Isaiah 53:1-9

In many ways, there was nothing particularly special about the baby or the birth. That poverty, that narrowly-averted scandal when Mary fell pregnant, that greeting party of those social misfits (AKA the shepherds); none of it was worthy of a king. None of it was majestic.

And yet, the birth of Jesus was precisely that. Within its mystery was such mighty love as only a true leader of all humankind could display. It was majesty in its purest, most marvellous form.

His first breaths in a cowshed and his first steps as a refugee on the run from a despotic regime, they were exactly the kind of remarkable start that only our King of Kings would choose.

And in this detail we discover a profound truth; that God was prepared to go to extraordinary lengths in order to reach us.

This whole chapter in Isaiah is a key player in the Bible. It is quoted in the books of John, Matthew and Romans to name but three, and it presents us with the clearest explanation of sin and atonement. And these verses that form Isaiah's poem are at the heart of his book. They point so clearly to the life of Jesus and to the salvation of His people. While his words were intended to be relevant to Isaiah's contemporaries, the truths echo across the centuries and reveal so much about the majesty found in that manger.

Firstly it's clear that He comes for a single, clear reason; because we need Him. Our ‘infirmities… our sorrows’ place us in such dire need of help.

And it's foolish for us to think that He deserved what happened: Jesus wasn't 'stricken by God'. The truth is harder for us to bear, but we must take it in: 'He was crushed for our iniquities'. It was our sin, our wrongdoing, our wanderings away from God's laws that He paid for. We accumulated the bill and He was the one that paid, bringing peace, healing and salvation with it.

We're all guilty, we all 'like sheep have gone astray', and we all are in debt to God.

There’s majesty in the manger all right. There in the stable we find the hope of our hearts. It might not look like much to some, but to those who have knelt before the Lord, who have confessed their sin and accepted His forgiveness, it is more precious and powerful than any earthly power before or since.

If I had to choose one thing that holds me back from accomplishing my purpose, it is that vicious little vixen we like to call “comparison.”

As a woman, I have found upon confession that I am not the only one filling a seat on this struggle bus, so I hope I am not writing this post in vain.

I moved to Nashville over a year ago and, quite honestly, gained the songwriters momentum quickly. I was focused and driven, a picture perfect cliche of the American dream. I developed deep, valuable friendships within the industry, and began what I hoped to be a thriving career.

I came to Nashville believing that one could either be inspired or defeated by the amount of creatives in one city. With the best of intentions, I supported my friends and loved our little songwriting world. And then my friends started succeeding.

They went on world tours, got record deals, and signed to labels that set their writing schedules. They instagrammed shows and facebooked conference photos. They began to pass me in the race, versus run alongside. At least, that was my personal, emotional perspective.

On the outside, I celebrated each friend, went to their shows, promoted their new albums. But on the inside, I sank and sank fast. My faith and focus faltered, slowly stripping my heart of its original intent and filling it with a fear that God skipped over me and had chosen my friends instead.

You see, I struggled with staying in my own lane. I realize that phrase can be highly overused in any self-help arena, but just bear with me as we dissect.

Each of us, upon birth, are given the beautiful gift of a one lane road in the form of a “calling” or “purpose.” God gives us an identity and graces us with dreams and goals to fulfill His ultimate purpose on earth. Our simple task is to stay in our lane and run the race presented before us, to do the best we can with what He’s given.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 3:14

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” -1 Corinthians 9:24

I was constantly glancing over at my friends and family, eyeing their race with envy and, ultimately, defeat. If I had simply kept my eyes forward and focused on God’s path versus theirs, who knows what I would’ve accomplished by this time.

Comparison is crippling. Learning to stay in your lane and embrace your personal race isn’t easy, trust me, I’m still a work in progress. But there are a few things I’ve picked up along the way that might be worth a read.

So how do we stay in our lane? How do we keep that focus? Lucky for you, I have a few car analogies to get things rolling. (Get it? Rolling? Like a tire? Yeah I’m awesome.)

"IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE, DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE”

Remember 5 years ago when Oprah went bat poop cray over texting and driving, creating awareness and a culture shift in her wake? We all know texting and driving is not only idiotic, it can be deadly. Too many statistics solidify that fact. And yet, how many times do we catch ourselves on an empty highway or bored in a traffic jam typing away?

We check our Facebook during lunch hours, we don’t go out unless the plan is Instagram-worthy, and we get all our news updates from Twitter. Our lives revolve around connection, and social media has become the great connector. It can be a beautiful thing, a generational tool to be celebrated! It can also be fatal when viewed at the wrong time.

One of the main contributors to my personal life-lane swerve was social media. I was in a habit of waking up and hitting my newsfeed before I hit snooze. Everyday I began with a solid dose of comparison. With every “like,” I developed a big fat failure feeling, all before my first cup of coffee.

I will say, it took a certain amount of self-awareness to realize that this was an unhealthy habit for me. Some seasons I can celebrate every single human on my newsfeed with adorational abandon. (No, adorational is not a word.)

But I now know there are other seasons when I feel like life is moving a tad slower, or Jesus has me in a waiting period, when I have to monitor my social media intake. If I’m looking over at another’s filtered view of constant success, it’s easy for me to feel like I can never catch up.

If you’re constantly checking on another lane, you will veer off your course entirely, causing a mental collision that’s hard to come back from. Satan loves these little stalls, these tiny hits of negativity. Be honest with yourself and your journey.

Evaluate whether it’s a healthy season for you to be virtually present, and if it’s not, unplug. Trust me, your world will not end. People will still contact you. Your lunch will be just as good without the stand-on-chair crema filtered photo.

“CHECK YOUR BLINDSPOT, BABY”

One of the first things they teach you in driver’s ed is to never change lanes without checking your blindspot. There could be someone else in the way, or a road obstruction outside of your view.

When we swerve and skid into another’s lane, comparing ourselves to what seems like their massive success, we rarely get the whole picture. We believe the grass is greener, however we don’t know what kind of weeds are hiding in their backyard.

It’s so important to check yourself when you begin to compare because you don’t know that person’s complete story. You don’t know what they went through to get to this place in their journey. You don’t know what they are currently battling to stay afloat. You don’t know who they hurt, loved, or lost along the way. You are literally comparing your entirety to their partiality and that makes no sense.

Perspective is everything. Everyone has a blindspot they keep hidden or quieted, so when you compare keep in mind that you are most likely not getting the full picture.

“WE GON’ CELEBRATE AND HAVE A GOOD TIME”

Remember that feeling you got as a kid? You’d be at your best friend’s birthday party and they’d be joyfully opening presents while you were forced to stand around and watch. Part of you was just happy to be in the room, genuinely excited to be celebrating your friend. The other was absolutely downright jealous that they just opened the brand new state of the art Playdough salon you’d been secretly saving for with every lemonade stand.

Can I get a witness?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that that feeling never really goes away. It just transforms itself into light envy via mountaintop engagement Facebook post, or new homeowners’ keys.

You see your friends moving on and having these amazing adulting wins, and boom, here comes that little comparison virus. I have found that a practical way of mentally battling that moment is to outwardly and sometimes embarrassingly celebrate your tribe.

When someone you love has a moment to celebrate and you find yourself comparing, immediately catch it, acknowledge it, and then defeat it by doing the exact opposite of what your feelings tell you. Take the friend to dinner, freak out on their comment section, lose your mind in their general direction. Celebrate your people, because that’s what we are called to do.

We are called to laugh with those who laugh, and mourn with those who mourn. So laugh, even when you feel like less, even when you feel left out or alone. Let those closest to you know that no matter what is happening in your life, you value their dreams and goals and support them completely. This isn’t easy. Trust me, I know.

There was a moment in a particularly hard season of singleness when a friend of mine announced her pregnancy. I had a choice. I could celebrate alongside her or cower in my defeat. I chose to celebrate her, shower her, and quite honestly over-honor her. I am so glad I did.

God blesses that obedience, and He fills that hurt. He is glorified through your willingness to lay your life down for your friend. So ya’ll, celebrate good times, come on.

“BABY, YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR”

The main thing that shocks me back into reality when I find myself comparing is one simple truth: THIS IS NOT MY LANE.

Let me explain.

This life, this gift of humanity you’ve been given, this lane is not yours. It belongs to God, first and foremost, no argument. When I focus on me, my failures, my insecurities, I forget the fact that this life and lane is meant to glorify Him.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” -Galatians 1:10

Yikes. That’s terrifyingly blunt. “I would not be a servant of Christ if I was trying to please man.” We are here to share the gospel and our calling in life is perfectly assigned to reflect that truth.

The fact of the matter is, if you stay in your lane and keep your focus above versus beside, you’ll realize this race, this journey is not about you. It’s about Jesus. And if it’s about Jesus, then there’s nothing that compares. He is all that matters, His heart, His opinion, His work is incomparable.

This life is not about us. Your lane is not really your lane. It belongs to God. When I remember this, it puts everything into perspective. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing or accomplishing. My passion and focus is on Jesus, and that alone is the prize. That alone is all I need to fulfill me. That alone is all I desire.

Trust that Jesus sees you and loves you. He celebrates you and covers you. When you look from right to left, don’t compare your story. Jesus doesn’t. Like I said, I am still a work in progress when it comes to comparison. But oh how the pressure releases when I remember that this life is not my own.

I’ve learned that if I keep my focus on Him, He never fails me. Stay in your lane. It might seem small right now, the road may seem windy or difficult, but know that God has gone before you. He sees every lane on that road and has made sure you are in the exact one that will fulfill the desires of your heart and bring others to His kingdom.

Celebrate your tribe, press forward, embrace God’s plan for your life. STAY IN YOUR LANE.

And always honk if you love Jesus, ya’ll.

A few months ago I wrote a very personally challenging article about pursuing a life of radical holiness in an extremely unholy world. You can read the full post here. In it I explore a common theme in scripture where God is calling His people to a life set apart from the rest of the world.

Leviticus 20:26 says, “You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”

Deuteronomy 7:6 says, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”   

1 Peter 1:14-16 says, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’.”

Just to name a few.

But how do we pull off holy living in a culture armed and ready to drag us down at the first opportunity? Well, lucky for us, we don’t serve a God who doles out commands then leaves us on our own to figure it out. He supplies us with plenty of scriptures to give us guidance as we navigate these tricky waters. Scriptures such as . . .

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.  – 2 Corinthians 7:1

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  – Ephesians 5:3

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.  – 1 Corinthians 10:19-20

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2

“It would appear that we are to do any and everything we can think of to keep our minds, hearts, eyes, ears, and bodies as pure and clean as humanly possible. It seems to be pretty clear too, that this is not something that will happen passively. It will take a proactive, aggressive, and seemingly radical effort on our part to pull it off. The reason being that not only are we called to pursue holiness, but we are called to do it while still going out and making disciples. Sure, you could hole up in some underground bunker with nothing but a supply of food and a Bible in order to avoid all worldly influence. But what good are you down there? 

The Word gives us so many reminders to pursue holiness and instructions on how to do it because in order to further the Kingdom we will be forced to be out among an unholy world – one that is growing more depraved by the minute. And no matter who you are, if you surround yourself with that which is against God, and fail to guard your heart and mind, you will undoubtedly get taken down.” (taken from earlier post)

So where do we draw the line? Many believers hide under the cloak of “staying culturally relevant” to justify their pursuit of worldly desires. And unfortunately for a lot of them, that relevance has become a full-on camouflage, making them almost unrecognizable as a Christ-follower. But how did Jesus do it? How did He manage to maintain his holiness while mixing it up with the worldliest of the worldly? I believe that his motivation is what set him apart. He didn’t hang out with tax collectors and adulterers just to understand their world better. He spent time with them in order to show them a love they’d never encountered before. He invested in them so that they would leave changed, not the other way around. He was able to do this so effectively because of his deep, intimate communion with the Father and his commitment to a bold level of purity. Is it supposed to be any different for us as believers, as spiritual influencers, as leaders in the Church?

If you’ve had time to look at your calendar as it’s flown by, you may have noticed that Lent starts next Wednesday, March 1^st. For many churchgoers, this season serves as an opportunity to sort of re-center their spiritual lives by removing something for the 6 weeks leading up to Easter. For many it’s something like caffeine or sweets. For others it’s a worldly pleasure such as television or social media. Whatever it is they choose, the purpose behind eliminating it for those 40 days is to try to emulate the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness before he began his years of earthly ministry. It’s an attempt to make a personal sacrifice so that the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross weighs a little heavier on their hearts and minds. But then what?

As I was reflecting on past years when I’ve chosen to participate in Lent and am still being challenged by what the Lord spoke to my heart when writing the post I referred to earlier, I began mulling over several questions in my spirit.

Should Lent look different for mature believers as opposed to those younger in their faith?

What about for leaders in the Church?

How could we approach Lent in such a way that the effects are lasting?

Perhaps you’ve observed Lent for as long as you can remember or maybe this is the first year you are considering participating. Whatever the case, I wonder what it would look like for us to prepare for that holy season with a healthier portion of intentionality and purpose. What if, as leaders of God’s people, we decided to amp things up and instead of just choosing something to get rid of for a few weeks, we did a full scale inventory of our lives and began pruning out all of those things that distract us, that are not God-honoring, and that hold us back from pursuing the holiness we are called to? Can you imagine the eternal reverberations that might cause?

Maybe this year we still choose that one thing to eliminate for March 1^st – April 16^th, but instead of going about our daily lives for those 47 days (did you know that you don’t include Sundays in the day count?) we pray fervently for God to reveal to us those things that just don’t belong in our lives – those things that take up way too much of our time, attention, money, conversation, and preoccupation - and we begin purging and clearing out those hidden places. What a beautiful Easter morning that would be! What a glorious offering! That, my friends, is NOT your grandma’s Lent! That, brothers and sisters, is the makings of a revival!

I still pick out an Easter dress. While I am well past the age of ruffles and bows (mostly), it is a tradition that I just can’t bring myself to discard. It’s the last of these kinds of traditions from my childhood that survived into my adult life. And though my vehement grasp on my Easter clothing habits may seem a little silly, if you are in any way familiar with church, you are most likely well aware of the unspoken difference between Easter and every other Sunday of the year. Traditions vary, and memories are as individual as the people that possess them, but generally Easter is a day set aside for family, fun, and, at its core, taking a moment to really reflect on and celebrate the massive sacrifice that saved us. So yes, I remember the dresses and the overflowing Easter baskets, but more so I remember my mother sitting in the floor with us reading the story of the crucifixion, explaining the verses to us so that we could begin to really understand the gift we have been given. Easter Sunday is not just another Sunday, and that distinction can be felt across denominations, locations, demographics, and most any other factor, and if you are someone involved in church planning, it stands to reason that you have experienced the stark contrast between preparing for this particular Sunday as opposed to the rest. After all, on top of being a day that marks such an integral and sacred event to the Christian faith, churches can expect a doubling or even tripling in attendance by many visitors for whom this will be one of two church visits (including Christmas) over the entire year.

So how does that factor that in? Where do we find the balance between a new audience with an entirely different set of needs and the spiritual journey of the regular Sunday morning crowd? With such an emphasis placed on this day, questions and concerns arise from just about any staff of any church dedicated to making the most of this exceptionally unique opportunity. For insight on how to steward this chance, I spoke to Michael Farren, a Grammy nominated writer who spends almost every Sunday with the congregation he has been leading in worship for upwards of a decade.

AAW: Just to start, what are your overarching thoughts on Easter?

Michael: I love Easter, but the reality is, the power of Easter is there every Sunday, and every other day for that matter; it just so happens that culturally, Easter is a day where people actually slow down long enough to remember that something significant happened.

AAW: So how do you plan for Easter differently knowing that there is a cultural weight assigned to the day?

Michael: There’s no way around the fact that, again, culturally, people tend to go to church on Easter and Christmas in Western Civilization and in our context, America for sure. So, churches have just come to use it as an opportunity to introduce the gospel, or at the very least, remind people of the gospel when they walk in that one time a year. So, we do try our best to optimize the simple telling of what Easter is about and so, whether that’s songs or generally. Also, the message during our services on Easter, it’s very intentional that we present the gospel again because we know that there will be many, many there that haven’t been to church in a very long time.  If you haven’t been to church in a long time that can be for a lot of reasons, but more than likely its because you don’t have the connect with the God of resurrection

Me: What specific measures or actions do you take that differ from a regular Sunday when planning for Easter?

Michael: We’re going to make sure that all songs and all conversation that day reflect the simple gospel that people that particular day especially. We don’t run with other topics, we run with this is what happened on Easter, this is the power that was released on Easter, just knowing that there’s going to be a ton of people there that don’t know the message, or have forgotten the message or don’t know the power of the message and you don’t want to squander that opportunity to reach more people.

In the end, each church is different, but whether you meet in a school, a warehouse, a one hundred year old church, a barn; whether you are leading six people or six hundred; the gospel remains the same. The power of what we celebrate on Easter is unchanging. The God at the center of the story is unwavering. As daunting as the facts can be, as wildly unpredictable as the attendance is, as intimidating as it sometimes sounds, Easter truly is an unparalleled opportunity. One Sunday in April, churches everywhere get to open their doors to people who may not have set foot in a place like theirs for literally decades, people who might not even know why they wandered in, people who may even be hearing the story of their redemption for the first time. While the incredible significance of what we celebrate on Easter is present every day, it can’t be denied that this holiday carries a special weight. So, churches, as you dive into the process of planning for this day, I would encourage you to take a moment, step beyond the set lists, the bullet points, the logistics, and every other minute technical aspect of this visitor-heavy service, and just let it sink into your spirit how beyond amazing it is to not only have received this gift beyond measure, but to have the chance to give and re-give it to every starving heart that still needs to receive; and on Easter, they come right to you. 

*** SPOILER ALERT! You will not find that list here, but you will find what hopefully will be some thought-provoking tips on putting yours together and even some resources to help in the process.

For the worship leader, one of the year’s highlights but most difficult tasks is that of putting together the set list for Easter weekend. We’d venture to say that most start thinking about it as soon as they get on the other side of the current year’s celebration. We keep a running list of possible songs and then as soon as Christmas is over we hit the ground running mulling over every possible combination of titles. But there are so many moving parts and components to consider that it’s just not as easy as whipping out the 5 most popular songs from that year. Some of the things we have to think about are:

• The personality of the worshippers in your church
  • Are they more expressive or more subdued? This question is very important. If you lead a more passionate, charismatic congregation, you definitely want to allow them plenty of opportunities to worship freely, but you also want to pick songs that will draw them to a place of introspection and contemplation. For the more reflective and meditative crowds, you don’t want to make them so uncomfortable that you lose them by doing a bunch of high energy songs, but you also want to get them out of their comfort zones to celebrate in a way that challenges them a little.
• The prominent age and demographic of your people
  • If you serve at an older church whose majority is made up of those from the more “experienced” generations, you may find that they respond more to the older hymns but are open to one or two newer songs. Whereas, if you are leading a group of those not raised in the church, songs of more than about five years old may not resonate. 
• The theme of the weekend
  • This may seem like a no brainer given that it’s Easter, but your pastor may be approaching the weekend from a very specific perspective (i.e. love, grace, salvation, etc . . .). So you will want to choose songs that draw the people’s minds and hearts to that particular idea.
• Those first-timers or twice-a-yearers (not a Webster-approved word, but I’m working on it)
  • Obviously we are not going to let this piece take the wheel of decision-making too much, but it does need to be considered. One way to accomplish this is to make sure there are at least a couple of songs that are well-known enough that they may have heard it, or are easy to catch onto by someone who is brand new to it.
• The number of new songs
  • In that same vein, a good general rule of thumb is to not introduce more than one or two new songs per week, and the same goes for Easter. There are few things that will bum churchgoers out more than arriving Easter Sunday only to do a bunch of songs they’ve never heard before. So make sure you’ve started introducing any newer songs you want to incorporate well before that weekend and maybe just save that one zinger for the actual celebration.
• The level of difficulty
  • Unless you’re hiring in a bunch of professionals, the skill level of your band is going to be the same on Easter weekend as it is the rest of the year. So don’t pick a bunch of songs they aren’t going to be able to pull off, simply because they’re “perfect for Easter Sunday”. If there’s a song that you just HAVE to do and it’s more challenging than your normal roster, consider introducing it to your band months in advance and working it until they’ve got it, or create an arrangement of it that is less complex.

There are plenty of other things to take into consideration as you prepare for this special weekend in the life of the Church, but these are some of the more common ones. We’d love to hear other things that influence your process in the comments.

Let’s talk actual songs now. For those of you who don’t have a lot of time on your hands to research, we’ve compiled a handful of lists that might help get your creative juices flowing with regard to the right set list for your church body’s Easter services. These lists are by no means exhaustive and we’re 100% confident there are songs out there that we’ve missed. Again, we’d love for you to put more ideas in the comments. Our hope and prayer is that, as Easter quickly approaches, God would put the songs on your hearts that will stir and move His people to life-changing encounters with His Presence, and that your own hearts would be filled to overflowing as you prepare to lead the Church. 

Top 10 Brand New Songs
(These are all songs that have been released since last Easter)

Top 20 Fairly Recent Songs
(These are all songs that were released between Easters of 2012 and 2016)

1. Resurrecting – Elevation Worship
2. Forever – Kari Jobe
3. Praise The King – Corey Voss
4. O Praise (The Only One) – Michael Farren
5. My Victory – David Crowder
6. Salvation’s Tide – Passion
7. Great Are You Lord – All Sons and Daughters
8. The Wondrous Cross – Christy Nockels
9. This I Believe (The Creed) – Hillsong Worship
10. Break Every Chain – Jesus Culture
11. Lamb of God – Vertical Church Band
12. Because He Lives (Amen) – Matt Maher
13. Hallelujah For The Cross – Newsboys
14. How Can It Be – Lauren Daigle
15. Grace To Grace – Hillsong Worship
16. Jesus, Only Jesus – Matt Redman
17. No Longer Slaves – Bethel Music
18. Come As You Are – David Crowder
19. For The Cross – Bethel Music
20. O Come To The Altar – Elevation Worship
     

Top 10 Older Songs
(These are all songs released between 2000 and 2011)

1. Revelation Song – Gateway Worship
2. Your Great Name – Natalie Grant
3. Forever Reign – Hillsong
4. Mighty To Save – Hillsong
5. Worthy Is The Lamb – Hillsong
6. Hosanna – Paul Baloche
7. Hosanna (King Of Glory ) – Hillsong United
8. Happy Day – Tim Hughes
9. How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin
10. One Thing Remains – Bethel 
     

Top 10 Hymns
(These are all songs that are rebooted hymns or newer songs that have that hymn-like feel, regardless of age)

1. Jesus Paid It All – Passion
2. Turn Your Eyes (Jesus Won) – 121 Community Church
3. The Wonderful Cross – Chris Tomlin
4. All Hail The Power of Jesus’ Name – Paul Baloche
5. Cornerstone – Hillsong
6. Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) – Chris Tomlin
7. How Marvelous (I Stand Amazed) – Passion
8. How Deep The Father’s Love For Us – Stuart Townend
9. In Christ Alone – Stuart Townend
10. Crown Him (Majesty) – Chris Tomlin w/Kari Jobe

* Note that the content of these lists are in no particular order and are merely suggestions based on research done through a variety of music resources, online surveys, chart rankings, and probably a pinch of personal preferences.

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow worship leaders, pastors, and the like…

There is a looming presence beckoning our attention as we ease our way into the Spring season. For some, it comes as a friend, a welcome celebration of life, family, and chocolate-coated vermin.

For others, this presence bodes agony, tension, and the undeniable stench of livestock threatening carpeted aisles. (Yes. We see you Passion Play preachers and your hosanna palm donkey entrance. We love you most.)

That’s right. EASTER is around the corner, and we know you feel it in all its weight and glory.

As worship leaders, it is our job to pave the way, to set up hearts for reception and change. Easter is a time to take chances and make risky musical choices. It’s a time when many non-churchgoers feel compelled to tradition and embrace the Sunday morning as it was originally intended. Lives are changed in donkey entrances and 8-part harmonies. At least, that seems to be the pressure we place on ourselves.

We plan sets, structure messages, and build light cues months in advance, creating an atmosphere of complete and total intentionality.

However, sometimes, in the midst of all the Easter hustle, we lose the Easter heart.

During this hectic season, we tend to see things through worship service blinders. High expectations have been placed upon us, and our focus becomes living up to that standard. While there is nothing wrong with preparing and executing a pristine worship service, sometimes we miss what’s beyond our blinders’ view.

You see, Easter is a time of celebration. It’s a time of reflection and appreciation for Christ’s atonement. Easter is a recognition of Jesus’ love, grace, and freedom. Yet, so often in this season we find ourselves burdened, overstressed, and exhausted. When we are vulnerable in this way, we tend to lose perspective and turn all focus inward.

Because of this hustled heart, we risk dishonoring those who honor us through this process: our volunteers.

Without volunteers, Easter service would be an impossible feat. We all know this. The value they offer, the time they spend, the sacrifices they make all reflect the beauty of this holiday.

So in the midst of the hustle and bustle, how can we show them their worth? How can we take our eyes off our task list for a moment? How can we come beside them and gift them with encouragement? How can we create an environment that honors those who give their time for Kingdom work? Let’s dig in…

1| PLAN AHEAD

You’ve planned the light cue for the closing crescendo of “Arise My Love,” as well as every color coordination for choir members. Bless it. The Planning Center has been updated to a state of perfection, not a single detail misplaced. Well done! We rejoice in your details! Now, what do you plan on feeding the 20 band members, worship leaders, and 75 count children’s choir you promised could sing the special? Ah yes, details.

To honor our volunteers is to plan ahead. Make a list, be practical and anticipate the needs of the Easter Sunday. Will you need to provide food? Where will the volunteers’ green room be held? Have you properly and frequently communicated with all members of your team? Have you delegated tasks to team members who have giftings in areas you are weak? (THERE’S A TIP.) Are volunteers aware of rehearsal times in advance? Have you discussed Easter dress code?

These are simple questions, and we are sure you’ve already covered these details, however it is important to make sure you prepare the systems prior to the day so your focus can be on loving them well, and blessing your church.

Another way to plan ahead is prayer. This can seem like an obvious one, however with volunteers in mind, it is extremely overlooked. We pray over the setlist and day of harvest. But do we go through our list of volunteers one by one and call them out by name? Do we take the time to lift up each individual and pray over their role on Easter Sunday? Our job as worship leaders sometimes lies in intercession for our worship family. Make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to pray over those the Lord’s entrusted to you.

How about honoring your worship volunteers with a small gift of appreciation? This is an amazing and simple way of showing you care and see their involvement. Whether it be a handwritten note, or even a gift card to an ice cream shop, a small token can move mountains when it comes to honor. Begin thinking of things you can do to bless your team.

2| STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN

You’ve planned ahead, you have the details covered. You’ve delegated tasks and found thoughtful ways to show your volunteers you care. Now is the time to start stopping, looking, and listening.

As you walk through long nights of rehearsal and multiple email threads, it’s important to open your eyes to the family in front of you. Our view can get cloudy as the stress rises, so it’s vital to remain intentional as the process of Easter service begins.

If a volunteer has an idea, a thought, a recommendation, don’t dismiss it. Appreciate the feedback, stop and listen to the heart behind the conversation. Look around every once in awhile and find those that might reside on the outskirts, those that may be new to the team or simply not as plugged in. Keep your heart prepared for these moments. Be actively looking for places to serve your team and bless their experience in the midst of the hustle.

3| EMBRACE THE FAMILY

This one might be negated due to service timing and/or pastoral direction, but if possible, do your best to involve volunteer families in the Easter preparations. Create an event that honors those who give up their spouse, children, or sibling for the Kingdom that week.

Have an “after party celebration” for the team, a time to decompress and enjoy each other post-service. Allow the family to be present for rehearsals or enjoy a meal with the team between services. Remember, Easter is a family-centered holiday, so do your best to find ways to honor that time spent.

4| OFFER GRACE

So the soloist forgot her lyric, or the keys player spilled his morning brew all over the cherry red Rhodes. Mistakes, spills, nerves, there is no escaping these little inevitables. Things are going to happen, people are going to be people. Early mornings and long days provide a variety of personality disorders. Close quarters and high stakes tend to bring out the “bless their hearts” in all of us.

As a worship leader, our job is to take on these little moments of joy and move forward with an attitude of grace. Someone talks about you in a negative light? Grace. The mic batteries aren’t freshly changed? Grace. The food is cold because it was set out at the wrong time? GRACE.

Easter is literally the STORY of grace, so let’s take a cue from our blessed Savior and walk through this day in a spirit of love and laughter. Make the experience a joy for everyone you encounter.

5| REMEMBER THE WHY BEHIND THE WHAT

In the midst of the hustle, DO NOT LOSE THE HEART. Why are we breaking our necks for this one day? Why do we place so much pressure on this service? The why behind the what is simple. Salvation. Grace. Love. Truth. All of these things are emphasized during the Easter season, and the Gospel story is typically told in a way that refreshes and revives.

Worship leaders lead this charge of joy and celebration. We take that baton and run the race with passion and enthusiasm. Are we communicating this passion to our teams? Are we passing this baton, or are we attempting to run this “why” alone?

Take time prior, during, after the Easter service to bombard your team with the reason behind this season. Paint the picture, help them to catch that vision. Once they do, the details, the grace, the exhaustion, it all becomes understood. It all becomes a welcome part of the process, because no longer are songs simply being sung. Battles are being WON.

Volunteers are a blessing, a rare gift, a blessed star in the midst of what sometimes can feel like a long night. Take care of them. Love them. Show them grace and build them up in ways they never experience outside the church. Make this team a family. If it’s not one already, this could be the start.

Love HARD this Easter season, and remember Who you’ve been called to reflect. Be vulnerable, be real, show passion, bleed for this cause and these people. Make Easter a season of peace and honor. And always remember the heart behind the hustle.

When I started my ministry career 18 years ago, I never thought I would ever type the title of this entry: Thoughts from a Pastoral Team Strategist. I definitely wasn’t desiring to fill that role on a pastoral team. I wanted to see my dreams fulfilled in much different ways. I am still convinced that Jesus has called me to something completely different than strategist. I am a worship pastor/worship leader/singer/songwriter/artist. Jesus and I are still arguing about this. Turns out He is just as stubborn as the Son of God should be.

I started falling into the role of systems/strategy guy on pastoral teams because it was a very obvious need on the staffs I was part of. Turns out that a lot of pastors lean towards hiring very talented people with specialized, but limited, skill sets. Administration isn’t sexy…and is hard to put on a visible platform. Many church staffs find themselves comprised of really talented speakers, Bible scholars, personalities, musicians, media gurus and kids' creative types. There is a huge gap in a lot of churches and that gap isn't in the visionary/dreamer category. 

Administration isn’t sexy…and is hard to put on a visible platform.

The global church is packed full of people that have the vision and the dream but is lacking on willing people called to set aside their personal dreams to help another pastor make a bigger impact. This is where I come in. I’m sure I have the capacity to be a visionary on some things, but I know I am called to serve my lead pastor. I am called to help him be the healthiest pastor possible and to create environments in which his vision can come to life. I am called to bring a strategy to his vision. I am called to be one of his No. 2’s. I am not called to push my agenda or make the next coolest worship recording that would distract our church from the bigger picture. (Even though we do and will make cool recordings, my heart is to resource the church with stories of what God is doing at my church.) 

Being a pastoral team strategist has been an interesting and stretching journey. I have navigated this role for a while now. But only for the last 4 years have I been given the authority to go with the burden. I serve my lead pastor as one of his executive pastors. I am loving this role and, to my surprise, it feels like a good fit. I connect really well with other leaders in this field. I feel fulfilled, for the most part, helping our ministries align with values, culture and best practices. When the team wins, I win. I have grown in my ability to love our pastoral team and respect them. I wasn’t expecting this when I said yes to the position, but when you pray for your team every day, you see people differently. God has been rewiring me from the inside out and that has its joys and pains (more on that later).

When the team wins, I win.

I feel the onus of giving 150% of myself to this role because I think it is the difference maker in a successful organization. There is a delicate balance between vision and strategy. I have made some notes along the way that may help you if you ever find yourself in a systems/strategy rut. I have numerous influences in my life when it comes to organizational leadership and vision/strategy; ( you probably do too)—Rick Lorimer (my pastor), Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley, Chris Sonksen, Dan Reiland, Jim Collins and Henry Cloud. (Just ask me if you’d like a specific resource recommendation.) I am sure most of my musings are not original but maybe my commentary has a different spin on it. Just a few things to chew on:

 Vision without strategy is just a good idea.

• This is a personal conviction of mine. I believe God is speaking all the time and that He has anointed and appointed our lead pastors as the CVO’s (chief visionary officer) of our organizations. I have been a part of small and large, Christian and non-Christian organizations that never fell short of having incredible ideas. The problem is, sometimes you can become so enamored about a really great idea that you don’t think about practicality. You can easily forget about the capacity of the team. You can find yourself being so excited, with good intentions, but you accidentally “out punt your coverage.” Some leaders won’t agree with me on this point, but I don’t think it is the lead pastor’s job to carry this burden. I believe the role of the executive pastor is to have an open relationship with the lead pastor to help process his or her vision. Is this vision for now or later? Is it obtainable/ sustainable? Does this complicate anything? Can we pay for it and how? What do we need to change to make this vision happen? Do we say yes to this or do we keep praying? Not every vision or burden is meant to be developed. Just like a songwriter, a visionary must never stop dreaming. For every good song I’ve written, there are ten others I threw away and no one will ever hear them. (Maybe that song was just for Jesus.) It is my job to make sure my lead pastor has the freedom to keep dreaming.

Vision made public invites accountability.

• I remember when I felt God tell me to share that in 2011 we were going to make a worship recording. We didn’t have the talent or experience. I had no idea how this was gong to happen. I closed my eyes and vision cast this in front of our worship department. I was scared to death, but knew I needed accountability if this was going to happen. Strategy came later, but this was an essential move to make sure that I would take the risk and make a bold move. Strategy or no strategy, if you share your vision publicly, people will expect something from you. Use that public share momentum to develop strategy and to shepherd buy-in. You don’t need a strategy in place to share a vision; you just need to be committed to develop one. It is so easy for charismatic (likeable) personalities to get distracted by accusations of manipulation when they don’t have a strategy. But when people hear a great vision, they should ask questions, like, “How can I get involved?”  “What’s next?”  “What are you asking me to do?” Don’t miss an opportunity to develop onramps to your vision because you haven’t identified a next step. People often allow themselves to feel “satisfied” by just feeling excited or inspired. Our job as pastors is to equip people to do kingdom work. Vision cast to inspire God’s people but commit to developing a strategy, and then empower them to be part of the mission as well.

 Strategy or no strategy, if you share your vision publicly, people will expect something from you.

 Never allow lack of strategy to kill the vision.

• I believe that God is in the dream and the devil is in the details. Commit to developing a strategy but don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come right away. Keep working at it and inviting the right people into the conversation. Some of the best, most impacting visions are accompanied by resistance. When it comes to your vision, there is nothing the devil loves more than to discourage you and steal your confidence. If he succeeds at this, then he stops you from dreaming.  

Some of the best, most impacting visions are accompanied by resistance.

One of my favorite quotes from John Maxwell is: “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only out for a walk.”  Strategy is simply a vehicle to allow people to follow your God-given vision.  A simple tweak in your leadership conviction could be the difference between walking alone or leading an army.  

For local churches around the globe, the countdown to one of the most widely attended weekends has begun! Set lists are being finalized, service flows are being negotiated, sermon outlines are being pored over, and eggs are being filled by the dozen. While families all over are making their Sunday afternoon plans and working out lunch menus, you are neck-deep in planning, rehearsing, and decision-making. Holiday weekends like Easter have and always will look a lot different for Church leadership than it does for those they serve. So how do you approach these seasons without giving the enemy a foothold to rob you of every ounce of joy and motivation?

I took the chance to pick the brain of someone who has been on the front lines of the worship war for several decades now. David Parker is the Worship & Creative Arts Pastor at 121 Community Church located in Grapevine, TX. Not only is David a dear friend of mine, but I also had the privilege of serving on his worship staff team for 12 years until our family moved to Tennessee at the end of last year. So I had a front row seat to watch this man in action on a weekly basis and, trust me, he is a wealth of wisdom when it comes to donning multiple hats while managing to keep his head above water. Here’s what he had to say about managing all the moving parts with grace and clarity.    

AAW: For the sake of context, tell us a little about your experience as a worship leader up 'til now. How long have you been leading and in what capacities?

DP: I’ve been leading worship since I was in sixth grade. I would lead worship for my Sunday School class every week before we went to Bible study. From there I continued to lead throughout high school for various events that churches would invite me to. Some friends and I started a band and played anywhere we could. We definitely weren’t very good! But through that experience I ended up being invited to lead a VBS at a great church in Houston. As a result, I interned at that church for two summers where I received incredible mentorship from some amazing people. When I left for college at Texas A&M I led worship at what used to be called the B.S.U. Area churches began inviting me to lead at student events. I traveled more and more throughout college doing more and more events. In 1993 I joined up with Al Denson and Celebration Ministries to travel throughout the country leading worship for student events. During that time God gave me the privilege to be a part of some amazing movements in Buffalo, NY, the early Student Life Camps, Hot Hearts Texas, Georgia Super WOW, Youth Evangelism Conferences and churches all over.  Around 2000 I began leading in a rotation of worship leaders at my home church, 121 Community Church. Over the next year or two God called me away from the road and I have been the Worship & Creative Arts Pastor at 121 ever since. All in all, I’ve been leading worship for about 34 years.

AAW: What would you say is the biggest difference between leading in the local Church versus traveling to lead at various events?

DP: I truly loved traveling while God had me in that role, but as I look back, He was preparing me to be a worship leader for the local church. When I was traveling, I loved the great relationships I was privileged to develop with wonderful people, but for me, I felt too much like I was on an island. It was difficult to stay connected to my local church. I found myself leading songs that I knew people would know while I was on the road. Conversely, in the local church, there have been more opportunities to grow in different directions musically and creatively. Additionally, I have an amazing team that works together to help lead people to truly encounter God in worship. To be a part of a team like ours is a constant source of refreshment and encouragement.

AAW: With Easter right around the corner, I’m sure your workload has amped up quite a bit. What are a few ways that you hang on to your own personal joy during seasons like this?

DP: This is a truly unique season for me. As we approach this Easter, we are also moving our entire church into a new building. Needless to say, this has been an exciting and exhausting time. I absolutely love Easter and the opportunity to share the Gospel with people who have never heard it. This is where I derive my personal joy even when the work is exhausting. The reward far outweighs the sacrifice!

AAW: We all know that the spouses and children of church staff members sacrifice a lot during these seasons as well. How do you maintain peace and cling to the message of Easter as a family during one of the busiest time of the year for you?

DP: One of the big things we do as a family is try to include everyone in the preparations for Easter and other special times that require a ton of my time. That way we get to celebrate together by serving together. Another practice I try to maintain is to make sure to make deposits back into my family when my time working at the church has taken more from me than normal in a given season.

AAW: Are there any specific habits or fail-safes you’ve set in place over the years that help you avoid falling prey to the traps the enemy undoubtedly places in front of you during the weeks leading up to Easter?

DP: I always approach Easter as prayerfully as I can, trust in my team and enjoy the journey. We always try to stay focused on what Easter is all about, not on what we can do. 

AAW: What are some do’s and don’ts you’ve learned over your years in ministry when it comes to preparing for Easter, guiding your family through it, and leading your church body into it?

DP: One of the biggest things I’ve learned is to not do too much “new” for an Easter service.  For us, Easters where we do what we do week in and week out, maybe with a few creative twists, have reaped great results and hearts focused on the right things. This helps balance out family time and the church body is able to truly dive into the worship service.

AAW: One of your strongest passions is creating unique atmospheres of worship, using every sense we’ve been given. You’re actually going to be facilitating a teaching time during our Dallas conference stop in May about this very subject. How did this passion develop and how have you fostered it over the years?

DP: I absolutely love the art of communicating things of God creatively. When I interned in Houston we designed some wonderful services for the student ministry that at the time were cutting edge. This just fueled my desire to create environments for people to encounter the Lord. When at Texas A&M I minored in Theatre Set Design. This helped give me the tools to see more advanced ideas actually come into fruition. At 121 we are blessed to have a pastor that gives us freedom to dream, try and even fail sometimes. It’s never about trying to do something bigger and better. It’s about doing the best thing to communicate whatever it is we are trying to communicate. I am always researching technologies and resources both from the church world and secular world to help communicate creatively.

AAW: Without giving away too much of what you’ll be covering at the conference, what’s one tip you’d give our readers when it comes to building these experiences regardless of size or budget?

DP: Never let money or a lack of ability stop you from dreaming big. Learn to make the impossible possible.  After all, if God is for you, who can be against you?

In case you missed it, David will be with us at our Dallas conference May 17-19. In fact, 121 Community Church is the host church. So if you join us, you’ll get to see some of David’s expertise firsthand. He’ll be passing on some of that wisdom during our time together, so if you haven’t registered for our Dallas stop yet, it’s not too late.

Thank you David for taking the time to share some of the lessons you’ve learned over the years. Our prayer here at AAW for all of you out there is that these next couple of weeks will be filled with moments to savor God’s faithfulness and relish in the good news we strive so hard to make known.

April sixth through eighth of this year marked the beginning and bitter-sweet ending of yet another All About Worship “Kingdom Songs” retreat. Another group of talented writers passionately chasing their calling filed in and out of life-giving workshops with seasoned “pro-writers” like James Tealy (songwriting professor at Belmont University and writer of “Light of the World” recorded by Kari Jobe), co-writes with peers and pros like Krissy Nordhoff (writer of “Your Great Name” recorded by Natalie Grant) and Michael Farren (lead singer of Pocket Full of Rocks, writer of “Let It Rain” recorded by Michael W. Smith and number #1 Lauren Daigle cut “Trust In You”), worship sessions, Q&As, song critiques, and so many more activities featured in the packed schedule of education and encouragement.

Writers come from every corner of the country, the world even, to spend a weekend equipping themselves with tools and knowledge to cultivate their calling to write what the body of Christ needs to hear, to better capture the heart of God through song. The end of every conference is genuinely a bitter-sweet moment, traditionally marked with a prayer by the staff over the writers to strengthen, encourage, and protect them as they set out to pursue their gifts. The bitterness is found in having to say goodbye to newfound friends, fellow writers who share your struggles, your triumphs, your worries, and your unique joys. But the sweet is in knowing that right now, there are empowered songwriters with renewed confidence, sharpened skills, and rejuvenated spirits conquering fears and fighting for songs that will change this world and bring about the kingdom of God. The desire of All About Worship in putting on this event is fulfilled in writers taking what they gain from this conference and bringing new life into their homes and congregations (some even literally, congratulations Rezwana!). Dustin Smith (staff writer at Integrity Music, author of “Miracles” recorded by Jesus Culture) has been known to say on more than one occasion that, in writing songs for the Kingdom, we “put words on the lips of the most powerful force on earth - the church”, and as they settle back into their homes with new contacts, revitalized hearts, Skype co-writes brewing, and minds creating, they pick up their weapons and prepare to do just that.

“God is using music and praise to Him as weapons to tear down strongholds and I am in awe of how He goes about it all. His voice is ringing clear and the air is trembling with His spirit” – Rezwana Derbyshire, Kingdom Songs attendee.

To be able to continue an ancient practice of crafting songs to lift up to the one true God is an awesome, in the truest sense of an underappreciated word, responsibility and privilege. Kingdom Songs and the entire staff and crew are proud and humbled by the opportunity to come alongside songwriters, link arms with them, and walk out this journey together.

From the ancient psalmists, in every language, from edge to edge of this earth, the people of the most high God will praise His name. Because if we do not cry out, the rocks will. 

It makes perfect sense to all who know Sarah Reeves that she is where she is and doing what she is doing. But the journey it took to get her here has not been an easy or uneventful one. I got the chance to visit with Sarah about her recent single release, Nowhere, and God’s ongoing story in her life.

Having been raised in the church and music industry by her record producer father and mother, a nurse, at the age of 15 Sarah encountered the presence of God in a way she never had before. She knew at that moment that He was calling her into a life of music and ministry. She dove head first into leading worship within her local church and by 18 was signed to a label and touring the country leading worship. After some time, she met and married her husband, Philip Kothlow, and decided for a season to step out of music and sort of discover herself and “live some real life . . . away from music”. She took a job working as a preschool teacher and Philip was an electrician at the time. A couple of years into marriage, she found herself in a place she never thought she’d be.

“About three years ago . . . I remember us just reaching this point in our marriage where we were facing wall after wall, and struggle after struggle. We came to this place where we found ourselves on the verge of divorce and we knew at that point we had to make a drastic change. We were both working full-time jobs . . . and we decided to step away from those. We went away and really just kind of started over. Focused on each other. Focused on God and putting Him at the center of our marriage. We learned how to be married and fell in love all over again. During that time . . . I started putting out YouTube covers and slowly God started to open up doors again into music. Things were really starting to happen. He had redeemed our marriage and now he was redeeming my artistry again. What I thought was over was just beginning.”

Today, Philip is Sarah’s manager and together they are storming back with a fresh perspective on music and a renewed passion for worship.  Nowhere dropped April 7th in anticipation of her full album release with Word Records in the fall.

When talking about the direction of this new project Sarah said, “God has given me this specific sound . . . but there’s always been this inner battle between being a worship leader and being an artist. There’s this style that I love but I felt the pressure to always keep it straight down the middle if I wanted to be a worship leader. About a year and a half ago, a friend sent me a track . . . and I wrote this song to it that I just loved and something in me came alive in that moment. Through that song I found so much clarity as if God said, ‘Sarah, I’ve given you this sound and you don’t have to choose . . . I’ve given you this gift for you to merge the two together.’

The production is very electronic and pop and hopefully will push the limits of worship leaders to write and produce outside of the box.”

When it comes to songwriting, Sarah always tries to “write songs that come from a place of things (she’s) walked through or that would encourage other people.” Her hope is to stretch stylistically and for people to not put the stereotypical worship mindset on this project, but rather to think bigger and more creatively.

A lot of her musical style and depth of worship comes from influences such as Jeff Deyo (former lead singer of Sonic Flood who, funnily enough, introduced Sarah to her now husband), Bethel Music, Glades, Ellie Goulding, and Coldplay. Personally, some of the people who have helped shape and mold her into the person she is today are her mother, who has been a huge prayer warrior, her husband, who knows how to encourage and challenge her to be a better person and artist, and her pastors Henry and Alex Seeley from The Belonging, a church that meets in Nashville.

Given the journey that it’s taken to get where she is today, we asked Sarah what words of encouragement she would give to those coming up as artists and worship leaders now who might be growing weary of the grind.

“One thing that I’ve learned came from a message that Alex Seeley preached a while back called Surrender To The Process, and it’s just been something that I’ve clung to and have had to learn how to do. I had to let my dreams die and had to come to a place where I had completely surrendered my heart, my dreams, my career, everything that I wanted . . . and once I came to that point, He finally was enough for me. I think when we get to that point, it just doesn’t matter . . . our craft, our music, everything that we can see . . . it’s amazing. And if it happens, awesome, but if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay. Our purpose is eternity and to build the Kingdom of God with whatever He’s given us in the moment. Be faithful in those little things and surrender to whatever process He wants to take you through.”

Make sure to check out Sarah’s single, Nowhere, available anywhere music is sold. And make sure to keep an eye out for other singles she will release as her full project date this fall gets closer.

England, early 1800’s. 

It was a season that instituted a fusion of ideals. Religious power began to merge with political agenda, creating a platform of social reform that influenced an entire country. 

It was within this time that Charlotte Elliot was born. 

Charlotte was strong, opinionated, and deeply genuine. Her father was a reverend and leader within the Clapham Sect, a powerful religious and social activist group. They were the families that eventually championed the abolition of slavery throughout the British empire, just to give a little context. 

Basically, Charlotte was born into an evangelical legacy. 

However, as I’m sure many of us “PK’s” can understand, she tended to reject her roots for the first half of her life. She refused to acknowledge a personal relationship with Jesus, not because she didn’t believe, but because she didn’t feel worthy. 

Her worldview was rooted in a belief that her sin nature was beyond what the cross could accomplish. Yikes. I can personally relate to that. Can you?

Growing up in the church, she was constantly encouraged to be more active within the community. She was pushed to serve in various roles, but she always fought back. She was weighted by her fear of inadequacy and lack of forgiveness. She just couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that God would see her, let alone allow her to make any kind of impact. 

She spent the first half of her life in devastating fear, frozen in the lie that she was not qualified to serve and too human to be saved. She kept a low profile, only attending the mandatory, relying on her silence to hide her true heart in the midst of clergy and reform. 

And then it happened. In her early 30’s, Charlotte fell ill. So ill, in fact, it forced her into the isolating life of an invalid. She could no longer leave her home, walk any considerable distance, or serve in any capacity. She wasn’t allowed to join her family at church, or visit friends. She was alone, in constant pain, and faithless.

Depressed yet? Yeh I was too. Just hang in there. It’s Easter. I promise to stay in the “that’s not the end of the story!” theme. 

After years of bed-ridden illness, Charlotte was visited by an old friend. A pastor from Switzerland who had strong ties with her family. He sat with her and talked, attempting to speak life over what she deemed a death sentence. He began to ask her about her relationship with God, a question she still refused to face. She dismissed every effort to discuss her spirituality and eventually dismissed the pastor as well. 

And yet, his words stuck. His gentle encouragement and passion for Jesus inspired her. She felt so lost and so broken, and this man took time out of his life to tell her she wasn’t. I wish I could’ve heard the exact words he said to her that day, because whatever they were, they were powerful enough to invoke conversion. She met with him days later, told him her story of unworthiness, and asked him to help her find Jesus.

His response? “Come just as you are.”

And that was it. She gave her life to Jesus. And her life was completely and radically changed.

The world continued to view Charlotte as an invalid. Broken, dismissed, and isolated. And even with this new found life in Christ, she continued to sink deeper into her feelings of inadequacy. She'd been labeled INVALID, and now that she actually had the heart for service and evangelism, she was unable to have any effect. What a dark realization, a nail in a coffin. 

One night, in the midst of a town revival, Charlotte was grieving over her inability to attend and be a part of her church community. She desperately wanted to be involved. In her heartbreak, she felt led to write. She began versing a song, stanza by stanza, knowing it was the only form of encouragement she had in her helpless state of mind. She had to believe what Jesus believed. She remembered the precious words the pastor had spoken over her years prior. 

“Come just as you are.” 

It sparked a lyric, that sparked a melody, that lead to a hymn I’m sure you’ll remember well…

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

With the Easter season behind us, I am still so in awe of the cross. Charlotte understood the WEIGHT of Calvary. She understood sin nature, she understood humanity. What she found difficult to rationalize was GRACE. And that’s the point, isn’t it? Jesus died so that we could live, and live in freedom. 

Even when we feel invalid, even when we believe we are incapable or unworthy of service, the fact remains that we were worth saving in Jesus’ eyes. What a precious gift, what a beautiful acceptance. Charlotte believed her life would have no effect because she was tied down by circumstances. But God truly does love us and lead us where we are at. We can come just as we are and He will continue to use us day after day if our hearts are open. 

Charlotte Elliot continued to write hymns, which eventually lead to a full songbook under the title “Hymns for the Invalid.” It doesn’t get much more powerful than that, ya’ll. Her legacy lives on, despite her belief that she had nothing to offer. And that is our God, isn’t it? 

He died for your heart, He rose for your freedom. If you feel unworthy of that gift today, welcome to the club. You’re absolutely correct. But the Word says to “walk boldly before your God.” Don’t let that feeling of unworthiness overpower God’s truth. The blood covered you, the cross gave you purpose. 

So rise and walk in that knowledge. Embrace your calling and write the song, sing the lyric, lead the team, play the piano, do the work it takes to share the glory of what you know to be true. Invite others to come just as they are and see what that does for your ministry. Leave a legacy, inspire change, and walk in the boldness required to share grace. 

"Just as I am, and waiting not…” Don’t wait. You have the truth and you are not invalid. Go. Believe it, walk in it, SHARE IT.

This is the first of a three-part series on team building. The ideas are simple, but the why behind the what is the secret sauce to growing a solid team. Like most people reading this, I’ve made mistakes. And those disasters have forged the conviction that we can’t be in ministry without being radically committed to loving Jesus and his church more, and on a daily basis.

Keep Jesus close, make sure that your family always takes the right priority (more on that in the future) and be willing to make your church better.  Notice I said better, not different. 

Better, Not Different

One of the biggest complaints I hear from worship pastors/leaders is that somehow, they have found themselves in a church that they really don’t like. 

They don’t feel appreciated by their lead pastors. 

They don’t like the weekend worship experience. 

They don’t like the people. 

At the end of the day, there is so much complaining that I am left scratching my head wondering if they even love Jesus.  If this is you, take some time to pray if you can make your lead pastors vision for your church come alive. If you aren’t in agreement, you may be in the wrong place.  Do yourself, your family and your people a favor and get connected with someone or something that is complimenting to your convictions and your philosophy.  God created you to be you, but we are servants before leading anything. Some of us carry the responsibility to make things different.  Most of us don’t.  Know your place.  Is it your burden to change things? …or is it your job to make things better.  Talk to your teams about this.  This is a fantastic “clarity” question that will free up your bandwidth.

Is it your burden to change things? …or is it your job to make things better.

OK, that is my soap box! ☺  As I give you these three helpful tips, it’s important for you to know that these are just tools.  You can’t fake or replace strong spiritual foundations of ministry leadership.  Love Jesus and use tools and resources to LOVE His PEOPLE better.  We try to change people or churches.  But what I’ve found is that when you develop people, things change. 

But what I’ve found is that when you develop people, things change. 

So, if it’s our job to make things better, what are some ideas that we can do to commit to improving? 

1. Develop a leadership pipeline

Developing a leadership pipeline is a helpful tool to bring clarity to “who’s responsible for who and who’s responsible for what”.  It’s really difficult for a worship pastor to carry the burden of a ministry on their shoulders alone…and they shouldn’t. I don’t have to tell you that the apostle Paul makes it clear that we are called to empower people to do the work of the Kingdom, not do it all on our own! (Ephesians 4:11-13) We also get a peek into Moses' anxiety in Numbers chapter 11, where he's at his wit’s end and well over his capacity. The Lord tells him to gather 70 of his most trusted and responsible people. Moses brings them to the "tent of meetings" and the Spirit of the Lord pours over them.

God helped Moses build his team. He will help you build yours.

A leadership pipeline helps you identify your 70 (or even 7 figuratively speaking). This is the pipeline our church utilizes.  

How this works:

In this chart, we document how responsibility falls within a team.

• An assistant is the first place in which we invite someone to be developed as a leader.
• A leader is the first level in which a person is responsible for a team.
• A coach is the first level in which a leader is overseeing other leaders.
• A director is responsible for directing a particular team.
• A pastor is responsible for care, culture and vision.

My favorite area to develop is our coaches. In worship ministry, I am so lucky to have some of the best coaches.

Here's how this role works:

Jordan Hicks is my guitar coach. He is responsible for developing all guitar leaders, recruitment and assimilating guitarists for all of our campuses, adult, youth and kids’ teams. He's responsible for all communication and administration for this group as well. Because Jordan is the leader I've poured into, he completely understands my values, our church’s values and culture, and our end goal. He's a volunteer, but he brings a priceless value of leadership and excellence to our church. Our worship leaders never should worry about who they are leading with. We are spoiled because of warriors like Jordan. He's just one example of Ephesians 4 coming to life in our ministry.

I grew up as a jazz musician—tenor sax. I loved John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk. C’mon somebody!  I was in high school when I first played in combos with some older pro musicians in our city. We started playing a blues tune when one of the guys stopped me and said, “In the words of Miles Davis, man…you can’t play blues because you haven’t hurt enough yet.”  Apparently, I lacked any sense of emotive playing ability as a teenager. And I hadn’t hurt enough yet. 

If playing jazz and blues is an expression of pain and hurt that we’ve experienced, then singing worship music is an expression of the HOPE we know. We can’t and shouldn’t do this alone. Lean on your team. Empower them. 

I am excited to share with you the next two tips over the next few months. You’ll be able to find them right here at allaboutworship.com.  If you have questions about developing your leadership pipeline, you can email me at mike@worship.coach.

For free development resources, check out www.worship.coach.

I am a Father of four beautiful children. I remember the moment that each child took its first breath. I was right there waiting with expectation for this important moment of life. My last two children are twin girls. It was amazing to experience the incredible miracle of their first breaths one right after the other. It was almost overwhelming.

I often wonder what it was like for God after making creation. He made the sun, the moon, the stars, the oceans, and the trees. All of this creation was on the simple power of His Word, but when He created man something was different. The rest of creation was created by the power of His words but man received His breath. The Bible says that “He breathed into . . .”

 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" Genesis 2:6-7 (NKJV) 

It is from the very breath of God that we actually get our life.  Understanding the linkage of how we were created opens my heart to receive the great love of God.

I can imagine the pure delight God must have felt as the breath of His life began to flow through man. To see His image, His delight, His passion in front of Him with His breath inside of mankind was to see His beloved creation move beyond a vision into reality.

In the New Testament, the disciples are in a place of wonder trying to figure out how they are going to continue the mission when Jesus leaves them. The answer comes when God sends the Holy Spirit to breathe upon them. In the Gospel of John Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit to the disciples in the same manner that God gave life to humankind. Scripture tells us that Jesus breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit.

"'Peace to you! As the Father sent me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'"  20:21-22 (NKJV) 

His very breath was breathed upon them and later in Acts was poured out through the Spirit of God. As believers we live as part of a greater Kingdom. There are realities that exist for us that seem contrary to the things we see. His breath is that which brings life.  

Now my children are a little older and aren’t at the first breath stage. Something else has changed. They have figured out the pantry and the refrigerator that belongs to me also belongs to them. For some crazy reason my kids think that because they are my children and they are living in my house that my food is theirs. They do not think twice to drink the milk or have some bread. They do not question whether they are entitled to it or not. They do not come to me and say, “Dad I wasn’t so good this morning so I don’t think I should be able to eat of your food today.” They could have been horrible earlier but they still come to me in freedom and boldness. Why? Because they know who they are and what is theirs. They know their first breath marked them as my children. The truth is I love giving to them. I love providing for them.

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Luke 11:9 (NKJV?)

Jesus' instructions to “ask, seek, and knock” contain a combination which is intended to unlock the shackles of hopelessness. 

When you know who you are and what Kingdom you are a part of, you have no problem asking. It is not hard to worship when you know that the very breath you are worshiping from is His. It is not hard to seek and knock when you know that your Father delights to give you good things.

I once heard Pastor Jack Hayford say regarding the Holy Spirit, “Without me, you cannot. But without you, I will not.”  He chooses to use us. We will accomplish the impossible things and even menial things set before us because the breath of God is our source.

The starting place is to ask and then in doing that, to draw on the energy and power of the Holy Spirit to go beyond anything we can pray on our own.  We need the breath of God to live in the fullest and to walk in the supernatural element. The breath of the Almighty God is what empowers us to move from the natural to the supernatural.

It is the very breath of God that distinguishes us from the rest of creation. Ask, seek and you will find the promise of God. May the reality of the breath of God in you move you to purpose and lift you higher.

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For thousands of younger Gen Xers and older Millennials who were raised in the church, much of our maturing as worshippers is marked by the poetic lyrics and fluid vocals of the duo known as Shane & Shane. I personally remember having Be Near on repeat during a difficult season of transition in my personal life. And I don’t know about you, but just about every guy in my high school youth group could be found working their double strum on acoustic guitar at any given moment.

But it wasn’t just their original songs that sunk deep into the hearts of their listeners. Barnard and Everett also have this uncanny ability to take songs recorded years earlier or made popular by big names such as Hillsong or Passion and make them fresh and accessible to our generation of worshippers. 

They are capitalizing on this significant gift through their latest ministry effort called The Worship Initiative (TWI). I recently got the chance to talk with Shane Barnard at length and hear more about their journey through ministry, how they juggle it all, and their hopes for the future. Hopefully you’ll find the perspective and insight he offered up as encouraging as I did.

When I asked him to share the story of how the vision of The Worship Initiative came to be, he jumped right into an impassioned explanation. They had been doing the touring, writing, and recording thing for years and gotten to experience worship from and with just about every kind of stage, venue, and demographic. As they got to know hundreds of worship leaders from everywhere you can think of, they began to see a gaping hole . . . that being the understanding of the true weight of the calling of the worship leader.

A scripture that they’d read hundreds of times and even used as a sort of mantra throughout their ministry also played an enormous role in their starting TWI. Colossians 3:16 says,

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

One day a word jumped off their pages in a way that opened their eyes afresh – THROUGH. These times of worship they were leading on a regular basis were not just a means to an end. They actually serve as one of the primary ways the Church conveys the message of Jesus to raise up a generation of Christ followers who can change the world. Yet somehow, this position has gotten watered down to nothing more than a song leader in most church settings. They suddenly felt a whole new level of responsibility.

So the two set out to discover a way to pour into worship leaders around the world, both spiritually and practically. They started by taking a more personal look at their own gifts and bents. Barnard says about Everett, “I can’t think of a better salesman or evangelist . . . He’s just loud, funny, always cutting up, and can win anybody over to do anything . . . and unleashing that in an overseer role and our relational PR person has been awesome to watch. I think God dumped the PR side and evangelist side of Shane so hard into him that I think we still have yet to see what God is going to do in that regard.” Whereas for Barnard, his skill in songwriting and producing contends with just about anyone you could name. Over the last 20 years of ministering together, they’ve learned to “embrace who God has made [them] and not be disappointed in that anymore but just know that this is how God has made [them].” They’ve worked incredibly hard to figure out how to balance all of the overlap between their personal and professional lives, which is inevitable when you’ve worked so closely together for that long. “You would think we would have some kind of system after 20 years, but we are getting better. I would say that a few words come to mind . . . simplifying, strategizing, doing things on purpose. These are the things that have kind of been a banner over our lives the last two or three years.”

For a long time, all the different aspects of their lives were spread out all over the DFW area of Texas. Their studio was far south, much of their steady worship leading opportunities were at a church in the heart of Dallas, and they were living a good jump from either of those. So they are in the process of bringing all of those components closer together so that doing life with the families, church community, and ministry partners is easier. Taking this step has made it easier to grow their efforts with The Worship Initiative more rapidly.

So what is The Worship Initiative and what does it look like for someone to participate or take advantage of these resources?

Basically, an individual can pay a yearly fee and access a list of over 150 (and constantly growing) worship songs that each have multiple tutorial videos and charts accompanying them. These videos break down how to play the songs in different keys, on different instruments, and with varying skill levels. A worship leader on staff at a church can also pay an annual group fee, based on the number of people, for his team to be able to access everything as well. There are also craft training videos for everything from the different instruments and vocals to tech/production and using the number system. If that’s not enough, the site has an entire section dedicated to heart training, where they break down all the different spiritual and practical components for worship leading with the likes of John Piper and Ben Stuart. There are even creative devotionals to accompany every song on the different TWI records. TheWorshipInitiative.com truly is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom for anyone looking to grow as a leader or team member, and there are still exciting things to come. Shane shared a bit about what’s ahead for TWI. “Our next phase of The Worship Initiative is to create what we’re calling learning paths. Some people love to be given a world of information to explore on their own. But most people would really love to be told what to do to get from point A to point B. We will take our existing content and add to it and give them a year long path to stick to and see measurable growth in both skill and leadership.”

Given the length of time and the platform they’ve had over these last two decades, I asked Shane how he feels his perspective of worship both personally and within the Church has evolved over the years.

“I think worship, and even the idea of worship, has come a long way, in a good way. I think we’ve seen a pretty good uptick on understanding the Romans 12:1 life of worship. I often think back to a time when I was leading worship in a basement or college dorm room for several years, and it was always the oddest songs ever.” He recalled singing, with hands lifted, Make It Right by Kenny Marks (and yes, I might’ve gotten a solid 30 second serenade over the phone . . . it’s fine!) and other obscure songs that really had no purpose or meaning to the one worshipping. Yet, what we see all throughout the Psalms is “this gut-wrenching, very honest, it is okay to pour out your heart to the one who cares for you mentality. . . and that language is okay.” He remembered hearing the words to Breathe for the first time, where it says “I’m desperate for you,” and thinking “is this okay to have this kind of language in front of people? But yes, it is okay even in a congregation or corporately to say ‘I am thirsty for You in a dry land where there is no water.’ In fact that can be really helpful to the person sitting next to you. That can be us ‘singing spiritual hymns and songs to one another’, just that opening up of the heart and the embracing of singing those honest songs and using them to allow ‘the message of Christ to dwell among us richly.’”

Learn more about The Worship Initiative, as well as Shane & Shane, at www.theworshipinitiative.com. Here at All About Worship, we believe in what these guys are doing and the ministry they are fostering. We can’t wait to partner with them in the future as God continues opening those doors.

Transformation.  

As leaders, its a prayer we pray, a decree we sing over our congregation. We cry out for a shift in holiness. We desire a change of heart, for our church to be refined by the experience of worship. It’s easy to lift up your voice to the heavens, declaring God’s goodness and mercy, but lives are changed through the act of sincere transformation.  

Stories are powerful, and when someone comes forward with a testimony, something stirs within us. We relate, we believe, we hope. And that is the power behind transformational leadership.  

I was recently listening to a John Maxwell sermon, and he spoke about this very topic. I can’t take credit for the 4 points I’m about to share with you, but when I heard them I knew it was something worth sharing.  

We can read all the books we want on the types and styles of leadership, and honestly, it will always come down to your personality and how God has called you to lead. There’s no right or wrong way. But there is a truth that remains universal, and that is that leadership calls us to live life at a higher level. Leadership that sparks change and inspires movement requires a lifestyle that leaves no room for safety or compromise.  

All transformation happens through a transformational leader. Look at Scripture, for an example. Paul experienced one of the most radical life changes we see, and without his leadership, we would be missing 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament  

The book of Acts, at its core, is about how men stood unified and influenced an entire religious movement. King Xerxes was transformed by Esther’s faith and courage. Moses led an entire nation to freedom because he made the choice to live a life of trust and risk. These biblical heroes are set apart by their intentionality.  

They chose things normal people were not choosing, they honored God in ways others were not. This is what transformational leadership is about.  

So let’s dig into what it looks like for us to be a transformational leader amongst our church and teams.  

Transformational leaders see things other people do not see.  

Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? Many leaders passed by the man beaten and stripped that day. But it was the Samaritan, the unlikely hero, that saw what others refused to see. He transformed that man’s life through the power of touch and empathy.  

Are your eyes open to ministry moments? When you begin your rehearsals, are you so wrapped up in the sound check that you miss an opportunity to bless the new vocalist with introductions? Do you purposefully interact with those who serve unseen? Do you pick up the trash that everyone seems to dismiss? Honor is shown through the noticing. Begin praying for God to open your heart and prompt you as you serve each week.  

Transformational leaders say things other people do not say.  

Again, I am reminded of the story of Esther. She was told from day one not to reveal her Jewish roots. But when it came down to conviction, she had the courage to speak truth, and she was rewarded greatly for it. Transformational leadership takes conviction and bravery. People do not follow titles, they follow courage.  

What has God planted in your heart that needs to be spoken? What song needs to be sung? What person needs to be counseled? What words need to be said to yourself? Do not fear this part of leadership. Life and death are within the tongue, so use every opportunity to speak bold life over those God’s entrusted to you.  

Transformational leaders believe things other people do not believe.  

When Lazarus passed, the mourners came in droves, and Jesus was soon informed of his friend’s death. As He approached, Martha met Him there. She ran to Him and exclaimed, “If you had been here my brother would not have died!” The passage goes on as Jesus asks her if she believes He is who He says He is. She chooses to believe and even calls out her sister Mary to voice the same. This belief led to Jesus calling for Lazarus to rise from the grave, a miracle that confirmed that family's faith and legacy.  

Sometimes in ministry, we are called to believe beyond what even our pastoral leadership can see. Attendance, salvations, offerings, healings. Transformation happens when a congregation sees its leadership believing the unbelievable. It instills hope and trust in a God that is bigger than what we see. What do you, as a leader, need to be believing over your team, over your church, over your family in this season?  

Transformational leaders do things other people will not do.  

The story of Daniel has always been a powerful one in my life. When King Darius decrees that no man should pray to anyone but himself, Daniel continues to pray 3 times a day to God. When discovered, he’s thrown in the lions' den, and I think we all know how that turned out. God honored Daniel’s obedience and willingness to do what others would not do. It took courage, it took conviction, but Daniel’s belief in God was stronger than the consequences. His heart was settled.  

There will be times where you will be asked to do what others might not do. There may be convictions or levels of lifestyle you must obey because you’ve chosen this path of transformational leadership. Your life might look more conservative, it might look more dangerous, it might look more financially minimalistic. Whatever God is calling you to do or to not do, have the courage to say yes. Have the gall to live boldly in your conviction. This will always have a ripple effect among teams.  

Transformational leadership is not easy. It is isolating at times and misunderstood. But trying to lead without a heart of transformation can only get you so far. Without the courage to see differently, speak boldly, believe audaciously, and do rightly, you set your team up for failure. So as we move into the summer months, take this time of rest and reflection. Use it to examine your heart and see what God needs from you in each of these areas. What do you need to say? What do you need to believe this year? What do you need to do that will spark change? What will you see that will lead others' eyes to open? Ask God to transform your heart during this season, and watch as it transforms your leadership. 

If you aren’t yet familiar with her, the name to be looking out for in the coming year without a doubt is Dara Maclean. With two studio records behind her, the Lord is paving a fresh path for her ministry that hearts everywhere are sure to resonate with.
 
She’s been singing and doing music and ministry since she was seven years old. In her words, “it was not good sounding by any means. I remember at seven, I ran into my dad’s office and I had a walls of Jericho type song, and he applauded me because he’s a really good dad, but I’m sure it was really rough. But I felt called to the industry from a very young age and that has been everything for me.”

Having grown up in the church, she experienced first-hand that church really can be what you need regarding your maturing as a believer, a worshiper, and a leader. In her community she had “the opportunity to really fail forward in the sense of what not to do as a worship leader or youth leader. That was school for me in a lot of ways. God just knows how He uniquely creates us. I had to learn by doing and was forced into situations where experience didn’t get me there, but only the Lord could do it.”
 
“My parents looked at me and did NOT say, ‘You can be anything when you grow up.’ They said ‘there’s a specific calling on your life, and until you learn to hear from the Lord yourself, we’re going to help you.’ It has never been a question as I’ve pursued that calling.”
 
Some of Dara’s musical influences include Crystal Lewis, Martha Munizzi, CeCe Winans, and Brian & Jenn Johnson. These influences combined with her own experience in the recording industry served as the inspiration behind her and her husband’s heart to be a safe place for creatives to grow and learn and get tools to pursue their passions without having to step outside of the church.
 
Right now Dara is in the process of writing for a live worship record. It’s something that she is taking her time with in order to make it the very best it can possibly be. “For me personally I had to get off of the pump-out-a-record-every-two-years train. I could never take away from what the Lord had done on my journey, but I just had to stop and say ‘this project is worth it, I want more, I want another level, and that just takes time.’” Also around that same time, Dara married her husband Donnie Petty, so her life focus began shifting dramatically.
 
Leading up to the live recording, they have been and will continue to release one single at a time as a build up to the full project. Blameless was released in the fall of 2016 and then her latest song, Ashes, hit the scene just in time for Easter this year.

Along with being a songwriter and recording artist, Dara and her husband serve at a church in Fort Worth, TX. When it comes to balancing a music career and pastoring in the local church context, Dara says that it’s not something she did very well for a long time. “I became very overwhelmed. In the past I’ve been an all-or-nothing person and the Lord has helped me tremendously. I had to learn to not be a perfectionist when I didn’t need to be, and to stop carrying the weight of things I didn’t need to carry. I was putting all of that pressure on myself, so the balance began to come when I sort of ‘got over myself.’ God is perfectly faithful and fit and He has qualified us for what He has called us to do. Not by might and not by power, but by the Spirit. When working in the first two only, you grow weary in well-doing.”
 
The story behind her most recent release, Ashes, is a very personal one. Dara takes songwriting very seriously and carries the full weight and responsibility of her name being attached to anything. So when she walks into a co-write, nine times out of ten she already has a theme in mind, if not a full set of bones for an idea. But this particular session with Travis Ryan (We Believe) happened to be the last of a week straight of two co-writes per day. “I walked in and Travis had this concept of Ashes, and we knew immediately ‘God You just have just given us a gift.’ We definitely should not be focusing on this just for Easter, because victory of death, what a revelation! There are definitely areas of my life that have died . . . full on valley of dry bones. Jesus did not die so that things in me would remain dead. He longs to show off in the marriage that is dying. For those who struggle with self-harm issues, fill in the blank . . . we need Jesus. The goal is to prophetically proclaim this over people because I’ve needed it myself. The reality is, there is stuff in our past that needs to remain dead. But shame and condemnation is trying to keep dead that which God said ‘I gave that to you as a gift of life’. I believe those things, through the power of revelation, can be resurrected and that will lead people to the Lord. That’s huge!”
 
One thing is for sure; this sister has a gifting and a message from the Lord that will not easily go unheard. And the soul in her voice only solidifies the power behind the words she is singing. So if you haven’t already, check out her music today.
You can get Ashes here and keep up with what Dara is up to here.

Do you ever have those moments when God’s Word being alive and active gets super real? As spiritual leaders in our different capacities, we’ve all talked about it and referred to that sweet verse in Hebrews multiple times, but nothing beats those experiences when it becomes alive and active to us personally. Something else I’ve learned through these encounters is that it’s not uncommon for them to be meant for someone else besides you. So I’d love to tell you about one of those moments that happened to me. I’m confident that the message was blatantly meant for me, but maybe it’ll be an encouragement to someone else out there.

There I was, perusing 2 Corinthians 5. I was actually focusing initially on the piece about being a new creation, but in the midst of the passage, a phrase leapt off the page and hit me over the head with a supernatural force.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

FOR. THE. LOVE. OF. CHRIST. CONTROLS. US.

Other translations use words like compels, rules, and puts us into action. What does it mean to live a life compelled by the love of Christ? The conviction settled in deep that it should look much different than my life does now. I like to think that overall, I’m a fairly generous, kind, loyal, and patient person. But then I get woken up by the sound of my children fighting, or get stuck behind that annoying driver who clearly has no clue where they’re going, and I realize quickly that there are short limits to that generosity, kindness, loyalty, and patience. Why? Why can’t I seem to get this down? Then it hit me that instead of being compelled or controlled by Christ’s love, I’m allowing myself to be compelled by my own mood and feelings. And let’s face it, when those take over, who knows what might happen?

What if, though, for one day I chose to see everything and everyone through the lens of Christ’s love? What would be different? Well for starters . . . the way that I interact with my 3 sons. Imagine the changes that would take place in my home if I dealt out more gentleness. Please tell me I’m not alone in this struggle. What about forgiveness? We are so quick to attach conditions on our willingness to forgive someone. Yet Jesus forgave with no strings attached. Marriages . . . Someone once set the challenge before my husband and I to approach each day with the mindset of out-serving one another. What if that became the norm in Christian marriages and homes? Then there’s the Church! Some of the hardest people to love walk through the doors of our churches on a weekly basis. Some of them may even be serving within our different worship ministries. What would change within our ministries if we figured out how to love each individual, compelled by Christ himself?

For those of us lucky enough to grow up in the 90’s, you didn’t have to look far to find someone wearing a W.W.J.D. bracelet. What Would Jesus Do? It sounds like such a simple question. But at its core, it holds the power of life and death when it comes to our relationship to those around us. Taking that pause to consider Christ’s perspective changes a lot of things.

Something else to consider . . . living a life compelled and controlled by the love of Jesus offers us a whole new level of freedom. When we encounter the situations or people that normally drive us to those places we don’t like to go, there’s no longer any confusion about how we are to respond. Jesus will always love. He will always forgive. He will always deal in patience. He will always give of himself without complaining. He will always put others first. That seems to make the decision making process a lot easier, doesn’t it? If only that translated to our everyday lives as easily.

So how do we do it? How do we approach our days completely ruled by Christ’s love? I’m inclined to think that the rest of Paul’s thought in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 helps answer that question. The solution for us is found smack dab in the middle of the gospel. When we remind ourselves regularly of the cross, and the redemptive work that was completed there, adjusting our behavior and choices seems to come a little more naturally. Keeping the cross and Christ’s love ever before us, may we see those around us the same way He did, and may we let that same love dictate our every move. That, my friends, has the power to bring a little Heaven to earth!

Over the last few months we’ve tackled the topic of TEAM BUILDING.  As much as I would love to feel as if we have this one nailed, we don’t.  TEAM BUILDING is a muscle that every leader needs to continue to develop.  It’s easy to let this one slip away from us! Just when we start to feel like we are getting on top of this, something changes.  A vital team member leaves.  A leader needs to take on the responsibility of a different area.  Your best guitar player gets hired as the worship pastor at another church.  These are all real-life situations that happen in even the best teams.  They will happen to yours as well.

In our “Month One” blog on team building we presented the IDEA of developing a Leadership Pipeline within your worship ministry.  This IDEA helped support that idea that building an EMPOWERED TEAM is a powerful Kingdom tool.  “Who’s responsible for who?” and “Who’s responsible for what?” are two of the most important questions that needs to be answered in any team environment.  When you lead a team with clarity and spread out the responsibility for others to own your team, you ignite growth opportunities that might have went unnoticed. 

In “Month Two” we presented the idea of “Making Recruitment and Assimilation a Normal for Everyone”.  So many times, I bump into Worship Leaders and Pastors that feel the very unfair burden of building ALONE.  With this IDEA, we present the notion that every team can build better and faster when the team members who are on the teams are your best recruiters.  Make this a normal practice.  At my church, we practice asking new team members to “bring one” with you.  We have found that by making this a standard practice at ground level, we never have to ask for participation from the 10,000-foot level.  Whatever is visible is what replicates.  Empower your best leaders to build.

So here we are. Month Three.

Idea #3. Clearly Identify and Communicate Simple On-Ramps.

I love my city.  I live in Lincoln, Ne.  Home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  I love the youthful spirit and progressive nature of our city.  I have even grown to love and cherish the special college football atmosphere that engulfs our city on game day.  It’s addictive to say the least.  But one thing that I am not a big fan of is traffic on game day.  There is one primary road that leads into Lincoln and over 90,000 fans make the trek to our city on game day.  There are probable more if you include tailgaters.  THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM: The roads infrastructure needs to be able to support the traffic flow to the desired destination.  If there are too many confusing pieces of communication, it would put our city into emergency mode and have catastrophic effects.  I mean, the world might come to an end if people missed a Cornhusker Football Game! (No, but seriously) ;)

Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

Every month I host a worship leaders round table in Omaha Ne.  At this round table, Worship leaders from multiple different denominations gather for friendship and peer coaching.  These leaders have become family and they are amazing.  We discuss a wide range of worship ministry issues.  One topic that comes up regularly is “attracting the right volunteers”.  If a leader starts to pour their heart out to me about how they can’t get enough volunteers, I always ask one question to start the conversation.  “Can you tell me about your on-ramp?” This might sound overly simplistic, but what I have found is that sometimes we make it more complicated than it needs to be or we haven’t identified the answer to the most important question at all.  Every leader on your team, in unity, needs to be able to answer this question with clarity and simplicity.

 THIS IS THE QUESTION

“Where do I go and What do I do?”

 Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

 Here are a few suggestions when it comes to identifying your onramp into your ministry:

       1.     KEEP IT SIMPLE-

Keep it simple in language and communication.  Your “on-ramp” shouldn’t be riddled with complex forms, interviews and assessments.  Not yet anyways.  Create an “on-ramp’ that just answers the question, “where do I go and what do I do?”.  Worry about next steps later.  But for now, getting a “willing one” to show up is your biggest win. Make it simple for them.

For example, I person asks about playing guitar on the worship team.  Any leader in your department should be able to have the same simple answer. ”I am so glad you are interested!  We host all our new volunteers on Monday Nights at 6:30pm!  Would you be my guest?!”

       2.     USE WHATS ALREADY WORKING AS YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD-

­What is already working in your church?  Do you have a rehearsal process that is spot on?  USE IT!  Is God’s presence so thick in your weekend worship services that lives are being transformed?  USE IT! I’ve made the mistake of overthinking and over programming.  I’ve launched the “extra” visitor’s night or the quarterly worship night with the intentions of attracting new people.  Sometimes those things work.  But the problem is that even though they may be effective, it takes a long time for those events to represent the culture and team that we want people to be attracted to. 

Identify what’s already working and utilize those moments to “on-ramp” your team.

        3.     KEEP IT CONSISTENT-

Nothing can steal the wind out of the sails of progress like a good dose of inconsistency.  If you “welcome” new team members on Monday nights, keep that consistent for a season.  If you “welcome” new people to your choir rehearsal and you celebrate leaders that brought them, don’t change that unless you are communicating change.  Consistency, on this point, allows us the opportunity to get buy in from our team! Consistency builds reliability. Consistency gives our leaders tools to build with.  (Side note:  We will be talking about “embracing change” and reinvention in the upcoming months.)

Consistency tells our teams that we aren’t building a kingdom that only serves us, but we are leading an army that can fight battles when we share the burden.

Identifying your “on-ramps” could be a simple strategy that could help you engage people better.  Below is a sample of an “on-ramps” document that I created for our kid’s ministry at our church.  This idea isn’t just for worship/creative teams, but for everyone.

It is essential that you clearly communicate the “WHERE/HOW” to START whenever you are building teams.  Keep your communication clear and simple.  Try utilizing opportunities that your church is already doing well to interact with potential volunteers.  Lastly, be consistent.  Everyone should know the answer to this question: “Where do I go and What do I do?”.

 Having clear and simple communication about “what to DO next” can make or break your teams culture. 

Jesus, I pray today for the burden and stress that our worship leaders and pastors feel daily. We pray that you would continue to grow our capacity to shepherd well.  Thank you for entrusting us with big things.  We are honored to pastor your people.

Please feel free to use this resource or any that you find at worship.coach. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions about these three helpful tips.  I am always glad to help. 

Michael King @michaelkingjr
free resources available at www.worship.coach

Our brand new host, Michael King, makes his introduction into the AllAboutWorship Community!  He's spoken at the conferences, but now you'll get to hang out a few times a month on the podcast!

On this episode, you'll hear from a familiar face, Dustin Smith.  You'll hear them chat about the new focus of AAW and some of the vision for the future.  We're majoring on the core values, the power of God's Presence, the power of His People, and the power of a Sound.

We want to continue the practical teaching, new music, artist interviews and worship teaching & coaching moments.  Come along as AAW takes off into a brand new season - it's gonna be great and we are excited to be on this journey with YOU!  We're back!!!! 

Stay connected with us

twitter.com/allaboutworship
facebook.com/allaboutworship
instagram.com/allaboutworship
podcast[at]allaboutworship.com

We are stoked to bring you this edition of the podcast! These gems will be released throughout the year in addition to our normally scheduled releases. We appreciate the voice that all of our worship pastors, leaders and artists bring to the table. We hope that you enjoy this as much as we do!

On this episode, Michael King gets a chance to talk to Matt Maher. Matt is currently promoting his new release, Echoes, and is on tour with Chris Tomlin. Matt shares his heart on the meaning behind “Echoes” and some great perspective that we have, as worship leaders, to lead with authority and with great burden. Check out more on Matt Maher by doing the following:

• Visit his website to learn more about him as an artist, his music & traveling dates
• Check Out "Echoes" on iTunes
• Follow Matt as an Artist on Spotify
• Subscribe on YouTube for even more content & music

A special thank you to Matt Maher for joining us. Next week we will pick back up on Part 2 of the Dustin Smith/Michael King discussion on the future of AAW. You won’t want to miss it ...

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

We continue the values conversation with Michael King and Dustin Smith.

This week, we recap the power of HIS presence, the power of his people and the power of the sound. We spend a significant amount of time on the POWER OF HIS PRESENCE, because that’s what defines us. We are really excited for you to hear this conversation. And to James, the Uber driver … thank you for the lyric contribution

Michael King and Michael Farren continue the discussion on the main focus areas for All About Worship - Power of His Presence, Power of His People, and the Power of a Sound.  King catches up with Farren in the middle of the KINGDOM SONGS BOOT CAMP and there are some amazing takeaways.

“Stop leading songs and start pastoring people” - Michael Farren.

Today, we're excited to introduce you to someone on the front lines of worship every single week at a local church, just like you!  He's a worship leader, pastor, husband, father and a good friend of the ministry: Jordan Merritt.

Jordan is currently serving as Worship Pastor at Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, SD, one of the fastest-growing churches in the country.  In addition to leading worship, he is a gifted songwriter. He co-wrote the Newsboys single, “You Hold It All,” and he has written songs for multiple projects with artists including Newsboys, Selah, Travis Ryan, and others. Jordan’s desire is to see the Church equipped, refreshed, and reminded of God’s promises through worship.

Thank you to Jordan for taking the time to sit down with us!  We hope you are encouraged by a "fellow soldier in the fight", who is leading worship in a local church every week.  Be encouraged and be confident that God has put you on mission as a worshipper in your church ... to restore the honor of God, to restore the People of God and to bring His presence into your services each and every week. 

Have a great week!

Rigs, Gear and the Pursuit of Happiness.

[ALL ABOUT WORSHIP GEAR TALK]

CASEY MOORE from the band called Leeland, lives in Nashville living the dream with his family. He is an accomplished musician, writer and overall cool guy. He's recorded for artists/producers such as: Michael W. Smith, Bethel Music, Jason Upton, Fleurie, Phil Wickham, Audrey, Normies, Ed Cash and Vertical Worship to name a few.

Mastermind PBC \ http://bit.ly/2CfI7Eo
Walrus Audio Deep Six Compressor \ http://amzn.to/2nUbFTO
Klon Centaur Gold \ http://bit.ly/2BpFNOq
JHS Kilt \ http://amzn.to/2EmC171
JHS Prestige \ http://amzn.to/2EnO603
Micro Pog (not modded) \ http://amzn.to/2Ez0YQ1
Strymon Mobius \ https://www.strymon.net/
Strymon Timeline \ https://www.strymon.net/
JHS Emperor \ http://amzn.to/2BWwfeM
Strymon Big Sky \ https://www.strymon.net/
Strymon El Capistan \ https://www.strymon.net/
Boss RV-5 \ http://amzn.to/2F1uXhD
Hilton Pro Guitar Volume \ https://hiltonelectronics.com/
Strymon Zuma Power \ https://www.strymon.net/

Pro Tip #1 (Do I Need All That Gear?):

Pro Tip #2 (How Do I Record on a Budget?):

“What is the Sound the of Heaven? Its the people of God. Us. It is our calling, in whatever arena, to be His light, His hands and feet to a lost world. These songs are a declaration of the desire to walk in the identity of Christ and be the audible and visible Sound of Heaven.” 

-- Brad + Rebekah

This is the mission statement from the newest album released by our friends, Brad & Rebekah Bichsel!!  We had the chance to sit down and talk with this awesome couple, who both lead worship together, and have such a great heart for the Church.  Take a moment and listen in!  Brad & Rebekah share some personal things that they are walking through, and how this album is really a declaration of faith. And speaking of that album, check it out:

Also, take some time and head over to their website at Brad + Rebekah Music.  Make sure to check out the "About" section and read up on their story.  There's even some images and stories behind a few of the songs on this album - many times we write songs out of real experiences.  This album, and their stories, are no exception, and you'll be impacted by it.  If you're looking to get the album ( YOU SHOULD! ), there's a few ways to do that:

• Buy it on iTunes
• Listen on Apple Music
• Listen on Spotify
• Download on Amazon Music
• Download on Google Play

There's plenty of options there for you, there's no excuse!  Last but not least, Brad + Rebekah have even released multi tracks, chord charts & videos along with everything.  You can find that under the "Music" section of their website here.  We pray that these songs would minister powerfully both to you & to your church! 

We are excited for you to meet our guests on the AAW podcast, Clinton Allen & Ryan Williams from River Valley Worship! They both lead worship at their church in Minneapolis, MN.  

In today’s interview, we’re talking with Ryan & Clinton specifically about their story as worship leaders and as songwriters. They talk to us about their current roles in their local church as worship leaders and leading teams. They also have some great insights about how they approach writing new songs for their church - considering the people that will be singing those songs and even their senior pastor - It starts with relationship!  They share experiences from leading REAL people in REAL ministry week to week, so we really believe this will speak to many of you listening that are also leading worship week in & week out.  You have authority as a pastoral musician. 

Last but certainly not least - you can find out more about River Valley Worship's brand new album!  Head on over to rivervalleyworship.org and find ways to listen below:

• Buy it on iTunes
• Listen on Apple Music
• Listen on Spotify
• Download on Amazon Music
• Download on Google Play
• Watch on YouTube

There's plenty of options there for you, there's no excuse!  Be blessed, and be sure to check out their new album —- “MILLION LIFETIMES”! 

All About Worship talks with The Belonging Co. worship leader, Hope Darst about leading teams and showing true character through hard times.

She voices the story about writing the song “Peace Be Still”, as it evolved into one of the breakthrough worship songs of 2018.  Enjoy this week's sit down with Hope Darst!

The belonging Co worship leader Andrew Holt sits with us this week to talk about dealing with transition and celebration.

Andrew talks about his story and his transition into leading worship. Also, can we take celebration too far in church?  Some people may think we go too far ... how about you?  Listen in!

I have always been a person who enjoys sports.  I grew up in northern Indiana, which is 30 minutes from Chicago, so we gave ourselves the right to root for a team from Chicago or one from Indiana.  Because of that my favorite teams were the Bulls, the Colts, and the Cubs. To me Michael Jordan is the GOAT, Peyton Manning is one of the GOAT and the Cubs, well until last year they were the lovable losers.  I know I just lost some of you because you would completely disagree with my selection of teams and players. Some of you would quote statistics and others would just spout opinions but we would probably end up agreeing to disagree.

I have a couple hats and jerseys of my favorite teams that I love to wear around town knowing that guys are going to let me know of their approval and sometimes disapproval of my choice of team.  If I’m wearing a certain team's apparel the guys assume that is where my allegiance lies.

To a certain extent, worship can work similar to a jersey.  When we worship we are making an outward declaration of where our loyalty lies. The world is watching us in times of stress, trials and difficult situations to know who has our allegiance.  Have you ever heard anyone ask the question, “How can you still believe in God with all the bad stuff that has happened to you?” The reason they ask that question is that most people change allegiances whenever things don’t go their way.  They like to treat God as a genie and if He does not pop out and answer their wishes then they will go find someone who will obey their commands. Worship indicates that you believe God is who he says He is no matter what the situation says about Him.  

This does not mean that everyone who sings a song or says something good about God has given Him their allegiance.  God is wanting you to do more than just wear the jersey, He wants you in the game. When Jesus came on the scene and ran into the Pharisees, he basically called them out as guys who were wearing the jerseys but they were all talk and no action.

“These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy.” Matthew 15:9 (MSG)

You know the type of person Jesus is talking about... the one who wears the jersey and is constantly using language like “we” lost the game and “we” need to step it up next game.  They make it sound like they were actually out on the field and had something to do with the final outcome of the game. They wear the jersey, slap on a hat and let everyone know where their allegiance lies but in the end, they are just an armchair quarterback.  They know the players, the stats and all the language but they have never been out on the field.

Let's not be that type of person.  No more armchair worshipers trying to act like we are in the game but we are just going through the motions with no heart.  True worship reveals an allegiance when you backup your words with actions. I refuse to be a person who sings about heaven on Sunday but lives like hell on Monday.  I want to live a life of worship that screams to those around me that my allegiance is to Jesus and I will never change my mind.

This is it ... a new beginning with the merging of two super-podcasts into one! The Worship Podcast is here, powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey). On today's pilot episode, all four hosts sit down to discuss the transition, as well as the resources and teaching they hope to provide to our listeners.  Listen in, and welcome to our brand new show!

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
The Worship Podcast on Facebook
The Worship Podcast on Instagram
The Worship Podcast on Twitter

We have such a tendency to water down words. Lessening their impact through casual use: awesome, love, and worship were the three that came to mind. 

Worship? You might ask, “How has worship been watered down?” As I took time to think about the word, I began to realize something. Just as we have lessened the impact of words such as awesome and love through overuse, we have done much the same with the word worship through underuse.

We have so narrowed its scope until – in our current Christian culture – we often relegate it to just another music genre or a segment of time in our church services. Though from the first welcome to the benediction our services are designed to engage our congregations in worship; worship is so much more. Worship is an attitude, an action, a way of life.

As I reflected on the hundreds and hundreds of times I have had the privilege of leading congregations in worship through music, James 1:27 came to mind. 

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

I began to recall several settings in which I have lead worship; large churches, small churches, conferences, and festivals, in many states and denominational traditions. However, the two venues which most stood out were not of leading large congregations in worship, but they were found in the small church basement where I first lead worship with children from 2-10 years old, and the nursing homes where I, and often my family have lead these old dear saints in the singing of hymns and praise choruses. Each representing the opposite end of the age spectrum and both reflecting the childlike faith Jesus referred to in Matthew 18:3. 

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I believe we refuse to let the world corrupt us when we use our gifts to serve others including those who have nothing to give us in return – the children, the elderly, the sick. Yes, as I look back the most impactful worship experiences I have had are seeing these little children sing with reckless abandon, and the elderly – whom often could not even accurately communicate where they were or what day it was – with tears streaming down their face singing every word to every hymn along with me. 

For vocational artists it is certainly necessary that we are able to pay our bills. However, I am realizing more and more that our church salary or concert honorarium is not payment for services rendered, but rather an effort by those who write the checks to redeem the time we would otherwise need to use provide for ourselves and our families so that we can fully use our gift of music to freely serve the body, no matter whether it gathers in church basements, nursing homes, living rooms, soup kitchens, or auditoriums.

I was climbing another mountain. I was near the top, sure I’d reach it soon, but this time I wasn’t making any progress...

Hello, worship leader! My name is Amanda Blankenship. I could put Pastor in front of my name or send you a whole list of job titles that have included everything from Worship Director to Songwriting Pastor as part of some really awesome ministries and churches. But really I’m just a woman on a journey, finding purpose and authority by discovering my Godly identity. So although we could discuss team building and leadership or continue debating what type of songs we should be leading, I’d much rather just talk to you today about identity. Not the worship leader or the worship pastor...just you.

I might not be that old..at least I don’t think I’m that old - haha, but I have spent a lifetime working in and for the church. I’m a preacher’s kid who has seen the beauty and ugliness of church life. And although there have been seasons of hurt and confusion, I could never shake the love I had for God’s people and the desire in my heart to serve her.

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.   - Psalm 27:4

To answer the call to serve God’s people, I obtained my local license, a Masters Degree in Ministry, and district licensing within a crazy two years, and all while serving my local church. And when I had to chance to head out and start my own worship team as the lead Worship Pastor, I went for it!  It was a start up and I had to build the entire department from the ground up: AV, Vocalists, Band, everything. We started small, but grew quickly and before I knew it, I had a full team of wonderful people to minister with. I absolutely loved it. I love leading. I love learning. I love building teams, equipping people. And yes, I even love the planning and organization of the ministry and the services. It was perfect! Everything made sense. I had answered God’s call. I had worked to achieve the position of worship pastor and I wasn’t too bad at it either.

Back to that mountain I mentioned earlier.

God has always shown me stages of life in visions of a journey. They are often vague and far off, but they are enough to light the way, enough to keep me on the right path. Well, every time God took me back to this particular mountain, I was still standing in the same place, looking at the top, but no closer to its summit.

God began speaking to me and my husband telling us that it was time for me to step down as worship pastor of the church.  I had built the team he needed me to build and it was time for them to do it without me, time for me to move on. I wasn’t surprised, for He had told me from the beginning of the startup that I would not be there long, but I didn’t expect it so soon.  And I had absolutely no next step. I selfishly worried about everything I would lose if I quit. In a prayer I wrote to God at the time, I remember talking to him about it and saying, “God, you know I love to lead worship and equip people and build teams and ...etc...why would you take this from me now? I won’t have anywhere to fulfill my calling!”

Can you imagine saying this to God? Let me tell you, He was quick to remind me who owns all the resources and who put those desires and passions in my heart in the first place.

He then took me back to that mountain but this time he widened my view. I could not only see the top of the mountain, but I could also see myself standing on the mountain. I was surprised by what I saw. I was standing on side of that mountain with my arms stretched wide, trying to push all kinds of stuff up the mountain with me: people, job titles, resources, education.... everything I had worked so hard to accomplish and obtain.

And God said, “Let them go.”

“Let them go?", I asked,  "All of it? Let it ALL go?”

“Yes," He replied, "All I want is you.”

Tears filled my eyes. Panic gripped my heart. “But God, I’ve worked so hard. I’ve pushed them all this way... I can make it. I can get it ALL up there.”

“No you can’t. You aren’t supposed to. Let them go.”

As I stood there shaking and straining to keep it all balanced, I still begged for assurance. Would it all be lost? If I let them go, were they going to stay there or plummet to the bottom of the mountain and be destroyed?

“God, is it just for now or forever?” I asked.

He didn’t reply and I knew it was time for a decision.

How badly did I want what God had for me? Was I willing to strip myself of all the labels and titles and just be Amanda? “How could that be enough?” I thought.

I looked to the top of the mountain once more, but this time I didn’t look back down at the things in my arms. Instead, I took a deep breath and slowly released them. Every. Single. One.  Until nothing was left.

I finished the climb to the top and stood before God with nothing to offer but my love and my heart. No fancy titles, degrees or accolades, just me, imperfect, vulnerable, but absolutely loved and absolutely known. I heard His voice one last time. And this time he said, “You are enough.”

Saint Francis of Assisi, AD 1181-1226, Assisi, Italy, was the founder of the Franciscan Order. Early in life, his own father took him to court over money that he had used to serve the church. And on the day of the trial, Francis not only handed back his father every dime, but he also removed all of his clothes and placed them in his father’s hands and said: “From now on I can freely say ‘Our Father who art in heaven’, not father Pietro di Bernardone, to whom, behold, I give up, not only the money, but all my clothes too”. A bishop who witnessed the dialogue was so moved by Francis’s willingness to give everything he had, he took off his mantle and put it around the young Francis, “while physically clothing his nakedness, [it] also symbolized a transfer of dignity and respect.” (Poets and Saints, p.170-171)

Worship leader, I’m not sure where you are on the journey up the mountain, whether you’ve just begun or you’ve made it to the top, but know this. There will never be a time that you empty yourself and stand naked before the Lord that He won’t CLOTHE YOU with grace, DIGNIFY what you feel is worthless, and bestow AUTHORITY for you to fulfill the calling on your life! Don’t be afraid to follow Him into the unknown and don’t hold to titles and position more than you do your calling. Your calling is to the people of God and your responsibility is first and foremost to the Lord Himself!

So although I don’t go by Pastor Amanda anymore, God has given me more people to pastor outside of the church than He ever did in. He is using my songwriting, my worship leading, my love for building teams, everything! Maybe one day it will have a name or a title again, but I’m okay if it doesn’t. I will be content to be Amanda. I will worship. I will lead others to worship and follow after God with fierceness. To faithfully follow even when it doesn’t make sense. I will be free and when the next mountain comes, because it will, I will know that I am enough!

Raise you’re hand if, like me, you went straight from your mother’s womb to a saved seat in the sanctuary of your local church. Now keep your hand raised if you knew from an early age that music was going to play an important role in your future. Keep your hand up, still, if you began singing on your youth group worship team the minute you reached the allowed age and continued all the way through high school and even through college as part of your respective campus ministries. One final round . . . keep it raised if, at some point during your time as a maturing worshiper, you had a seasoned leader intentionally pouring into you, helping you fully understand what it means to step into the role of a worship pastor. If your hand is still raised, you and the person or people who discipled you deserve as many rounds of applause as one might hear during the annual State of the Union. 

Why? 

Because somehow over the years, this incredibly important piece has gotten lost in all the stage fog and bright lights, and much of the Church has been left with a whole bunch of good song leaders and musicians with no pastoral legs to stand on. There’s been a universal confusion placed between the role of worship pastor/leader and worship artist or song leader. My friends, would you agree that these are vastly different roles? 

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. - John 4:23

If the people in our congregations only see the experiential (Spirit) side of worship, and don’t leave having been filled with truth as well, we have missed the mark. Don’t get me wrong, I love a well-executed version of this month’s top CCLI songs as much as the next gal, but where appreciation turns to disappointment is when it becomes abundantly evident that the person leading us has nothing else to offer besides a good voice. Do I believe that the Lord can use a song with or without a teaching moment stuck in there to expound on the message of the lyrics . . . absolutely. But I also believe that on the whole, those charged with leading our congregations in worship, week-in and week-out, are to be just as called, equipped, and anointed to shepherd His people as the other church leaders.

Indulge me for just a minute. 

Say you start hearing strange sounds coming from your car. You take it to the nearest auto shop and you’re greeted warmly by one of the mechanics. He seems perfectly nice and seems to know a lot of the lingo, as he throws around words like carburetor and fuel pump, but as you get further into the conversation it starts becoming clear that perhaps this guy doesn’t understand quite as fully as he’s letting on. You ask him, “So exactly how much experience do you have in fixing cars?” His reply is something like, “Well I’ve been hanging out here for several years observing these other mechanics fixing cars and I’ve watched several YouTube videos about it. They even let me turn a wrench every now and then when they need a bathroom break.” Something tells me you’d be hightailing it out of there to find a more experienced technician.

To my fellow ladies . . . if you walked into a beauty salon for a cut and color and the beautician available next is completely disheveled and her hair looks like a 3 year old styled it, how likely would you be to trust her with your coif? 

And yet, week after week, the hearts of many church goers are being entrusted to people with no pastoral training, no teaching experience, and a Biblical knowledge that is shaky at best. But whose fault is that? Is it theirs? They’re simply operating out of the amount of knowledge and equipping that they’ve been handed. I’m inclined to believe that it is we who have failed this forgotten generation of disciples and left them unprepared to carry this mantle to its fullest extent. Something desperately needs to change, wouldn’t you agree? 

Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. - 2 Timothy 2:2b

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up… - Ephesians 4:11-12

We clearly have been tasked not just with leading songs, but with discipling those who will one day fill our shoes.

But how? 

It starts with you, right where you are in your local context, finding those worshipers who you believe have been set apart to usher God’s people into His presence through music; who have the gifts that it takes to pastor the men, women, students, and children of your church; who desire to know God’s Word in such a way that they are ready to wield it from the stage in a manner that supports the songs they are leading; and who have the humble, teachable spirit necessary to step into this role. That could be a handful of high school and college students, green but eager. It could also be a few men and women who have already been serving on your team, but have never been poured into in this way. It may not even be members in your local church. It may be 3 or 4 people just a little younger than you who you know could really flourish with a little mentorship. Whoever it may be, find them. Reach out to them. Lead and guide them through more than just the “glamorous” and visible sides of worship leading. Dig into scripture together. Talk about what it looks like to really pastor and shepherd a church . . . the good, the bad, the ugly, and the uglier. 

My boss and dear friend, Michael Farren, says “a true worship pastor will have muddy boots and bloody knuckles.” Our job is not to stand up each week, sing some songs, quote a couple Bible verses, and give emotional cues in hopes of people experiencing an encounter with God. Our responsibility, to both the Church and her future leaders, is first to LOVE these people well, to TEACH them about His presence, to DEMONSTRATE what it looks like to worship Him both on the stage and off, and to LEAD them into a deeper relationship with the Lord.  Let’s not forget any longer that we are not the last generation of worship leaders. We are setting the bride of Christ up for failure if we don’t do our part in loving, teaching, demonstrating, and leading those coming up behind us.

To those of you already in the depths of discipling, bravo and keep at it. You are positioning your churches well. Thank you!

Maybe you’re reading this and you feel like perhaps you’re one of the very people talked about here who were thrusted into a position of leadership with little to no equipping. Don’t be afraid to ask another worship pastor to mentor you. We will never “have it down” this side of heaven. There is always more to learn.

If you’re a worship pastor out there who knows this is something that needs to be happening in your church, don’t wait. It’s never too late and you can never start too early.  Our team here at All About Worship is for you in ways you can’t imagine! We are cheering you on as you step into this crucial role! We’d love to know what kinds of resources and tools would be helpful to you as you start your journey. Feel free to comment below with questions or with things that have helped you in your experience.

James & Dustin had a chance to sit down with Jonathan Brown - President of Integrity Music - to discuss unity and division among the people of God, and among worshipers in the church.

JB (Jonathan Brown) and Dustin both had the chance to be part of a tour with WeAreWorship, where they visited multiple church leaders in multiple cities.  There were so many great things experienced and along with that, there were so many things learned.  At the end of the day, we want unity in the the people of God and especially among the leaders of God's Church, and we need to have inspired conversation on this topic. 

Enjoy!

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

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There are very clear lines drawn for a Black person in White evangelical spaces that are not often addressed. Speaking openly about these realities can be hopeful, yet tricky and difficult; however, the call, for me, is very missional and fully aligns with the ministry of the disciples after Christs’ commissioning. I don't speak for all Black people who operate in these spaces, but I believe that my experiences and relationships, coupled with the research I've conducted in this area, allow me to bring a broad perspective to certain realities surrounding this subject matter.

(Note that when I refer to evangelical churches, I'm referring to predominantly white churches, thus the exclusion of the language, engagement with black churches and vernacular used within the Black church.)

I, like many of my Black friends, fall in love with the new language, liturgies and sermon content occupied by the evangelical church. In modern evangelical churches, there is great pride in the authority of Scripture, accurate hermeneutics and appropriate exegesis of Scripture. At times, there are historical facts and liturgies presented that are not always found in Black churches. When I began attending and working at my first evangelical church, this new language and preaching style became very attractive to me. I felt my love for this new experience grow as I continued to learn. Consequently, to my detriment, I grew further away from my own culture. I started to feel that everything I loved about church, while growing up in the Black church, was a lie. For a short season, I grew bitter, hurt and angry with the Black church because I felt they kept from me the truths and historical facts that I began learning in the evangelical church. My frustration with the specific lens through which the church communicated and the lifestyle that was promoted grew as well. Boy, was I wrong. As I gained more influence within the [evangelical] church and increased my knowledge and understanding of God, I started seeing the gaps in my church, and the church as a whole. I later enrolled in seminary and it changed my life. I will never forget watching a sermon by Dr. Tony Evans where he stated that he was one of only four Black’s to attend the Dallas Theological Seminary in the 1980’s, and that those four were some of the first to attend in DTS history. I found this information inexcusable and devastating, and it affirmed what I've known my entire life - Black churches were not holding anything back from me; they didn't have access to the same information as their white counterparts. This realization began shifting my view of my culture and my Black church experience. The idea of Black people not being able to attend “accredited” seminaries until the nineteen-eighties became a real issue and tension for me. It also brought a greater appreciation for the Black church and its ability to have such powerful services and accurate sermon content. This reflects the narrative of not only the church, but our dearest America. 

Many of us grew up being taught that America was built so that equality for all human beings could be attained. We have a certain historical view of Christianity; however, if we take a closer look at history, we'll learn that many of our brothers and sisters failed us in this regard. The tricky part that comes with this is diving deep into motives while highlighting the gaps within not only the country, but the evangelical church. The church, historically, segregated congregations based on preferences. To this day, churches continue to segregate, and have zero conviction about it. Many white evangelical churches adhere and fully affirm the work of Martin Luther and the Reformation while also ignoring the ramifications of this movement. While I believe Luther’s work was great and indeed needed during sixteenth century, I do, however, realize that many evangelicals overlook the other parts of Luther. We often think of Luther as the great catalyst of the Reformation, the re-discoverer of the doctrine of justification by faith and the one who stood up to a corrupt Roman Catholic Church, but we fail to acknowledge his overlook on the importance of reconciliation and the equality of all mankind. Condemnation, bondage and hierarchy were prevalent then and because it was not addressed during the Reformation period, it damaged, and continues to damage many people. The language of the Reformation and Luther's work is exclusively used in evangelical churches.

This highlights not only a historical tension, but the difficulties that come with it. There is no denying the good in Luther's work; however, it's made the journey of forward progression more challenging. The difficult challenge and frustration that I find hard for many of my white friends to grasp, is the need to repent for their beliefs and inattentional blindness acquired while growing up. Inattentional blindness, as Walter Bruggerman states, is known as perceptual blindness. It's due to a lack of attention that is not associated with any vision defects or deficits. In other words, it means missing or negating to perceive what is right in front of you. Working in white spaces and getting white people to see the oppression they cause, theologically, is quite difficult. Many evangelicals, if they're being honest, approach oppression as Black employers would call a 'misnomer.' They often negate the real pain and frustration that Black's endure because they choose to be colorblind and fail to see hierarchy and white supremacy as a great cause for concern. As a result, tensions arise at some point with Black’s who grew up in different denominations or church environments. Although, this may not always be the case for those who grew up in suburban white culture and those adopted into a white family. 

Despite having affirmation from peers, congregants and certain church leaders, I was viewed as a liability because of my theology prior to working in the evangelical church. All that I attained while growing up in the Black church would ultimately keep me from excelling higher within the evangelical church. By limiting my role in leadership while still allowing me a certain level of influence, they'd do just enough to keep my voice quiet. This would, however, keep the church from ultimately becoming diverse. I began asking my church hard questions in an attempt to understand why they wanted to be diverse. I came to learn that my perception was accurate in that the church didn't want diversity in leadership; they only wanted it in certain areas like entertainment (worship) and family ministry - departments that were merely limited to freedoms of expression and custodial services. While many white parishioners would deny that this is their intention, I would argue that it is and point them to the term 'inattentional blindness.' Many say that there are systems in place to protect the unity of the church and that if someone disagrees, they should “seek God’s call elsewhere,” meanwhile, making this situation very difficult for Black’s who operate in White evangelical spaces as they live with these realities and tensions. To say that the gospel is inclusive and that you want diversity while failing to accept the culture within the Black people that are hired negates their perspectives, giftings and who they are in Christ. 

I want to send a message to my evangelical friends: It's important to remember that sound hermeneutics, appropriate exegesis and historical content is very subjective. I'm afraid that many evangelical churches explicitly view the interpretation of these principles as absolutes. To view these principles dualistically or as absolutes is not only dangerous, but quite damaging. Churches that practice communion should be reminded of its meaning, power and purpose - to unite and remind us all of the work of Christ. It's purpose is ultimately to bring us together. Diversity should not be viewed as a threat, but as a gift from God. Moreover, there needs to be a clear understanding that God has not given us all the same gift(s). I believe that Black's do more than add value to diversity and that Black culture itself is indeed diverse. Black people and culture are embedded in every continent, and this is not only our nature -- it's our gift. As Black people, we are a strong race that knows how to persevere, and there are many things that can be learned from us. It's important that we, the church, reject the notion that black people are a threat, unable to be trusted in leadership; a lie that America taught us. I recently held a conversation at my house with a diverse group of friends who came together to talk about these very things. Many of them were surprised by the stories shared by Black people who felt discouraged and faced the same challenges I endured while working at a White church. That night, we all encouraged each other. We rebuked anger, frustration and hurt. We broke bread together to be reminded of our union. It's time for us all to seek the kingdom and stop building our city. It's time for us to stop feeling threatened by different perspectives and start embracing the gifts that are all essential to a healthy body. It's time to truly embrace our duty to love. 

Why don’t we dream?

Now I’m not talking about while you sleep, or letting your mind wander during the sermon on Sunday (you know who you are), I’m talking about the ideas and follow through that can shape an entire generation’s future. After all, this is one of the greatest ages of all to dream big. There has been no better time in history to be able to spread news, media and information quickly and efficiently, than today.

Sure, we live in an age of fake news and misinformation, but have we looked at the endless possibilities of what we can accomplish in this information age for the gospel, or for your own families and communities? Have you ever dreamed beyond your current capabilities?

I was visiting Europe recently and asked the locals what they thought of the west (dangerous question, I know) and the difference between our cultures. The answer surprised me. It wasn’t negative or biased, it was actually thought provoking and interesting. They said:

“Western cultures breed dreamers. They don’t have to be experts to do something. They can go out, and do it. No-one tells them they can’t, therefore...they can. Europeans typically don’t work this way. If you are not a master of your craft you have no business creating anything in that field. That’s a big difference.”

Now, that can be eye opening. How many times have we told ourselves we can’t do something because we were too inexperienced, or we lack the necessary skills. Trust me, God loves ideas. He loves for His people to dream beyond their capabilities. Why? Because that’s when we truly HAVE to rely on Him. He gets all the glory, as He should.

Remember, God IS the creator of all things. ALL THINGS. So you can sit there reading this and nonchalantly nod your head and say “Well, duh. Of course”, but don’t you realize that means we can connect with Him directly? We can dream along with Him and get His ideas for our lives??

Church Life

For some, it may seem like the only way to achieve the greatness for God is to endlessly try to regurgitate something that the “world” does so well, when in reality, we should go to the creator of all things and access something new, or something fresh for your local, national or global church body! You were destined to change the world’s thinking!

The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.  Ephesians 1:23 (MSG)

For me, I totally understand the battle of my own mind to either copy a new trend or fad because it’s relevant or cool. But, what if I could establish new trends by talking to the Father who can out-create anything anyone could think or imagine? What could you accomplish then?

So, in saying all that, let’s dream again. Let’s revive those dreams you slowly let fade away. Who said you can’t write that blog/song/screenplay, start that business, preach the gospel, innovate ideas and send those ideas around the world? Pray that God will download His ideas and strategies into your life. Love Him and trust that He will come through on every occasion. Then the easy part is just to be obedient...

...but that’s for another blog.

The lovers of God who chase after righteousness will find all their dreams come true: an abundant life drenched with favor and a fountain that overflows with satisfaction. Proverbs 21:21 (TPT)

Pray and ask the Father for new, fresh ideas, or ways to follow through with your current ones. God wants them. The church wants them, and you know what? I need them.  

Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but also brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire! - Hebrews 12: 28-29 (The Message)

What is so important about worship?  

How many of us come for the singing and completely forget what the first part of our service is about? There can be two people standing beside each other during service - one can be in the “Holy of Holies” and the other can be thinking about the business meeting he has next week. One person can have an encounter with God and the other person say it’s just “ok”. 

Every time I enter into God’s presence, God speaks. He promises to do just that!

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. - Revelation 3:20 

 This passage is appropriate for the unbeliever but is written directly to the Church. When we come to church we get really excited about the Word of God. That’s good. We love to be fed. I think many people are missing that it is not just what we are eating but with whom we are eating. Church is not just that we get a good meal but that Jesus is dining with us.

LOOK - LISTEN - LEARN

 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” - Exodus 3:1-5

LOOK . . .   

My wife and I went to Maui, Hawaii for our honeymoon. We were on a beautiful walk along the beach one night when I heard many voices yelling, “Look!” I glanced over and didn’t see anything. It wasn’t until I turned the right direction and went from a glance to truly looking that I saw huge whales breaching the waters. 

 When I say the word LOOK, I don’t mean glance in God’s direction when you come to church. When we gather together to worship, that’s your cue to turn aside from whatever you were doing or whatever you have to do this week. Look at God. That is why the songs we sing have to do with God’s greatness and attributes. It’s time to look at God.  This of course goes way beyond a Sunday or service experience, but that’s definitely a great starting point. 

LISTEN . . .

So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” - Exodus 3:4

 God was waiting until He had his attention to speak. I will tell my kid’s to look at me when I’m talking to them. It is so irritating to try to teach them something as they are walking off doing other things or focused on something else. Let’s not do that to God. Honor stands at attention. I know if they are not looking at me they are not focused. I wonder how many people need to hear from God but He is waiting to see if they will look. 

LEARN . . . 

Anyone can learn; the question is do you realize your need to learn. The moment you stop seeing your need to learn is the moment you leave dry and empty. God said to take your sandals off, for the place you are standing is holy ground. The first thing we learn is that anything God touches is Holy. How could Moses write the 1^st five books of the bible? God taught Him. He spent time in the presence of God 

He made known His ways to Moses,His acts to the children of Israel. - Psalm 103:7

Our perspective changes in the presence of God. So when He calls to you . . . LOOK! When we LOOK, we are able to LISTEN. When we truly LISTEN, that’s where we LEARN. When we LEARN, that’s when we know what it looks like to ABIDE. And when we ABIDE, we WORSHIP! 

This past summer I took my family to Disney world.  It is supposedly a magical Kingdom.  I can tell you that none of my dreams came true when I visited Disney World.  I wished for a hover-board that would take me around the park.  I wished for an endless supply of free food and drinks.  I wished for lower ticket prices and for at least half of the million people that were in that park to disappear... and nothing.  I knew who was to blame for all of this craziness.  It was not difficult because his statue was right in the middle of the park.  It was none other than Walt Disney himself.  

In ancient days, Kings would put a statue in every corner of his empire to let you know whose kingdom it was.  When you saw this statue, it was a constant reminder of who was ultimately in charge. Have you ever considered that God made you in His image for the same reason?  He wanted to place you in position on the earth, so you could reflect His holiness and brilliance.  Isaiah 61:3 says you will be “a display of His splendor.”  1 Peter 2:9 says...

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  

Did you get that?  We are called to be a Kingdom of priests that declare His praises.  We reflect a Holy God to the world around us. People make judgments on God based on the actions of those who call themselves Christians.  Because of this, it is imperative that we set Him apart in our own lives.  When people look at your life, what do they believe about God?

Jesus told us to pray that the Kingdom of God would come on earth as it is in heaven.  Part of that prayer is your responsibility.  If you want the earth to look like heaven then, as a Kingdom of priests, you need to do your part.  We get a glimpse of it in Revelation 22:3-5.

The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center. His servants will offer God service—worshiping, they’ll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God. Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with Him age after age after age. 

You become what you behold.  You reflect what you worship.  

To access the rest of this devotional series by Dustin, search for Here Be Lions on your YouVersion app, or follow this link on your computer - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/12000. 

On today's podcast, we wanted to cover a very important topic. It's forefront in our culture, yes, but it's also important in the church, too. Specifically, in worship and songwriting.  That topic is ... women in ministry. 

We here at The Worship Podcast (All About Worship & WeAreWorship) completely affirm and believe in the ability, anointing and commission of women to minister to the church body, and of course, to others around them. In a way, it's strange to even feel the need to type that sentence.  But as society and culture is starting to have some real confusion and controversy over this gender topic, we believe as Christians we should lead the way in freedom!  We should set the example in empowerment, equal contribution in the Kingdom of God and a general attitude of preferring one another.

Now, this is a huge topic!  So we wanted to sit down with someone who is making a real difference in this world.  Her name is Krissy Nordhoff.  She leads a ministry called "Brave Worship".  She's also an accomplished songwriter, anointed worship leader, wife, mother, and lucky for us, a friend of The Worship Podcast ministry!  It doesn't matter what "side of the aisle" you believe you are on when it comes to this topic - we can all benefit from having genuine conversation and even more important, listening.  

Find out more about Brave Worship and make sure to check out their podcast, as well!

And oh yeah, last (and certainly least in this case), Dustin & James don't mince words about their travels to India ... stomach issues and all.  Enjoy!

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
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From the moment you read the title of this blog you probably started to formulate what you thought it meant. This is something that we all do on a regular basis without much effort… it just happens naturally. We see a title or just a snip-it of something and automatically start drawing conclusions as to what the context is. This is a habit that I am personally trying to break in my life and I hope that we (the church at large) can get better at this as well. But with that said… it is pretty natural to do so. 

This blog is not so much about the theological contradictions that we sing or write. It’s not about the actions we sing about and don’t do. (Like singing, “I lift my hands” while I play guitar and can’t. Or something like, “I bow down” while I am literally standing. Or even making grandiose declarations of what we are going to do for God but have no intention of really doing them.) I can think of a bunch of these but nevertheless… I digress. 

A few years ago I was prepping to speak at a worship school. It was in the early morning and I was asking the Holy Spirit what direction we should go. I had my Evernote App full of great ideas to speak on but then I heard the Spirit say something I wasn’t expecting… 1 Corinthians 13. To be honest, I kind of rolled my eyes. I was like, “The love stuff? Why? This in not a wedding or even Valentine’s Day. Why this passage for the worship school?” I open up my bible and read this: 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. - 1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV

I immediately felt the Spirit overwhelm me with a thousand different thoughts, verses, experiences, and revelation. Through the tears the Holy Spirit connected the dots for me. Jesus boiled down most of his theology and teaching on the law to this: 

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  - Matthew 22:34-40 NIV

These few verses bring together the simplicity of living out a pure Christian life. I want to highlight them briefly for the sake of context. “Loving your neighbor AS yourself” begins with YOURSELF. This portion of the verse shows that you can only love someone else to the extent that you have learned to love yourself. If your love for yourself is conditional then your love for others will be conditional. If you cannot love the image of God in you… you will have a really hard time loving or even appreciating the image of God in someone else. This is reflected in 1 John 4:20 NIV 

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

 About 8 years ago I had an encounter with Lord that shook me. I was in the middle of a meeting somewhere that I won’t mention. I ended up leading worship in a service where the speaker was a very public figure that had a very public failure. As I stood in judgment over this man I heard these very clear words from the Father: “Who are you to judge the extent of My redemption? If you can’t love him… then there is a lot about Me you don’t love. No matter what he looks like to you now… he was created in my image. If you can’t love him, a man created in my image, then there is a piece of Me you are choosing not to love. It also shows that you’re ashamed of what you see in yourself somewhere deep down and haven’t learned to love yourself fully because you feel he deserves punishment. Deep down you feel you deserve punishment. Your view on this man is a reflection of your view of Me and yourself.” As I heard this I wept and repented. There was more said but for the sake of this blog you get the picture. 

So getting back to “The Contradictions in our Worship.” In 1 Corinthians 13:1 Paul uses the illustration of a cymbal or gong. This illustration stuck out to me that morning as I was studying for the Worship School. A cymbal or gong creates a crashing sound. We have all heard it before. They can be powerful and even beautiful in the right context surrounded by melody and song. Alone they can be hard, brash, and abrasive. As someone who spent many years drumming I knew this first hand. Scientifically a cymbal’s frequencies look like a big crash when viewed on a live monitor. These are contradicting frequencies that create something called dissonance. As I pondered the science of cymbals I began to question how many contradicting frequencies were in my worship? How much contradiction was in the Love I portrayed publicly and privately? How much contradiction is coming from the body of Christ in general? 

It’s like our body language is off. It’s like when someone tells you that they love you with no expression on their face or body to back it up. It’s harder to believe because the body language is not in line with what is being communicated. Jesus is the head saying and being the truth but we, His body, are doing a poor job at communicating his true intentions for the earth and people. Our actions are not lining up with our words. I could write another whole blog just about this but for the sake of staying focused… I digress again. 

So imagine this with me… I have a drummer come to the stage, sit down, and tell him, “When we start singing I want you to bang those cymbals as hard as you can.” I have the sound man cut up the overhead mics as loud as possible and ask the crowd to sing a worship song with me. As we begin to sing, a crash of cymbals hits the air! It is so loud that it drowns us out completely. We do this for about 30 seconds then stop. I turn to them and say: “This is what our Worship sounds like to heaven if we can’t love. If our love for ourselves, the people we’re leading, and Him don’t start coming together… the melody of our life is drowned out in our contradiction. It’s not that heaven doesn’t want to hear you… there is just a sound that is louder than your love in that moment and it sounds like the crash and dissonance of contradiction.” As I said all of this I began to hear people weep. It was so powerful. We all repented together for the contradictions in our worship and to this day it remains one of my favorite moments.  

Since this blog is directed mainly towards “Worship Leaders,” hear me on this. I believe some of the most powerful worship leaders I have ever heard have been the ones who learned to fall madly in love with the people they are leading (the Body of Christ.) Like really love them. Not just tolerate them. I believe that this is the doorway to the purest worship, heaven’s sound, or whatever metaphor you want to use. The sound we all long to hear and be a part of is found through some of the simplest teachings of Jesus. Love Him fully, love yourself fully, and love your neighbor fully. I don’t care how talented you are. If you’re doing these simple steps that Jesus lays out… your worship WILL be pure. Your worship and life will start to be free of contradiction. 

My challenge to you is this: Let’s get better at loving. I’ve done multiple albums… of course I care about excellence and writing great songs… but all of the most perfect worship sets and songs in the world could not compare to the sound of a people who have learned to love. Love well so that it keeps your motives pure. Love well so that heaven can hear the melodies/worship of your heart. Love well so that His body language is being communicated to the earth. Love well until the earth looks like heaven. 

On today's podcast: What do you believe? 

That's the question we discuss with Gabe Finocchio (The Royal Royal) as we dive into the, sometimes complex, worlds of doctrine & worship.  As worship leaders, we can easily neglect God's word & focus more on the songs themselves or our own church services.  Well today, we talk with Gabe about that journey between theology & our song.

We think what comes out could surprise you. Enjoy!

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

Subscribe to the podcast and find the show notes:
https://linktr.ee/theworshippodcast 

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
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The Worship Podcast on Instagram
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For most people who know me very well, it’s no surprise to learn that I graduated from college with a BA in Religion. What might come as a shock though is the fact that my minor was in Recreation. See, I’m not exactly what you would call the athletic or sporty type. You probably won’t catch me running much unless someone with a weapon is chasing me or one of my children has run out into the street. And while I can host a killer Super Bowl party, chances are, I have no idea who is playing because I just want to see the half-time show. It just so happened that a Recreation minor would get me done with school the fastest, so I went with it. With all that said, something has been brewing on my heart for some time now, and the image that pops into my mind every time I think about it is, of all things, sports related, and it revolves around the idea of benches and bleachers. 

We’ve all been there, probably more than once, and we’ll all be there again. Sidelined . . . pulled . . . a spectator at the game(s) we wish we were playing in. Sometimes it’s by choice and other times it’s by force, but either way, it’s an opportunity for real growth and understanding if handled well. I wish I could say I’ve always processed these seasons like a champ, but no can do. However, I have learned some solid lessons along the way. 

There are two kinds of spectators at a sporting event. There are those on the bench and those in the bleachers. The first group is made up of team members not currently playing on the field whether it’s because they’re just waiting their turn, recovering from an injury, too green to actually play, or made to sit out because of poor behavior. But, they are still team members. They have actual skin in the game, which means they bear part of the weight of the mantle of their team winning or losing. The latter is made up of those cheering on one of the competing teams. It’s family members, friends, mentors, and admirers supporting their loved ones. There are similarities between these two groups of people, but there are drastic differences that are worth exploring because they can be a game changer for you as you process through your seasons as a spectator. Once I realized the differences, a new level of peace settled into my heart that carried me through my own similar season.

A little backstory . . . Upon my family’s move to the Nashville area at the very end of 2016, I was met with my first spectator season in over 12 years. I went from leading worship on a weekly basis to not being behind a microphone for over 9 months. During that time, multiple opportunities presented themselves to embed myself into some different ministry opportunities. Each of them was different from one another, but each of them also would allow me to utilize my unique gifts well. I began exploring, networking, and building relationships while praying for clarity as to where the Lord wanted me to focus my energies and efforts. Over a few months, it started to become clearer and clearer where my gifts were more effective and where they were not. I had assumed that reaching this point would be followed by relief, but instead I was confronted with an unexpected confusion and disappointment because the places I was being met with the most resistance were the places I thought were the obvious matches. I began praying specifically for understanding and that’s when the Lord began showing me these visions of benches and bleachers. I was trying to force myself into a game that I wasn’t supposed to be playing. Instead, the Lord wanted me in the bleachers cheering on that particular ministry so that He could use me in another game that needed my specific giftings more. 

Once I wrapped my heart and mind around this idea, those feelings of rejection and failure began to disappear and a deeper level of comfort began to settle in. Soon after, doors began opening for me to serve elsewhere effectively and wholeheartedly, all while still being able to joyfully and authentically root for those other ministries to thrive. 

Can any of you relate? Perhaps you’re in the middle of a similar season now, where you’ve been pulled out of a game you were comfortable in. Maybe you’re transitioning from vocational worship ministry at a local church to a broader form of ministry. Maybe a ministry you were heavily invested in is moving in a different direction and you’re not sure where you fit into it all. Whatever it is, you’ve found yourself no longer playing an active role in it and you’re not sure where to go from here. 

This is where scriptures that we’ve been quoting since 1st grade become alive and active in a new way. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.  - Proverbs 3:5-6

In times like this, we have to learn to press harder into the Father heart of God, trust that He has a perfect plan, and resist the urge to try and understand things from our temporal perspectives. Instead, refocus your prayers and searching on things such as….

1. Do you feel confident that this is still the game you’re supposed to be in, whether now or in the future?

2. If so, is there any reason that the Lord might have moved from the field to the bench? A secret sin? Burnout? A hurt that is keeping you from being effective? Perhaps just to rest?

3. If not, what could He possibly be moving you toward? Is there another ministry opportunity in your peripheral that you could invest in? Is there a new gift that He’s been fostering in you to use somewhere else?

This obviously is not an exhaustive list, rather just a place to start. Nevertheless, times of restlessness are rarely for no reason. Usually the Lord is at work, doing something that He’s not quite ready to reveal yet. The best thing we can do in those seasons is keep asking for His direction for the next step, resting in His peace as we continue moving forward, and believing for His best as we pursue His heart and will.

Malcolm du Plessis has quite an incredible resumé when it comes to worship.  He talks about his background in this episode of The Worship Podcast.  However, he also talks about something - we believe - that is critical for every worship pastor, leader and song writer to understand.

And that is the evolution of worship over the past few decades.  Malcolm has experience and studied knowledge in this area, like few others do.  Listen in today with a close ear, and you may just find some answers to the question, "Why do we do things that way?", you've been asking.

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

Subscribe to the podcast and find the show notes:
https://linktr.ee/theworshippodcast 

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
The Worship Podcast on Facebook
The Worship Podcast on Instagram
The Worship Podcast on Twitter

Practical time. Yep, this will be short and sweet but it changed the way I view people and how I now develop teams that can actively work together no matter their background, age or race. How? Here’s how:

John 13:34 - A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Whaaaat? It’s that simple? Oh yeah. That simple. Let me explain.

When I first started playing on worship teams, I was all about the production, the glitz, and the glamour. Now, I’m not saying any of that is bad, because it all can be quite good, if the motives are right. My biggest problem was that I didn’t care about anyone else on that stage, or in the congregation. My focus was on myself. That sounds vain and narcissistic for sure, and it was, but I soon learned that without knowing the people around me, the people that the above scripture was commanding me to love, I would never change.

Fortunately, I had a pastor in my life who knew the power of community and the power of this scripture.  As a worship team we were already spending a lot of time together (four services a week plus a practice night), yet we didn’t really know much about each other. Weird right? You can spend hours and hours with others and not know them at all. How much do you really know about your team? At times we can become so involved with our personal lives, we forget about those around us. THAT is not Kingdom.

The change started out easy for our team. Every once in a while instead of our practice nights, we would all go out for coffee. It was a simple gesture but it was super effective. We began to talk to each other, find out about job situations and families, likes and dislikes. Then, wouldn’t you know it? We began to like each other, prefer each other, LOVE each other. Now, it didn’t happen overnight. Not even in a month. But little by little we saw our lives begin to intertwine together. We had dinners, birthdays and special events together. And the more we began to care for each other, the more powerful our services became. Our worship began to come alive! God began to pour Himself out through our congregation and our community.

I know there is power in loving one another and it’s proven itself over and over in my life, in any circumstance. Maybe it’s something we always hear, but never consider? Perhaps making this lesson a season in your worship team could turn the tides for whatever breakthrough you are needing today.

The wonderful thing is, once it begins showing itself through your worship team it will naturally begin to reach into your congregations and communities.

Let love be the power that unifies your team today.

Worship in a vibrant Christian community was not anything new to me. I grew up in a church that had powerful worship experiences. I started leading worship when I was 15 years old.  I always had a passion and a love for worship but when I was 17 years old I had an experience that changed everything for me. 

I was at a conference that had extremely powerful worship. I was standing right in front of the platform. One of the worship leaders was a young woman close in age to me who was cute, passionate in worship and had a beautiful voice. For a young single Christian man, that was a huge catch. 

I was standing right in front of her during the worship time singing songs to Jesus and about Jesus but found myself gazing at her. My attention was clearly not on worshipping the God of the universe. In this moment I was more interested in His creation. It was pretty early on during the worship time that I had a nudge from the Holy Spirit to dance before Him. 

My response was an immediate “no way.” I may be a musician but I am a musician with 2 left feet.  The only dancing I knew how to do was jump up and down. I knew the Lord was drawing me to more. He was drawing me to something undignified. He was drawing me to Himself. He was trying to lead me to a place of freedom. How could I dance undignified when there was a cute girl in front of me? The truth is most don’t want to be undignified whether someone is around or not for the sake of feeling awkward. 

I kept superficially worshipping the Lord with words but not in obedience. As the worship time kept going, my nudge to dance before the Lord got stronger and stronger until it got to a point of such clarity that it was as if the Holy Spirit was standing face to face talking to me. I knew He was wanting my attention. By now the worship set had moved from fast songs to intimate songs, but my disobedience to the Spirit’s prompting was deeply bothering to me. 

Partial obedience is still disobedience!

I had always believed and been taught that anything but complete obedience was disobedience. So in the midst of a slow intimate worship song I finally submitted and danced before the Lord with full abandon. The best way I can describe it was I danced like a ballerina twirling before the Lord with full abandonment. I’m sure if there was a video camera on me at the time it would have made for a viral social media craze. Even right now I am sure you have a picture of this that is somewhat disturbing. The truth is nobody probably even noticed but what happened in me changed my life. 

It was in this moment of surrender that something broke in me. I had taken my eyes from a glance to gaze upon the King of Kings. This was not about a charismatic expression. This was about the Creator of the universe trying to get my attention and lead me into a place of complete freedom. I had moved from heart worship to all-in worship. It was no longer about my comforts, but about full obedience and a full gaze. What happened in me was freedom! It broke off fear of man, it broke off complacency, it broke off a partial worship mindset and moved me into a place of freedom! 

Freedom is not the absence of something but the presence of someone. Jesus! 

This moment of complete surrender in my worship lead me down a path that has forged the rest of my life. It moved me to deeper biblical study, to further intimacy with God and to walking in a place of freedom with the Lord that moved beyond my personality.  It led me to discover that my worship is more than a song, it’s a weapon. It led me to discover something special in the worship of King David that is meant for today. 

Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!  - Hebrews 12: 28-29 (Message)

 Worship changes our view. In my case I moved from a glimpse to a gaze. I got my attention in the right place. 

Worship is so much more than a service. How many of us come for the singing and completely forget what the first part of our service is about? There can be 2 people standing beside each other during service. One can be in the Holy of Holies and the other can be thinking about the business meeting he has next week. One person can have an encounter with God and the other person say it’s ok. The difference is what they are looking at. 

If you are not very interested, you will look somewhere else

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 3:18 

 The veil is taken off in Christ. When you look in a mirror, most of the time you look intently because you are trying to change the reflection of what you see to what you want to see. When we look at the Glory or manifest presence of God we literally will be changed. The Glory and the Word are a mirror. When you look intently at the word in worship you are changed.  

Pastor Jack Hayford states:

Worship changes you into the likeness of the one you are worshipping.

 Make sure your gaze is on Him!