Ho'omana Health Ministries

Call to Worship

Click on the title below. Listen and recite along with the cantor.  Let the words resonate within you and prepare your heart to worship.

 

 

 

Click on the title. Listen to the music. Read the lyrics and sing along, making the song your personal prayer for this service.

 

 

 

Our Father and Mother in Heaven, on earth and within us.

As we gather together in Your names this Sabbath, 

we ask You to center us in You.

Help us find that place in the palm of Your hand, Father

guided by the light of Your wisdom, Mother.

We worship you with our hearts

and welcome you into our lives. 

Amen

 

Scripture Reading

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
       will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

 ² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
       my God, in whom I trust."

 ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
       and from the deadly pestilence.

 ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
       and under his wings you will find refuge;
       his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

 ⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
       nor the arrow that flies by day,

 ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
       nor the plague that destroys at midday.

 ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
       ten thousand at your right hand,
       but it will not come near you.

 ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
       and see the punishment of the wicked.

 ⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
       even the LORD, who is my refuge-

 ¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,
       no disaster will come near your tent.

 ¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
       to guard you in all your ways;

 ¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
       so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 ¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
       you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 ¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
       I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 ¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
       I will be with him in trouble,
       I will deliver him and honor him.

 ¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
       and show him my salvation."

Psalm 91

 ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob,
       and complain, O Israel,
       "My way is hidden from the LORD;
       my cause is disregarded by my God"?

 ²⁸ Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.

 ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

 ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;

 ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

  Message

Today, I want to discuss the joy of living "in the zone" spiritually. Runners are familiar with the concept of being in the zone. It is the phenomena where a runner has such a single-minded focus on the process of the exercise that nothing else matters. After enough time is passed, hormones called endorphins are released and the runner develops a sense of euphoria called a runner's high. People in the zone report they don’t feel the pain or stress of the exercise, and nothing distracts their minds. It is a wonderful state of being that is so pleasurable that it makes exercise almost addictive.
 
It is possible to enter "the zone" in other activities besides athletics. It can happen while talking to a friend, exploring a hobby, listening to music, or even doing projects at work. Often when I am writing my sermons, I get in "the zone". I am so focused on what I am doing, I don't  notice what is going on around me. Music can be playing, people talking, the dog can be whining to go outside, and I am oblivious. I am forming sentences in my mind, choosing words, and thinking of scriptures or hymns that fit the context. Hours go by. I don't feel hungry or thirsty. I don't even feel the need to relieve certain bodily functions. I am in "the zone".

Almost anyone who truly enjoys some activity or hobby, knows what it is like to be in "the zone". When we are in the zone, the distractions of the world, unsettled thoughts of our mind, and pain in our body all yield themselves to one focus. In this state, we are so fully engrossed in the moment that nothing else seems to matter.
 
There is also a spiritual state of being "in the zone". This is the state described in our scripture reading above. It is the "secret place of the most high". It is the shelter of the Almighty. It is when we run and are not weary, walk and are not faint. It is when we soar spiritually like an eagle. To be in the flow of the Spiritual zone is to be dialed into a Divine state of clarity, presence and power. It's being free of tension, worry and draining emotions. It's living with a sense of ease, vitality and deep inner calm.

Unlike the runner's zone, however, you can not attain a spiritual Zone by physical effort. In fact, physical effort will work against spiritual awareness. The Divine spark within us is the gift of God. It is our birthright as children of the Mother and Father. As such, it is innate and can only work when we allow it to flow unhindered. Just like a natural athlete throws a ball without thinking, the Spirit should be allowed to work through us without our conscious effort. You can not think through everything and be in the Zone. Over thinking stifles the flow of the Spirit, like choking on a golf swing.

 
The Spirit of God is often depicted in scriptures as water flowing...like a river out of the throne of God. It is a good metaphor. Think about it. River water is not stagnant. Those who are immersed in the river move along with it. Fighting against the stream just tires you out. At best you kick up a lot of mud and stay in one place. At worst, you get out of the river all together and are stuck on the shore. However, if you flow with the stream, you don't get tired at all. You move easily to new places and you are washed clean. That is what it is like to be in the Spiritual Zone.

 

Here is another metaphor... one of my own. I have had different models of Blackberry phones for years. Each has the same game on it called brick breaker. I have played that game for years. It is now almost automatic for me. I can play it without even thinking. In fact, I usually get my highest scores when I am playing without much conscious thought. I am relaxed and my mind is drifting. My thumbs are just playing away. I am not paying any attention to the score or how many lives I have left. If I do start to pay attention and get excited about how close I am to getting a new high score that is exactly when I mess up. When I start worrying about how many lives I have left, that's when I lose.
 
The spiritual game of life works the same way. Yeshua said that those who seek to save their lives will lose them and those who lose their lives for Yeshua's sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. The spiritual game is not a competition. It is playing for the joy of playing. Just like a puppy that runs just for the joy of feeling himself move, you focus only on how God is working through you. As the Spirit guides, you do the right thing immediately without second-guessing yourself. You’re able to relax because you feel confident that what is correct will happen. Then as it unfolds, you are able to delight in the beauty and wonder of the Now Moment. You're in the present moment. Your mind is clear. You have a sense of inner knowing that cannot be learned from a book, but is only known by accessing it directly. You are living in the joy of the Spiritual Zone!

 Click on site below and sing along with the lyrics. Let go, let your Spirit soar. Find and celebrate  that zone within you that is one with God.

 Those of you who are participating with us on line, can take a few minutes now to quietly reflect on the message. If you have comments or questions that come to your mind, you are welcome to write them in the comments section below.

Our Father and Mother in Heaven, around us and within us

As we start this new week, guide us to the quiet place within

Help us to focus on you

and learn how to play the game without thought. 

Help us to flow in You. 

In the name of Yeshua,

Amen

Click on the title below. Sing along with Hymn. Be still within. Listen to the Voice calling. Find your way to the secret place of the Most High.