Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast

Song Story – "Rising Glory"

As you may have noticed, the word ‘glory’ shows up quite a bit throughout this album. Glory is one of my favorite words when relating to God. Though it will never describe the fullness of his countenance, it gives vivid description here on earth.

Habakkuk declares,

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (2:14).

One of the key visions of this album and of my music is to awaken a passion for the glory of God. Habbakuk also mentions in 2:3,

“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end – it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

What is the vision? The vision is the glory of God filling the earth as the waters cover the sea. I have tried my best to make it plain and do what I can in drawing attention to His greatness. As the song says, this is the hour for the church of Jesus to raise the banner. We must rise up and give our lives for Christ’s glory.

What are you contributing?

Let the nations come to see Your rising glory
Let every heart be satisfied as they glimpse your beauty
Let the worshipers come forth and take their rightful place
Calling out across the earth, “This is the day of praise”

Jesus, make us holy
Savior, inspire a passion for what is worthy

As the waters cover the sea
Let the earth be filled with Your glory

Let the broken be made whole
Let the weakened souls be strong
Let the fearful ones take heart
Let the prodigals come home
Let righteousness prevail in our homes and churches
Help us run this holy race with perseverance

This is the hour for the church of Jesus to raise the banner
For what we believe to really matter
To see Your glory rise
How can we say we follow with heart set on earthly idols?
It’s time to lift our vision higher
To see Your glory rise

The Most Influential Worship Leaders in My Life

Throughout our lives we all have people who directly or indirectly influence us and help us become who we are today.

With the release of my first album, I am incredibly grateful for a few worship leaders who taught me so much about music, spontaneity, prophetic ministry, songwriting, theology, and much more. I have not only listened to worship music over the years, but have been a complete nerd when it comes to them – studying the musicians, producers, songs, artwork, ministries, and fill in the blank.

Following is a list of the most influential worship leaders in my life and why they are special:

David Ruis – this amazing Vineyard worship leader has taught me so much. Vineyard worship in general was very formative in my journey – intimate, prophetic, passion for the presence of God. In the early days David wrote songs like ‘You Are Worthy of My Praise’, ‘We Will Dance’, and ‘Let Your Glory Fall’. More recently he has taken a tremendous departure into prophetic, intercessory electronica. I was once at a conference where he opened his worship set, reading and singing a scripture. He always has a Bible with him. Prophetic, creative, weird, and powerful.

Matt Redman – Matt has taught me so much about songwriting. He is able to say the most profound truth in the fewest words. Along with his unbelievable songwriting, he has a very humble disposition when leading worship. He is not flashy, but simple and God-directing.

Reuben Morgan – Melody and simplicity. Wow. Reuben’s songs are much more well known than himself. His songs are very singable, the melodies are incredibly stirring, and the content is awesome. My recent favorite is “Stronger” off the new Hillsong “This is Our God” album.

Brian Doerksen – Not only are Brian’s songs outstanding, he delivers them in a way you can feel. I get the sense that he feels Scripture and truth deeply. He has taught me how to connect my brokenness to the Father heart of God. I think my obsession with speaking scripture also comes from Brian.

Lindell Cooley – My life was changed during the Brownsville Revival. I never experienced the presence of God like that and never experienced worship like I did with Lindell. Incredibly prophetic, passionate, and spontaneous. He led worship like a desperate, wild man. I guess that’s a good thing.

Delirious – The band that introduced a whole new style of worship. These guys seemed to carry a song for my generation that really led us to run hard after God. History Maker, anyone?

Who are your biggest influencers?

Song Story: "For the Glory"

One of my personal goals as a writer is to craft songs that challenge and inspire. If the Bible says something that is hard (“Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me”), I want to do what it says. We need songs that speak of the tender heart of God but also songs that lead us to embrace the cost of following Jesus. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously quoted, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die”.

“For the Glory” is a song for the church that articulates its mission and heart. Our purpose is to bring glory to God on this earth. We are giving our lives to see the nations stand before God at the end of the age, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ! I wanted to write a song that reminded us of what Christ graciously demands – offering all we are, knowing the Word, praying without ceasing, taking hold of the cross, counting the cost, etc.

May you be challenged to count the cost of what it means to follow Christ today and surrender all in pursuit of His highest glory!

Wide Awake Study Guide: Chapter 5

FOCUS – The Seer

•    What stood out to you after reading this chapter?

•    Read Matthew 14:22-33. What was Peter’s focus before he sank? What was his distraction?

“We get distracted by our surroundings and circumstances and everything happening around us, and they pull our attention away from where we are supposed to be going. The nemesis of focus is distraction.”

•    The “waves” and the “wind” are inevitable throughout our lives. What are you focusing on beyond this?

•    What really matters to you? What are you passionate about? Share your thoughts with the group.

•    As a child, Jesus was preparing for who He would be at age 33, when he began his public ministry. What has God created you to do?

“When you have focus, you see beyond the moment into the future. You see beauty when others only see tragedy. You see hope when others only see despair. You see possibilities when others only see problems. You see others when others only see themselves. You see eternity when others only see history. You see God in everything. You are a seer.”