them. There's nothing else to think about - just Him.

I can't do much to change the conditions I find myself in back in Romford. I have to change myself!

The refurbished worship hall has the ingredients in technology and comfort to help me block out the blockers - with a bit of training and awareness in the AV room, volume, timely words, wandering cameras etc. will settle down and take more of those distractions away.

In my head I need to enter Romford citadel with a Big Top attitude. Jesus gave his life for me, is it too much to ask that conditions, at least in my head, are as perfect as they can be?

Let the work begin.

All I know.........

After a year of worshipping at the URC I have to say that I haven't enjoyed it all. I have been frustrated, uncomfortable, tired (sunday afternoons are for snoozing!) and have been slow getting there and quick getting home.

There are several reasons for this which I won't go into here, but suffice to say that it has affected my approach to worship. I've really tried to focus on what God has been saying to me.

This Sunday, the last in the afternoon at the URC (bless them for kindly opening their doors to us in an act of Christian love) God spoke loud and clear through the voices of the Singing company:

All I know is that You died for me, so that I can be forgiven
And all I know is that you lived on earth, so that I can live in Heaven.

The verses talk about not knowing the answers or reasons to a whole bunch of things, like why the sun keeps burning. There's lots of things I don't get, and probably never will.

Thank you God that I do get that single truth.

As we move back into our refurbished Church, help us make it possible for others to 'get' also.