ICONIC Mar/Apr 2017 | Page 12

NEW

Here I Am ...

Send Me

by Melissa Riddle Chalos
For Darlene Zschech — speaker , author , pastor and worship leader who has written over 100 anthems sung by 30 million worshipers around the world — the concept of hope is not a concept at all . Hope has hands that serve the poor . Hope trusts even when the diagnosis seems grim . Hope says yes , before the question is asked . As long as there is hope , there is life . And for this mentor of a whole new generation of worship leaders , as long as there is life , there is worship .
Crowder perfoms with newcomer Steven Malcolm .
“ Worship pushes back the noise of life ,” explains Darlene , who along with her husband Mark , pastors Hope Unlimited Church in New South Wales , Australia . “ In that place , we hear Him speak , we ’ re made more like Him , we ’ re satisfied in His presence , given the fruits of the Spirit . Over the years , I ’ ve had this sense that maybe this is really all about the Great Commission . Once He has our hearts , then He has our lives … worship has more to do with what comes from our lives , not just our mouths .”
And much has come from this worship-filled life . Bringing hope and the love of Christ to the world has long been the calling for Darlene and Mark through their longstanding work within the Church and through relief agencies such as Hope : Global , an organization they founded to serve the poorest of the poor . The Zschechs believe that if our worship is to fulfill God ’ s purpose , we must be willing to say “ Here I Am Send Me .”
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