A Worshipful Heart

Please pray as I go to India.....

Next week I head out for India, 2nd most populous country in the world, home to 1.2 billion people. Birthplace to Hinduism as well as Buddhism, bordered by countries such as Pakistan, China, and Myanmar. I'm going with Operation Mobilization as part of a teaching team that will be teaching pastors and worship leaders, leading worship, and spending time equipping church leaders there. We will be working mainly with the Dalit people group, those people deemed as the "untouchables" of India. Most pastors are first generation believers and are eager to learn. I'm really looking forward to spending time with my brothers - and sisters - in Christ while in India. I'm excited that I will have a little encouragement to offer them as they minister in Jesus' name. And I know without a doubt I will learn from them and be encouraged by them as well. 

India is a very different world from Madison, Alabama! The culture is completely different. Obviously the language is different and the food is different. I will see and experience many new things - some of which may be uncomfortable and difficult to deal with. It is a place where Christians are persecuted and women are oppressed. The United Nations has deemed the Dalit women as one of the most oppressed groups in the world. Yeah, That makes me very uncomfortable and I'll admit I'm a little nervous. And just this past week the U.S. issued a travel warning for Americans traveling to India urging them to "keep a low profile" and stay "situationally aware" due to recent terrorist activities there. That kinda made my stomach hurt. 

Like I said, it's a different world. Many missionaries have shared that in India they sense "the most powerful spiritual oppression" they've ever seen. And I know this is where God would have me go right now.

With these things in mind I'll admit that I feel a desperate need to be covered by your prayers. 

Please pray:

1) For strength, endurance, health and safety. It's a long trip, a huge time difference, and our days of ministry are long ones. In addition, there is always the concern about our bodies adjusting to food, etc.

2) For insight and wisdom as I am preparing, teaching and interacting. Pray God shows me how to prepare for and respond in each situation. I want to be culturally sensitive, yet share boldly. Pray that God guides each word I say. 

3) Pray against the enemy of our souls. The worship of false gods is alive and well all over India. Please pray against satanic attacks. Pray that we would shine with the light of Christ. This is a huge concern for us.

4) Pray for the pastors that are attending. Many are uneducated, leading a church with little or no help, and have not received any training in Biblical Worship at all. They will come from many tribes of India and not even understand one another's language. We will use many interpreters, so especially pray for supernatural understanding and clarity for them as we teach and "show". We'll be leading worship, asking them to lead worship, teaching, etc. Pray that God speaks clearly to them for what they will need to know.

5) I will most likely be the only woman in the workshops. Pray that the long held prejudice against women in India will not taint their ability to learn from me. Pray that my presence will help break down some of these barriers that still exist in the Christian Church in India. Pray that I can teach humbly, but with confidence and love.

I'd love it if you'd sign up to take a particular day to pray for me. A big thanks to Anne Jackson, who gave me this great idea. I totally ripped this off from her blog! But it will be a great way for me to see who is praying when. Then go to the comments and let me know how you'll be praying. It's comforting to have your support when I am way across the world. Thank you so much for praying!

An Evening of Worship - Come Join Us!

 
 I'm so excited that the Give Worship Project will be hosting it's 2nd Evening of Worship this week! I want to invite you to join us and spend time worshiping God together and then get to hear about the work of the Give Worship Project - past, present and future! I'll be sharing about my recent trip to the Dominican Republic as well as some exciting information about my upcoming trips to India and Rwanda.

DATE: Thursday, December 3rd at 7:00 pm

WHERE: NorthStar Church - 7425 Hway 72 W in Madison, Alabama

Here's a video to whet your appetite. You can watch this video and get a glimpse of the beautiful people of Rwanda!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And if you'd like to host your own Evening of Worship to benefit the Give Worship Project, let me know!

How You Can Get Involved with the Give Worship Project.

Friends and Family,                   

God undoubtably moves in interesting ways! The last time I sent out an update I was employed at The Brook and had started the Give Worship Project as an additional ministry, something I planned to do in conjunction with my role as Worship Pastor. But God had bigger plans! For some time now I’ve felt God calling me to “go” and to work with church leaders around the world, particularly in the area of worship. As I led worship each week I became more and more uncomfortable. I wasn’t content. I knew God was calling me to more. 

This fall God made it clear that He was calling me away from The Brook to minister to the church worldwide. It was time to say good-bye to a job I loved - and felt comfortable in - in order to take a step of faith into the unknown. And so the next phase of the adventure begins!

Recently, I took my first trip to train leaders to the Dominican Republic. If you get my newsletter or if you've been reading my blog, you’ll get a glimpse of what I did there and how God moved. Now I have two more tremendous opportunities to travel to help equip pastors and church leaders, particularly in the area of worship. India and Rwanda will be the next stops for the GWP! There is a great move of the Spirit going on in both these lands and many are hungry to know Christ. 

I hope you will become involved with me! I need your help and support!

There are several ways to be involved:

1. Become a member of my prayer team. Just email me at janowen@knology.net to let me know if you’d like weekly or monthly updates.
2. Invite me to your church! I love to teach on worship and to share about my trips. I’d be happy to come share with your congregation or worship team or other group. I can teach on worship, or lead worship for a special event. I only ask that a love offering be received for the Give Worship Project to help fund the training workshops.
3. Give a financial gift. I rejoice that God has provided the money for my trip to India, but I still need $3500 to go to Rwanda. In particular, I need $2200 no later than December 12th. You can read the details about HOW TO GIVE directly below.
4. Come attend a Night of Worship on Thursday, December 3rd at 7:00 pm. We’ll be holding it at Northstar Church at 7425 Hway 72W here in Madison. You can hear all the great stories about my trip to the DR and I want to share some exciting details about my upcoming trips to India and Rwanda. And of course, we’ll have a time of worship together!

Your partnership and support mean so much to me. God is using each one of us to advance His Kingdom and to proclaim His glory. Thank you so much! 

How you can give!

I need your help! I can’t possibly do this without the support of friends and family. As God leads, would you consider giving a financial gift to help church leaders around the world?

You can give a financial gift one of two ways. All of your gifts are tax deductible. At this time, all gifts received go towards the training trips, resources for leaders, or help for the churches I am working with. 

Two Ways to Give:

1. You can send a check made out to: The Brook to  Jan Owen, 106 O'Riley Court, Madison, Alabama 35758. The Brook is helping us through Dec. 31st, 2009.

OR

1. You can give online to e3 Partners, the mission organization I am going to Rwanda with. Follow these steps and the money will go straight to my account:

• www.e3partners.org
• Click on “make a donation”. 
• Fill out personal information and mark that you’d like to “support a friend going on an e3 trip”.
• My trip code is: RW10A
• My name is entered as Linda Jan Owen.                             

Thank you so much! I thank God for your generosity. Because of your faithfulness, many are helped!

Taking It to the Streets...

God touched my heart so deeply this week through this sweet group of men. We are an odd combination - I am a white woman, they are black men. We come from such different worlds - Haiti is, after all, a 5th world country while I live in comfort in an American city. They speak Creole as their first language while I speak English. I've enjoyed many years of education while some of them struggle to write their names and laboriously worked at taking notes.While I have never truly wanted for anything, they face great physical need daily. And while I was driven to DaJabon to our meeting in a nice van, many of them walked for hours, rode in the back of a pick up truck, or came on the back of a motorcycle and crossed the border from their country. And they are senior pastors, where as I've never held that particular role. You might look at us and think we could not be more different. What could we share together that would strengthen and encourage one another? What could we talk about? What in the world could I teach them that they could use in their setting, which is so different from mine?

I don't know what they will take home with them knowledge-wise, but I hope and pray that they will go home encouraged and filled with hope. I hope they will go home knowing someone cares. I hope they have a few tools to try in their church that will help their congregations grow and flourish.

One of the best moments in the workshop with them was when I asked them to tell me what instruments they had in their church. Jonas shared, "A homemade guira. I used a nail and punched the holes in it myself." A couple had a keyboard. One had a flute and a guira.One had a drum. Others had nothing at all. And so I asked them if they had people with good voices and they resoundingly chorused "YES!".

So I said "You have at least two instruments - your voices and your hands. With just this, you can start and grow a worship ministry team." I shared with them how I started with nothing but me at the first church I led in, and how we did not have but one instrument at The Brook when we began. I shared with them that they had more than I had because I was leading white people and "we don't really know how to clap" - and they thought that was very, very funny! I told them - "with a little organization, and taking time to prepare and rehearse, you can have a wonderful worship ministry with what you already have."

You should have seen their eyes light up. This excited them. It gave them hope. As we talked about how to choose songs and put a set together their eyes lit up. They were thrilled to have some new things to try.

In the end I assured them that worship ministry is really all about the heart.....

We ended our time together with a walk to the park in DaJabon for a time of singing. They worked very hard on making a list of songs to do for me. They thought of creative ways to do old songs. While I had envisioned something simple, they took this singing in the park thing quite seriously!

And so they sang.....and I was so touched. Their joy was obvious and infectious.

I don't know what they learned from me but I learned alot from them. And they have made a request of me, and of you, their brothers and sisters in Christ in America. As they held my hand and wished me God's blessings they asked: "Don't forget the church in Haiti. So I ask you to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ in the country of Haiti.

And now, let me introduce you to my friends from Haiti...Lucceema, Jackson, Hitler, Anul, Icene, Jonas, Lucner, Romano and the rest. Although you won't be able to see them - we were in the dark - you'll be able to hear them. Occasionally you'll see them when a camera flashed! Enjoy meeting my new friends.

Haitian Pastors Singing in the Park from Jan Owen on Vimeo.

Hallelujah! from Jan Owen on Vimeo.

Good Bye from Haitian Friends from Jan Owen on Vimeo.

Thoughts So Far

  I have really enjoyed my time with this group I'm teaching here in Santiago. Tonight we had 30+ pastors, musicians, and others desiring to learn more about worship. And in spite of "la professora" being a American woman with a southern accent using a Haitian translator (what a test for him my accent was!), I believe we continued to learn together. It was a lively group and I loved hearing their questions and discussions on issues that concern them. It was great to hear the perspectives of the teenagers that may play or sing in a band and also get the perspective of the pastors present with us. We had male and female, young and old (ages 1 - 68!) and both Dominican and Haitian.

It's so obvious to me that this is a group of men and women who deeply desire to honor God with their worship and their lives. Their questions were insightful and show that they are thinking deeply about the present day dilemmas they are facing in ministry and in their church setting and even in their own walks with Christ. And guess what? They are talking about the same things ministers all across America are talking about.

 For example:

 - Is one style of music more spiritual than another? Is it okay to use rhythms in the church that are used in secular music? How do I know what is right for my church? Some want the older songs, some like the newer songs. (Does this sound familiar to anyone else?) We had similar discussions on casual vs. more traditional clothing as well. Basically, it was a discussion about change - the churches here are experiencing change we had in the U.S. a few years ago. It was a great chance to discuss what truly constitutes worship - is it just music, or is it the state and intent of our heart?

 - How can I, as a pastor,be a mature spiritual leader? How can I guard my heart and life against sin, particularly sin of a sexual nature?

 - How can I lead when I feel lonely, hurt, or just tired?

- How do we encourage others to lead?

Some things are so similar to the world of ministry I know so well. And some things are - of course - very different. How can I understand the extreme poverty of my Haitian brothers and sisters? How can I understand the cultural norms of a country I am only visiting? There are things I cannot comprehend that these pastors deal with every single day. I admire them for serving so faithfully.

Yet in these past two days I've felt that common bond - we are all believers in Christ Jesus. We are brothers and sisters in Him. We all desire to worship Him and live for Him. We want to give God our best, but we are still learning how to do that more and more every single day.

And as I stand up and look out at that room filled with so many different, yet beautiful,skin tones and accents, I get one more glimpse into what the reality of heaven will be like. All of us created so wondrously different, yet all for His glory, to proclaim His praise.

I am so thankful for this time here. I am thankful for all God is teaching me. He is encouraging me through these fellow ministers of the Gospel!

For those of you who have given to the Give Worship Project I just want to say a huge THANK YOU. You've made this time of teaching possible. They were excited to receive the books, and desire to grow as worshipers. You have helped strengthen the Body of Christ here in the DR. And I appreciate that so much!

Keep reading - and commenting! I LOVE hearing from you. Tomorrow I'll be visiting "The Hole", which is a community in the landfill. Tomorrow night I'll be teaching my last class here in Santiago - we'll be wrapping up our time with this particular group of leaders. On Monday I'll be traveling to the Haitian border to Da Jabon, where we hope to connect with Haitian pastors from that area.

Signing off for now.....with a grateful and humbled heart.

**A HUGE thanks to G.O. Ministries, who has made this training possible!**

Are Your Clothes Dirty From Following Jesus?

This morning at The Brook, Dee Lauderdale taught us more about following Jesus as our Teacher. He shared alot of Jewish tradition that gave rich context to the message and I know that I personally really enjoyed it. 

So here are a few of my "takeaways" as I consider what it means to be a student of Christ:

 - "It's all about what we choose to focus on" We retain and remember what we choose to focus on. If I want to learn more, I need to focus more on learning the Word. 

 - Jesus reversed things and, as a Rabbi, chose his disciples. And he turned the "norm" on it's head by choosing men who had been told "you don't quite measure up." (he even allowed women to sit at his feet as disciples which was unheard of in that day) One of the most touching things Dee shared was "We need to have faith in God but we also need to know that God has faith in us." 

 - If a disciple truly followed his Rabbi, then the dirt kicked up by the Rabbi got on the disciple.

 So I had to ask myself:

 - Are my clothes dirty from following Jesus?

 - How closely am I following Christ?

Here are the songs we did this morning:

1. Today is the Day

2. Indescribable - I shared a bit about how God speaks to us through creation and others to set this up.

3. Cannons - this was a new one for us today. Went well after "Indescribable"

4. Revelation Song - always powerful.

Sermon

5. Breathe - fit the sermon so well.

6. Sing to the King

Today was such an odd day for me - extremely bittersweet. It was my next-to-last Sunday to lead at The Brook. That made it a very sad day for me. Just one more Sunday - about 12 more songs. I've stood on that stage and led worship probably about 700 times at least. And now, just one more time. As I stood on the stage I wondered "Will I ever lead worship again?". This is a question that has been on my heart alot lately because I do love to lead other people to worship God. I love to sing. And most particularly, I love to sing with this team. So knowing that our time of being together in this particular way is coming to an end makes each worship set so poignant, and difficult, and yet it adds a sharper focus, a deeper joy because I really do appreciate every single moment, every note sung, every riff played, each drumbeat that echoes. When you know time is short, everything feels meaningful. 

But it was a sweet day as well. At the end of each service I got to share about my upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic and my heart for worship and missions. I was able to share - for the first time - with this precious congregation some of what God is calling me to do. And then they gathered around me to pray for me. And that was truly a great moment. I felt so loved and cared for.

I leave Tuesday to train worship leaders in the DR. I'd appreciate your prayers as well. 

**This post is a part of Sunday Setlists over at www.fredmckinnon.com. Go check out what worship leaders around the world did today in worship.**

Humbled by Blessings!

Friday night I was so blessed as many of my closest friends and family gathered for the first ever Night of Worship to benefit the Give Worship Project. Fellow worship leaders and musicians donated their time and talents to help make the night a success. We had a great time as we spent the evening worshiping together. 

It was so sweet to share my heart and my dreams with friends both old and new who had come out to support a good cause. 

Great news! We raised $1500 for the Give Worship Project during this event!!! I'm well on my way to raising sufficient funds for my trips to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. We've had 25 spanish language books donated for the worship leaders in the Dominican Republic. 

But we do still have needs. I still need money to travel to India and Rwanda. We need more books for leaders. But I'm thrilled with the progress we've made so far - and that is all due to YOUR generous hearts! I look forward to seeing how God will continue to provide in the days ahead. 

And I'm so humbled by the generosity of my friends and family who truly do believe in the calling of  God on my life and the dreams God has placed on my heart. Every little bit of support - attendance, gifts, prayers - all encourages me to dream without boundaries! More than anything, these brothers and sisters in Christ believe in the power of worshiping our Savior! 

This is just the beginning of a dream. I hope we'll hold these Nights of Worship in other locations around the country in the future - learning about worship together, rejoicing in the work of God and building more and more support for indigenous worship leaders - and their congregations - around the world.

If you're interested in donating, or in buying books for leaders, please visit www.giveworship.com to get all of that information. If you're interested in having me come share with your group or church about worship and the work of the Give Worship Project during your own Night of Worship, please let me know! My email address is janowen@knology.net.

I'm so thankful. And so humbled. And so excited to see how God will work in the future!

Won't you come be a part?

I'm Excited to Announce.....

In December 2008 I launched a new ministry initiative called the Give Worship Project. The Give Worship Project has one goal: To equip and provide needed resources for indigenous worship leaders in developing countries. Last Christmas we provided six guitars, some amps, CDs, cables and other equipment to worship leaders in the Dominican Republic through a blog project - and you, my readers, were responsible for these gifts being given! 

I'm excited to announce the next phase of this project. I am currently preparing for upcoming opportunities to actually travel and provide training for worship leaders in these same countries in the months ahead. I've been writing curriculum, finalizing details and preparing to work with translators. It's time for the Give Worship Project to move to the next level.

I hope you'll take a moment to visit the new and improved website for this ministry at www.giveworship.com. 

I need YOUR help!  Please pray with me as I need 20 people to commit to giving $100 each in September and October to make these trips possible. I hope you will pray about being one of these sponsors. More info is on the website!

Exciting things are ahead as we reach outside of our own comfortable world to encourage the Body of Christ elsewhere. I hope you'll join me!

Service Starts With Your Attitude: Sunday Setlist 8/16/09

Today at The Brook Brian preached on another one of our core values, service. He made a great point that service really begins with our attitude, our heart. We must desire to serve for the right reasons, with the heart Christ had (as noted in Philippians 2) in order to serve in love. Humility is needful in order to serve as Christ served.

Today was a bit of a challenge for our team. I had been gone all week. Several of our musicians were not regulars in their spot and we did not get to rehearse together on Wednesday night so rehearsal this morning, to be kind, was hard. Trying to smile and lead when you have a knot in your stomach is always interesting. I was a nervous wreck but it's always funny to me to see how God moves in spite of our weakness. I made mistakes, I'm sure the band made mistakes, but we saw people worship enthusiastically. When I got home my husband said "Ya'll sounded great today!" and I just looked at him and started laughing. Sometimes it is when we know we don't have a clue that God moves in big ways! This morning was humbling in many ways, but it was also comforting. Thankfully God does not need me to be perfect in order to have His way in our hearts.

Here's what we did today:

1. Majestic - Lincoln Brewster (I still struggle to not hear Sandi Patti singing the old tune with the same name when we do this)

2. Holy is the Lord - Tomlin (we interspersed a reading of Isaiah 6 in with this song. Powerful.)

Greeting and Welcome

Video - My Calling (Sermon Spice)

Sermon

3. Hosanna - Hillsong

4. I Stand Amazed - Kristian Stanfill

5. Sing to the King - Billy James Foote

The last set was very effective. The songs moved us along in worship in a very natural progression that gave the congregation space to reflect and then respond in worship.

So thankful for the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit in our midst....

**This post is a part of Sunday Setlists over at www.fredmckinnon.com**

So how was your Sunday?

Don't Get Comfortable

Today was our first day out on the field here in Guatemala. After we arrived yesterday some group leaders went to assess construction projects while Sheila, Barby and I went to north Guatemala City to Shalom Baptist Church to meet with their worship pastor about the possibility of conducting a training workshop for area worship teams in 2010. I was thrilled to see two of the guitars purchased through the Give Worship Project being used there at Shalom. Below is a picture of Sheila and I with Noe, the Worship Pastor and Manual, his assistant holding some of the guitars given by readers of this very blog! They are very proud of these instruments and long for more equipment in order to train more musicians. I'll share more about that on a later date.

They lead worship several times a week for the school at Shalom, the parents of the students, and of course, for the church itself. We are very excited about the possibility of bringing a team of worship clinicians to provide some training for area worship leaders!

Today was the day we hit the ground running! Up and at 'em heading to two construction sites and one school. I was in the group that went to Yalu, a mountain village in the highlands area of Guatemala. Up, up, up we climbed, passing terraced crops all around and women in traditional dress carrying firewood and water on their heads and babies on their backs. This was one of the poorest villages I've ever worked in or seen. We worked today with Brendan, a missionary from Wisconsin, who works with Mano Con Manos to construct health care facilities and - in Yalu - a feeding center which was very nice! We worked in a home with dirt floors and cornstalk walls. Our goal for the day: to replace the cornstalks with sheets of tin and to shore up the "frame" of this home, which had a pigpen and a beauty salon by the front door. This sounds easy but it was not so straightforward. Nothing was straight, we were on the side of a steep hill, etc. But we got it done and now this family is more protected from the elements. That is something to be thankful for!

I was proud of how quickly our group pitched in to do tasks they'd never done before. Callie was great with the power tools, and quickly became a star apprentice helping Phil out. Daniel pitched in to help devise plans and to record the day for us via video and pictures. (to be posted soon) I didn't have my camera with me alot of the day but below are a few pictures from this traditional village. I leave you with the encouragement to break out of YOUR comfort zone!

What is God calling you to do?

Today we saw great beauty and great need.

It's scary to say but I don't want to get comfortable anymore......