Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast

Archives for July 2008

Song Stories

My excitement continues to grow. Mastering for the album is taking place in two weeks. Music is such a diverse art. One individual hears a sound and is disgusted with it. Another hears the same sound and is crying tears of joy. Some like country, jazz, rock, pop, metal, hardcore, the list goes on. The bottom line is that music effects people. My personal heart and vision for this music is more than simply entertainment, though I do listen to music for entertainment at times. I want it to be a journey into the Word of God and hope it stirs you to love it and do what it says. Certain music through the years has influenced the way I view God and has been a soundtrack for the ministry I do everyday. I pray this music effects you spiritually. You may not like the sound. You may love the sound. One sound of music rarely, if ever, is everyone’s preference. But I pray you feel the passion, hear the Word of God, and feel the tears through which many of these songs were written.

Over the next couple weeks I am going to post some song stories for you to know the background of why they were written. Mini Bible studies, if you will. They all have a purpose and a story.

Thanks for reading (and listening!).

The Bible is the Most Relevant Book

I was convicted this morning about the importance of reading the Bible. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But sometimes I don’t want to.

I would rather read a powerful, relevant book by a great author. I would rather listen to music.

I would rather go spend money on something.

I think the more you don’t read the Bible, the more you adopt the world’s value system.

I’ve noticed this in my own life. Spiritual matters don’t seem that important. Glorious truth about God doesn’t seem as powerful as it once was. Eternity seems like it may never come. Using a biblical word, one becomes worldly. Let me just say this to you:

There is nothing more relevant than the Word of God.

A.W. Tozer said, “We ought to learn to live in our Bibles”. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to have our “powers of discernment trained by constant practice” (Hebrews 5:14). When we live outside the Word of God and simply go through our days, we are not being relevant to life. The Word of God keeps us truly relevant to reality. I don’t know about you, but I need to hear this today. I need Scripture to bear upon my heart every day or I lose focus. I think that’s why God said to meditate upon it day and night.

Do you agree?

Planned or Spontaneous?

I’ve recently discussed this with my worship team and have also been reading about it. When it comes to ministry, which is more spiritual and God-honoring – planning or being spontaneous? My answer to this question is ‘yes’. I believe we need a healthy tension of both in order to be effective. We need to plan because the Holy Spirit can inspire our planning, hard work, and preparation. We need to be spontaneous because the Holy Spirit may want to do something that he did not speak in advance. Total spontaneity can be a lazy cover-up for diligent study and preparation. Forsaking spontaneity may lead to dead religious activity. When you love someone, you plan special gifts and activities that will make them happy, but you also speak your heart in the moment without thinking about it.

What does this mean for our ministries?

Pray. Plan what you are going to do. Seek God with fervency in the secret place. Take what you receive and give it away. But don’t just minister off of your list of plans. Hold it loosely. Maintain your heart of submission to the Holy Spirit that says:

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

and echoing the cry of Moses:

“If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).

‘God, we need to hear your voice and have your anointing upon our plans, but enable us to know your voice so that when you speak and call us in a different direction we will listen and obey.’

Question for Worship Leaders

“Will our time together cause people’s view of, trust in, and desire for God’s glory in Christ and him crucified to increase?”

– Bob Kauflin (Worship Matters, 79)

As a leader, are you asking this?

What Do You Do When Disappointment Strikes?

What is your natural response when disappointment strikes? When things go wrong? To put it bluntly, when life is pretty much crap? Depression. Disillusionment. Feelings of abandonment. Ponder a few Psalms with me:

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92).

“Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight” (Psalm 119:143).

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:10-11).

I love how the word ‘delight’ jumps out of these verses. I know when you are in the middle of a difficult, prolonged struggle, this seems impossible to do. But I think it’s the most important action. Let your delight be so rooted in the Scriptures so that when disappointment comes, your true joy and true life remains.

The Word of God is enduring.

Jesus Christ is faithful.

He cannot let you down.

And as Psalm 147 reminds us, God’s delight is not in our human strength, talent, or ingenuity. He delights in those who simply fear him and hope in his love.

Be strengthened today.