Recently, after sound toots on my trumpet, I had another "whisk away" experience (not a whiskey experience. I mean, let's just set the record straight!). Before I get to that, let me talk about the sound toots. These sound toots are little vignettes, descriptions of short songs that I hear Ruach singing to me. I have gotten out of the habit of "practicing" my trumpet. Time is too short. I warm up, and I play every day, but I don't "practice", in the normal sense of the word because I am always in worship. This really is just a paradigm shift. I have adopted this in everything I do. I look at every endeavor as opportunity to engage God. But when I bring the horn to my lips, my worship escalates. No noodling or dilly-dallying, just simple, pure worship.
(I was trained in something very similar in the professional music world. When I would arrive on the set to play a gig, I learned to not play a note until the gig started with the first downbeat of the night. The idea here was that warming up or "noodling" on my instrument was a distraction to the atmosphere. It was considered very unprofessional. This helped to develop me into a leaner approach, whenever I played, it was as if I was being recorded for posterity's sake. No practicing on the job, I was in performance mode. For the sake of this discussion this helped me understand that as I worship unto Jesus, it was as if I were directly serenading Him. I was playing to an audience of one. I wanted to pour out only my best, all the time, under all circumstances. He deserved my best. This consistency approach changed my mindset.)
This is a route towards "practicing or pulling the presence of God". When you worship continuously this way, you are making a series of demands, a constant flow, on the abiding vine. God loves these gentle tugs. This can be applied whether you lift up the brush, dip pen in inkwell, hopscotch a sidewalk, or wash the dishes.
If one desires to walk in the spirit, they must pull on the presence. When you are on the road to practicing the presence, it may seem like a series of starts and stops. You may start, then get sidelined into distraction, and then restart. Notice I don't say quit. We must think differently. As you grow in The Practice, there will be less pauses or breaks. You will start to see it is possible to walk the way God intends you to. At some point, God turns up the dial and you find yourself dancing through life rather than walking. This twirl dance becomes so pulling that you don't know where you end and He continues. This goes into your heart attitude, and you find yourself lifted out of the mundane and into the momentous. You start to become equipped to deal with life's opposition.
Now back to the toots. These expressions start with His whisper of words to my heart (the whispered words may come after my stillness before Him preceding my music offering, as one phase flows into the next), followed by a song phrase that He sings to me. I play the song back to Him, while thinking about the words He spoke to me. It becomes a dialogue between us. When I do this, the atmosphere in my room changes.
(I was trained in something very similar in the professional music world. When I would arrive on the set to play a gig, I learned to not play a note until the gig started with the first downbeat of the night. The idea here was that warming up or "noodling" on my instrument was a distraction to the atmosphere. It was considered very unprofessional. This helped to develop me into a leaner approach, whenever I played, it was as if I was being recorded for posterity's sake. No practicing on the job, I was in performance mode. For the sake of this discussion this helped me understand that as I worship unto Jesus, it was as if I were directly serenading Him. I was playing to an audience of one. I wanted to pour out only my best, all the time, under all circumstances. He deserved my best. This consistency approach changed my mindset.)
This is a route towards "practicing or pulling the presence of God". When you worship continuously this way, you are making a series of demands, a constant flow, on the abiding vine. God loves these gentle tugs. This can be applied whether you lift up the brush, dip pen in inkwell, hopscotch a sidewalk, or wash the dishes.
If one desires to walk in the spirit, they must pull on the presence. When you are on the road to practicing the presence, it may seem like a series of starts and stops. You may start, then get sidelined into distraction, and then restart. Notice I don't say quit. We must think differently. As you grow in The Practice, there will be less pauses or breaks. You will start to see it is possible to walk the way God intends you to. At some point, God turns up the dial and you find yourself dancing through life rather than walking. This twirl dance becomes so pulling that you don't know where you end and He continues. This goes into your heart attitude, and you find yourself lifted out of the mundane and into the momentous. You start to become equipped to deal with life's opposition.
Now back to the toots. These expressions start with His whisper of words to my heart (the whispered words may come after my stillness before Him preceding my music offering, as one phase flows into the next), followed by a song phrase that He sings to me. I play the song back to Him, while thinking about the words He spoke to me. It becomes a dialogue between us. When I do this, the atmosphere in my room changes.
Here are two dialogue seeds:
#1) "Pneuma Rhema"
When I heard this whisper, it was after I started my clarion serenade. There are no formulas here. It was my first sound this morning. The tone was airy, like, what a musician might refer to as "sub-tone". When I play with sub-tone, Holy Spirit may sometimes move with surprises. It's as if He gets a cue from the breathy tone, and responds an answer as the Breath of Life.
Years ago, I used to minister as a minstrel, with a prophetess (often at women's conferences). Once she prayed over a woman for deliverance. The demons were stubborn and didn't want to leave. Kathy, the prophetess, motioned to me and I knew what she wanted me to do. I came up close to them. I heard Ruach's (Holy Spirit's) song and played it on my Fluegelhorn with breathy sound, mostly air, directly at the woman's abdomen. The demons twisted her body as if to pull her away. I continued with the airy, sub-tones - a loud silence. She fell to the ground. The demons left. I continued now with more airy sounds over her. I played a soft "Ruachian" lullaby and she fell asleep, delivered, but with a smile. God will sometimes move in the airy tones.
Years ago, I used to minister as a minstrel, with a prophetess (often at women's conferences). Once she prayed over a woman for deliverance. The demons were stubborn and didn't want to leave. Kathy, the prophetess, motioned to me and I knew what she wanted me to do. I came up close to them. I heard Ruach's (Holy Spirit's) song and played it on my Fluegelhorn with breathy sound, mostly air, directly at the woman's abdomen. The demons twisted her body as if to pull her away. I continued with the airy, sub-tones - a loud silence. She fell to the ground. The demons left. I continued now with more airy sounds over her. I played a soft "Ruachian" lullaby and she fell asleep, delivered, but with a smile. God will sometimes move in the airy tones.
#2) "Dance Skips of a Happy King for His Beloved"
As I dialogued with God in the Pneuma Rhema phrase, it transitioned in key and I heard "dance skips of a happy King for His beloved". Now the song became a bit livelier, kinda' waltzy and very light. The prayer dialogue continued. I was reminded of King David's uninhibited dance.
Ruach told me: "When King David danced the street without clothes, it was a shadow picture of the coming Jesus, dancing with joy, without inhibition, before His beloved.
As you engage me in our walks, we will break into dance. I will twirl you. As you spin with closed eyes, you will open them and see that Jesus has cut in."
Ruach told me: "When King David danced the street without clothes, it was a shadow picture of the coming Jesus, dancing with joy, without inhibition, before His beloved.
As you engage me in our walks, we will break into dance. I will twirl you. As you spin with closed eyes, you will open them and see that Jesus has cut in."
Dear reader, God wants to cut in. Allow Him to have the next dance.
