After spending the last few weeks learning about worship, we are excited to invite you to join in our 10 Days of Wonder! This is a chance for us to continue to lean into what God wants to do in and through our lives. This booklet is designed to create daily moments of intentional worship by exploring different ways we can experience God s goodness. We hope that you can begin each of the next ten days by reading the scripture, experiencing the day s worship, and answering the questions with an open heart and mind. We can t wait to see how God will show up and change lives through these 10 Days of Wonder! FOR THE BEACHES, Pastor Jerry Sweat
DAY 1 MONDAY, AUGUST 27TH WORDS Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Psalm 105:2 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. Psalm 98:1 There are tons of worship songs that people have written over the years as a way to praise God in a corporate setting. Think of one of your favorite worship songs; it could be a song you ve heard a thousand times or a new song that you ve come to hear recently. Now go look up the lyrics and write them down, spending some time meditating on the words. Why do you think this song resonates with you? What stood out to you that you may not have noticed before? How can you start living into the message of this worship song on a daily basis?
DAY 2 TUESDAY, AUGUST 28TH LAY He [Jesus] fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Matthew 26:29 We know that there is no right way to pray. We don t have to be in a church, have our heads bowed, or even close our eyes to pray! But there are certainly some practices that help us better focus when we pray. One of those best practices is laying prostrate before God--even Jesus did it! This is a way for our body to physically demonstrate the inner submission we aim for with prayer. So find a quiet spot and pray in a prostrate position today, laying facedown before God. What was different about praying in this position? What did you pray for during this time? What do you feel like God was revealing to you?
DAY 3 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29TH CONSIDER When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:3-4 In such a busy culture, we often don t have time to pause, watch, and consider all that God is doing around us. But today, we challenge you to find a place in nature and spend time with our Creator. Drive to the beach, walk to a local park, or just sit on your back porch and read through Psalm 8, pausing after each verse. Where did you decide to go? What did you notice when considering God s creation around you? What words or thoughts was God laying on your heart during this time?
DAY 4 THURSDAY, AUGUST 30TH SURRENDER They lay their crowns before the throne and say: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power. Revelation 4:10 When we were kids, there was nothing better than winning a trophy and being recognized in front of all our friends. And while we may not be winning trophies anymore, we re now looking for praise in other ways: a promotion, a talented child, or community recognition. Take some time this morning to evaluate your heart and how you tend to seek praise. Worship in its truest sense is not about our receiving praise, but about surrendering our lives in praising God. This passage in Revelation reminds us that even the most powerful in heaven were surrendered to our Almighty God and laid their crowns down before Him. How does worship sometimes tend to be more about you than about God? What in your life do you need to lay down before God as a means of being fully surrendered to Him?
DAY 5 FRIDAY, AUGUST 31ST BIG And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10 Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons we have; yet, we rarely use it to its full capacity. We pray for our families, our health, and our jobs, not often daring to pray for spiritual revival in our world or the salvation of all. So for today s worship, we want you to pray BIG. Drive to a nearby church that you don t attend and pray in their parking lot--asking God to bless their worship, to bring radical life change, and to increase their impact. What church did you choose to pray over? How did it feel to pray such a big prayer? What are some other big prayers you can begin praying on a daily basis?
DAY 6 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST LISTEN Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10 Throughout our WONDER series, our goal was to encourage us all to experience the wonder and glory of God through worship. And while we often worship God with words and praise, today we want you to focus on the wonder side of things: listening to what God has to say. So pull up the song Wonder by Hillsong United on your phone or computer and spend a few minutes listening to the words and asking God what he wants to reveal to you. Which lyrics stood out to you the most and why? What do you think God was trying to share with you? How can you continue to live in wonder of God and His glory throughout the rest of your day?
DAY 7 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND COMMUNITY As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 So many people today are lonely. Living in a digital age, many resort to simply experiencing community through social media. And while social media is helpful, it can never take the place of real life on life community. We need one another! Gathering together to worship is one of the ways God intended for us to experience true community. There is a contagious excitement and move of the Spirit when people praise God alongside each other! So today we invite you to come enjoy community worship at Beach Church at 9 or 11am. Then stay afterwards and meet someone new or connect with an old friend! What has your community looked like lately? How does worshiping God with others differ from times where we worship God alone? Plan to come to worship and then journal about one way that your life was impacted by worshiping with others!
DAY 8 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD WORK Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23 Most of us typically think of worship as songs, music, prayer, and the like. But we forget that worship can be a lifestyle of living; that we can worship God in everything we say and do. So today, we re challenging you to worship God all day long with your work. Maybe that s committing every Monday morning meeting to Him. Maybe that s doing your best with your assignments instead of doing the bare minimum. Maybe that s taking care of your home and kids with a cheerful heart. How are you planning to worship God with your work today? What will be your biggest challenge? Why is it important to worship God in everything?
DAY 9 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH FAST But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:17-18 Today leads us to another atypical way of worshipping: fasting. While this may be a new experience for many of us, fasting is a means of worship that followers of God have practiced for thousands of years! As we fast and experience hunger, we are reminded of our desperate need for what the Giver of Life provides. Fasting is also an intentional way to seek God for guidance, courage, and/or repentance. Have you ever fasted before? Why or why not? How can fasting serve as a reminder of God s goodness? Throughout your day (sunup to sundown), write down what you sense God might be saying to you during your fast.
DAY 10 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH PRAISE He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. Job 9:10 As we finish our 10 Days of Wonder, we want to invite you to celebrate all that God has been doing by joining us at tonight s Worship Night. Beginning at 7pm in our Worship Center, we invite you to come worship God with friends--singing some of our favorite songs and being expectant of what God wants to continue to do in our hearts and lives! When we praise God together, something of God gets released in a powerful way and you will not want to miss it. What are you hoping God will do in your heart tonight at Worship Night? What are some specific things that you can thank God for tonight? Is there anything you need to do to prepare for this in-depth worship experience? Pray specifically that the power and presence of God will be experienced as we worship Him together!
Though our 10 Days of Wonder are over, we hope that your worship life is just getting started! Check out some of our simple next steps to continue investing in your relationship with God and creating a life of worship. 1. Sign up for Pastor Jerry s EDEVO: Receive daily scripture and encouragement from Pastor Jerry by signing up for his email devotions here: beachchurchjax.com/edevo 2. Check out our Worship Playlists: Search beachchurchjax on Spotify for our hub of Beach Church worship songs. 3. Choose a Reading Plan: Download the free YOUVERSION Bible App on your phone and select a reading plan. Some plans we recommend choosing from are The One Year Bible, First Steps Reading Plan, and Chronological. 4. Read some of our favorite Worship books: The Air I Breathe by Louie Giglio The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer How s Your Soul by Judah Smith Crash the Chatterbox by Steven Furtick How to Worship a King by Zac Neese (full book descriptions available at beachchurchjax.com/wonderworship) 5. Read some of our favorite Worship blogs: Let There Be Light by Hillsong Keep Your Hope Alive by Bethel Fighting Sin with Worship by DesiringGod (all blogs available at beachchurchjax.com/wonderworship)
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