What is Catalyst645?

In your worship setting, rhythm plays more of a role than we might realize. Rhythm is one of those things that tends to stick out more when it is off and fades to the background when it is in sync. In a modern worship setting, the drums are the backbone of any worship song. If the drummer is off beat, it can easily throw off the rhythm of the worship team and distract from the worshippers’ focus on the Lord. On the other hand, if the drummer is on time, he/she can be the foundation of a song that helps to foster an intimate connection with the Father during worship.

With each consecutive song, the rhythm shifts and key signatures slow down or speed up. As the rhythm shifts, it is equally important for the drummer to be the foundation of it, maintaining the consistency of the corporate worship experience for the believers. For the rhythm to shift is not a question of “if” but of “when.”

In a position of vocational ministry, men and women will face many different rhythms, better defined as life-changing events. Examples of these events are things such as getting married, having kids, new ministry position, death of a loved one or other tragic event, etc. Though these events can be either positive or negative, they all have one thing in common, they change the rhythm of a person’s life. The problem is not that the rhythm changes, it is that a person in ministry often has a difficult time finding the rhythm of loving God in the midst of his or her new change. In other words, he or she can attempt to build something on a foundation that is unstable.

Loving God is the necessary rhythm that changes with every new season that comes. It is the responsibility of the individual to find his or her rhythm of loving God in every new season he/she encounters. We must be willing to build the discipline of a wholistic love for God in our daily lives in order to be obedient in a lifetime of ministry. But how do we love God? Maybe a better question to ask would be: How are we made to love God?

The SHEMA was, and is, the foundational passage for the Jewish faith based out of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 which says:“Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” The people of God were instructed to “hear”, which is a word of active obedience. It means to listen to what is being spoken, because there will be an action to take based upon what you hear. As Moses continues to write, he implores Israel to listen to God (YHWH). Though God is three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) he is also One. He instructs Israel of three avenues to love that make up the fullness of a person’s capacity to love God. “Love the Lord your God with all…” these three things: heart, soul, and strength. In the original Hebrew, in which Moses would have written, the words “heart”, “soul”, and “strength” are translated to mean “mind”, “spirit”, and “body”.

The mind refers to the inner person. In particular the seat of thought, emotion, and courage for an individual. It is the place of processing and understanding. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your MIND. then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will." The mind is the place in which transformation begins, in which we are shaped, formed, and connected with the Father.

The Spirit is defined as, the life force and immaterial part of a person; it is the seat of both emotion and desire. Spirit is the most intangible of the 3 aspects, though engaging one’s own spirit manifests itself in very tangible practices. To love God with one’s spirit is to consistently connect his or her spirit with the Father. It is both a continual awareness of the presence of God and a continual longing for a deeper connection with God. Perhaps this deep longing and connection is best described in Psalm 42:1, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." The Psalmist illustrates the depth and necessity of connecting one’s soul with the Father with the basic need of water intake for a mammal, or any living being for that matter. A basic truth, without water we will die. Likewise our spirit is the lifeline of authentic communion with God.

The body is defined as, physical might, very great and exceedingly much. While this is not equating the physical strength of our bodies with that of Samson in Judges 16, we all posses the potential of strength to fulfill the mission and calling in which God has placed upon us. As Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." The body is to be the space of the Spirit of God within the believer as the avenue and connection for God’s work through the individual.