Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast

How do you keep it fresh?

Your ministry, that is.

Do you just show up and do it?

Do you fast and pray?

Do you spend a lot of time preparing music?

I’d love to share a few things I do, but I want to hear from you worship leaders or even preachers out there. How do you prepare your heart to do what God has called you to do? Much of what we do is based on routine. How do you keep it fresh and ensure you’re depending on the Holy Spirit each time?

DS

Niagara Falls, Chipotle Burritos, and Loving God

No matter how many times I look at pictures of the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls, or the ten second “moment of silence” before a Chipotle burrito consumption, it never gets old. In my book, there is something amazing about those things. While deep down I know they’re not, there still seems to be a transcendence about them. There’s a “wow” factor.

I know, you think it’s ridiculous that I mentioned Chipotle burritos. I need to get a life, right? No, my friend, you need to get a life if you even thought such a thing. Chipotle burritos need no explanation.

Why is it that we tend to get “bored” with God? Why is it that most of the time we simply buckle down and bust through our Christian routines? What happens to our passion over time? When does this thing go from transcendent privilege to a to-do list?

One of the greatest challenges in our day is staying in tune with what really matters. We are bombarded by our culture, by the media, by our friends, to keep our eyes on the temporal. Clothes, TV shows, new gadgets, social media, sports, any number of things. While we may not outright worship these things, they are great band aids. They cover up the barrenness of our hearts. And they feel good. They keep me from having to face my sin.

If we took all that stuff away, it would be us and God. And that seems a little freaky. But in order to grow a deeper love for God we need to be looking for Him. If you need to find your missing car keys, you’re not going to find them unless you look for them. Profound, isn’t it?

Here are some ways I think we can “look” for God more consistently…and enjoy, worship, and love Him more frequently:

  • Read – To start, take one or two nights a week and turn off the TV. Develop in yourself a voracious appetite to learn more about Jesus. This will fuel your love for Him. Read great biographies of men & women of God. Read the Bible. Read good books that turn your attention to God. Not a reader, you say? You can become one. It may just take time to develop a passion for it. Once the Holy Spirit starts revealing truth to your heart, you won’t be able to get enough.
  • Talk about God – This is becoming increasingly rare and awkward in our culture to do this. We spend so much time with friends but usually just keep our conversations confined to the “random” and “goofy” camp. I’m all about that. But let’s not forget the power of our words and the effect they have on others. Get together with a good friend and talk about Jesus in everyday life.
  • Obey God. Feel like your passion for God is weak? It may be because you haven’t obeyed Him in a while. Go and do the will of God. Go serve in a local soup kitchen. Serve in your local church. Share Jesus with an unbeliever. Go pray for someone. It’s amazing what obeying God will do to your spirit. When you experience the moving of the Holy Spirit through your life, you’ll never be the same.
  • Worship God – get alone and simply worship. It’s amazing what the presence of God will do to a weary soul. The difficulty here is that we’re not usually alone enough to make this happen. And we have too many distracting noises. Turn off the TV again, put on some good worship music, and have at it.

These are by no means the only way to grow a deeper love for God. Just some practical things I try to do throughout my week. When I do these consistently, I’m consistently “amazed” by God. The “wow” factor is there.

What would you add?

The Heart of Worship: Loving God

Imagine if you had the audacity to approach a guy/girl you were interested in and say, “You will love me. You will marry me. That’s just the way it is.”

After a slap in the face you both would be on your way, probably never to speak again. You and I just don’t do that. If you do, you may need a crash course in people skills.

But what about a Scripture verse like this: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:5). Is this the same sort of thing?

This verse is the great commandment. We’ve all heard it. We all know it. But do we realize this is a commandment? This is not a “if you feel like it, love me”. This is a “do or die” sort of thing. It’s in the syllabus. Not only is loving God supposed to be our joy, but it’s also our duty. Does this trouble you in the same way the “you will marry me” scenario does? Probably not. But why?

I believe it comes to down to the fact that there is no-one or no-thing like God. He is completely “other than” anything we’ve ever known. We relate to Him in human terms because that’s all we know. But he is set apart, different, holy, worthy, and a gazillion other attributes that even eternity will struggle to unravel. Because He created us, we love Him.

But that’s not the whole picture.

David said in Psalm 116, “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.” It all starts with loving Him for WHO He is, but it get’s personal too. We love Him for WHAT He has done for us. The goodness and kindness of God to me, a wretched sinner, is absolutely mind blowing.

Good worship leaders lead worship because they love God. Not because they are gifted or popular or musical. They love God so much that they enjoy directing attention to His glory, His grace, and His goodness.

What Cinnamon Crunch Squares Can Teach You About Ministry

This morning I poured a delicious bowl of Cinnamon Crunch Squares. Yep. I said it correctly. It’s a knockoff Aldi brand for the ever popular, game-changing Cinnamon Toast Crunch. As I was taking in bite by bite, realizing the taste is identical for half the price, I was struck by a disturbing thought.
In my life and ministry and walk with Jesus, I don’t want to simply create Cinnamon Crunch Squares. What do I mean by that? In order to create Cinnamon Crunch Squres, you don’t need to be innovative. You just have to copy. You look at Cinnamon Toast Crunch, mimic the recipe, switch the words around, create an imitation logo, and there you have it.
It’s doing what someone else has already done.
Here’s what I’m thinking:
  • In my walk with Jesus, I don’t want to just apply and mimic someone else’s experience with God. I want to have a personal encounter with Jesus.
  • In my ministry I don’t want to just mimic what other churches and ministries are doing. I want to catch God’s heart for my people, my areas.

It is possible to be in ministry but never pray. You just copy. It is possible to “walk with Jesus” but never read His Word for yourself, just the latest books.

I’m not against resources and learning from others. Matter of fact, if you think you don’t need others, that’s another problem.

But what about you? Are you living a secondhand faith, copying what’s happening around you but not seeking God for yourself?

Are you creating Cinnamon Crunch Squares?

How To Improve Your Keyboard Playing in Worship

Ever been a part of a band, worship team, or ensemble where someone doesn’t know what they are doing? Maybe that person is you. They hit wrong notes, transition to wrong keys, overplay, and are not sensitive to the moment? Yep. We’ve all been there and done that.

This Sunday Kate Griffin and I hosted a worship workshop for our keyboard players. Since a good keyboard player is so important to the sound, we wanted to create a context where deeper coaching could occur. When it comes to playing keyboard in a band/worship setting, there are some important things you need to know:

1. What is My Role?

  • Keyboard players are atmosphere creators
  • It’s our job to bring fullness and continuity to a worship set
  • Be sensitive and supportive of the worship leader
  • Awareness is everything. You can’t follow or support if you’re not paying attention. Be sure to look up.
  • Be spiritually engaged with what the Holy Spirit is doing in the moment. Allow that to interpret what you’re playing.

2. What Do I Play?

  • Pick a sound that supports the song type (organ, piano, rhodes, pad)
  • Keep it simple. Less is more. Contribute to the overall sound of the band. Give the bass player the low end. Stay in the mid range.
  • Maintain common tones between chords as much as possible.
  • Rehearse your transitions Subtlety is your friend.
  • Be intentional about dynamics.
  • Never stop practicing.