As you worship among the congregation, are your thoughts, words and
expressions bridled or authentic before Holy God? Join us for another
"On The Road," as Branon Dempsey meets with worship teams to share some
insights on engaging and being engaged by God.
From The Road - Teaching Series Worship Team Training Copyright 2010, Administered by For His Music
“Worship is an active response to God whereby we declare His worth.” “Worship is not simply a mood; it is a response. Worship is not just a feeling; it is a declaration.” – Ronald Allen
This statement resonates with Scripture and also my heart. When we read verses that say:
My protector is praiseworthy! The God who delivers me is exalted as king! The one true God completely vindicates me;
Give thanks to the LORD with the harp! Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument! Sing to him a new song!
Come! Let's bow down and worship! Let's kneel before the LORD, our creator!
These statements made by the Psalmist point to the meaning of worship. They tell us who God is and what He has done. The writer is declaring to the reader/hearer what we are to do in response of who He is and His acts of love. The writer calls God his protector, therefore He "is praiseworthy," God who delivers is exalted "as king." He completely vindicates our lives as the "one true God." We give thanks to Him and respond by our acts of praise "we sing to Him a new song!" We come, bow down, worship and kneel before him out of humble submission because He is the "LORD, our creator!"
When we see the Lord through Scripture, we learn who God is. We begin to know God according to His Word. We see the splendor of His glory and the majesty of His loving nature - His nature is love. Scripture helps us bear in mind God's fullness at best, as well as His character and wisdom.
The Bible is the very breath of God; these words are God breathed written through the hands of man. 2 Tim. 3.16 declares: "Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." When we worship, we resound with Scripture in one voice declaring Who He is and what He has done accordingly. This happens in the songs we sing, prayers we pray, messages we hear/see, offerings we give and services we provide as they anchor to Scripture.
When you worship, has it occurred to you that you are responding back to God? When you sing, have you considered your songs to be sung-prayers? When you hear/see the message, does your heart resonate with the spoken Word of God? When you study art, do you identify images of the Savior? When you are found in silence, are you listening to the whisper and movement of the Holy Spirit? When you posture your heart, hands, feet and head, are you filled with emotions that confess your need for the Father?
God initiates, we react. He calls, we respond. He draws, we embrace. He speaks, we listen. He asks, we answer. He is Alpha and Omega. He is Beginning and the End. He is Genesis and Revelations. Worship simply begins and ends with God. We respond.
Do
words matter? Whether sung, prayed or heard, do people really focus on
the words during worship? There is no doubt that worship services have
their own distractions and interruptions. For other reasons, some
people have a difficult time focusing during worship. At the core of
the worshipper, when they are able to focus, what are the elements that
cause them connect? In our attempts to connect with the congregation
and God, do the words we use help engage or disconnect? It may be the
coolest sounding song, but if our words are empty, we are only a
clanging cymbal.
When was the last time you really looked at the
lyrics of the songs you sing? As you pick songs to sing, are your
choices based on the lyrics or on the groove? Some people say that
contemporary music lacks sound theology, while hymns provide a more
solid foundation of Scripture. In our teams, we may lean toward
choosing contemporary songs because hymns are not as user-band friendly
to play. Both these view points have their own merit in choosing songs.
Finding the right choice of songs and those that work well with
contemporary bands is a challenge within itself. A greater challenge is
to plan services that rightly honor God.
There are lots of hymns
and contemporary songs with poor theology and great theology. All you
need to do is line up the songs' lyrics according to Scripture. Not
just our songs, but our prayers, readings, sermons, videos and drama
messages. When we present our words in a worship service, what kind of
signals are we sending to our congregations? Do we show care into
worship as being a service, or to serve ourselves? We may seek
different types of programming elements and creative means, but are we
truly seeking Him first and honoring him by our art.
In the Old
Testament, Amos was deeply concerned about the integrity of worship and
words. Israel continued to turn their backs on God. They worshipped
idols, riches and power. They rejected every divine effort to provoke
repentance. Instead of using their words to honor God, they used words
to honor evil. No matter how many times God extended his hand of mercy,
the people rebelled and would not return to Him.
In Amos, the
Lord challenges the Church to "seek Me and live," (5.4). To seek God is
to turn away from sin and return to His covenant faithfulness. No
matter how great we put together a worship service, we must remember
that the service is His. God wants all our heart and worship to be
genuine as an act of obedience.
You may have heard me say
before: service of worship. Most people say the term: worship service.
It is my opinion and belief in a cooperate gathering as the Church, we
are to serve the Lord through worship. This kind of service employs the
association of a king. This comes from an Eastern mindset as it relates
to the worship of God. From outside His courts, we prepare to meet him.
We honor the King outside his doors and are invited into his presence.
As we humbly approach Him, we bestow our offerings and gifts. He
receives our praise and showers us with his gifts, mercy and
forgiveness. We worship Him as a response according to how He is
revealed (according to Scripture). We then celebrate His presence over
the Meal and Baptism. Respond again to his glorious grace, as we are
ushered back into the mission field. Hence my thinking on why I refer
to the term: service of worship.
Romans 12.1 says: " Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a]
act of worship." Here we see this offering of a service of worship to
God. This was not the case in the times of Amos. The people were
resistant to God; He despised their worship because it lacked heartfelt
intimacy. In this scenario, their bodies were present, but their minds
and hearts were elsewhere.
Think about having coffee with your
spouse or a dear friend. If you are not genuinely engaged in
conversation or if there are no words to exchange at all, the true
fellowship you can experience will be left void and empty. In fact,
your meeting would soon render itself pointless. In true fellowship,
there is a knowing and an exchange. In worship, to know God is to know
His word. The exchange is listening to the Word proclaimed by God and
we respond accordingly. God is the initiator, we are the respondents.
Read the first four words of Genesis 1.1 "In the beginning God…"
God
takes his service and our words very seriously. There are times when
words are not enough, we stand in awe. In humility and reverence our
silence speaks volumes to Him. Ecclesiastes 5:2 says: "Do not be quick
with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before
God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few."
Based
on our words in worship, what kinds of messages are we sending to
people in general? Western culture and philosophies have infiltrated
the Church, even when it comes to worship. As a result, many in the
Church have watered-down sermons, songs, drama and film for the sake of
being relevant. I agree with not using old-style and out-dated
language, as it does not connect with the present day generation. I do
disagree with the acts of shunning the Word of God, quenching the
Spirit and sweeping sound theology under the rug.
There is a
difference between being churchy and being biblically relevant. Singing
“are you washed in the blood?” may have worked 50 years ago, but today,
only a small majority may be aware of the hymn's context. A biblically
relevant song that comes to mind is Charlie Hall’s “Marvelous Light,”
which says: "into marvelous light I'm running, out of darkness, out of
shame." This song both musically and biblically connects with people
and with God. Another biblically relevant song comes from Stuart
Townend in his contemporary hymn "How Deep The Father's Love For Us,"
which says in the second half of the first verse:
How great the pain of searing loss The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory
These
lyrics are both relevant and biblical. Most people can relate to a
searing loss, the loss of a child, loved one or something close to the
heart. How deep a Father's love for us, speaks of God's relentless
mercy in pursuing mankind. Based on it's inerrancy, I believe this
contemporary hymn will be here to stay a long time.
As sung by
billions, "Amazing Grace," is one of those hymns that has stood the
test of time. It has become a famous mainstay because its accessibility
in the lyrical doctrine and relevance. Whether traditional or
contemporary, a great congregational song will always have a strong
biblical message that communicates to people as it honors God. It
should be one that has accessibility and relevance. Finding good songs
for worship begins in the origin of Scripture.
When we choose
our words for worship, in song and in message they need to shine. Jesus
said in Mark 4.21-22 "...Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl
or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? For whatever is
hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to
be brought out into the open." Jesus was referring to the message of
the Gospel. As we sing the words of the Gospel and the Old Testament,
may they be lifted high for all to hear.
When we hide behind our
words, it gives the impression that we really don't mean what we
believe. This connotes a disinterest to those seeking Christ and
hinders the congregation's ability to connect biblically. More
importantly, we fail as our words to God are without meaning and
significance. He is Almighty God and is deserving of our worship. Our
words are to declare His worth, to lift him up and to celebrate his
goodness spoken by our ability to praise Him rightly. We are also told,
that when we remain silent, the rocks will cry out!
It's great
to find songs that have a cool groove and/or a catchy chorus line. May
our choosing be stemmed by the words and content - not by the sound of
the song alone. Take the old Gospel tune “I’ll Fly Away.” Don’t get me
wrong, it’s a real toe tapper. Many people love it. In my opinion,
biblically, the song is meant more to be presentational rather than for
worship. The song does not speak directly to God; it speaks more to an
audience. There is nothing wrong with this song, instead of choosing it
for worship, I would select it for another occasion.
In today's
contemporary genre, there is a plethora of Christian-like philosophies
that are secularly based. In essence, worship music programming has
found itself in a pick and choose song-doctrine buffet and/or flavor of
the month. What kind of words and messages are we really conveying to a
non-believers, to the Church and to Holy God?
Through the
changes of time and culture, a myriad of Christian authors, writers and
promoters have evolved. The gap is blurred between theology, music and
marketing. Today, with the help of the internet, songs are so easily
accessed. I am glad to live in these times. The technology is fabulous
to download songs instantly and to connect with your team online. The
concern: people get busier everyday. Less and less effort and time is
spent on planning. The easiest solution seems to be finding the coolest
song, programing it and hoping that it works on Sunday - all in the
stroke of 5 keys.
Time and time again, I have heard these spoken
words: "we gotta play this song on Sunday because Johnny's church down
the street does it" – or – "I heard this tune off the Christian radio
station and we must play it!!" Ok, so the songs are cool. But what
about the words? Do they derive biblical meaning and reference of
Almighty God? Do the lyrics speak of His character, nature and
Personhood? Do the words point to the human need for divine salvation,
mercy and forgiveness? Where is the priority of our time in honoring
God for planning his services?
Does it mean we spend every
waking hour in our OCD's? No. Does it mean that we have to find songs
that sound as if we are preaching a sermon? No. Not exactly. What it
does mean, is that we are the Church and should consider our time and
words rightfully. Our basis of worship comes from the Word of God. As
the Bible clearly articulates the praise and truth of God - so should
we.
Songwriters have a great potential in fanning the flame in
people’s hearts for biblical and authentic worship. The level of their
Biblical understanding and spiritual growth is pertinent to the songs
they write for congregations. When good use of Scripture, melody and
relevance intersect in the heart of the worshipper, a fire erupts that
cannot be quenched.
As leaders and artists in the church, we
have a higher calling to accountability. We are to be mindful of our
words in worship and its preparation. This was Amos’ plea for Israel
because the people were not taking God and his words seriously. They
were merely facilitating hollowed offerings of numbed utterances
through meaningless motions. God became angry his people and their
worship. In absolute disgust, He condemned their actions through Amos
the prophet. Anytime in Scripture when God denounces the actions and
behaviors of a nation or people, it is often referred to as a Sermon of
Woes. God says here in Amos 5.23:
“Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.” - A Sermon Woe of Amos Amos 5:23, KNIV.
It
is hard work, but we as the Church need to safe guard our services of
worship from becoming meaningless motions and/or noise. There is
nothing joyful in the noise above. We create for ourselves a false
sense of meaning and empty offerings to God when our services are
poorly planned or misguided. The woes from God spoken through the
prophet Amos addressed God’s displeasure of Israel’s meaningless and
unacceptable worship. How do these lessons of past generations serve
as models for today’s worship life? May we find them in the words of
Joel:
Joel 2:12-14 (New International Version)
Rend Your Heart 12 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."
13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
In
our planning of services and in our words of worship, may we be
reminded of our rightful response to Holy God. From childlike prayers
to the lifting of holy hands, He desires to engage with his people. He
created us to respond back to him in praise. Let's use the time we have
to forge words that are deserving of His worship. May we sing along
with the Psalm writer in these words that proclaim: "I will sing of the
mercies of the LORD forever: with my mouth will I make known your
faithfulness to all generation." - Ps. 89.1
3.18.10 Post: Lois Hello, Praise the lord. I loved your article on worship. Am a worship leader in church and am hoping to get more info on how to improve on the choir and worship team. we have been holding worship evenings which have been awesome but we too can improve and KNOW more on worship. i will really appreciate your help Thanks, Lois
The
question is not "have you ever," but "how often have you" found
yourself out of your comfort zone and in an unlikable situation? Let's
say you are lost and stranded in a wilderness. How do you deal with the
elements and natural resources in order to survive? A wilderness is
both a physical geography as well as an to a psychological state of
mind. When we were born, we came into the world kicking and screaming.
Overtime,
we have adjusted to the conveniences and comforts of a domesticated
life. We dislike events and conditions that counteract our familiar way
of living. What happens when we are faced with life's obstacles and
danger? Is there a will to survive? Stubbornness is a double edged
sword. It will help you develop a refusal to give into situations,
however it can blind your sense of navigation and lead you astray.
From
time to time, I meet up with a buddy at the gym. John is a 67 year-old,
energetic, sharp and friendly man. Yesterday, he and I were in a
discussion about recreation. John mentioned that he enjoys a good 30
mile walk. What? I asked him what is at the other end of the 30 miles
that is so appealing. He replied, "adventure." John went on to tell me
that "for fun," he loves traveling to various countries around in the
world in search of tough terrain and harsh environments. From deserts,
jungles, forests and mountains, John will intentionally get lost,
survive off the land and would find a way out. He would spend two or
three days in the wild, when others (like myself) prefer to stay at
Club Med. All in the name of "fun," right?
John
is the real Survivor Man. Intrigued about his background, I asked if he
was in the military and was specialized for this kind of nature-nut and
die-hard mentality at such an seasoned age. He told me that he was in
Special Forces, a Green Beret in the U.S. Army, during the Vietnam War,
fighting in the river jungles of the Northern Territory. Immediately, I
shook his hand and thanked him for his service to our country. My dad
was also in Special Forces as an Army Airborne Ranger - Purple Heart,
diving deep into the mud and blood of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Side
note: Any soldier is to be thanked and honored as they serve or have
served our great nation. Soldiers and those in Special Forces are
highly trained and specialized units; they see an underworld of terror
and violence on the enemy lines that no one else experiences. We never
know the extreme sacrifice and close-to-death situations they face on
our behalf. However, we see the value of their bravery and honorable
duty in every instance and right that we partake in our American
freedom. There are many U.S. military men and women who visit Worship
Team Training and we salute you. Thank you men and women for your
honor, courage and bravery around the world in defending human life and
in defending the United States of America.
My
buddy John went on to tell me, by parachute or vehicle, he would be
deployed in the jungles of Columbia, the deserts of Arizona or in a
mountain valley in Africa. He will have only two items, a canteen of
water and a river map. He will be at least 30-50 miles from the
smallest civilization. No satellite/cell phone. No radio/electronics.
No compass. Only friends know his whereabouts; they will meet him at
the end of his journey. A river map is essential. If you can locate a
water source, you can survive from dehydration and starvation. A river
is the best way to navigate through your surroundings as they also
provide resources for survival. Because they flow downward, rivers
always lead to an opening or better still, they lead to civilization.
Our
need to survive and will to live is parallel to our spiritual lives. We
only need two items, Water and a Map. Jesus said in John 7.37 "...Jesus
stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to
me and drink." Psalm 119.105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and
a light for my path." Jesus, our Messiah, Healer and Provider is our
living water. He is our river and source of life. The waves of his love
washes away our dirt, pain and shame. The purity of His holiness is far
more satisfying than any other drink known to man. The current of His
grace directs us to the grandeur of his intimate mercy. His word lights
our path to find the way home. When we feed from His word, we are
filled with good things. It is health of our flesh and strength to our
bones. The presence of the Triune God and the Word of God are our two
basic dependencies.
I
often think about my times in the wilderness. Thankful to have survived
and thankful to thrive through the current journey. How do you find a
way out when you are dry, empty and lost? Our skin becomes cracked, our
spirit grows weak and our bones ache. I liken these conditions to David
in the Psalms where he says: "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long." (Ps. 32.3) Now that's a wilderness.
It
is a deep pit to feel that we are alone. The truth is, we are never
alone because we are found in Him. A dear mentor of mine, Buddy Owens
said, "if you are looking for God and can't find him (even in our
despair and tragedy), stop and worship Him and He will come and find
you." You see, God is the Seeker, we are the respondent. When we are
lost, He finds us. When we are empty, he fills; when we are destitute,
He takes us by the hand and leads us home. Seeing the reality of God in
this perception makes our discomforts and obstacles manageable. More
over, we may feel the affects, but we are never without. He holds us
even closer in the grip of His grace, within the cloak of his robe.
I
am thankful of my friend John and hearing of his adventurous stories.
My appreciation and respect has grown in learning what it means to
survive and thrive. From a worship standpoint, no desert, valley,
jungle or mountain can ever separate us from the love of God (Rom.
8:38-39). When circumstances enclose you or you feel that you are far
from God, stop and let Him find you. When we lose our way, He finds us;
we find these passages that say: "The lamp of the LORD searches the
spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being," (Prov. 20:27). The
Spirit searches the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2.10); even when we do
not know what to pray: "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind
of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in
accordance with God's will," (Rom 8.27).
If
God searches us (the spirit of man) and the Spirit of Christ is within
man, then we are always found as God persistently seeks, rescues and
restores us unto Himself. Among other illustrations, when you look at
the whole Bible, the Scriptures emphasize two major themes: Rescue and
Redemption. Thanks be to God for never giving up on us in His unfailing
love. Praise be to His mercy and grace to provide streams in the desert
and to Him who restores our being.
Isaiah 43:19-21 (New International Version)
19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
God
is always with us. Just as comforting is the blessing and help we find
in friends. Next time you're in a wilderness and see a 67 year old man,
with a canteen and a spark in his step, just know it's John, looking
for another adventure. Say hello and he will be glad to give you a hand.
Though it's true of the Biblical references of Ps. 66:18 and Js 4:8, God will hear us with a contrite spirit as we draw near to Him; sometimes we need to be reminded that God is not removed from our daily and worship life. He is closer than we realize. We are often caught by surprise when God is standing in our midst, even in times when we are unaware of His every move. As a worship leader, what do you make of this observation?
Maybe you, like me have heard of the statement: "we need great worship for the Holy Spirit to show up." Ironically, there are two realities already at work. First, God is Omni present. As we read in Genesis (and throughout the Scriptures), God created all things, walked with man, talked with man, rendered judgment of sin, extended life to humankind and persistently called people into His presence. In each of these scenarios, we witness God through the Scriptures and in human life, consistently finding man and not vice-versa. Secondly, God is not looking for great worship, but rather worshippers seeking Him (Jn. 4:23). As Hebrews 13:8 declares, "Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever," our faith reminds us that God is with us both in the garden and in our current day; His presence inhabits our worship. He desires our praise and acts of worship as we surrender ourselves as living sacrifices.
Simply, worship begins and ends with God. He calls us into worship; we are the ones who show up. Here are some thoughts that have struck me: When we do show up, what do we give Him? When He calls, how do we answer; and do we answer Him rightly? When He speaks, do we listen? I heard a great concept-question from friend and mentor, Buddy Owens who said, "When God find us, whether in the garden, in the darkness or in the light, what do we say to Him?" For me, this really hit home. God is not untouchable, nor off in the distance hiding; God is seeking us. He is our Heavenly Father who actively, passionately and relentlessly pursues us. In fact, God runs to us as dad ran to his prodigal son. Isn't it awesome to witness, experience and understand the wonder and fatherly love of God who seeks, rescues and enjoys his beloved? Through grace, God invites and cherishes us to be in His presence.
There is an exchange of this invitation. God is the initiator, He calls to us and we answer. Out of obedience we invoke, seek, beckon and offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Rm. 12:1-2). We give worth to His worthiness because of who He is. God's nature and character is love; we respond to His love because He first loved us. He renders affection and restoration; by His character and goodness he heals, forgives and restores. As leaders of worship, we have many ways in which we can describe this love and presence of God. From this perspective, think of some ways you can evoke an authentic exchange of dialogue in congregational worship. Here are great expressions found in the Bible that show an authentic exchange between man and God in worship.
Ex 19:5 "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,"
Ex. 19:8 "The people all responded together, "We will do everything the Lord has said." So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord."
Ps 5:3 "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up."
Ps. 66:3 "Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you."
Ps 85:8 "I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly."
Ps 95:6 "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;"
Jer. 31:3 "The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."
Mk. 9:7-8 "Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus."
Col. 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Rev. 15:4 "Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
How would these inspiring exchanges affect your worship leading and congregation's participation? How do we create/facilitate a worship environment that fosters authentic exchanges? How do we use other tools and vehicles of worship such as music, technology, art and design to communicate sincere responses? The Almighty invites us into His presence and we respond. May our dialogues in worship be full of humility, honesty, intention and zealous as we render worth to God and marvel in his presence.
About
a few weeks ago I led worship on a Thursday night. The evening began
with a great reunion of seeing old and new friends. The song set was
just right for those who came to worship. The lighting had a great
ambiance and mood. The audio team was very accommodating and adaptive.
I arrived early to set up my gear. The speaker and I went over our
notes and everything was cool. I met with the sound team, tested the
mic and all seemed fine. I got a really nice sound. Then the problem
hit. I just plugged in my guitar, strummed a few notes and there was
nothing. We checked the cable, DI box and patching, all seemed to be
correct. Still nothing. Our next resolve, was to completely change out
the cable and DI. In addition, we tried patching into different
channels. Again, nothing.
At
this point, the clock was ticking at 10 minutes till the service. Think
fast. The audio team ran to the sound storage room (the youth worship
center) and grabbed a couple of acoustic mics. We figured that I can
survive by simply miking my guitar while singing through a separate
vocal mic. Sounds simple, right? It was time for the service to begin.
A vocal singing group took the stage to open with a few songs.
Afterward, it was time for me to lead. I began playing. Everything
sounded great through the acoustic mic. In fact, it had a really nice
and rich sound. The lights came up on my face as I moved towards the
mic. The congregation was beginning to engage with eyes closed. I
began to sing. All the sudden, my vocal mic went completely out.
Has
this ever happened to you? So, what do you do in a situation like this?
Keep playing. I continued to play through the song, while ad-libbing a
bit. The congregation was not even aware of the problem. My mind was
racing of what to do. Ah, yes. I got it. My acoustic mic was aiming
between my guitar and upper body. I figured if I backed off a little
space, the mic could catch both my guitar and voice. In a subtle
gesture, to the sound engineer, I motioned to turn up my mike. He was
aware of the problem and adjusted the volume. Success. I was playing
and singing through the one mic with no problem. Then guess what? No,
the mike continued to work. However, I noticed a sudden drop in volume
when I pushed my dynamics. Problem? My trusty acoustic mic turned out
to be a condenser mic.
A
condenser is known for limiting loud peaks and sudden changes that
occur in the overall volume. Every time I tried to push a note, the mic
would drop out. It was almost like playing the game, no you hear me, no
you don’t. So what did I do? I backed off a bit and continued. What
happened to the congregation? Nothing as well. They continued to focus
on the words. I realized something in that moment. What became
important was being at the feet of Jesus. We choose the better part.
When we do, perspective comes and everything else fades away.
Interestingly, the song we were singing, was one I had written called
“Have Your Way.” Never stop the flow of worship. Let God have His way
in every and all circumstances. I will always remember this night as
being the most challenging by logistics, but the most worshipful by the
Spirit.
“Now
as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named
Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who
was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. But Martha was
distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said,
"Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving
alone? Then tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to
her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many
things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good
part, which shall not be taken away from her."” (Matt. 10:38-42)
4.26.09 Post: Racmm Singing
songs of powerful worship and praise to God is part of our worship to
God but of course isn't the only way to worship our Lord. Worship is
also living our lives daily the way God called us to live our lives;
God calls us to live our lives staying away from sin. We need to stop
giving in to the devil's temptations. What we do, how we act, and what
we say to our families, friends, co-workers and others during the week
is just as important, if not more so, as singing worship songs to our
Lord on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Worshipping God is a
24/7 awesome, glorious, beautiful, and fantastic responsibility!
Worship is also going to God in prayer and thanking Him for who He is:
Our Glorious And Magnificent God! Our Heavenly Father And Creator! 2.13.09 Post: Shane Thank
you so much for this perspective. I think too often worship leaders
get caught up in the details and forget to "just praise." As important
as it is to bring our "A" game to worship, it can only be matched by
our full hearted praise and adoration of the One who Created us.
3.18.10 Post: Lois
