Living Praise Ministries
Who we are
First,"who we are", are children of God. We are children that are called to serve God wherever HE opens the doors. We are also called as children to spend time with our "DAD" and just have relationship with him.
Secondly, we are a ministry called to minister to the body of Christ through Praise and Worship and the gifts that God has placed in us. We usually minister to believers to deepen their relationship with the Lord. Currently God is speaking to and through us about HIS desire to be more intimate with HIS sons and daughters.
Living Praise Ministries was started by Les and Des Keller in 1986. Since that time we have traveled throughout the East Coast and a couple of foreign countries, ministering in worship in prisons, churches, conferences, home fellowships and anywhere else that God opened the door. The article below explains a little of our hearts.
Intimacy with the Lord
Les and I have been married 36 years. I could tell you that every morning we wake up and put each other first. I could tell you that we never have a cross word. I could tell you that our lives are like a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie—dancing and singing our way through life. But if I told you that, I would be lying. I often tell, when we minister, that we have been married 36 years and 31 of them have been good. (In fact, they have been incredible!) That is the truth. Our first 5 years were filled with turmoil COMPOUNDED by our use of drugs and alcohol. Sure we loved each other, but we probably loved ourselves more. I could tell you stories of fights that ended with me throwing his clothes out in the red-clay mud in the rain. At the time, Christ wasn’t in our lives either. Also we had NO idea how much work marriage is.
Since then, we have been through mountain tops and valleys, but we have grown and learned a lot. But don’t take it that I am thinking that our marriage has arrived because 1st Corinthians 10:12 says “So let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” I believe that can apply to any area in life. It is very easy after so many years to get TOO comfortable in a relationship. You think you know how each other thinks, moves, and feels. You sometimes stop dating, romancing, and building each other up and take each other for granted. You become so secure you forget to do the work. A lot of times we will hear about a couple that splits up and the statement is made; “He (or she) had no clue that there was a problem!” You think to yourself how can that be? I think one of the ways is because they lost sight of their responsibilities in the relationship. Have you ever talked to a couple separately and found one is telling you that they have problems, but the other one is telling you that they are doing great? If one thinks there is a problem, then both of them have a problem.
The same happens in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We lose sight of our responsibilities. My relationship with the Lord has been a whirlwind romance. When we first got saved, I used to sit on my couch for hours with the Lord discussing with him our daily lives; our bills, our hurts and pains; just everyday stuff. He was my best friend. At that time we also discovered the “magic” in singing songs to God. Through the years this singing songs grew (by seeking) to worshiping in song. In fact it became so easy just to enter into God’s presence. There were certain songs that seemed to make God’s presence more tangible than others. They seemed to have more of an anointing to them. Then it seemed that we as believers fell into a formula in our praise and worship. It seemed that we got into the rut of two fast songs, a transitional song, and then two slow songs.
THEN for me the formula seemed to quit working. I would try and try the formula, and it just wouldn’t work. I equate that to a married couple. After years of marriage there are “signals” that would indicate a desire for intimacy. It may be a look or a touch, but you know the signal. If the signals stay the same through the years they become habit. The same goes with our worship. God always wants a freshness and not a habit. He wants a relationship and not a formula.
I want to submit a thought: Is it possible, in all of our busy-ness in our relationship with our heavenly Father, that we have been so involved in the formula that we have lost SIGHT of the relationship? If so, what do we do about it?
First off—we need to set time aside for the Lord. You may be saying; “the Lord goes with me everyday.” “I talk to Him while I do the dishes or driving in the car.” That is wonderful, but that is a problem too!! What if our spouse would never just stop doing and just talk to us? What if we had to follow him or her around, trying to share our hearts, but they were always busy doing something else? If you are like me, it is easy to talk with the Lord here and there, but it is hard to actually STOP what I am doing and give Him my total attention. We need to change this.
First, get up in the mornings five to ten minutes earlier. If mornings are not good, do it in the evening. Turn off the TV! Don’t try to start with the “one hour,” but instead do baby steps so you will stick with it.
Find a place just for the two of you to date. In a motorhome, it is a challenge. We both struggle because there isn’t a “my spot,” but it is not impossible. We have friends that are able to have a “prayer room” in their home, but all of us are not able to do that. It is really what we purpose in our heart.
Spend some of this time worshiping Him, telling Him how much you love Him. Try not to worship in the same way “we have always done it.” Purpose in your hearts to worship in ways we don’t normally worship. Do something in worship that you don’t normally do. Think about what you do. Example: we raise our hands during worship. Why? Do we raise hands with a purpose to convey something to the Lord or do we do it out of habit? Do we sing songs or do we think about the words that we are singing? Do the words convey what is in our hearts? Do we need to sing what is in our hearts and not sing the latest song? Have you ever tried to dance for the Lord or with the Lord? Whatever you decide to try, make it with a focus and a purpose.
There have been times in our marriage that Les and I have had to stop and make changes. I know that we will have to do that again and again. Is it time for us to stop and make changes in our relationship with the Lord? Have we let other things crowd in and push out our time with the Lord? Are we just too busy?
One time I had a young Mother tell me that she just didn’t have time in the day to sit down with the Lord. I did understand—I always feel like my day is going to get away from me if I stop and sit down with Him. But, do you know what? When I do stop and just spend that time with HIM, and even though my mind is so anxious about time and getting things accomplished, I get more done and have less stress that day. But come the next day, I go through the same thoughts in my mind! The Word says that we need to take every thought captive.
I want to encourage you to STOP sometime every day and try to spend “special” time with HIM. Plan a date with just you and the Lord. I bet when you do—HE will have some plans for that date that you don’t even know about.