Worship Podcast
If I could tell young worship leaders one thing, it’s “Don’t be afraid” – Corey Voss
So great to have Corey Voss on the podcast this week. Corey is a Worship Pastor at Gateway Church in Shelbyville, TN and a worship leader/songwriter with Integrity Music.
We get practical in this chat – rehearsal tips, to audition or not to audition, melody writing, building momentum in your team, spontaneous worship, essential oils, and more.
Enjoy!
Envision it. A team that doesn’t just play music on Sunday, but a family. Not only a family, but a family on a journey together, chasing the heart of God.
Does this describe your team?
If you’re a leader, you feel the pressure. We need to disciple our teams. We need to be spiritual. We have to worship and have deep conversations. But it’s rare for a team to really do this well.
And believe me, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to choose a book for your team to read together and find that no one reads it. I know what it’s like to have a Bible study and no one engage.
I needed something crazy. I needed something that would push my heart back into the Lord.” – Jon Thurlow
Jon Thurlow’s story is about doing whatever it takes to be close to Jesus. After getting his bachelor’s degree in Sacred Music from Nyack college, he found himself at the International House of Prayer with a choice to make. Was he going to pursue God with everything or fall away?
That’s when he joined the Fire in the Night team and began to pray through the watches of the night multiple times a week.
This is intense. But we need to be intense when it comes to Jesus. But also talk music, keys, the new album, songwriting, and more.
Enjoy!
I can remember seeing Michael Jordan play live like it was yesterday.
For years I had followed his career, watched the games, collected the basketball cards, wore the shoes, and hung the posters on my wall. I was a fan, to say the least.
But something changes when you go from collecting a card to seeing your hero play live basketball in downtown Chicago. The atmosphere was electric and full of expectation and wonder.
Looking back, I’m sure I went a little overboard with Michael Jordan. I was literally obsessed. Every waking moment was spent collecting items, working on my ball handling skills, or thinking about Jordan. While it never progressed to kneeling prostrate before a shrine of MJ in my room and lifting high praise in a monotone chant, it was pretty close.
There’s a lot about this routine that resembles our relationship with Jesus, isn’t there? The live game resembles our corporate gatherings as well. The sad truth? We’ve lost the expectation. We’ve lost a sense of encounter. Our gatherings are devoid of expectation.
Let me site one more example.
It’s obvious that every Steeler fan across the country is upset right now. Sunday’s game was no way to leave the post season after a great regular season and having earning the coveted bye week. But my point isn’t to wallow in sadness.
For a Steeler fan, every game arrives with excitement and expectation. What is going to happen? What crazy catches will Antonio Brown make? How many defenders will Leveon Bell shake? My son and I watch with intensity. We shout, we jump, we sweat, we eat, we dance, we cry. It’s an edge-of-your-seat experience.
I’m not here to shame church-goers into being more like football fans. Nobody wants to see you shirtless with black and gold paint from head to toe. But I am saying that we’ve lost our sense of encounter, wonder, excitement, and expectation in our meetings with God – both personally and corporately.
And if we lose that, we lose everything.
Love those closest to you.” – Andy Park
One of my biggest influences as a young worship leader was Andy Park. Andy has been a worship leader in the Vineyard for over 40 years. He’s written well-known songs like In the Secret, We Will Dance, The River is Here, I See the Lord, Blessed Be the Name, We Will Ride, and countless others.
Andy continues to lead worship, teach, and travel after all these years. We talk all about the charismatic renewal, songwriting, getting older in ministry, and more. I truly enjoyed this.