Worship Podcast
Next week I will be traveling to Mount Hermon, California, for this amazing conference. I am so excited to attend and learn from the likes of Paul Baloche, Derek Webb, Sara Groves, Bob Kauflin, Don Moen, Phil Wickham, Charlie Peacock, and more.
I will be blogging the sessions I attend (believe it or not) so stop by and glean some songwriting insights. Check out the conference website here.
I have spent a considerable amount of time watching the Olympics this past week. There is something about it that is incredibly addicting. Sometimes I’m not even that interested, but I realize that I haven’t blinked for 5 minutes or taken a breath. Maybe I need to get outside.
What is it about the Olympics that is so gripping? Why do we all love having conversations about those who win gold medals? I think great stories inspire us. We are amazed at the perseverance, dedication, and singular focus these athletes have towards their goal. We find ourselves coming alive through their success. Check out this verse:
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (I Timothy 4:8).
I want to live for Jesus with more dedication than an olympic athlete has for the gold medal. I want to run with perseverance the race marked out for me. The prize for this race is eternal and everlasting.
You think this is worth living and dying for? What is the prize, you may ask? More on that later.
Recording an album has taught me many things. I have felt weak and inadequate most of the time. The thought has even crossed my mind to do something else with my life. Why is this? When you put your heart on display for people to see, hurt is inevitable.
Anytime you speak, lead worship, sing an original song, perform, lead a small group, witness, basically do anything publicly, the possibility arises for hurt. Does this mean we isolate ourselves to avoid pain? Absolutely not.
Give what you got. Many times we can look at people more gifted than us and despair…give up. Why should I use my gift if [fill in the blank] can do it better?
We’re not all called to have a global ministry, or for artists, a fan base across the world. But we all need to give what we have to make the world a better place. Some artists only have a small following because their music does not appeal to a wide, general audience. This is OK. Give what you have to bless the world, whether its to 5 or 5,000,000. Maybe you need to raise up a small group of 5 to be mature disciples of Christ.
I have chosen to give what I have to reach as many people as I can. In the same way, God wants to use you…but you have step out.
‘Willing’ is a song that was crafted over a couple of years. I had the chorus going and I really liked it, but could never seem to find a verse that felt right. After writing and re-writing, it seemed to fit. I also wanted the intensity of the music to match the intensity of the lyrics. I’m happy with the energy this track evokes.
I wanted ‘Willing’ to be very challenging. I felt that a lot of worship songs at the time were somewhat shallow and not expressing all that needed to be said. I wanted to personally follow the example and command of Jesus to go, intercede, preach… and the boldest line in the song – ‘willing to bear the martyrs call’. As the verses say, we are called out of darkness, gripped by Christ’s love, filled with His Spirit, and sent out to reach the lost. I remember being in tears as I was writing this. The call of God felt so strong and I wanted to be willing to pay the price.
I think we need to live our lives in this way: Willing to go wherever Jesus says and do whatever he calls us to, no matter what the cost…even if it involves giving our very lives. Thousands of Christians have gone before us and given their lives for the Gospel. Don’t allow the culture to conform you to its ways. That is an easy, wasted life. Live a God-centered life full of the Word, full of worship, and full of obedience to Christ. Live for something more. Ponder these lyrics:
Called from darkness into light
Gripped by love to live this life
Filled with power to testify
Sent to answer desperate cries
We must go
We must all be
Willing to weep, to go, to preach
Willing to spend life on our knees
Willing to bear the martyrs call
Living for what matters most of all
I’m living for something more
Than what my generation settles for
Check out a rough mix at my myspace.
This morning I was reflecting a bit on the importance of a personal life in God. What I mean by that is, ‘Who are you apart from public ministry settings?”
When you have a noticeable gift, people compliment. It blesses them and they want you to know about it. This feels good. Though their compliments are strengthening and encouraging, we must not let it go too far.
Back in the summer of 2004, I was part of a traveling band from North Central University, called One Accord. We traveled all over the US ministering in churches, youth camps, and high schools. It was a blast. One of the reasons it felt so good is that we were important…at least in our small bubble we were.
Kids clamoring for our attention.
Constant signings of t-shirts and CDs.
Traveling the nation.
Seeing people blessed by our ministry.
Awesome.
My friend and a mentor of the team, Nate Ruch, spoke a powerful word to us at a Michigan camp that I will never forget – ‘They are only loving the mask’. What he was teaching us was that who we were was so much deeper than what all these people on tour could see. Yes, we had a CD, t-shirts, were a ‘premier’ traveling group, and were good-looking (well, some of us).
What mattered was not so much what they said, but what God said of us. Man sees the outward appearance…
Here’s my question for you: Who are you when you step off your public ministry platform? Do you love and serve your wife? Are you honest? Do you worship God with intensity when you are all alone? Are you pursuing a life that glorifies God? This is what matters.
What are your masks?