Merge Worship

Perry Noble on 2 Kings 7

• Instead of asking Him to build His church, we’ve asked Him to build our church
• It (the church) does not belong to anyone. (elders/deacons) It belongs to Him.
• Getting back to the church we need to wrestle with 3 questions
o Are we willing to embrace change?
• “If you think your poop doesn’t stink. God can’t use you.”
• “Why sit here until we die?”
• I believe every church in America is one or two changes away from doubling in size.
• Churches have been declining in size for the last 30 years. If it was our money, we would do something about it.
• If we reacted to the church as strongly as we reacted to the stock market we would see change.
• If you could do it like you’ve always done it, then He wouldn’t need to speak to us.
• Everyone ca look at other churches and see where they need to change, but can you look at your church and see where it needs to change.
• After being in a church for 5-10 years God asks us to change what we once thought was a good idea.
• We have several people who would give their lives for the grandchildren to see them come to Christ but would not be willing to change their style of music.
• Perry gets his idea that the church should change from the book of Acts. That makes this charismatic dude happy. ;-)
• Thomas taught a skeptics class in the early church.
• Peter taught a class on how to cuss and still be a Christian. Perry teaches that class at NewSpring.
• If what’s going on in your church is manageable it’s not a move of God. Moves of God can not be planned or managed.
• A move of God is messy and if you don’t want messy you don’t want a move of God.
• “NewSpring is the church where sinners go. “They’re all on staff.”
• 4 year old kid said to his parents…”I want to go back to the damn church.” Perry told the parents. “That’s passion. They hired him on the spot.”
• If you’re trying to tell people who can and can’t come to your church, you’re telling God He can’t show up.
• People will leave if we teach on giving. “Just the people who aren’t giving.” :-)
• Perry remembers counting money in the closet of the Fine Arts building at Anderson College.
• He would call people who missed and ask if they wanted to double up on their tithes before he asked if they were sick.
• If it’s God’s will, it’s His bill.
• If you’re a pastor and want to see your church take off, you need to be less involved in the day to day of your church.
• A pastor’s job as related to youth ministry is to fund it.
• We take better care of our senior adults then our money.
• People ask why they have youth. “We spend money on them. Everyone else is.”
• We’ve got to get out of the business of competing with one another and get in the business of completing each other.
• Question 2
o Are we willing to work?
• Our attitude should be that we’re willing to do whatever He asks us to.
• Instead of asking for permission we should place ourselves in submission.
• Working in a church
o Investigate the obvious
• Is there anything going on in your church that you wouldn’t want be a part of if you weren’t getting paid? Is there anything that you’re manufacturing energy for?
• Is there any staff member or volunteer that isn’t getting it done? Sometimes God calls us to hurt people’s feelings. “Brood of vipers.”
• Do you have anyone on stage that can’t sing?
• Have a group of people around you that will keep it real.
o Ignore the jackass
• In the greek jackass is translated “blogger”
• 2 types of jackasses
• the person that takes shots at you without ever attending your church. God calls his church to be above the fray and not to be intimidated by the “jackasses”
• when a move of God is bringing people to Christ who would rather attack it, God or Satan?
• The 2nd jackass is the person who always wants to go “deeper”. “Your only as deep the last person you served.”
• We want more worship. You have 6 other days.
• John Maxwell…”Christians are educated beyond the level of obedience”
• Question 3
o Are we willing to reach the world?
o Overplayed terms
• Contemporary—our pastor wears a sweater vest and we sing songs that makes Him seem like he buys
• Blended—no one in our church possesses a set and will declare where we stand. In an effort to keep everyone happy we reach no one.
• Missional—it’s like a fish saying “I like water. I like water.” We should be missional. Definition---nobody showing up.
• Emergent—we’re a bunch of spoiled church kids who have a problem with authority; included the authority of scripture. We’ve sided with Satan by questioning the word of God and hell will be more crowded because of it.

• Jesus didn’t die so we could form holy huddles in a church to discuss terms while the world around us is dying and going to hell.
• God didn’t call the church to condemn the city, He called us to save our cities.
• “The reason I’m obsessed with numbers because I was one of the numbers.”
• It’s amazing how the church will trust the Holy Spirit for salvation, but not after salvation.

A part of me always wants to bring something new and exciting to the table. I'm always wanting to be fresh and current. But the thought hit me today that sometimes I don't need to change the world. I just need to create environments where people can connect to God in worship. And sometimes that means using the K.I.S.S. method.

Here's what brought this home for me today. I'm heading back to VA this afternoon to lead worship at their annual Men's Advance. I am co-leading with my friend Matt Ruckel who took over when I left. Matt and I chose the sets for the weekend and chose songs everyone knows. Familiar. Easy. Simple.

Besides, I'm really not there to impress anyone with my gifts, right? I'm supposed to be there to impress on them the greatness of God. So I'm content this weekend to go in and do older songs and try and provide worship that's like a pair of old, comfy slippers.

Here's this week's sermon graphic. Is this something I should continue? Not sure if it's helpful to anyone....

Anyway, I threw this one together yesterday afternoon with another HT to SXC. Feel free to use and pass along.

I'm trying out Intense Debate to manage my comments from this point forward. While I will be moving to wordpress soon, this is the first step in stepping it up on the blogosphere for me. It's a fun way to keep track of all of your comments in one spot. You can also add video, youtube videos, smileys and polls to your comments. Good stuff.

Click on the comment line and leave a comment and help me test this out.

Thanks.

I love twitter and facebook. I really dig the idea that I can connect to other folks around the country/planet and get to know them. I've shared phone conversations/coffee/lunch/hang out time/halo/iChat/tokbox with people I either a) wouldn't met otherwise or b) lost touch with, all because of the new and beautiful world of social networking.

But, some (if not most) of the people I'm called to serve in the local church setting don't get it.

There's even some that don't like it.

Think it's a waste of time.

Not interested in connecting over facebook/email/twitter.

Folks that in my social networking world wouldn't be "cool".

People who are just as much in need of life change and someone to love them where they are as all my connected friends. People who need friends and go about sharing life in a totally different way than I do.

I really would love it if everyone was like me and communicated and shared life in the same way. But then again, wouldn't that make life boring? :-)

I'm trying to figure this out because, at the end of the day, what matters to me is seeing people connected to and embraced by a God who loves them whether they're "plugged in" or not.

How do you connect with "offline people"? You can talk about them freely because they'll never read this anyway. ;-)

U2's new album (which I'm enjoying right now) is available; today only; for $3.99. You can find it here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001S6HZTE/ref=dm_ty_alb

I thought I'd include some things that I've been reading recently.

5 Things Churches Must Learn to Survive a post about how we interact with institutions has changed and what the church can learn from that.

The Biggest Sin in Your Church A post from Ed Stetzer (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite guys) about the sin of "the lack of obedience". Great read.

Two Reviews on Tony Morgan's "Killing Cockroaches" book. One practical review and one that made me laugh.

Andy Stanley on Communication 'nuff said.

A Global Translation Tool in REAL TIME in Chat A-MA-ZING

Take Some Risks A post by Craig Groeshcel about transparency in leadership.

That should keep you busy. ;-)

What are you reading right now that's impacting your world?

HT to http://sxc.hu again for the pic that served as the base for this graphic. This is the graphic we'll be using this weekend:




Enjoy and feel free to use, or point out all the stuff that's wrong with it. ;-)

If you're looking for design inspiration, here's some sites I use.

http://vecteezy.com
http://dafont.com
http://sxc.hu
http://istockphoto.com (pay site)
http://morguefile.com

And here's one of the BEST posts I've seen about church graphic resources:

http://churchrelevance.com/free-church-graphics-and-resources-toolbox/

What do you use for inspiration?

One of my favorite churches recently used "We Will" as the theme for their Global Impact Celebrations. These guys are really doing it. I'm so humbled to have played a part in the life of their church through this song.

Here's the graphic they used:

I went down there last Wednesday and played sax for their set for the opening of their celebration. It was amazing to hear a church full of people singing the words of a song that I wrote. It was even crazier to see "We Will" on every piece of print that they handed out. Just insane for me to see that.

I just want to say thanks to their pastor, Michael Fletcher. Thanks for your heart for Him and for seeing the world changed by Him and for allowing this song to become a part of the worship culture at Manna.

Thanks Wayne for introducing it to them!

You can hear Pastor Fletcher's message to conclude their Global Impact Celebration here:

http://mannachurch.com/pages/sermons.html

It's the Feb. 22nd sermon titled...you guessed it; We Will.

Thanks for rejoicing with me in this moment.

Someone called me the other day and said they "needed everyone to like me". That could be the most difficult job description I've ever heard. With that in mind, let's say a short prayer.

"Heavenly Father, please let them love blue jeans and tennis shoes.

Help them enjoy a ranging variety of music and styles.

May they always appreciate quick wit and sarcasm.

And help them to love an overweight, balding guy who's still trying to hold on to being cool.

In Jesus' name.

Amen."

What would you pray in your prayer of likability? (now's also the time when all my friends comment and tell me what I missed in mine)

So, I'm not sure if this will be a regular thing, but I thought it would be cool to post the graphic I'm working on for our services. I'm using LIMITED software and not doing a whole lot, so please go easy on me. This week is "Beyond Hope". Here's what I came up with:





HT to http://sxc.hu

A great place to get royalty free hi-res images. Enjoy and feel free to use if needed.

I had two conversations this weekend that left me with this impression:

Just because we've always done it one way, doesn't mean we should never try another way.

It's easy to get set in traditions. We experience something great that feels right and over time we settle into routine. Routine becomes ritual and, if we're not careful, we can let sacred moments become sacred cows.

Which leads me to this. In addition to "never say never", should we add "never say always" to our lexicon? I know there are things that are constant. But when it comes to our mode of communication or our format of service, I'm thinking it might be a good idea to drop the word always.

I'm a firm believer that God is, has been and will always be a creator. With that in mind, I'm never saying always again. Oh wait, I can't say never either. :-)

What do you think?

So...we remixed "Here I Am to Worship" to "Here I Am to Romance" this weekend. Our Sr. High leader took his wife out on a special date to serenade her. Without further adieu, here's what went down. Enjoy!

I'm sitting here on Valentine's day thinking about love. Not just like I love cheeseburgers love, but 1st Corinthians 13 love.

Running through a mental checklist and thinking about how it would look if it was biographical. Here's what I think it would look like.

Love is patient (most of the time)

Love is kind (as long as it's reciprocated)

Love doesn't envy (unless you have something I want)

Love doesn't boast (except when trash talk is neccessary)

And on and on it goes.

I'm trying to love the right way. Thanks to 1st Cor. 13 I know just how far I have to go.

So...This guy has had me thinking a LOT about my blog. The way it looks/feels the purpose of it. Pretty much anything to do with my blog, I've thought about. So...with that said I'm praying/planning for a move for the blog to 2.0. What's involved?

• redesign
• move to wordpress
• intense debate for comments
• basically an upgrade in every way

I'm still thinking about the best way to make it happen and I'm open to other's thoughts. (isn't that what this world is about?)

What would you like to see or recommend for blog 2.0?

I'm coming to the conclusion that there are some things only prayer can fix. You'd think being a worship pastor, I'd already be rolling with that knowledge. But, if I'm honest, I try to fix a lot of things from my small reservoir of knowledge and personal leadership skills.

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2009/02/04/translation-tool-makes-global-a-reality/

You need to check out this new chat with live translation. Very cool stuff.

Thanks LifeChurch.tv for making the Kingdom better connected.

I shared with our team last night the first miracle I ever saw. It is the thing that I continue to go back to whenever my heart is filled with doubt or fear. It dawned on me that I've never shared it here, so here goes.

I'm meeting with our worship team tonight for some pizza and fellowship. Part of our conversation is going to be about our focus.

It's easy to focus on musical/technical execution.

It's easier still to just focus on doing your job well.

It's easy to make worship about the part you play.

But worship isn't about us.

Worship is about Him. His pleasure. His praise. Celebrating His promise.

As a worshiping community, my highest aspiration for us is that we would be worshipers. I'm hoping everything we do in the "artistic" life of our church reflects that hope.

How do you keep your focus where it should be?

I got a call on Sunday from a friend asking for prayer for a missionary. "Ezekiel" is a pastor in Africa. On Friday his wife called and said his 8 year old son wasn't there when she went to pick him up from school. Ezekiel hadn't seen him either. A couple of hours later they received a ransom note.

Someone had their son and wanted 1 million dollars (about 14K US$) for his safe return. Needless to say, Ezekiel doesn't have a million dollars laying around. They contacted him later and lowered the ransom to the equivalent of $4,700.

Ezekiel came up with $1,700 and called for prayer. As a network of believers began to pray, Ezekiel felt led to contact the kidnappers. He told a friend that he couldn't pay them off because it would "open the door for other pastors to possibly have their children taken". He contacted his sons captors and told them: "I'm not giving you any money and I want my son back. You're not dealing with me. You're dealing with God."

He sent his wife and younger child to another village to protect them and prayed. On Monday the Holy Spirit directed him to a certain part of town to look. Ezekiel obeyed.

Ezekiel found his son and took him home.

God is real and God is good.

We had a good set of services this weekend. But instead of giving you all my thoughts from that, I'd just like to say happy MLK day! I hope you enjoy this day of celebrating the life of a man determined to make a difference.

What things in your world are you determined to make a difference in? Be inspired today!

I had this thought last night that I might have spent a lot of my time gathering knowledge without gaining wisdom. Once Tony Evans said that "wisdom is putting feet to your what you know".

How many times have I read a great book and not implemented what I learned?

How many times have I had an amazing conversation with another leader only to walk away and stay basically the same?

How many times have I read a passage of Scripture or devo and not put feet to it?

How many times has the Lord revealed Himself to me and I've left unchanged?

I have a large appetite (no fat jokes...this time) to read, connect and grow. In this new year I need my life to be about gaining wisdom not gathering knowledge. I'm endeavoring to live the words of James 1:22

"Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself. Do what it says"

And all God's people said...amen.

Just saw this from Leonard Sweet.

"Even Christians are so much better at wearing crosses than bearing crosses."

How true. How painfully true.

How can we encourage each other to live lives that are cross bearing instead of cross wearing?

I just realized that I've not done a post since my last weekend recap. Sorry about that. It's been a crazy week learning the ropes at a new church, new area and all that fun stuff. Anyway...I'll get back on the ball.

With that said...here's my thoughts on the weekend.

Worship Set:

• Meet With Me
• Holy is the Lord
• How Great is Our God/How Great Thou Art
• Response: Take My Life
  

Random Thoughts:

• Brian Worley (our Jr. High Pastor) ROCKED his sharing time about being "Uniquely Crafted" while delicately handling his wife's cool pottery. I'll admit I prayed for him every time he picked up those pieces.
• The line of the day that made me smile: "I knew you were going to be a good worship leader when I saw your kicks."
  
• Saturday night service was GREAT! Big adjustment for me leading on Saturday, but there was a real sense of worship that night.
• Lots of fun being interviewed by Sass. Almost got out of hand with the joking in the 11, but fun none the less.
  
• Mercy caught some stomach thing. I'm trying to figure out a way to blame this on our Senior Teaching Pastor who was out with a stomach thing as well.
• The worship team, from the booth to the stage, are all working really hard. It is noted and appreciated!
• My man Les said that he was "completely drained" after the 9:15. I LOVE passionate worship leading that leaves us on empty when we're done.
• They threw up a graphic in the 9:15 that I'll probably try and tweak some this week. (but we're getting there)
  

Going to be a great service next week continuing to talk about being "Uniquely Crafted" and how our passions are given to us by God. Bring a friend that is passionate about things other than Jesus right now and let's see their heart change to pursuing something deeper!

Here's a little recap of what went down this weekend in my world.

Worship Set:

• Beautiful One
• Friend of God
• What a Friend We Have in Jesus
• Communion
• Forevermore

Random thoughts:

• It was my first Sunday in a new place so that was a little nerve wracking, but God was faithful. Kept the worship set simple and singable.
  
• No drummer for 2 of 3 services. I would've normally been a little bugged by this, but everything felt like the glass was half full for me. The band reacted well and I think we were still able to carry enough energy.
  
• Great response from the congregation after the services. Seems like everyone is ready to jump into what God wants to do next in worship here at Grace.
• I'm definitely a bit of a switch from the norm, but the worship team (band/vocals/AV) all reacted well even when I went off the script.
• I really enjoyed getting to lead the people of Grace in worshiping our great God together. (we even had a few clappers in the 11 service)

I think God has brought me to a "weighty" and "challenging" season, but I'm looking forward to tackling this season with my new church family and seeing us become who it is He is calling us to be!

So I'm up late tonight. Praying about this new leg of my journey. Praying for the people God has called me to serve and lead. Listening to some worship music and reading some Psalms.

Just trying to wrap my mind around all He is doing in this new season. I think the weight of this new assignment is hitting me tonight. (ok. it's actually morning)

One thing I know. I'm not doing this alone. Someone gave my Mom Proverbs 4:12 which talks about wisdom guiding us in unhindered steps.

This is not the time for me to try and do things on my own. I am determined to be obedient to Him and accomplish His vision in the new year.

The only way I can do that is by getting Adam out of the way and trusting "Him who has begun a good work" to finish it.

So, as you think about the be year, what big things has He placed in your heart that you can't do without Him? Let's dream together.

So. I'm moving my family in 5 days to a new state. A new city. A new church.

It's always an adventure when we start something new together. This will be Mercy and Judah's first real shot at trying it out. They are 5 and 7 and this is the first move we've made that has hit them. They've been real troopers and have been looking for the positive almost all the time. That's not to say it's been easy. When their peers prayed for them in kid's church:


There were tears shed. By all of us.

One thing I love about transition with Misty and my family is that it pulls us tighter together. It's almost like we know we need to lock it up tight. Knowing that we've been blessed with each other is an amazing feeling and I'm never more aware of how blessed I am then in these times of transition or difficulty.

Our friends have gone beyond any of my expectations to show us how much they love us and Misty has been working like mad to get us ready. She is the rock in my world. I don't tell her I love her enough.

As we've traveled across NC (which is where we're moving back to) the anticipation and anxiety of the move has grown. The reality is settling in.

I'll be leading a whole new set of people in worship next Sunday. They've never seen me lead before. The thoughts are racing through my head.

What if they don't like me?
I can't wait to grow with them and watch them grow.
I'm pumped about where God is going to take us.
I am stoked about the team I'm going to be leading with.
Is Judah's school going to be as great as we think it is?
Will Mercy and Judah find new friends easily?

In short (or not really short) life is just that side of crazy right now. We'd appreciate your prayers and, if you're in the Raleigh area, hit us up when we move down. We're trusting God for great friendships there!

I know this post is a little less efficient and pretty than some of my others, but one of my friends asked me to keep this blog a little more "real" this year. We'll see how that pans out.

btw...I'll be leading worship here in the new year. Drop by if you're around.

As most of you know, my family and I are moving to Raleigh in the new year. We're going to be part of a great church there. (Grace Community Church) This move is also going to put us in between our two families. With my Mom going through non-hodgkins follicular lymphoma this going to be a HUGE blessing.

I made a top 10 list of things I was going to miss about where I am, so I thought I'd pull a Fox News and give equal opportunity to the other stuff going on in my head. So without further adieu, here's my top 10 list of things I'm looking forward to.


10. Opportunities to deepen our faith with another family of believers
9. The chance to make an impact in North Raleigh with a church that is discovering who she is
8. Working with the worship team and musical folks @ Grace Community
7. Cook Out and Bojangles
6. Being closer to old friends
5. Developing new friendships
4. Tarheel Tickets (hint hint)
3. Working with the Staff and Leadership of Grace Community (can't wait to grow together)
2. Being closer to family.
1. Seeing Grace become a place known for being "without walls" and marked by authentic worship, life change, evangelism and discipleship.

I've only got two weeks or so left with my Greenbrier church family and I'm thinking about all the things I'm going to miss. (don't worry Grace Community...I've got things I'm looking forward to as well) Here's my top 10 list. I'm sure I'll forget something.

10. Lunch at Warrior Grill/Bangkok Garden/Kyoto/Famous Uncle Al's
9. Walking to work
8. Church at the Beach (my favorite service every year)
7. Our pastoral and staff team
6. POWERKIDS
5. All my worship teams
4. Consuming, Spirit-filled worship times with our church family
3. All the people who've helped me and my family grow
2. inROUTE peeps
1. Deep friendships (thank God for online networking)

This could be the single most depressing post I've written. I'd just like for all my Greenbrier family to know that my entire family appreciates and loves you all very much. You've been formative in our walk with Christ and I know God has great things in store for you. Thanks for your continued prayers and investment in us. You've likely meant more to us than you know.

So...the cat's out of the bag. My family and I are moving. I'll post some more stuff later, but the long and short of it is that Misty and I believe that God is calling us to be closer to our family. I'd like to go deeper into all the things that led us here, but I'm going to wait until it's all hindsight. Things are always clearer then. My Mom is going through her third round of chemo and Misty's Dad isn't exactly the picture of health. All those things combined with prayer and counsel from wise friends has led us to this place.

In His providence, He's also led us to a cool church (and a great team) that has been in the middle of some transition and is giving us an opportunity to love, lead and grow with Grace Community in Raleigh, NC. We're very sad to be leaving a place we love and friends we treasure, but are also excited about the days ahead. Sometime next week I'm going to post the 10 things I'll miss about here and the 10 things I'm looking forward to.

If you see me or my wife over the next couple of weeks, give us a hug; we'll need it. More details to come. In the meantime, what are your best tips for making a move successful? (especially where young kids are involved)

It's that time of year again. Time for worship leaders to bring their best "thankfulness" set and for pastors to preach their best "thankful" sermons. Sometimes it can be boring to fall into the same old routine. Truth is; I love this time of year. Not because people focus more on being thankful, but because this season begins to focus us on the One that every good gift comes from. Because leaves fall and I'm reminded that this season, whatever it is, isn't my end. That sometimes things have to die to become beautiful again. And that cold times are best spent with warm people.

I love that my family gets together. That friends get closer. Presents come more often and parties are the norm. I relish the hugs that others give that they might normally hold out on. I cherish seeing children marvel at the spectacle of it all. Most of all, I revel in Jesus who gives us a reason to celebrate and a season to treasure.

What do you love about this season?

Great stuff from 'Los Whitaker over at his blog today. Check it out.

Dear Church Member,

Dear Church Member from Ragamuffin Soul

Hey everybody. Join me in making a difference this season. One of the bloggers I enjoy, Anne Jackson, is joining forces with Soles4Souls to bring 50000 pairs of shoes in 50 days to people who need shoes. It is just $5 for 2 pairs of shoes. I just donated and it could not have been any easier! Spread the word! You can go to the site by clicking on the banner below. Our Pastor gave a challenging sermon yesterday about making investments in the health and eternal destiny of others and I was glad to see this happening today. Let's use the power of our social networks to exceed their goal! Now go clean out your car and turn that change into change! (I know that was hokey, but it felt good at the time)

I hate it when God throws the gauntlet down on me. I was reading Jesus' words this morning on the work of the Holy Spirit and came across this challenging passage.

"Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting His own ideas; He will be telling you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future." (John 16:12 & 13 NLT)

So, here's the BIG challenge for me out of that. If I'm truly being led by the Spirit then should I "not be presenting my ideas" but "telling what I've heard"? Should I hide myself in prayer until I have clarity about the "future" God has for those He's called me to lead and walk beside?

What a challenge and a call to prayer. How do you play out the call to lead with clarity? How do you "not present your own ideas" and present "what you've heard"?

Consider the gauntlet thrown.

Today is my first post on the iPhone. I thought I would try this out and see how it works for blogging.

Today is a BIG day for our Country. Hope everyone is going out to vote today. Throw up a prayer for our Country and one for my family as well. We just found that my Mom is going to have to go through with the stem cell transplant and would appreciate your prayers for that.

Did you vote today?

I have the blessing of leading multiple groups of worship teams in our church. I thought I'd share here what we're talking about this week.

I was praying for you guys and our teams this morning and thought it might be good for us to discuss life “beyond the set”. It’s oversimplifying things to think that our sole function as worship leaders and leaders of teams is to create and execute good worship sets. One of the mandates on Greenbrier is the desire to pour into the lives of others. I certainly don’t belittle the work of putting a set together, rehearsing a team and leading people in worship. But, there is another aspect to what we do in the way that we invest in the lives of people on our team.

I’m not just talking about a top down, “the leader sure cares about us”, kind of vibe but a familial feel on our teams that communicates that we are here for each other “beyond the set”. It is so very easy to get into execution mode, but let me give a real world example. How can we best equip our CrosStone (Jr. High) students as worshippers moving forward in their lives...

a) by teaching them the value of rehearsal, excellence, musical passion and exemplary worship enthusiasm?

or

b) by teaching them the value of transparent, real relationships that allow us all to learn and grow from each other and focus our lives on others?

I think both are important, but ultimately who a person is matters much more than what they do. I view our worship teams as another avenue for discipleship and growth in the lives of the people that choose to be a part of worship here. It’s more than a set list. More than a musical experience. More than an exercise in creativity. Worship here should and will go “beyond the set”. Because, ultimately, worship is about more than a musical expression but about a life lived in obedience to Him and committed to seeing His purpose accomplished in the lives of those He places around us. How do you play out worship “beyond the set” with your teams and where can we improve?

I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

I got a question from a friend about being asked to speak on "Responding to God in Worship". I thought I'd share my response here. I told him that I would start with:

a) we respond to God through worship because it is our created purpose
b) worship is not a narrow window involving music in corporate gatherings, although good, there is a greater purpose in worship
c) worship is ultimately what pleases God most; and obedience is what He enjoys that more than anything else we can bring

• Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.(1 Samuel 15:22)
• Old Testament worship including offering and sacrifices. God makes it clear here that He truly delights in obedience.

d) with obedience as the chief criteria for worship, then everything we do, (work, fun, music, worship as we normally define it, reaching out to someone in need, sharing Jesus, resisting temptation) can fall under the umbrella of worship

What would you say to someone on the topic of response to God in worship?

Over the last few weeks I've been forced to have some really transparent conversations with several people. You could say I've killed a few elephants. It's not been my favorite thing to do. When it comes to stuff about me, I'm really an open book. In many ways I'm way too transparent of a guy. But when it comes to "speaking the truth in love" with others (especially when that truth involves difficult topics) I would rather love and cover than reveal and confront.
*Disclaimer: I always love and cover people in front of others. I'm speaking about revealing and confronting directly with the person(s) involved.*

One of the challenges of being a leader in the church environment is our mandate to help others see real life change and create an environment of family. It is easy (and some people prefer) to just let things shake out however they shake out. Allowing things to just go under the radar and never addressing hindrances to true and honest relationships. What's been amazing is that I'm finding that the more willing I've been to just get things out in the open the easier it is to move on and see improvement.

The Bible says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17) This verse speaks a few things to me.

• God puts us in relationships with others so we can sharpen each other.
  
• If you're going to get sharper, sometimes sparks have to fly.
• There's two ways to stay dull. Avoid relationships altogether or never let relationships get past the place of clashing.

God allows us to be family so we can help each other grow. I believe that requires us to create an environment of transparency and acceptance that enables true relationships that reach beneath the surface. Most relationships aren't big enough for elephants to live in. I've been encouraged to go to others and confess my frustrations and/or mistakes, confirm my love for them and, in some cases, just agree to drop the past and choose to move forward.

What conversation have you been avoiding that is stopping your relationships from going deep? Who's the person you need to "reset" your relationship with and green light them to speak into your world?

I was encouraged this week by what it really means to love somebody. To really share life with them beyond the task in front of us. I shared with our worship team leaders that we should all take the time to let people know we care. When we show somebody that we love them for who they are, not what they provide, we communicate at least three things.

1. We tell them they are on our heart.
2. We tell them they are a person, not an asset.
3. We build relational capital which builds our influence in their world.

How do you show people on your team you care about them?

“How I rejoice in God my Savior! For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed.” (Mary speaking in Luke 1:47-48)


The iWorship Devotional Bible had this to say about this passage. ”All along, God has had a way of using ordinary people in extraordinary ways to further His plans. Paul commented to one early congregation “Few of you were wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you.” (1 Corinthians 1:26) And ever since, the church has advanced largely through the work of humble folk.”

I’ve always thought that one of the reasons that God uses “humble folk” to do His work is the simple truth that He says “ I am the Lord. That is My Name; and My glory I will not give to another..." (Isaiah 42:8) I remember asking the Lord once why He used me for a certain thing instead of other more prominent, talented people and He spoke to me; “You know you don’t deserve it.” God is looking for people of humility who desperately want to be used by Him, for Him and to His ultimate glory. It is our goal as worship leaders to see Him glorified in every way and facet of life.

I know that God certainly chose someone who was not “wise, powerful or wealthy” when choosing me to be a worship pastor and to write songs for His church. He looked beyond the surface of who I was and saw His destiny and calling in me. He still does today. The realization of this truth has challenged me, and I want to challenge you, to look beyond the surface of the people we serve with and see the greatness that God sees. I would encourage us all to take a look at our teams (worship or otherwise) this week in a new light. Who is the next servant leader God is raising up. How can we invest in them the way He invested in us? How can we be agents of change in their lives and help them see themselves as a part of God’s greater plan? How do we see them “through His eyes”?

I just saw this video from Apple on another blog. It talks about changing the world. Sometimes when God gives you big ideas everyone looks at you like you are crazy. I've had some of those crazy looks over my time in telling people the visions and passions of my heart. It can be discouraging and disheartening at times, but I was encouraged after this that it's OK to be a little bit crazy. I think I'm going to listen to some Seal this morning. "No we're never gonna survive, unless; we get a little crazy..." Here's to being a little crazy.

This past weekend one of our elders, Mike Hartsfield, was teaching about Jonah. He talked about responses to grace. What stood out to me was the sailors response to grace. These were pagan sailors who cast lots to “see which of them had offended the gods“. (Jonah 1:7-emphasis added) The sailors were confronted with God’s grace when God stopped the storm after they threw Jonah overboard. They cried out in prayer to God to spare their lives and He responded by silencing the seas. Their immediate response was “awestruck by the Lord’s great power, they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to serve Him”.(Jonah 1:16)

These guys were truly awestruck by God’s power and grace. He was fresh and new. The fact that He would care enough to save them was an overwhelming thought. They had to sacrifice to Him on the spot.Their ship had not been destroyed! Their lives were saved!

Do you remember that day? The day that your life was changed? The day you were saved? I’m afraid the I’m guilty of becoming too familiar with grace. Somehow losing the awestruck wonder that God would come down to die for me. That Jesus loved me (and you) enough to give His all for me. It’s easy to forget sometimes what condition my ship was in when He found me and where my life would be without Him. I believe we’d all do well to “remember His kindness” (Psalms 42:6) and reflect on the truth that He “rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping.” (Psalms 56:13a)

Grace should never stop being amazing. What ways to you remind yourself to be amazed by His grace in your life and keep your amazement fresh?

We’ve been talking a lot recently at my home church about “Harvest Time” and God’s desire to bring people away from Him into relationship with Him. Here's something I posted on our church blog about this topic.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about how worship can help play a role on Sunday mornings in this theme. During my devotions yesterday, I re-read the scripture that says, “And if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself”. (John 12:32 NASB)

I know this was Jesus giving a preview of how He was going to die, but I also believe that as we lift Him up in our worship (and our daily lives) others will be drawn to Him. My personal belief is that when we worship with passion, it sparks the longing that God has placed in everyone to be close to Him. When we tap into the eternal nature of worship (read Revelation 4-5) it resonates with the eternity that God has placed in their heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:!1) One way that we can continue to move toward “Harvest Time” in our gatherings is to “lift Him up” and allow the presence of the Holy Spirit to draw people to Jesus. Let’s worship with passion and fire this Sunday morning! I’m looking forward to it.What’s some other ways you see worship and harvest intersecting?

Many of you probably saw my friend Mike Craig sitting with me at church this week. Mike is like a brother to me. Scratch that, he is my brother. I'm exactly a month and a day older than him and enjoy telling people that I've known Mike his entire life. I was thinking on the value of his friendship and what it means to me. That made me think of a mutual friend of ours, Walt Smith, as he's the third of this trio of brothers. (there's more guys who are like brothers to me, but trio works better for this story)

It dawned on me that Walt wouldn't have been my friend if Mike hadn't led him to Jesus. Talking with Mike about it, I found out that he told Walt on his side porch that he "was going to hell if he didn't come to OUR church". While Mike's theology might have needed some work in our younger years, Mike's willingness to reach out didn't just change Walt's life but mine as well. Walt is a great friend. Always ready to go the extra mile to show he cares for me and my family. The first to apologize in a fight and the last to hold a grudge.

I don't have many friends like Walt. Most people will unfortunately go their whole life without a friend like him. Many times I look at evangelism as only a means to get people into heaven or connect them to Jesus, but I was hit this weekend with the fact that Mike's act of personal evangelism had a huge impact on my life. I have another member of my family, because Mike cared enough to reach beyond himself and tell Walt about Jesus. Personal evangelism changes more lives than the one you're evangelizing. Whose world could you change today through personal evangelism?

I've been putting a lot of thought recently into the purpose behind why I blog and why I enjoy reading the blogs of others. My life is about relationships, connecting to others and connecting them to God. Blogging is about the ability to share life and what I'm learning with the world around me. It's an avenue to share my heart and passion in a very intentional way. It also gives me an avenue to share in "real-time" something that might have happened that God used to speak to my heart.

Blogging allows me to converse with the world around me. Everyone has a story to tell. From Perry Noble to this lady, Ali, I found today who works for Mercy Ships to my buddy Walt who got to meet Huey Lewis this last week. I enjoy hearing the stories of other people's lives. Blogging allows me that window into others and gives them similar access to what God is doing and saying my world. I was so inspired today by reading Ali's blog for a few minutes. Here's a young lady giving herself totally to see the compassion of Jesus shown to kids in Liberia. I would've never know her story if I had not seen this today.

I know some people view this virtual world and the connectedness of blogging as a waste of time, but for me it's missing the point. I walk away from most blogs challenged and encouraged or praying for someone who has a special need. The point (for me) is that blogs, twitter, Facebook etc. reminds me that life is bigger than me, connects me to the greater body of Christ, expands my view of the world and challenges me to be a better Christian, Dad and leader.

I had a chance last week to spend a little over an hour with Pete Wilson. For those of you who may not know Pete, he is the Pastor of a great church in Nashville. Cross Point Church is a happening place to be and God is doing some great stuff there. I was very thankful for Pete’s time and thought I would share some of our conversation here. This is my first time sharing one of these conversations online so we’ll see how it goes. Here’s some of the quotables from our conversation:

I really enjoyed getting to know Pete and learning from him. Pete is marked by humility and graciousness. I walked away more inspired to be a difference in my world. I asked Pete one final question and it was, “If you had 5 minutes left with your boys, what would you tell them about life and Godliness?” Here’s Pete’s response:

“Let’s assume they’re a little older so that they can better understand some things about life. I would tell them Jesus is worth dying for. That you can’t choose when or how you die, but you can choose how you live. Choose to live this life for Jesus.”

Well-said Pete! Make sure to check out Pete’s blog over @ http://withoutwax.tv. You’ll have a blast and learn something to boot. You can also check out Cross Point @ http://crosspoint.tv

What are your thoughts on what Pete had to share?

We have a saying in the south that sometimes you can jump "out of the frying pan and into the fire." I've had some friends recently who have demonstrated incredible faith in the middle of "frying pan" situations. That's why this post is called "frying pan faith". I'd like to share some of their stories here.

I had a friend who had a miscarriage this week. We've been praying with and for them for the last few weeks and asking God to work out this pregnancy according to His plan and ultimately believing Him for life for this child. My wife received an email update after we had heard what was going on. This mother, who had just lost a child, sent out an email extolling the virtues of God's sovereignty. Saying things like, "we trusted in God to do what's best" and "we have peace".

My Mom has been a stalwart of faith through this process of fighting cancer. She has seemed to find an even stronger grip on her faith than I've seen before. There is such a trust in God to not only do what's best, but a sense of peace to wait on Him to see it play out.

Another friend of mine who unexpectedly lost his job two weeks ago volunteered his butt off this week for our VBS. To know what they were going through as a family with kids heading off to college and uncertainty certainly looming in the background, and that he was here EVERY day of the VBS and made it his goal to make an impact in the lives of others and trust in God for providing for him was just incredible! It reminds me of the verse "seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you."

I've been completely moved and motivated by what I've seen out of these people and they way they deal with devastating news with a sense of trust and faith that is supernatural. It seems like we are always hearing of someone turning to drugs, alcohol, adultery or some other form of self-destructive activity to help ease their pain. I'm thankful that I'm surrounded by people that know where to look when difficult times come. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved"-Proverbs 18:10

It is amazing to me how these stressful moments in life can be so clarifying for us. When life seems to be falling apart, God seems to bring such focus to our lives about what matters. My prayer is that I will live my life with frying pan faith; knowing that there is no situation too difficult to trust God in and through.

Musicians always seem to struggle with pride. It’s a constant thorn in the side of most musical and creative people. We’ve all read the scriptures that God “opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” and “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” I read a new one the other day that really caught me off guard. It was Proverbs 17:19. It says this:

The Hebrew there for “exalts his gate” loosely translates to “glorifies his/her position”. The Bible says that people who do this “seek destruction”. I thought about the numerous times I felt it important to tell other people where “God had taken me"(telling about people I’ve met, worked with, written with). Sometimes this can be shared in very positive ways with close friends or new relationships, but I think most creative people could say that they’ve been in conversations where the person was clearly using those conversations to “exalt their gate”. I’ve been guilty of it. I’m sure you haven’t. ;-) Our heart tells us when we cross that line.

It was eye opening for me to see that when I do this, I’m actually getting the opposite of what I was hoping for. I have done that in the past to try and solidify my standing to the person/people I was talking to, but according to Scripture I was actually seeking out my own destruction. The Bible is full of warnings pointing to the destructive nature of pride, but this was the first one that clearly told me that a prideful person is not only due for destruction (Proverbs 15:25), but actively seeking it. That’s a scary thought.

Those closest to me would hopefully tell you that I’m not the most prideful guy on the planet. I try hard to keep that in check. I pray that God would help me retain humility and be able to spot and stop pride in all its various forms in my life. David actually prayed that God would “cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks proud things” (Psalm 12:3) and instructed that “blessed is the man who does not respect the proud”. (Psalm 40:4)

I see humility as a crucial component in my personal journey to be used by God for His fame and to see people exalt Him. As you pray today for God to use you, let a request for humility be close by. Don’t let the destructive nature of pride convince you that if you are just forceful enough, charismatic enough, gifted enough you will have influence and favor. Peter said it this way after quoting Proverbs 3:4: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” Our position as worshipers and believers should be to have lives that exalt Him. We should let God be the one to exalt us, where He wants us, when He wants us.

Last night I had the opportunity to share with 20+ Jr. High students about worship. I had planned to talk about the "why, how and where" of worship, but instead felt impressed to share that there is purpose and significance to worship. It was a great time of sharing filled with some fun moments. Here's a little of what we shared:

• Worship is about more than singing good songs-There is an invisible world beyond the one that we know. We acknowledge it in our talk of the life after this one and need to acknowledge it in the now and know that invisible things are happening when we worship.
  
• Worship stops the enemy (2 Chronicles 20:22)
• It invites His presence (Psalms 22:3)-To this point we talked particularly about how, according to this scripture, God brings His Kingdom rule when we praise. I talked about the "rules" my parents had when I was a kid. The way things are done in the Herod house and that when we worship we invite God to set up His "rules". To come into where we are and dictate His pattern of doing things.
• Worship is the activity of eternity (Revelation 4)-When we worship we tap into the eternal stream of worship happening in heaven.

I tried encouraging the kids that if they could grasp that worship was about more than the song, more than a moment, but carried purpose and significance for their life they could receive a passion for the worship of God. I always love the opportunity to share worship with the next generation. Psalm 145:4 says; "One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts." Living out that Scripture is one of my life's passions. I would encourage you to find someone from another generation and recount God's goodness to them.

On a side note, I'd like to ask everyone to pray for my Mom. She has lymphoma and is going to have to go through some more treatment for it. I'm a little low on the faith-o-meter this morning and would love to know that others are joining with me in believing for God's healing to overtake her body. We serve a God whose Name is above EVERY other name. Thanks...adam

Friday night we were headed out to see some fireworks in a boat with some friends. About 30 minutes before the show was supposed to start we saw lightning flashing and a storm start rolling in. As we tried to get home the rain started pelting down. My son was a little afraid so I held him close to me. He told me he was scared and I told him that he was in the safest place to be. I asked him if he'd ever been hurt when Daddy was holding him. He said no.

When we got home, I shared with my kids that no matter what the circumstances surrounding them were, my arms were the safest place they could be. The spiritual parallel came clearly to me. No matter what is swirling around us, when we are in the arms of Daddy; it's the safest place to be.

After a week of camp, Friday was supposed to be the "settling down" night. Short service. Baptisms in the pool. Brief sharing time. It was anything but. We had about 1.5 hours of young people sharing their talents. Some were serious, some were not. (I don't think I'll ever forget my boy Erik miming to "Me and God". One of the best things I've ever seen. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Thanks for bringing the joy! ) After hearing all these kids share their talents, we settled in for a short 2 song worship time that turned into a half hour of real worship happening. It was awesome to see young folks passionate about Him! We heard a great message about God's mandate for this generation from my new found friend Keith Burch. We had a time of praying over the kids and it was a powerful time of seeing them connect to what God was speaking to them about their future and their role in His plan for the world.

As we wound down the service around 11:45PM, we had about 6 people that wanted to be baptized. Once we arrived at the pool Keith and I were to do the baptisms. There was a sweet sense of God's presence there. I remembered that the last time I was in this pool someone was baptizing me. God's faithfulness is incredible! As we baptized the 4th person one of our staff members took off his shoes and said he "had to get in". God was speaking to him about renewal and fresh direction and dedication. That started the flood gates coming. We had 25+ people out of the 100 that were there come in the water. It was amazing to see what God was doing in the hearts of individuals there.

Some came in because of salvation, some for renewed dedication, some for renewed commitment, some came in because they did not know how else to respond to what God was doing in that moment. More than once a word from the Lord came when people stepped into the water. The Lord spoke to one young man about his call of leadership, to another young lady her call to ministry, to another lady a new day of prayer and faith. One of the most special, to me, was a young lady who feels God is calling her to be a missionary. As she stepped in the pool I heard in my spirit that we are doing for her here what she will one day do for many others on the other side of the world.

It is such a privilege to be a part of His kingdom. I hope that in 12 years some of those kids will stand in that same pool again the baptizers instead of the baptized. God's goodness is faithful from generation to generation and His blessing is for us, our children and to all those who are a far off according to Acts 2:39. I want to send a big shout out to all my camp friends I made this week and those who joined me in worship. May God use you all to change the world for His glory and fame.

I've been in youth camp the last few days here in NC. This is the camp that I grew up going to. This is where my heritage is. I first felt called into ministry in the back of this chapel and surrendered my musical gifts to the Lord on this altar. I've had the chance to worship with old and new friends and it's been a great opportunity for me to come back and minister to kids around the same age I was when all those things happened for me.

We've had some marathon worship times this week and our speaker has only hit the stage twice. It's been a great time of sensitivity to the Spirit and seeing kids interact with God. Last night was a pretty intense. As we began to worship a simple song came forward that I felt the Lord was directing at one of the brothers at the camp. I called him up and began to sing three simple words. "He is faithful." One of the pastors here got up and spoke about God's ability to seal and keep us. After worshiping for a few more moments we felt the Lord was calling us to give an invitation for people to receive prayer. It was a powerful time of seeing God impact people's lives and speak words into their lives.

I prayed for several kids last night and the Holy Spirit revealed specific words for most of them. We talk a lot in our church about Spiritual Gifts and it is always great to see them in true operation. We had tongues and interpretation, words of knowledge, wisdom and prophecy. I'll be honest and say that I'm always amazed when God decides to speak directly to a person's situation and destiny. He has a way of cutting through to the heart of the matter. The fact that He loves us and died for us is amazing enough on its own. The truth that He remains invested, interested and involved in our daily grind and the over-arching destiny of our lives is almost mind blowing for me.

After having prayed for several kids I walked back to my cabin tired, humbled and fulfilled. Sometimes when God decides to use you in a meeting in a specific way pride is lurking at the door. I could feel myself feeling good about what had happened. That was when it was time to remember that I am completely unworthy. My usefulness to God is only there because my righteousness is not in myself. Whenever I feel a little pride creep in because of something God is doing in my life, I remember the words of Paul. He said:

Today I'm posting a document that I sent out to our team worship leaders a few months back. I have a personal process that I walk through about every 6 months and thought I'd share it with them. Here's basically a cut and paste of the email I sent out. I'd love to hear how you review what God is doing in your life.

I just wanted to walk you all through the process I go through on a regular basis with myself. Thinking through these questions should help us all learn more about where God has us and has us doing.

1. Reevaluate

• Review what God has done in your area of ministry.
• Where have you seen positive progress?
• Where would you like to see more improvement?
• How can I help you in this process?
• Review songs for retirement
• Is there a song, or songs, that you over use?
• (One of mine has been "Meet With Me". I love that song a little too much for other people's good. I have to “retire” songs to prevent myself from that.)
• Retiring a song forces us as worship leaders to be more proactive in finding new or lesser-used songs to keep our worship expressions fresh.
• Review your team
• Where are your strengths and weaknesses as a team?
• What positions could be filled on your team?
• Where can we build a sense of family on our teams?
• Review yourself
• What has God taught you this last year?
• What do you feel like God is speaking to you about your team?
• Am I where He wants me to be?

2. Re-Up

• Recommit yourself to what God has called you to do and whom He’s called you to
• lead.
• Decide to stay creative instead of complacent.
• Fight the urge to stick with the status quo.

3. Reverence

• Once you reevaluate and re-up, reverence the holy calling that you have to
• lead others into God’s presence.
• Take time to be thankful to God for the opportunities He’s afforded you.

4. Respect

• Respect those God has placed in authority and given voice to in and over your area of ministry. (i.e. Pastors, fellow Worship Leaders, Elders)

I hope this will be helpful to us all in reviewing and renewing our commitment to lead our church family in worship. Please let me know how I can be a servant to you in your area of ministry. Let’s grow together…adam

I was talking with a friend who was just starting their worship team and they were asking what advice I would give to them for their new team. I think my number one advice, after prayer and getting a basic understanding of worship, would be to "be where you are".

I've been privileged to be a part of many worship teams and can honestly say that most worship teams can sound good right where they are even with minimal skill level. Where most teams get into trouble is by trying to be something they aren't or trying to play something way ahead of their capabilities.

When directing a band musically I try and rate the team in my head on a scale of 1-10 and then choose/create musical arrangements that will suit where we are. If I'm in a long term situation, i.e. my local church, then I start with songs right in the meat of our abilities or a touch behind. Then I gradually introduce more musical/difficult arrangements and pretty soon we're a level above where we are.

Here's a scale that I used in explaining this concept to this particular friend.

A band who is a 5 in skill should be playing songs in the 1-6 range.
A band who is a 7 in skill should be playing songs in the 5-8 range.
A band who is a 10 can play whatever they want.

Where the trouble usually starts is when the worship leader hears a song that is an 8 on the musical arrangement scale and brings it to the team who is just starting out in a 3-5 range. To me, it plays out this way:

If Band A is a 5 and play a 7 they sound like a 3.
If Band A is a 5 and play a 3 they sound like a 7.
If Band A is a 5 and play a 5 they sound like a 5.

Every worship team can look a little better when they are able to be where they are. Part of what we do as worship leaders is help nurture the musical gifts of those on our team and there is great service to them in choosing arrangements that help them shine. Don't let frustration creep in, but rather work diligently to help your team be the best they can be while gently pushing them further in excellence.

I am getting the opportunity to speak to our kids, over the next two weeks, about worship and prayer. While not an exhaustive list, I thought I'd post here what I'll be teaching on. If your kids are a part of our church, don't let them miss it!

Here's a little taste of what our parents will receive and what I'll be using as a template to teach the kids.

This weekend we discussed the following with your child: (We are including some corresponding Scriptures to help deepen your discussion with them. Please feel free to use some of your personal favorites as well.)

Why Do We Worship God?
o It invites His presence. (Psalm 22:3)
o God deserves it. (1 Chronicles 16:25-33)
o We desire Him. (Psalm 63:1-4)
o It stops the enemy. (2 Chronicles 20:22)

How Do We Worship God?
o Singing (Psalm 9:11)
o Lifting of Hands (The Act of Praise: Psalm 141:2; The Entering of Agreement: Genesis 14:22-24)
o Shouting (1 Samuel 4:5)
o Making Music (Ephesians 5:19)
o Bowing (Psalm 138:2)
o Dancing (Psalm 150:4)
o Repenting (1 Kings 8:48 & 49)

Where Do We Worship God?
o Everywhere (Psalm 150)

What are some of your favorite worship scriptures that didn't make my list?

It’s a cloudy, dreary, rainy day here. Not one of the best days to live near a beach. During a prayer, our (great) Children’s Director was praying and she said:

“Lord. Thank You for the rain. Help us to see what the rain brings. Help us to see the results, not just the dreariness and darkness.”

I thought about all the past and present storms in my life. If only I could take that perspective to “look past the rain” and see the results that it is going to bring. It is so easy to focus on the now circumstance and no further.

Father help me today to see past the storm and find the growth and beauty that Your rain is bringing in my life.

Recently I’ve had a friend of mine talking to me about who I’d like to, if given the opportunity, hang out with/learn from. I thought of some names that I’d like to get to know and hear what makes them tick. Israel, Paul Baloche, Tommy Walker, Perry Noble, Fred Hammond, Brennan Manning, Glenn Packiam, Bob Kauflin and some others immediately came to mind. This friend started telling me that it could be a real possibility to meet a couple of these guys. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped and then Monday I had an epiphany. (I am still excited about any of those opportunities should they arise)

I was listening to Tommy Walker’s “Just Worship” and was thinking how much I’d like to meet him. I even thought about how much fun it would undoubtedly be to write with him. I’ve listened to him for some time and would love that. As I was thinking about it, it hit me that, when this life is over the only name that will matter in the end is Jesus.

Now I’m all about networking and exploring relationships that God might have His hand on, so don’t think that I’m saying anything against that. God has been faithful to introduce me to the right people at the right time. I’ve been blessed with many things and I am not the type of guy to go 200 MPH to track down someone I admire. Maybe that’s a fault and maybe it’s not. Most of the time, I’m pretty sure it’s a little of both.

What I am saying is this. Monday, I had an epiphany that is causing me to look differently at others and myself. As gifted as all the guys I’ve mentioned are, we all serve the same God and get our inspiration from the same Holy Spirit. God has given them a platform to share their gifts and He has placed me where He wants in His kingdom. While I am believing God for bigger and better things to best utilize the gifts He’s placed in my heart, I no longer want to be impressed by people. Respect their giftings, callings and wisdom? Yes. Seek out relationships that God could use in my life and use me in theirs? Absolutely. Be blown away by a person? I hope not.

In the end, His name is the name that will matter. When we’re singing “Just Worship” around the throne, I’m not going to be looking for Tommy then. (although maybe we’ll write some there) ;-) We’ll all be concentrated on the object of our worship. There’s several people that I would more than welcome the opportunity to meet, work or write with, but ultimately there’s One NAME that matters. His name is Jesus.

One of the great joys of my life is being a Dad. I love being with my kids and especially love when we get an opportunity to talk about the real way God interacts with His children. The other week, my son was forgetting a part of a verse we've been praying through every night. I told him that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would help him remember everything that Jesus taught us and had him ask the Holy Spirit for the word. Immediately he said "compassion" with this big look of surprise on his face.

A couple of days later, I was talking to my kids, 4 and almost 7, about hearing God speak to us. I used my son's example from a couple of days earlier and I was encouraging them to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to them in prayer, give them direction etc. My four year old interrupted me to tell me that she already knew that God wanted to talk to her. She learned it in Sunday School. (big shout out to our 4 year old teachers!) So I asked her if she'd ever heard God speak. Here's how the conversation played out:

Mercy: Oh yeah.
Me: What does he sound like?
Mercy: Daddy. He sounds just like you.
Me: (muffled sound...trying not to cry)

My wife and I have always hoped to be the kind of parents that our kids would grow up to say, if God is like Mommy and Daddy, then I want to know Him. We've also prayed that they would far exceed us in all things pertaining to life and Godliness. Here's believing that these are just the first in a long line of confirmations that they are well on their way.

Here’s the last installment on Psalm 138. I’ll have a blog up early next week about something family/worship oriented. Please feel free to leave some comments on your thoughts on Psalm 138.

“Though the Lord is on high, He looks upon the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar. Though I walk through the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes, with Your right hand You save me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of Your Hand.”~~Psalm 138:6-9

So, the worshiper moves from a personal choice to worship, to a cry for justice, to a personal prayer. He first acknowledges the Lord’s elevated state and then articulates one of the great mysteries of Diety. That God “looks upon the lowly”. Isn’t it amazing that God takes time to look on us? I find great comfort in this. Knowing that He walks with me in trouble, preserves my life and reproofs the anger of my enemies. What an amazing God.

One interesting warning here is that while God looks on the lowly He “knows the proud from afar”. The psalmist was again looking back to Solomon’s wisdom. This time in Proverbs 3:34:

“The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Sidebar-This is an important point for worship leaders in particular. As musical people we are more naturally inclined to egotism and should be doubly on guard for this. God not only “sees the proud from afar”, but the scripture further teaches that He is in opposition to those that are filled with pride. That’s why Peter preceded his quote of this proverb with “Clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, because…” (1 Peter 5:5) God forbid us from walking in the “I’m better than they are” mentality and competitiveness in worship that actively blocks the Lord’s favor and presence.–Sidebar End

Verse seven is one of my favorites in this passage. This exiled and belittled worshiper realizes that God is not finished! He will accomplish His purpose. The psalmist recognizes, and relishes, God’s authoritative plan and reason for this season of his walk. That the love of God endures forever regardless of what present circumstances would seem to say.

This worshiper sets the tone for those of us who find ourselves suffering under the hands of the unjust. First we choose to worship, then we pray for those causing the trouble, prophesy over them and find our conclusive peace in the fact that God has not forgotten us.

As I’ve studied this passage I am very grateful that they left the last line in. “Do not abandon the work of Your hands.” After this empowering worship time, the worshiper is still checking to make sure that God is still there. I love to see the humanity of the writers of the Psalms. One moment he is prophesying the release from exile and a few verses later reminding God not to forget about him. That makes me feel a little more normal.

Here’s part 2 of the study on Psalm 138. I’m trying this out this week and will return to mainly blogging about worship leading stuff next week.

“May all the kings of the earth praise You, O Lord, when they hear the words of Your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.” Psalm 138:4&5

If you’ll remember from the previous post on this chapter, this was most likely written while Israel was in captivity. It’s interesting that after the psalmist made his choice to worship personally, his next step is to pray that all the rulers would do the same. This is a worshiper not contented with just worshipping on his own, but someone passionate about seeing God’s fame proclaimed in every place.

He not only prays that they would praise the Lord. He prays that they “hear the words of Your mouth”. He is praying here for a pagan king to hear and respond to the voice of God. Perhaps the Psalmist had Proverbs 21:1 in mind. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.”

If, as some scholars say, this was written during the Babylonian exile, then we see the answer to this prayer in 2 Chronicles 36:22, Ezra 1:1.

"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:" 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of His people among you—may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.' "

I find that fascinating. That this psalmist; this “composer of sacred songs” (as defined by Webster’s) would help be a catalyst for this kind of social change. Going from a society devoid of faith, to a king proclaiming his “appointment” to rebuild a place of worship for “THE Lord, THE God of heaven” (emphasis added) and crediting God for being the one to "give him the kingdoms of the earth".

I pray that God would use songwriters of this generation to write songs that stir the faith of the church to believe in the power of God to change the hearts of kings.

I was reading Psalm 138 this morning and thought it might be a good exercise to try and go through this chapter in 3 parts and dissect it some. Hope it's has fun to read as it is to write. This is my first crack at this kind of blogging, so we'll see how it pans out. I'm not wanting to depart from my usual, worship leading focused stuff, just was struck by this passage. I will be posting part two on Wednesday with part three coming on Thursday. Here we go:

"I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing Your praise. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and will praise Your Name for Your love and faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your Name and Your Word. When I called, You answered me; You made me bold and stouthearted."~~Psalm 138:1-3 (NIV)

Some people have said that, based on verse one "before the "gods" I will sing Your praise", that the psalmist (probably not David) was most likely exiled in a foreign land when he wrote this. Some believe it was written during the Babylonian exile.

Imagine the scene of being in a place that was unfamiliar to you. Almost everyone else is worshiping a false "god" or idol. You are surrounded by people who most likely ridicule your faith. The psalmist declared that even in the midst of all that that he would not be stopped in his pursuit of praising God. He said he would sing the praise of God before all these other "gods". When faced with things claiming to be bigger than God Himself, the worshiper responds by offering praise to the one true God and to Him only.

Many times in our worship service we will use verse 2 to inspire worship. God has exalted His Name and His Word above all things. Above principalities, power, disease, sin and death. The worshiper here is taking comfort in knowing that although he is surrounded by falsehood and oppression, God is exalted above all those things. That despite what present circumstance would seem to say; God is still filled with love and could still be called faithful.

Have you ever been in a circumstance that would threaten to rob you of the desire to worship God? Surrounded by people that worship other things? Overwhelmed by your present predicament? The worshiper in this passage says that worship happens regardless. Maybe he took his cue from David who penned these words after pretending to be insane before Amibelech to preserve his own life:
"I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth."~~Psalm 34:1
He also echoes the sentiment of David further down in Psalm 34 by declaring that the Lord not only heard, but answered and made him "bold and stouthearted".

I don't know about you, but I've found myself in some situations in the last year that required me to be stouthearted beyond my capabilities. It is in times like these that worship can be a catalyst for life-changing connection with God that can fill us with that that we need most. Wherever you find yourself today, take some time to sing out with all your heart. He's ready. Not just to hear; but respond and make you bold and stouthearted.

Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you all know that I was featured in the Worship Leader Profile section of Worship Leader Magazine this month (May 2008). I connected with Phil @ WL about a year and a half ago and have enjoyed getting to connect with them. I've enjoyed their magazine for about 6 years now. I'm extremely humbled/honored to be featured and have the opportunity to contribute in some small way.

You can pick up a copy in your local Christian Bookstore. If you're a worship leader or pastor, I would recommend that you get a subscription. I look forward to reading it every time it comes in.

Here's an interesting audio blog from Pastor Steven Furtick at Elevation Church. It's about how worship leaders can serve the vision of the Senior Pastor of the church. Check it out if you're a worship leader or a pastor.

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/audio-blogs/me-and-my-worship-leaders/