Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast

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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#51: Worship Leader, Know Your Bible [Podcast]

2296855678_f348e0d954_zA few days ago, a member of my worship team asked me a question,

“Dave, what should I be working on? How can I improve as a worship leader?”

Being the seasoned, experienced worship leader that I am I started to rattle off a list of improvement tips.

I told her to become a student of other worship leaders. I told her to listen to a lot of worship music. I told her to practice behind closed doors.

All good things, right? Sure – except for the fact that I missed probably the most important discipline she could “work on”, and that is knowing the Bible.

There’s nothing that brings context to worship leading like God’s Word.

The Bible helps me lead worship like nothing else. It’s scary, but I can know all the worship songs in the world but completely miss the point if I don’t know my Bible.

Worship Leader, know your Bible.

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The Morning After Sunday Morning: An Essay on the Emptiness of Serving Your Ego

14753371285_b2c5c46aa5_zWhen I woke up this morning, I was anxious.

I didn’t know who I was. No, not in a scary, schizophrenic kind of way. I wasn’t at peace with who I was, my identity, and what I was called to do.

Every morning is marked by this stress, but especially Monday morning – the morning after I lead worship.

When worship goes well, Monday morning feels empty. I miss the compliments of the crowd. I miss the feeling of a job well done. I feel alone.

When worship is a train wreck (yep, it still happens sometimes), I feel like a failure. I feel like I shouldn’t be doing the things that I do. I’m a fake…a phony…I don’t have what it takes. It’s probably time for a new career.

Monday mornings. It’s quiet. And the silence is deafening to my ears.

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