Megan's prayer: Casting Crow's "Life of Praise"

Growing up, I often found that there were discrepancies between what someone actually said to me and what I thought they said to me. It most of the time happened when someone would use a common phrase I was unfamiliar with. The saying “day and age” to me was “dayen age.” I didn’t know what “dayen” meant, but to me it made sense. The phrase “rhyme or reason” to me was “Reimer reason.” I knew someone with the last name of Reimer growing up, and that’s just how I always heard the phrase when people would use it.

In today’s song, it used phrases that I am not extremely familiar with. I may have heard them before, but never quite understood what they meant. God of the Nations, Lion of Judah, Rock of the Ages, Alpha, Omega. I understand they describe God, but some of the meaning, some of the comparison, is lost for me. I may not get as much out of these phrases as someone else would.

One line of comparison, a way of describing God that I did understand today was For You are awesome. “Awesome.” It’s a word I use everyday to describe wonderful, amazing things. It is a word that I associate joy with, I use it to describe happy times. It is simple. It is a perfect. There is no Reimer reason in this dayen age that I couldn’t use more sophisticated phrases or words, but I think I will stick with “awesome” to describe God.

Chris' prayer: Casting Crowns' "Life of Praise"

I sometimes find it easy to fall into the trap of, as Janet Jackson sang, "what have you done for me lately?" when it comes to the way I act toward people. If someone has been nice to me, or done something for me, or simply been easy to like, I find it easy to be kind to him or her, to do something for him or her, to simply like him or her. I forget that that person, as a human being, has worth, regardless of how they treat me. And not just worth, but immense worth.

That is what is sung of in the first verse of this song- God's immense worth just for being God. He is not worthy of my praise simply because of what He has done for me and not just for the change He's made in me. He is worthy of my praise simply because of who He is.

The challenge in this song is to live a life of praise, and living a life of praise means recognizing that our creator dwells within each of us. It means valuing each individual we encounter because they hold intrinsic value, and not just because of the worth we place on, or withhold from, them. That is what praising God with one's life is all about.


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Marie's Prayer: Casting Crown's "Life of Praise"

Not just for the change You've made in me

This sentence really Interests me. I tend To be One of those people who Look at God as someone who changes You and is there when You need Something big to happen. But He's there even in the Silence. He's there when you Do the same thing you do Every other night of the year. It's not Just about change. Truth be told, I am Not a big fan of Change. Like most, I fear the Great unknown. Even though I have changed So much, even in this past year, I have to realize that God is there in the Sameness that is everyday Life.

Erinnicole's Prayer: Casting Crown's "Life of Praise"

Not just for the things You've done for me

there is an old country song that says something along the lines of "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers". When I was younger, I would pray for foolish things I wanted (I still do of course, but my mom's mantra has changed) and my mom would always repeat this line to me when I would be upset that I didn't get it. There was a specific time that I was losing a friend to a different group and I prayed that we could repair what we had but that didn't happen. At the time, I didn't understand why. I can see now that I probably would've missed out on a lot of other friendships had she and I remained clung to one another in high school. It isn't that I dislike her or anything of the sort, but while I'm not happy we aren't friends anymore, I'm not unhappy either. That seems to happen a lot - the act of being blinded by what I want and not remembering that God has a plan. I am really good at saying 'thank you', and each day I repeatedly thank God for all that He has done for me. I have never even considered saying thank you for what He may have prevented. I pray to always be conscious of the fact that God has a plan bigger than I can both imagine and see.

Catie's prayer: Casting Crowns' "Life of Praise"

I'll live a life of praise

I've more or less been thinking of this idea a lot lately. How do I live my life entirely for God? How do I live a life of praise, a life that praises God alone? I'm not entirely sure I've figured it out. As I might have posted recently, I have been thinking a lot of God's great, amazing, unconditional love. When thinking and knowing of how much God loves us, no strings attached, even on our not so good days, how can we not live a life that praises him alone?