Back from Straight Up ‘08

I just got back from the Straight Up Conference at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago.  I am blown away by what I was able to experience this week.  Not only did I hear from James MacDonald and Joe Stowell, but also John MacAurthur and C.J. Mahaney.  I was equally excited to meet Bob Kauflin, Director of Worship Development at Sovereign Grace Ministries.  He lead us in worship Tuesday morning.

Bob Kauflin is one of the voices today who really understands what it means to intentionally, effectively, and Biblically lead God’s people in worship.  Bob’s book “Worship Matters” is an unparalleled source of wisdom as a worship leader.  I would recommend anyone who leads corporate worship to dive into his book.  He also taught a workshop on the Task of a Worship Leader.

It was also great to connect with some of the worship leaders from Harvest in Chicago.  I was brought to the throne of God each time we were led in worship.  Singing with a room full of ministry leaders is awesome.  It’s such a great thing to be able to sing about God, to God, and by the grace of God with joy.  I have been to too many gatherings of christians where singing to God is as exciting and meaningful as reciting the rules of the classroom on the first day of school!  Thankfully, I have been able to experience both Truth and Spirit filled worship.  This is something I hope I can continue to cultivate in my own ministry.

Can churches use secular music in their services?

This is a question many churches are asking themselves today.  I can answer this very simply by saying most churches have enough challenges covering worship “hits” that doing cheesy covers of “Jesus, Take the Wheel” would be enough to scare anyone away from this self-proclaimed “relevant” community.  In their pursuit for relevancy, they unintentionally draw a more obvious line between them and the culture they desperately want to emulate. So can they?  I think most would save themselves much time and energy if they would first ask “can we”.  Then you can move on to “should we”.

Bob Kauflin gives a excellent response to this question as well.  http://www.worshipmatters.com/2007/08/should-we-use-secular-songs-on-sundays/

Harvest’s Outdoor Service & Picnic

Harvest had its first annual Outdoor Service. Live music, open-air preaching, food, volleyball! It was lot’s of fun.  It was awesome to see people from the community connecting with our people that afternoon. God gave us the best day of the summer to be outside!  What a day!  We want to continue to reach our community with the Gospel!

Weekend Worship 5/18 – too professional?

It is incredible how time flies.  I really think it is helpful for other worship leaders to post their service orders for ideas and encouragement, so I will continue to do that even though I’ve missed about a month!

So I really believe that many churches today are run with too much of a “professional” philosophy which can give the idea that the congregation is just a spectator on Sunday.  Sometimes a testimony time can be somewhat “scary” if the right people are given a mic.  However, I think it is important to build elements into the service that combat this an elitist idea.  Here is one that we used this weekend.  We put a mic up front and I asked people to share scriptures that God is using in their life to challenge/encourage them.  I asked them to begin lining up at the mic during the song.  They began to share after the song.  It turned out to be a very encouraging time!  Some just read straight from the Word and others shared how the Holy Spirit had used a passage in their life.  This was a great way for people to worship God by sharing the power of His Word in their lives.

1. Your Great Name We Praise

2. Forever

Greeting

Explain Mutual Ministry through the Scriputre

Scripture Reading: Psalm 145:1-7

3. The Wonderful Cross

Mutual Ministry through the Scipture (mic up front)

4. There is None Like You

Message: Pastor Dan

Offering/Announcements

5. Lord Most High

 

Weekend Worship 4/6

I’m still getting into the habit of blogging so I’m a little late with this weekend review, but I wanted to write about it because I felt like it was one of the worship times that will stick in my mind for some time.  

Pastor Dan is preaching through the book of Genesis and we were heading into chapter 4 (Cain and Abel’s offering).  Every once in a while my pastor has encouraged me to do a moment of pastoral care.  So about the middle of the set we sang “Offering” (Paul Baloche).  With the piano playing softly, I then encouraged our people with the fact that when we come to worship God, our ultimate goal is not to get, but to give ourselves in whole-hearted abandon as an offering.  I reminded us that it is a privilege to worship God and that he deserves not just our lips, not just our minds, not just our emotions, but all of it together!  He wants our best whole-hearted offering when we come to worship Him.  I then asked everyone to sing the Chorus of offering again, but this time I asked them to lift their hands to God symbolizing that they offer every part of their being to Him. 

This was an awesome site to see all of our people singing with their hands raised (even those who normally don’t feel comfortable raising their hands) abandoning themselves in worship to God!  I wish I could have taken a picture from the stage and recorded the authenticity in their voices as they sang.  By the end of our service, I saw people more engaged to sing and worship.  It was the best rendition of “Nothing But the Blood (Your Blood)” (M. Redman) that I have ever been a part of to close out the service.  I want to continue to prod our people to become more comfortable to worship God with their whole being.  Whoo!  It’s a great privilege to worship our God!

“Come, Now Is the Time to Worship”

“Your Great Name We Praise”

Greeting

Offering/Announcements

Scripture: Micah 6:6-8 (Patty leads)

“I Bring an Offering”

Pastoral Care (Offering our whole being in worship) Joe leads

“I Bring an Offering” (Chorus 2x’s)

“Come Thou Fount”

“Indescribable”

Message: Pastor Dan

“Nothing But the Blood (Your Blood)” (Redman) (Juli leads)

Good Friday

I am posting a video I did for our Good Friday service.  It’s powerful.

Worship teaching?

My pastor has been challenging me that as I am leading worship week after week, I need to take time now and then to prod our people to strive to worship whole-heartedly.  There are people at our church from a myriad of backgrounds – from ultra-conservative to ultra-charismatic worship styles.  Some have not yet experienced the joy they can have by engaging not only the mind, but the whole being as well (raising hands to God, clapping, etc. ).  On the other hand, some have not experienced the weight of understanding the Gospel as the highest motivation to worship.  I want to continue to prod our congregation to unhitch from the peripheral weights that hold them back because that is a part of leading people to worship.  I will forever continue to learn the balance of worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.  What do you think?

I thought it was great to see Bob Kauflin do a great job of this with his people.  There are many different ways of doing this but it got my wheels turnin’. 

Weekend Worship

We had a really great service.  Our people really love to worship together.  “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” was a great way to end the set.  I thought we had a really balanced set this week.  We are going through the book of Genesis so the last three songs before the message really allowed us to go from seeing our God as Creator, yet personal, to singing an anthem for the Almighty King of creation.  I really like reading corporate prayers also, especially when they are pastorally written.  It’s like we’re all praying in one accord, with one mind. Awesome!

1.  I Sing the Mighty Power of God
2. Everlasting God
3. Greeting
4. Scripture Reading: Col. 1:15-20
5. He Knows My Name
6. Corporate Prayer – We read a prayer written by our pastor
7.  Wonderful Maker
8. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Hallelujah)
9. Message – Pastor Dan
10. Enough

Acceptable Worship

I found this quote from T. F. Torrance (check out http://www.eucatastrophe.com/blog/archives/category/focus-on-worship/) that really nails the fact that our ability to offer a pleasing response to God in worship is not possible unless it is drenched in the life and death of Jesus Christ.  This should change the way we think about our ”response” in worship.  He writes: 

The vicarious humanity of Jesus Christ…fulfills a representative and substitutionary role in all our relations with God…such as trusting and obeying, understanding and knowing, loving and worshipping…Jesus Christ…in and through His humanity took our place, acting in our name and on our behalf before God, freely offering in Himself what we could not offer and offering it in our stead, the perfect response of man to God in a holy life of faith and prayer and praise, the self-offering of the Beloved Son with whom the Father is well pleased” (God and Rationality, 145).

A Worship Leader’s Blog

          I am the worship leader at my church so much of my blogging will center around my passion in this area.  My desire is that other worship leaders will interact with this blog for ideas, encouragement, music, books, etc.  Check back soon!