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 

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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.

On this episode of The Worship Podcast, Dustin & James talk funny stories from leading worship, break down what community really means in a team environment, and do we really know how to do it effectively?  Worship leaders have to care about people.   Not unlike .... well you'll just have to listen.  Enjoy!

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

Subscribe to the podcast:
theworshippodcast.com
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

Have you ever had a worship team member that just goes too far?  We have.  And one of them may be on this show!

Join Dustin, James and special guest, Erica, as we talk about how to best manage your worship teams in the most dire situations. Being a worship leader means working with people and people aren't always perfect! How do you handle those issues?  How do you keep things right on your team with God, but also care about the individuals?  We talk through hypotheticals, but for some of you listening, these circumstances might not be hypothetical.  Have a listen and see if you can relate.

We'd love to hear from some of our listeners about situations you've found yourselves in, and how you handled them with your team!

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship in partnership with WeAreWorship.

Subscribe to the podcast:
theworshippodcast.com
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

If you’ve been attending a church with a contemporary bent for any length of time, then you’ve likely sung songs on a regular basis written by a gentleman named Jesse Reeves. Jesse has co-written on some of the most widely known worship songs of our generation such as How Great It Our God, Lord I Need You, and Our God - just to name a few. 

Growing up in the Bible Memory Association, Jesse’s spiritual life consisted mostly of rules and regulations, until September 23, 1990 when he met Jesus at the ages of 15 and his life was changed forever. A rancher’s son, his love for playing music left his father stumped, but he continued following his passion and played with a band all the way through college. Then in 1997, Jesse met a country boy from Grand Saline, TX named Chris Tomlin who asked him if he’d like to lead worship, to which Jesse responded in all sincerity that he didn’t know what that was. At this point in the contemporary worship movement, the term “worship leader” hadn’t really caught on. There were music ministers, and that definitely was not the route Jesse wanted to go. But the two had lunch and the rest was history. 

I, myself, was raised in the church as the daughter of a Baptist youth minister (or student pastor as they’re called these days), and I was finishing up my high school years in youth group right about the time all of this was taking place. In fact, much of the soundtrack to the season in my life when God called me to ministry and began shaping and forming my passion for leading worship was penned and recorded by these two Texas boys. So to find myself today sitting in an 8,000 sq. ft. mountain lodge at a writing camp with the likes of Jesse Reeves is a full-circle, what-even-is-my-life moment to say the least. 

Nevertheless, you better believe I took full advantage of the opportunity to sit down with Jesse and talk about his heart for worship, the worship leader, and this next generation that God is raising up. I asked him first about the role that worship has had in his life growing up and how it has evolved throughout his time in ministry. 

“If you’re talking about the expression of worship through music, growing up it was just hymns and they didn’t mean anything to me. But now looking back, I have a huge appreciation for my childhood and learning those songs, because I learned what it means to teach theology through lyrics. It’s a lost art and so I’m very passionate about trying to revive some of that. And I’ve done this long enough to see that everything is on a pendulum. When I first started playing, everything sounded like U2, and then everything sounded like Coldplay, and then everything sounded like Mumford & Sons, and now it’s probably like Chainsmokers. And I just always come back to the question of ‘If the Spirit of the living God lives inside of us, why aren’t we creating things that are original and better than what the world is doing, instead of trying to chase what they’re doing?’ I do understand the context of being relevant and playing stuff that’s going to resonate with people, but I always want to come back to what the Spirit of the living God wants to hear, not what we want to play.”

Over his 20+ years in the worship leading world, Jesse has stood on every platform and stage imaginable and in front of every crowd size imaginable. I would venture to guess that making that mental shift from event to event and church to church had to require some form of finesse and adaptability. So I asked him what it looked like for him to make that adjustment, especially as it relates to transitioning out of touring and back into the local church setting.

“I would say that I’ve worked my way all the way to the bottom, and I think it’s kind of where I want to be. I didn’t always want to be there and it wasn’t an easy journey. I have been to the mountain top of Christian music and definitely want to honor that, but I very specifically was called out of that. It was through a sermon that I heard from Tommy Nelson. He was preaching on the anointing of David as king. If you go back and read 1 Samuel 16, they are looking to anoint the next king of Israel. Samuel shows up and they have this parade of all of Jesse’s sons . . . this is Eliab, this is Abinadab, this is Shammah . . . they went through seven sons, to which Samuel’s response was that none of these are the king, do you have any others?  Jesse says that yes, he has one other son but that he was in the field tending the sheep. Now when I was listening to this sermon, I was on a run training for a marathon, so I was a good 15 miles from my house. Tommy Nelson said one statement and it was this. “What God is looking for in a man is a man that more concerned about the sheep than the parade.” And I don’t know why, but that’s when the Holy Spirit wrecked me and I literally started weeping. I was still running, but now I’m running with my hands in the air and I’m saying “Jesus, I’m listening.” On a public path by the way. People are passing me thinking that this guy has lost his mind. But that was a moment in my life when Jesus started trying to get my attention. Hear me say this, there is nothing wrong with the parade. God sent Samuel to the parade. There’s a time and a place for the parade. But our generation lives for the parade and there’s not enough people who care about the sheep. I feel like that’s my mission in life going forward, to simply care for sheep. The parade will take care of itself. So to bring it back around to the question, yes I’ve been in megachurches to now I have a house church of about 20 people that meets in my home and it’s awesome. And right now, my favorite worship leader on the planet is the girl who leads worship in my house, because she has an anointing on her, and to get 20 people to sing in a living room is actually way harder than getting 10,000 people to sing because it’s awkward, but it’s beautifully awkward. And she has an authority on her that she can pull this out of people and turn people’s eyes on Jesus in such a way that you forget there’s only 20 people in the room. That’s something I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Reeves has a strong passion for pouring into worship leaders and songwriters and has done so in different ways over the past several years since settling back down with his family in Austin, TX. We discussed the fact that it seems like every generation of worship leaders has something that really marks them. For our particular generation, we were a part of that group that sort of stepped in right as that transition from traditional to blended to contemporary was really gaining its momentum, and so maturing as a worship leader looked very different from what it does now. I asked Jesse what he thinks the “mark” is for this current generation of worship leaders taking up roles in the church and coming into their own as leaders, and what it might look like for them to reach their full potential. 

“While I don’t want to make a blanket statement about it, I do feel like we have a generation of people who looked at my generation and saw what we did and thought, “That’s really cool, I want to do that.” And so we have a large percent of churches with people filling the platform that wanted to do that because it was cool, instead of because they have a calling on their life from God. So honestly I think what’s marking this generation is that, but I’m also not a doomsday-er. I don’t think all is lost. I think what God is calling people to right now, and you can see it across the nation, God is calling people out who are authentic. And that is who is rising to the top. I read a book called The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch and he says that this next generation wants three things . . . they want authenticity, they want community, and they want social justice. And if they don’t find those things in the church, they’re just not going to go. My generation will go to church just to check a box. Not this next generation. I think what is going to have to mark this generation is for true worship leaders to figure out how to reach them because they’re not going to come to us. Which means we’re going to have to lead worship not with just songs. We’re going to have to lead worship with our actions. So maybe God is raising up a new generation of worship leaders that has very little to do with music. Look at Romans 12:1.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.

That’s our definition. That definition doesn’t say anything about music, it doesn’t say anything about songs. We’ve had a whole generation that defines worship by our songs. God defines our worship by the degree to which we present our bodies as a living sacrifice. So what I pray is that the next generation will lead the charge in that. That’s something I would be willing to follow.”

As you can imagine, there’s not a whole lot to say after that, except this . . . where are you pouring out? Where are you investing your resources and energy? Is it into the parade or is it into the sheep? This is probably a question that we as worship leaders need to ask and re-ask ourselves on a regular basis. Like Jesse said, neither is right or wrong and there is a time and place for both. But it is always worth checking in periodically to make sure we are spending ourselves where He wants us spending ourselves. The alternatively will leave us simply exhausted. 

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time things start to look up in your world, it’s almost immediately followed by a big, proverbial waah-waah? 

Like literally yesterday, after a phenomenal weekend of celebrating my 40th birthday, my boys started back to school and when my oldest (who is in 6th grade - aka THE WORST) came home, he brought with him a load of homework that should’ve taken an hour or less. But instead, I spent the hours between 4:00pm and 7:00pm working overtime to not say all the worst cuss words out loud in front of my child, because he had decided that everything else on planet earth was more important than his homework - “everything” meaning our dog, the smudges on the wall behind him, where the light in the window was coming from, and whether it’s been long enough since his last pack of fruit snacks to get another one. 

Why is it that just when we enter into what feels like a season of good news, lurking just around the corner is some sort of bad news. Sometimes it’s silly, insignificant things like my situation yesterday. But other times it’s not so silly. 

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas this past year, things in my own personal world experienced an enormous shift that would leave me in a place vocationally that I’ve dreamed of for as long as I can remember dreaming. However, in the other corner of the ring that is my life, my sweet husband is enduring the most trying season of work that he’s ever had to deal with and for the most part, it is succeeding at robbing every ounce of joy and peace in our home that it can. 

For some other friends of ours, in the midst of celebrating and gearing up for the birth of their 2nd baby later this spring, they suddenly lost their two year old son. So for them, excitement and expectation has been replaced with devastation and grief. Yet each day they fight. They fight for hope and joy and love and the future. 

I think that part of this strange cycle can be chalked up to life just being life. But I also can’t help but wonder if some of it has to do with the unseen, spiritual battle waging around us every single day specifically against those of us who serve the local church and strive to abide in the kingdom. 

Paul reminds us:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  - Ephesians 6:12

But Jesus also said:

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. - John 16.33

So while I would love to tell you that this piece is full of tips on how to avoid the bad news so that you can relish the good, alas it is not. But what I would like to do is encourage you, my brothers and sisters in ministry, to remember and bank on a few things.

1. You are not alone! Not only do you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, giving you the power to endure it all, you are surrounded by a host of others who are experiencing the same dichotomy of good and bad, victory and loss, rejoicing and mourning. You have not somehow been singled out to be forgotten by the Father.
2. Leaning is not weakness! Even Moses had to rely on Aaron and Hur when his arms grew weak. God gives us people to press into so that we don’t have to carry our burdens alone. We at All About Worship would love to be that for those of you out there on the front lines where perhaps there isn’t a ready stock of support. 
3. There is an “other side”! Jesus’ promise to us holds all the weight that we need to endure the days that seem riddled with bad news. When we take each circumstance to Him, His response is “Done! I’ve overcome it!” That doesn’t mean we immediately feel relief and things are resolved. But sometimes, knowing that truth helps us take the next breath, gives us what we need to press forward, and believe that He’s still in control.
4. Rejoicing and mourning can coexist! When something good is followed by something not-so-good, don’t overlook the victory. The enemy would love to see us move right past celebrating and acknowledging something God provided or did for us into dwelling on the negative. But it’s important that we delight in and make much of the moments when God shows his faithfulness and favor. Sometimes, those moments are what will carry us through the hard ones.

As long as we are on this side of heaven, good news and bad news will always live next door to one another and there really is nothing we can do about that. What we can do though is steady our hearts to be ready for both at any given moment. We do that by arming ourselves with the truths and promises in His Word, by surrounding ourselves with others to fight alongside, by worshiping even when it doesn’t make sense, and by praying first in every situation.

If there is ever a way that All About Worship can come alongside you as you make your way through the up and down seasons of ministry life, never hesitate to reach out on here, email us at info@allaboutworship.com, or find us on social media. We are for you and will do whatever we can to support you in your various places. Feel free to comment below specific ways we can be praying for you in the coming weeks.

The Dodgers and Padres have created the best rivalry in MLB through a willingness to spend on big-name players and be contenders every season.

Chicago set the post-1900 record for losses in a season, going 41-121.

Season ticket holders are getting a head start on their seats at Fenway as the Red Sox hosted Select a Seat Saturday.

With Garrett Crochet linked to the Red Sox as a potential trade candidate, John Tomase explains why the White Sox pitcher would be a great fit in Boston.

The Boston Red Sox have lost two of their three catchers to free agency this offseason. Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen will hit the market, and the Red Sox aren't expected to sign them back because the organization can do better. Boston's top catching prospect, Kyle Teel, may not be major-league-ready out of spring training. Like Jansen and McGuire, the Red Sox also need to hit the catching market.

The Boston Red Sox offseason is expected to be full of moves. The Red Sox extended a qualifying offer worth a healthy $21.05 million to Nick Pivetta. While surprising, the decision by the Red Sox regarding Pivetta could end up being very shrewd, as The Boston Globe's Julian McWilliams explained alongside Jahmai Webster during Monday's episode of NESN's “310 To Left” podcast.

According to several reports this week, the Red Sox intend to be serious players in the Juan Soto Sweepstakes. Both the New York Post and ESPN reported that the Red Sox have plans to meet with Soto and his representatives in southern California this week. Both outlets reported that the Sox are among seven or eight bidders for the outfielder, with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays among others — including perhaps even the small-market Tampa Bay Rays — also in the running.

This week Zorba and Karl discuss new research that shows we age dramatically at two key times in our lives, and they talk about how much water we need to […]

This week Zorba and Karl discuss how doctors should balance traditional and alternative medicine, and they examine new research that explains why some people don’t experience COVID symptoms. Plus, they […]

This week Zorba and Karl discuss how melatonin gummies may have a higher dose than what’s on the label, and they examine new research showing sedentary time may significantly enlarge […]

This week Zorba and Karl talk about why it takes so long to get a doctor appointment, and they examine new research showing screen time is linked to delayed development […]

This week Zorba and Karl look at research about what sleeping position is best, and they discuss a study that suggests people who exercise regularly have healthier belly fat. Plus, […]

I mentioned movies will get the streaming services availability - and it's now done. Here's what's new:streaming services availability was added in all Movies lists (my movies, browse, hot, trending, search)you can now filter these lists by streaming services or "my streaming services" availabilityAlong with these specific updates regarding the Movies section, there are a few general improvements as well:when filtered by a streaming service, what you filter by is first and highlighted - the rest is grayed outmany new countries are now supported so if yours wasn't there before - check again - it most likely is nowPlease let me know how these work for you and if something looks weird on your device/browser. Next - I plan to focus on improving how My Movies looks and works (both on desktop and mobile)

Arkansas Gov. Sanders Unites Faith Leaders to Tackle State's Key Social Issues

Arkansas Gov. Sanders Unites Faith Leaders to Tackle State's Key Social Issues

Can I Really Trust God?

Will God Provide?

Partner Week - A Light Across Canada 02

Wanda Rolón, autora, nos habla de su experiencia como sobreviviente de cáncer y nos da consejos para enfrentar la enfermedad en la familia. También, nos presenta su libro "No Moriré".

En la siguiente entrevista, la autora nicaragüense Hada María Morales, presenta su nuevo libro "A Mamá le va de maravilla y al hogar también". En él, describe la importancia de que la mujer tenga un alta autoestima dentro de su hogar, pues ...

2020 was supposed to be a year of promise and realized expectation, but things took a left turn with the advent of COVID-19. In the matter of a couple weeks students are left to finish the academic year from home, the labor force is scrambling to define essential versus non-essential employees and the cultural pillars of entertainment and sports have been replaced by daily government briefings on coronavirus and social distancing. Suddenly, we find ourselves with a little more at-home time than...

Israel is one of the tiniest countries in the world, only slightly larger than the state of New Jersey. Yet the nation’s small size belies its rich diversity and history -- a beautiful tapestry of different people and ethnicities like nowhere else on the planet. Take Jerusalem. It’s one of the world’s most ancient cities and plays a central role in the three major monotheistic religions. The Old City is divided into four distinct quarters, each with their own unique flavor and history. The...

For a man to have real children is easy enough. For children to have a real father is another matter entirely. Growing up fatherless left gaps in me. It does for everyone. Whether your dad was steeped in addiction, an absentee, or just ill-equipped, here are 5 key lessons I’ve acquired over the years. They are helping me to father like the father I never had. I’m praying they’ll help you too! 1. Be a courageous leader. I am the son of an absentee, alcoholic, abandoning man full of excuses. I...

During his 11 years as an NFL quarterback, Jeff Kemp was known on and off the field for his leadership skills. Whether it was calling and executing plays on the gridiron or working away from the sport to strengthen marriages and families, Kemp has always been willing to work for the improvement of the modern family. Recently, Kemp has teamed up with Fatherhood CoMission to champion fatherhood both inside and outside the Church.  It is his desire for dads to be positive difference makers in...

Canadian Edition: Week of October 31, 2010

Canadian Edition: Week of November 7, 2010

This week on Canadian Edition, One of Britain's most famous journalists and outspoken atheists, Peter Hitchins talks about his journey to faith. Plus, a rebellious young man changes his ways when he develops a life-threatening illness.

Canadian Edition: Week of November 21, 2010

This week on Canadian Edition, Super Bowl winning quarterback Drew Brees shares his faith. Plus raped twice, Carla Matmati had no reason to trust God. However, she continued to pray for His peace.

This week on Canadian Edition, Toksook Bay is a tiny Yup'ik Eskimo village at the edge of the Bering Sea. Felix Lincoln was mayor of the little fishing village for 17 years, but Felix had secrets he wanted to hide.

Canadian Edition: Week of December 12, 2010

Canadian Edition: Week of December 19, 2010

Canadian Edition: Week of December 26, 2010

This week on Canadian Edition, The Coury family was trapped in a flood that ravaged their city. Learn about their amazing rescue and how prayer helped them stay afloat.

Lyda was a disrespectful and disobedient handful of a girl. But suddenly, she had a change of character that was so profound it made her mother investigate the cause. That's when her mother changed forever too. See what happened.

Can My Life Turn Around?

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Partner Week - A Light Across Canada 01

Does Prayer Have Power

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