Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast

Christian Celebrities, Criticism, Your Worship, & Responding To Controversy

gungorGungor. Vicky Beeching. Mark Driscoll. David Yonggi Cho. What do all these names have in common?

Controversy.

Of course, a blogger like myself could not go silent on these issues.

When situations like this arise, we are challenged, confused, disillusioned. We often resort to bashing, freaking out, and being disgusted (or excited) when a Christian celebrity falls.

When I think of the aforementioned names, I think of children of God who followed the call of God, were used mightily by God, and are being honest with their struggle.

Mistakes have been made, power has been abused. But that’s no excuse to write people off.

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#53: Bob Fitts On Keeping Jesus First, Worship Around The World, & The Worship Leader As Storyteller [Podcast]

BFitts08“The harder you try to be ‘good’, the worse it gets. The more you look at how good your Savior is, the more you will flow as an artist.”

This and more was a part of my conversation with Bob Fitts.

Bob has been a worship leader for over 30 years, having recorded albums with Integrity and Maranatha music.

Bob travels the world extensively to lead worship in many nations and I’ve always appreciated his passion for the love of God.

This was a great conversation as we tackle his start in worship ministry, what he’s learned about the worshiping church across the world, as well as plenty of golden nuggets for worship leaders.

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How Any Musician Can Develop Their Unique Sound

13470015975_20eb417838If you’re a musician, you want to be original.

To have your sound. To be unique. The problem with being original is that it’s a myth. We are all a product of our influences.

Those who are considered the most original are those who know how to wield seemingly incompatible influences into something unique.

We all desire this. If you’re a worship leader, you want to lead with a unique style that is honest to your personality.

If you sing, drum, play guitar, or cello, you want to discover your unique tone and style.

But how do we “find our voice”? How do we discover our uniqueness?

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#52: The Worship Leader’s Guide To Being A Worshiper First [Podcast]

identity-crisis-300x300Today’s podcast is all about being over doing. Who you are over what you do. Being a worshiper over worship leading.

You would think as worship leaders, we would naturally be a worshiper, right?

Not always the case.

God is more concerned about who we are as people than what we do as worship leaders.

This is a calendar appointment you can put on repeat. A todo you can put on your task list every day. This is a life calling that never goes out of style.

We are worship. We are worshipers. And if we miss this we miss everything.

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Real Worship: A Call To Simplify, Be Brave, & Pursue Genuine Congregational Worship

6563902327_80f08226a2_zI crave the real thing.

I don’t know about you, but I want the manifest presence of God in my home, life, and church – not just manufactured, emotional experiences with great songs.

Of course, I am not opposed to production. I love it. I love a creative, well-rehearsed band. I love the pursuit of ever-expanding creativity.

In the context of worship, I believe it’s important for creatives to explore how their art can help to inspire and serve and help people see more of God’s glory. I’m all about that.

But I’m also all about dialing back. I’ve had a few conversations with some leaders in the worship community who agree.

Sometimes we need to simplify to see where our heart is.

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