Worship Podcast
It’s a scary question, isn’t it?
I don’t know about you, but I want to lead people to Jesus and disciple them enough so that they stay there.
I don’t want to simply leave them with a talented performance or a memorable concert.
I want people to know the presence of God and begin to live there on a daily basis.
But it makes me wonder – are our worship services structured to accomplish this? Or are they simply a concert to entertain and inspire?
As the world watched the Super Bowl this past weekend, our eyes were transfixed on a sea of creativity.
Bruno Mars, tearing up his performance on the biggest stage in the world.
A ready Seahawks defense, rendering Peyton Manning immobile.
U2, releasing a new single via a multi million dollar commercial.
All over the place – from cameras to cornerbacks to coaches and commercials, we were inundated with creativity in varied forms.
When we consider creativity, our thinking often wanders to the large stages. We think on the big crowds. We marvel over the final product.
When we think of that – part of us gives up on our own creativity.
This post may not be your usual worship leading fare, but it’s an honest snapshot at where my life is today.
When my son was born 19 months ago, I wrote a blog post to him – heartfelt words from a new Father.
Eliana Joy Santistevan was born on Wednesday, January 29, weighing 8 lbs 3 oz.
Having a child is a total miracle. Worries of how you’ll perform as a parent are overwhelmed as you look into their eyes and you know it’s going to be OK. Kids call you to a higher level of living.
This is God’s miracle, God’s will, and God’s favor will follow those who trust in Him.
It started out with an email and ended in heartbreak.
You know what I’m talking about. A beautiful soul with total confidence wants to join your worship team as a vocalist. The only problem is, they can’t sing.
And it’s not always that they cannot sing. It may be that their vocal tone just isn’t of a pleasing quality. In this case, there was no sense of pitch.
I was really hoping they were amazing so I could smile, affirm them, and offer them a spot on our worship team.
But I couldn’t do that. I had to be honest. Right there at the audition.
And this person left mad. In their mind, they were the cat’s pajamas of church vocalists.
If you’re a worship leader, you’ve been in this situation. If you haven’t, expect to in the near future. How do you handle a conversation like this? What is the best way to speak the truth without breaking hearts?
The longer I lead worship, the more I see a problem.
I’m a professional worshiper. I get paid to be at church.
It’s my job to lead people in worship. I know how to “clock” it in, get it done well, and move on.
And you know where this hurts the most?
People can be blessed by my worship leading and have no idea my prayer life doesn’t exist. People can look up to me as a “man of God” but they don’t know that I haven’t read my Bible in a month.
I’m a professional – I know how to fake the spiritual life. But the truth is I can kid everyone except the one who matters most.