God Speaks

There is a plumbing problem in your house.  The drain pipes are stopped up and no amount of liquid fire or Liquid Plumber can unclog it.  Your washing machine drains the water into the pipes, but it back flows to the master bathroom tub.
You crawl under the house to get to all the pipes.  You've got mud around you, there are worms crawling in the dirt beside you, and there is an awful stench.
Then it happens...God Speaks.

Sometimes life keeps you busy enough that your focus isn't on God.  While I was under my house trying to fix the problem of my drain, God stirred my mind back to being thankful.  My outlook changed a bit.  Instead of frustration, anger, being ready to either pay someone or sale the house; I took a more calm approach...mostly.  I remembered my tarp, and laid it down to stay out of the mud.  I remembered my knee pads in the car and was able to have a little cushion for my sore joints.  I became grateful that human waste was not the area I was working on and my outlook on the repair changed.  In fact, some would say I "over fixed" the problem.

On the way to the hardware store, God gave me some lyrics to a song I've been working on. A simple chorus, with maybe three main parts...a verse, chorus, and maybe a bridge,  It's nothing fancy, and it may never be sung by any other worship team.  But...It's inspired by God, and it's already blessed me.

God doesn't give us something for us to do nothing with it!  He expects us to use the gift to further His kingdom.  The Holy Spirit is here to lead and guide us, for the purpose of furthering the Kingdom.  After all, if we're not furthering the Kingdom of God, what are we doing?

When He speaks, listen to Him.  Trust me, He knows best.  In all things, praise Him for His goodness and mercies.  However, even the Holy Scripture says in 1 Samuel 15:22 that obedience is better than any sacrifice you may present.  Just...Obey what He says, when He says to do it.  Sometimes, His words to us are encouragement, confirmation, correction, and inspiration.  We need to be able to use what He gives us in each situation; whether it's for your own personal growth or for the edification of the church body.  Trust me, that will become obvious if it isn't right away.

Just..........Be a willing servant, always listening for the voice of God!

God speaks to us in His own way, and in His own timing.  We just have to be ready to receive.

Along the lines of Thankfulness....

My last post focused on being thankful for the little things, and taking the time to enjoy life and time with our families.  I also discussed how this could influence your worship.  But I don't feel that I covered it well enough to get the point across.  Thankfulness is a lifestyle that accompanies the worshipers lifestyle.  They go hand in hand.  Today, I want to talk more about this.

Psalm 100:4King James Version (KJV)

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

The above scripture gives us a distinctive approach to how we should come into the house of God.  First, we enter His gates with Thanksgiving.  Today, that would equate either driving on the property, or stepping through the doors into the area just outside the sanctuary.  Secondly, when we enter his courts with praise, that would usually mean into the sanctuary.  The next phrase however, does not exclude thanksgiving because we are now beyond the gates.  It says to be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

This signifies that our worship starts with being thankful, then goes into praise, which consists of blessings and being thankful some more.  More and more Christians will sing God's praises with songs like "How Great Is Our God," "How Great Thou Art," and "Revelation Song;" but we forget to simply say Thank You, Lord.  We will declare that His blood was shed for me, and that my healing comes from Him, but do we sit back and say "Thank you, Lord!  For my salvation, and for my healing?"  The weight of love, and adoration you send to God with two words can be more important than anything you sing to Him. Why?  Because you are taking the time to tell the most high God that you know where the blessing came from, and you are very much appreciate what He's done for you.  It has more meaning than just a praise song without any semblance of thankfulness.

When we sit down to eat, most people will say the blessing (or grace) over the food.  This, too, has become more of a ritual.  Everyone has "their" prayer that they always do, and they will say it and eat.  In my house, my kids ask the blessing on the food more than me or my wife.  What I have tried to teach my kids is that when you pray and ask God to bless our food, don't rush through it and don't recite some words that you've heard and that sound good.  Instead, talk to God differently every time.  This isn't a requirement, but at their young ages, it helps to solidify praying from the heart.

My oldest son will usually start off like this..."Thank you, Lord, for daddy's job, for daddy's Rondo, for mommy's van, for our house, and for our food...." and then he goes on to thank God for our food and asks Him to bless it for the nourishment of our bodies.  Sometimes, he thanks God for our family, his grandparents, and great grandparents.  I believe he has the firmest grasp of truly being thankful!  But more than that...he is usually the first to say thank you, he is quick to say thank you, and you can hear sincerity in his voice.

Imagine how I feel when my son tells me "thank you."  How do you feel when your child tells you, "thank you?"

How does God feel when his children, with heartfelt sincerity, says "thank you?"
 Take the time to tell Him how thankful you are...It will make the difference in your worship, and your life!

Give thanks to the Lord, Our God and King

I recently was able to spend a few hours with my Grandparents.  With work, family, and church keeping me busy, it was nice to surprise them and see them.  I always seem to get too busy with everything that I don't take the time to do the things that need doing.  Sometimes that means the grass goes another week before its cut.  Or, the car goes another couple hundred miles before it goes to the shop for servicing or repairs.  Or, it means I don't spend time with those I love like I should.

It doesn't mean I am lazy, or that those things aren't important.  It's just that work is so demanding and stressful, and preparing for services is also time consuming.

Anyways....

I was thrilled to be with my Grandparents, at their home.  My Grand Dad and I discussed the church, the Bible, and family.  I watched my Grand mother play with my six month old daughter.  The other four kids were running around like chickens with their heads cut off!  But it was a good time.

When I left, I was thinking about how fragile they looked.  I wondered how long we (my family) would have them here on earth.  On March 1, 2017 they had been married for sixty-seven years.  He is getting ready to turn ninety-two, and she is just a few years behind him.  They can still take care of themselves.  My mother goes and gets their groceries and medications for them once a week, and until recently, they still made it to church for every service.  There is a lot to be thankful for in this family...

Thankfulness...that's a word that most don't think about.  It's also a word that describes a singular part of our worship.
We love to sing His praises, to declare that He is the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords.  We declare what He's done in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

But have we thanked Him?  Have we thanked Him as part of our worship?

How often have we just told God, "Thank You, Lord," and raised our hands while we did so?
I think we don't do it often enough.

Why do I say that?  Because we are all so very busy that we miss the little things He does for us.  We're too busy to look at our past and see where we've come from.  We are just too busy to take the time to look at our families and friends and see how God has used them to encourage us, to pray for us, to sit up with us and talk about the problems we are having.  We are always looking to save some time, or get done faster with our tasks.  We're not looking back to where we were, we're looking ahead to where we want to go.  And the fact of the matter is this, if God doesn't help us get there, most of can walk away without a second look.

I hope this doesn't apply to my readers, but overall...most of the congregants at church are this way.  They may never say it, but it's in their lifestyle.

As worship leaders, we are obliged to examine the things we need to be thankful for, and show the church how to use that thankfulness in worship.  Hearing us give thanks to God might spur a memory in someone and they begin to thank God.  This will spread like wild fire.  Just..."Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King."

I am so very thankful for my family.  God has indeed blessed me with Grandparents, Parents, In-laws, a wife, and five beautiful children.  All of these will pray for me, and I them.  They seek to uplift, to encourage, and to provide insight to what they've read in the Word of God lately.

Thank you, Lord...Thank You for your blessing in my life!

Surely, the Spirit of The Lord is here; and I didn't know it! (Gen 28)

We have busy lives.  Everything is society is so...complicated, busy, and social.  If we're not reading about a social issue, then we're seeing it on television.  And if it's not in either of those two places, then we see it on social media.  Our busy-ness comes from trying to keep up with what's going on and trying to keep our lives somewhat meaningful.

There is an account of a similar situation in scripture.  You can read the backstory, and  conditions of this mans life, but I will surmise the area of scripture that I want us to focus on...
In Genesis 28, we see the account of Jacob and him dreaming about a ladder that went from the spot he was in, into the heavens.  He tells of angels going up and down.  He wakes from his sleep and makes several statements.  The most noticeable is that the spirit of God is there and he didn't know it, and surely, this is the house of God.

What does that mean?  Jacob was so focused on his situation, his task, and on his night's sleep that he didn't notice the presence of God.

When you come in to church, dont be so lost in getting music ready, on practicing, on setting up Sunday School that you miss the presence of God!  Dont let your service plan and outline be so routine that you miss Gods presence in ypur midst.  God had a calling for Jacob and the vision He gave to Jacob showed some things to him.  

This vision had three aspects that we can learn from.

First of all, God revealed this ladder for a purpose.  Jacob received what God was showing him and responded with an acknowledgement of God's presence. When God communicates with us verbally, in a dream or vision, or by tugging on our hearts; He is doing it for a purpose.  Don't hesitate to declare that God is right there with you!

Secondly, Jacob not only accepted that God was there with him; but he accepted that God was there with him!  What????  Jacob accepted the presence of God.  Then he accepted that God showed him this dream because He was going to use Jacob and even gave him a promise of things to come.  Don't just accept the presence of The Most High....accept what He is trying to show you and tell you as well.  If you only accept His presence, then you will miss out on what He has in store for you!

Thirdly, Jacob was alone, he was on an errand of life changing proportions. His father sent him to find a wife.  He didn't take a host with him, he traveled alone and never got around to putting up a tent.  He gathered a large stone for a pillow and laid under the stars for his time of rest.  In all actuality, it could be said that he may have had very few things with him since he used a stone as a pillow.  So...picture this...a man with little, trying to obey his father, and all alone was approached by God in a dream.  When you feel as though you have nothing; when you're trying to do what is right; when you're all alone, or feel alone...Get ready, God could show up quickly and reveal Himself to you, and give you a promise of things to come.

What we need to take away is this...God is with us and he has a promise for us.  His will is for us to succeed and for us to be blessed!  Also, our worship needs to reflect our acceptance of Gods presence and his will for our lives.  

When you worship, pour out your heart like Jacob did.

Don't waste your time

We've all seen Hillsong, Bethel, and Covenant Worship on television.  We've seen the uniqueness of their styles, their musicians, and their vocals.  They are some very talented, and anointed worship teams.  They have an infinite amount  of resources and talent to draw from.  Your team (unless you're David Binion, Kari Jobe, or Rueben Morgan) is not one of these.

Most churches have a core group of musicians and singers.  Usually, you'll have a pianist, a bassist, a single guitarist, and a drummer.  You may have from two, up to four vocalists.  That is your group.  Those are the ones that you work with week in and week out. 

So how do we continue to develop new music and new sounds?  How do we make the songs we use by the larger churches sound like the larger churches?

Don't waste your time.  Your team will not sound like Hillsong, Bethel, or Covenant.  

There are several things to keep in mind when walking the path of a worship leader.  

First, your team is not made up of experts or professionals.  You will have members that may be beginners, or very talented and experienced.  Be willing to help them grow.  You not only need to focus on the abilities of your team, but also on the spiritual growth as well.  

Second, your team is as unique as an individual.  Your team has strengths and weaknesses.   Learn ways to improvise and change things up.  Get your team members out of their comfort zones.  Give a bass solo to your bassist.  You could change the order of the songs.  For example, play through the chorus as your intro, then start on verse 1.  Or, if there is only one verse, have one of your soloists sing it the first time through, and another vocalist of the opposite sex sing it the second time through.  Start by singing the bridge then go into the verse.  There are all kinds of possibilities that can be explored by you and your team.

Third, the songs you select don't have sound like the original artists.  Make them your own.  Change the tempo, the lead in, add your own "flavor" to the music.  Change the primary instrument or lead instrument to something else.  For example, the song "I Look To The King," by Meredith Andrews and Matt Maher uses the piano as the primary instrument.  You could start out with a single acoustic guitar and a keyboard with some subtle synth sounds.  If you don't have a keyboard, maybe a soft organ in the background.  Think outside of the box in your sounds and arrangements.

Music is fluid, worship is sincere, and the only thing that matters is that what and how your team plays so that the presence of the Most High God falls into the sanctuary or wherever you may be.  Think ahead and plan for what will help usher in the spirit of worship.

The point is this though...
Don't waste your time trying to be a worship team that you're not.  You have your own signature sound.  Cultivate it and focus your time there.  God has given your team an ID.   Be the team that He wants you to be.