When you hear the word performance as it relates to your worship team, does it make you cringe? Or does it excite you?

In more conversations than I can count, I’ve heard performance thrown around as a dirty word.

This is not a performance. This is worship.”

I get where these comments come from. Matter of fact, I’ve said them myself. What I want to guard against is demonizing performance. If you play music in your local church, there’s no need to avoid the word performance or think of it as something less than true worship.

Performance and worship don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

[Read more…]

Let’s be real. You’re not the best worship leader there is. Neither am I.

There will always be a better musician, a better singer, a more charismatic personality, a more organized leader. You’re not the best.

But isn’t it good to know that leading our churches isn’t about being the best? Because worship class worship leading is more about being hidden than being noticed. Let me explain what that means.

It’s important to distinguish what we actually do and facilitate as worship leaders:

• Worship leaders don’t draw attention to themselves. They direct eyes and hearts to Jesus.
• Worship leaders don’t sing for people. They sing with people.
• Worship leaders don’t entertain a crowd. They engage a room.
• Worship leaders don’t usher the church into encounter. They spotlight the One who does.

[Read more…]

Ministry is anything but easy. Especially when there are big events to pull off and busy weekends to make happen.

For some of you, this is all the time. Over the years I’ve found these heavy seasons can be very fruitful – many people coming to Christ. Creative teams rising to the next level.

But I’ve also found it to be a strain – a strain on physical health and family health. Holiday weekends can fly by without hardly seeing your family. If you’re in ministry you know the tension.

[Read more…]

For anyone who creates, inspiration is gold.

When we feel inspired, we make things. It’s like a jolt of energy, a spark in the darkness. What once felt so difficult seems to flow with ease.

The problem with inspiration, though, is that it hardly ever comes. When we look at world class works of art, we imagine that it just happened upon brilliant people because they were born, well, brilliant. Songs coming out of thin air in a massive LA studio. Book writing over a balcony off the coast of Italy.

That’s the story we want to hear. But the truth is, it’s plain old work. Hard work. What actually makes art world class is the tenacity and scary commitment an artist has to creating. They can’t be stopped. Their vision won’t be interrupted.

When I asked Brian Johnson about his songwriting process, he said, “I work my butt off.” While you don’t necessarily need to lose your gluteus maximus in the process, you do need to expect work. Time. Sweat. Wrestling.

Aren’t you glad you read this today?

[Read more…]

I’m not defined by a role. Roles are seasonal. Who I am is a worshiper.” – Henry Seeley

It’s amazing what happens when a willing soul steps out and takes God at His Word. I love the story of Henry & Alex Seeley. Rooted in Melbourne, Australia, Henry was a worship leader, songwriter, producer, and mixer with Planetshakers.

But a few years ago, they moved across the world to Nashville, TN. And as you’ll hear in the interview, accidentally planted a church – The Belonging. In this chat we go behind the scenes of what God is doing at The Belonging. But we also talk about music, mixing, gear, leading worship, and balancing family & ministry.

Enjoy!

Click to Listen

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

[Read more…]