In Psalm 33:3 it states "Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully, and shout for joy". While these simple words are easy to gloss over in the midst of an otherwise beautiful passage of scripture, I believe these simple words contain crucial keys to vital worship.

Sing to Him a new song... I received an email yesterday from a dear friend who observed "almost all churches do the same music". Certainly, the catalog of worship songs available today is as good as it's ever been, but are we in danger of being so comfortable with the established liturgy that we deny our magnificent Lord the fruit of His gift of creativity? Creativity is not limited to a specific role or position or necessarily related to music at all! In fact, some of the most intimate worship I've ever experienced has been in total silence. Creativity is boundless, uniquely personal and intimate – a piece of ourselves, if you will – and therefore wholly suitable for worship.

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Each night, in preparation for bed, I trade the shirt of the day for a simple, unattractive, and yet amazingly comfortable T-shirt. While over the years I've collected a wide variety of sleep shirts from which to choose, I know from experience that one specific option will afford me the most comfortable night of rest.

The other night as I slipped on this shirt I realized something really quite amazing not only in its simplicity, but in the fact that it was so obvious that I've never given it a moment of attention. One of the reasons this shirt is so comfortable is because it's made from cotton. Cotton, as is well known, is harvested from an otherwise uninteresting looking shrub and spun into thread and yarn that that is then used in the construction of comfortable, breathable clothing.

In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord says "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Sounds pretty comfy, doesn't it? Of course,...

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