What is Soaking?

In some christian circles there is a term known as 'soaking'. Check out this website that has a lighthearted duck called Phil that will talk you through the basics! Phil the Super Soaker 

 'Soaking Music' has a meditative flavour, and some christians feel a bit uncomfortable with this because it seems like it's New Age or Paganistic.

What I understand/experience soaking to be, is resting in God. I find that in this culture I feel the pressure to be so busy doing so much stuff, that I find it hard to stop. I've discovered soaking, resting, chilling with my heavenly Father to be neccesary for my sanity! It is, as it were, pretty much like what is known in the wider christian world as 'quiet time'. 'Quiet Time' being a time set aside for stopping and praying, reading the bible, listening to what God has to say and remembering afresh what Jesus has done for us. Soaking, as I comprehend it, is essentially the same thing, with perhaps more of an emphasis on receiving from God rather than talking at Him, if that makes sense! So often we can bring requests and shopping lists to God and just don't turn our listening ears on. It depends where you're at I suppose, on whether it's helpful for you or not. It may not be for everyone, but I certainly find it helpful.

I believe it's about balance too.
For example, if I'm listening to alot of theologically wordy worship songs, that's great, but sometimes it feels like i'm not really connecting with God but hearing a sung sermon. Surely praise should be singing to God rather than just about Him? On the other hand, if all the songs I hear are songs that don't have any mention of Jesus or any theological truth, even if they're creative and sound nice, then that can be very unhelpful too!

So, it's important to be biblical in song, but it's good to be creative. I mean, in the bible it says 'Sing to the LORD a new song' and 'Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted.'

This verse from the first book to the Corinthians, addressing the subject of tongues, aptly describes what I mean by a balance of the theological and creative/spiritual.
[1 Cor 14v15]
"What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will also sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also"

Calon Lân - the Power of Song

In 2006, I was with a well known baptist church from Cardiff on a weekend away up in Cefn Lea- a beautiful place up in the welsh hills. This particular time, the surrounding area was covered with snow and it was very slippery to walk around due to the icy cover! I even wrote a poem at that time because the sky was so clear and the stars were shining brightly, perfect for creative inspiration!

 'Cefn Lea: Stars' a poem by Lozi B 

I recall feeling very emotional at the time and lay down in a snowy field, alone in the dark, looking up at the numerous stars. I was suffering intensely with depression at the time and, specifically on this holiday, I remember having a massive crush on this guy who (it seemed) just didn't notice my existance! I wondered around outside that night, ambling through a big snowy field from my chalet up towards the main building, I stopped. I raised my head and stared at the stars for a very long time. (my neck hurt!) My cloak didn't do much to prevent the cold, but I stubbornly stayed anyway, even lying down in the snow (crazy lozi!). I'll be honest, I was having a right old pity party- it spiralling from thinking how this guy doesn't even see me and then I started thinking that nobody sees me, nobody cares. Blah blah blah. PITY PARTIES ARE NOT A GOOD IDEA! :) 

As a student, especcially a 1st year fresher, I was feeling intensely lonely. I didn't have friends that I had a long history with, sure I had friends, but I still felt this raw ache of isolation in my heart. I believe God was walking with me in that time, and still is, even if I couldn't see it in the moment. 

I don't remember much from this weekend, except 3 things: the snow, the stars and this song, Calon Lân...

My first encounter with this beautiful song was on one of the evenings in the main building at Cefn Lea. A girl called Cath Woolridge sang this song in welsh, and I felt very strongly that the words had some meaning to me, that maybe God wanted to speak to me prophetically through the words. So then, i found out what the words meant...

I'd not ask a life that's easy  

gold and pearls so little mean.

Rather seek a heart that's joyful,

heart that's honest, heart that's clean.

Heart that's clean and filled with virtue,

fairer far than lilies white.

Only pure hearts praise God truly,

praise Him all the day and night.

Pure heart.

Dawn and sunset, still i'm searching,

rising on a wing of song.

Give me Lord, through Christ my Saviour

that clean heart for which i long.

Heart that's clean and filled with virtue,

fairer far than lilies white.

Only pure hearts praise God truly,

praise Him all the day and night.

Pure heart.

(Here's a nicer version of the song by Only Boys Aloud:-)

After reading these words(or even before), I felt that God had placed a prayer in my heart and, at the end of that year, the Holy Spirit of the LORD came upon me in Cathays and healed me from depression. He spoke to me very clearly and it was from that point really that I can say that I took 'this God stuff' seriously. He has done so many amazing things for me, Jesus is very good.

 So, it has been a lovely reminder, hearing this song on national tv lately. There's something special about welsh male voice choirs singing hymns... 

Hebrews 12v2 

[Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, 

the author and perfecter of our 

faith]

Dreams & Visions

It is good to remember things that God has said and done. I have been finding it helpful (and sometimes amusing) to record down dreams that i've had at night (or whenever i've been asleep!). At times the dreams that I have seem like cheese dreams. You know the kind I mean: the crazy, psychedelic dreams where all kinds of wacky, confusing things happen that make no sense. And all coz I've been eating stilton sarnies too late at night :P But then come the occasions where I encounter very vivid dreams that are pregnant with meaning- sometimes nothing more than a helpful insight into what I really am actually thinking, and what is really on my heart. However, there are the dreams that are definitely more than that. 

Just for the record, I have been dreaming about London, Albania, Eastern Europe, Rome, Berlin, Israel, California, Wales, Africa/Asia, Morroco, Greece, Guernsey, France...and on recollection, 90% if my dreams involve being on stage in some capacity. 

A cool dream I will share with you is this one that I had between 29th/30th November 2011. This is what I wrote that day:"I had a dream that seemed random- 2 black birds that I thought were crows fell out of my window. I think they died. I thought they were demons and that the dream was about the Holy Spirit of God protecting me from them..."  I thought they died because they looked kind of squashed. The reason why this is so cool, is that after dreaming this the night before, that day (Wednesday) I went to Youth Club. And at Youth Club they have a corkboard in the backhall where things are posted up every so often. I saw a piece of paper with 2 blackbirds on the corkboard, looking EXACTLY like how I saw them in my dream, kind of squashed. On the bit of paper they were on, there was a bible verse-

[Phillipians 4v19] "And my God will meet ALL your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus" 

Pretty encouraging :)

Dreams & Visions to be continued...