Welcome to my website, 'praise is what I do', born as a result of something that I've been involved in for nearly 40 years, which is, being one of the praise and worship music leaders in the few churches that I've been a member of, over those years.

Those 40 years have been a journey, which has taken me through valleys and over high mountain peaks; through dry wilderness places and lush green pastures; times of struggling through miry mud, and times of riding the thermals as an eagle does.

Much of the time I have not been able to consistently and with integrity say 'praise is what I do'. That though is changing as I am growing in an intimate knowledge of my Lord and God; of His abounding grace, mercy, goodness and lovingkindness.

Tip of the Iceberg

In all this time, the one thing that I have come to realize above all else, is that, as much as I have learned, and as much as I have experienced, during that time, I have still only scratched the surface of the vastness of this worthy theme. Just as with an iceberg, there is so much more to see and experience.

"Praise is what I do" is becoming more and more of a daily reality. I'm beginning to see below the surface.

It is something that I have become increasingly passionate about, a passion that I really want to communicate to many, like yourself, and all the other visitors to this, just one of many Christian websites.

A Celebration of Life

It's a regrettable fact that a large portion of the Christian church has portrayed praise and worship as a formal, ceremonial and lifeless form, whereas God intended it as a joy filled celebration of His life.

This celebration theme is depicted in the book of Proverbs where, in many places wisdom is spoken of in the first person. Many commentators agree that the writer is speaking of Christ, and in Proverbs 8:12,22-31, we read of Him at the dawn of creation saying, in verses 30,31,

"..and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having My delight in the sons of men."

You can almost hear Jesus saying there, 'praise is what I do.'

Let me just quickly take you to one more Old Testament passage showing the passion which our God has for us. Zephaniah 3:17 NASB. The last part of the verse says "..He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."

Now, the root of the original Hebrew word for rejoice depicts a 'spinning around under the influence of a violent emotion.'

Yes! The prophet is telling us that God dances passionately over us.

What greater motivation could we ask for, knowing that God Himself praises, rejoices, shouts, dances and delights in us His people, for us to live our lives with "praise is what I do" as a life statement.

It is my hope that through the many articles and features which I will be regularly adding to this site, that we will all get to know Him, or get to know Him more and with an increasing zeal, this God who became a Man, but still was and is the One True God, Jesus Christ. Matthew 16:16

OK. Let me give some details.

The style with which I'll present the articles will be more of an informal, overview type, rather than a verse by verse Bible study. My hope is that they will whet your appetite enough to dive in, if you're still on the shore, or to go deeper, if you're already in the water.

There are 2 perspectives from which we will approach or view this subject. The first is on the horizontal plane; or in other words, person to person, in all our daily activities. Praise is, or should be a natural outflow of any appreciation and enjoyment, and even on this level, there are many beneficial consequences of making it a lifestyle.

My goal is for you to discover for yourself the multitude of benefits that come from an understanding and practice of such a lifestyle. Benefits in your physical health; your emotional well being; your social and your work life; in fact, in every area of your life. Proverbs 17:22

The second perspective, and the main one for this site, is the vertical plane, which is our praise and worship towards God. This, ultimately, is what we were created to do, and any relationship with the Living God, cannot fail to cause worship to rise up in us, and find joyful expression through a life that SHOUTS out to the world, 'Praise is what I do!'

Here then are some of the topics we will start with. Under each of these headings will be links to more 'sub-headings'. I will be including many more additions in the coming weeks and months.

Come and Praise .. is an introduction and an invitation to embrace the life style of praise.

Worship .. and praise go hand in glove with one another, so we will discuss the many aspects of the subject of worship, including many practical issues related to its application in church situations.

The Prayer of praise ..brings out the connection, [a very powerful one], between the two. Praise has been said by many to be the most powerful form of prayer. Understanding this truth will add a new dimension to our prayer lives.

Praise and worship music .. although not the exclusive way, plays an integral part in the dynamic expression of a lifestyle of 'praise is what I do', and forms a major part of our discussion.

Praise dance .. will show us that dance, which is a universal expression of happiness, joy and pleasure, is no longer limited to the nightclubs, ballroom dance floors and academies. More and more in recent years we have seen this biblical demonstration of praise being restored to church groups, christian groups and to christian individuals worldwide.

Everything we will look at on this exciting subject is based on the truth found in the Word of God, the Bible. That truth is as relevant and up to date today as when the words were first penned, thousands of years ago.

One of the inspired writers of the New Testament, Paul, expresses that relevance in these words. "For the word of God is living and active..." Hebrews 4:12

Jesus Himself said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." Luke 21:33

David, the shepherd boy who became king, is acknowledged as one of the foremost exponents of a life dedicated to praise. If ever there had to be only one person who could say exclusively, 'praise is what I do', it would be him. Psalm 34:1 God called David, 'A man after My own heart'.

Could it be because David's heart was so full of praise? Psalm 9:1

The good news is that David doesn't have exclusive rights to say 'praise is what I do!'

I am saying, Praise is what I do! So, How about You?

Join me as the journey continues, and let's together explore the wonders of this vast topic.
[A heads up before we go - we may on occasion get off the well worn paths into some lesser known territory; 4x4, SUV country!]

Temporary note to all my visitors
Not all of the topics listed above have yet been added to the web pages. I ask for your patience. Please check back regularly. If you have any comments or questions, please use the form on the About Me page.