Happy New Year

A new year upon us, and we make our lists of goals and aspirations.  In my particular situation, as of January 1, I have the opportunity to work in a new church.  New is often exciting.  New helps me assess things I’ve done at other places -- what has worked and what I will want to change. 

That’s not only true of a person in a new position – it’s true for most of us. As we move through life God truly makes all things new.  When it comes to church ministry, it’s a constant desire to serve the Lord and other people that hopefully spurs us on to growth, musically and spiritually. As situations change, we need to be flexible.  More than anything, we need to be true to what God calls us to do.  Maybe this new years weekend you can take a fresh look at your calling – and jot down a word or two you receive from God.

There are so many I’ve worked with who display not only a talent and enjoyment of the music we do, but a fierce dedication to serving the Lord.  They are there, and they are dependable, year in and year out.  These are the people who inspire me and who encourage me to give my very best. 

So as we raise our toasts at midnight New Years Eve, and we raise our glasses to one another, lets lift our lives to the One who made us, and receive His guidance and His peace for this new phase of our lives!  Happy New Year!

Joy to the World

Christmas has arrived.  The wait is over.  We’ve put up the tree, sent the cards, and prepared the gifts.  Amazingly, in a few short hours, this Christmas will be history. 

So let’s not miss it.  Let’s savor the moment this weekend. On Christmas Eve every year, during the singing of Silent Night and the lighting of candles, I sense the awe of being one with Christians everywhere.   It’s as though the activity around us stops, and we are all together gazing into the manger and contemplating the greatest of all miracles.

Let’s make a pact to focus on Him – and Him alone – for a few moments this weekend.  The myriad of things we look forward to doing at Christmastime will wait.  I pray you experience His joy and His peace this Christmas!

Waiting for God

What does it take to wait?  If you think about waiting passively, desparately waiting to for something to happen, it can be upsetting and unnerving.  You can tend to feel helpless in that type of situation.  How did Mary feel when the angel came to her and told her about the huge change that was about to take place in her life?

God shows us how to wait.  First, He’s shown us in the Bible that we’re part of a huge plan for the world, and for all mankind.  We were born into this world for a purpose, and our DNA is such that we were made for specific acts upon the earth.  It was no accident we arrived here at this specific time in history.  Second, our lives take twists and turns that we do not expect, which cause us to wait for the next step.  This is the type of thing we rarely do well with, unless we see the hand of God.

During these ‘desert’ seasons of our lives we ask God for specifics – a job; a spouse; a new toy.  When we dwell on those specifics, we tend to lose our patience and our faith in the future – sometimes even in ourselves.

In ‘Waiting for God,” Henri Nouwen speaks about ‘open-ended’ waiting.  It’s the kind of waiting we can do as a worship leader in a worship service – when we feel the presence of God in the middle of a song.  It’s the kind of waiting many of us are used to doing in the middle of a prayer or sermon.  Let’s not let this happen only on Sunday morning -- we can do this in every moment of our life as well.  

Open-ended waiting can happen only when we trust.  Think of yourself as always ‘in the middle’ of a bigger plan, or a bigger situation than you can see.  Trust the One who made you to reveal to you what to do, when you need to know it – on the next chorus of the song – during the next hour of your life – this next month – this upcoming new year.  Trust the One who promises to reveal many plans, hopes and dreams to you, in His own time.  

'Be Perfect'

Yes, I know – Jesus says this in the Beatitudes, but does he really mean what we think He means?  Never making a mistake?  Is your team ‘perfect’ in that way?   I have never known a praise team that never makes mistakes, and it would frankly scare me to find one.   And I, personally, have made tons of mistakes on the platform.  Does that make me ‘imperfect’?

In school, I often got an A+.  On one occasion I got an F- because I just didn’t understand the subject matter.  I was a perfectionist, and it killed me to make a mistake on a school assignment.  This personality trait made me extremely tense and self-concious.  As I grew older I learned to accept the fact that I would make lots of mistakes, and that God could even use those mistakes, for my betterment. 

Jesus knows we’re not going to be perfect here on earth – His plan for us, as chuch musicians as well as people, is for us to really want God’s kingdom here on earth, and to be used by Him to bring it about.  I believe this type of ‘perfection’ is loving God perfectly, and wanting what He wants – perfectly. 

Now back to the team, and to music.  Music is a ‘living, breathing’ thing – it never happens twice the exact same way, unless, of course, you’re playing a CD, or a YouTube.  That’s exactly what makes live music so exciting – that’s exactly why people feel so engaged when a praise band is leading them into the act of worship.  I’ve had team members come to me after church and say, “ we normally don’t take that last repeat, and we did it today.”  I’ve had drummers start the song in the wrong meter.  I’ve had lead guitar players forget their solo riffs. 

Here’s what I think – what happens during a worship service was meant to happen.  That’s a pretty bold statement – since none of us are perfect and ALL of us will make a mistake one day.  If the musical ‘mistake’ is extremely distracting, it’s most likely showing the need to change something next time.  There are, of course, things like lightning storms which can reek havoc on our sound system – and we have no control over those things.  However -- God can even use seemingly horrendous events for the good. 

If we have prepared our hearts and our music for worship, and make a mistake somewhere, it will show us – and our congregation – that we are most certainly not perfect, and that’s fine.  In fact, it’s WONDERFUL to realize God uses very imperfect people --  who seek to bring His kingdom on earth -- to accomplish amazing things for His glory and honor.

Giving It Our Best Shot

As musicians, most of us deal with conflicting and competing emotions and opinions of ourselves.  When things are going well, we tend to feel as though we’re doing great.  Conversely, when things don’t seem to go as we would like, we tend to judge ourselves pretty harshly.

Resting in the giftings God has given us isn’t easy.  Because of our human nature, we tend to either praise our performance - or condemn our performance -  a lot.  Our self-esteem tends to vascillate between ‘I’m doing great’ and ‘That was really awful’ – back and forth, back and forth like a ping-pong ball. I’ve been shocked sometimes after a church service when someone says, ‘that song truly ministered to me,’ and it was the very song I thought fell flat.  There have been other times when I’ve gotten goose bumps over a song that’s really come together after hours of rehearsal, and I hear nothing from individuals in the congregation.  While we can easily become too reactive to feedback or the lack of it, I believe when we are offering our best to God, He will bless our efforts.  We can just rest in that.

As followers of Christ we want to serve Him faithfully.  Sometimes watching others serve, and comparing ourselves to others, can get in the way of giving OUR best.  We can’t serve faithfully by either mimicking, or by condemning,  someone else’s efforts – each of us is unique.  We stay on track when we keep our eyes on the One we serve, and when we remain true to Him, and to ourselves.

Grateful

For those of you who read my blog, I want to express a deep, heartfelt thank you.  We are all on a journey, and we see the hand of God in various ways.  On days like Thanksgiving, when we begin to list the myriad of blessings we’ve experienced, we realize God is, and always has been, ‘driving the bus’ of our lives and leading us.  Nothing can take away the experiences we’ve had with Him, and we’ve grown in ways we can’t measure.

It’s days like Thanksgiving we can take a step outside from ourselves and see a life – our life -  far from perfect, that is being transformed by the deep love of God.  He is forming us for good works – many of which we don’t even know about.  He leads us into relationships, many of which we can celebrate today, and these lives touch us and help us grow as well.

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to slow down and remember who we are, where we are, and the amazingly gracious God we serve.

One Thing

John Mulinda is a Ugandan minister. There is currently a great move of God among the nations of Africa – many people are being saved.  Pastor Mulinda has been asked to share what’s happening in Africa with churches in the United States, since so many churches here have dropped in attendance.

Pastor Mulinda says that churches in America try to do too many things.  Church-going Americans try to do so many things in the name of Jesus that sometimes they miss the one thing they are each supposed to do.  Some of us are better at some things – others are better at other things.   Churches are no different.  He said we each must seek the Heart of God first, and then go after the thing we were made to do.   Not only that – we should also seek Him for the way to do it.  Sounds like a lot of listening to God.

Sometimes in all our busy-ness we, as individuals, avoid listening to the One who made us.  It’s a little scary – allowing God to interrupt our routine.  If you currently do not have a church in which to serve, perhaps this is your opportunity to hear God.  The One Who operates with perfect clarity of mind has made us each so marvelously different – so He can accomplish different parts of His plan through each of us.  

The Trees of the Field (Isaiah 55:12)

We drove to the country the other day.  We arrived at our favorite spot – it’s an A-frame display home, and around the back is a walk-out porch that gives you the feeling of living in a treehouse.  And this particular treehouse is completely engulfed in forest – you can’t see anything but trees all around you – all shapes and varieties, and you can tell they’ve been there a long, long time.

The trees we were surrounded with were old – someone who knows more about trees could probably give me an idea of the age, but suffice it to say they have been here long before we have been.  Their roots run deep into the earth, and their branches provide shelter for the birds.  As the leaves rustle in the breeze, no one can ignore their presence.  As the wind moves the enormous trunks they become a formidable force in nature, and we take notice (anyone who has had a large tree fall into their yard knows this). 

Yet, for my husband and I, there was something very calming about the trees that day in the country.  We had recently gone through some significant change in our lives, and it did us good to be surrounded by trees.  Why is that?  I believe God provides reminders in nature that we are not alone – and there is a stability and endurance in the natural world no one can deny.  He’s placed everyone and everything here for a reason.  He’s placed these giant graceful objects in our path for us to notice.  Trees are not ‘doing’ anything and yet amazingly they are being used by God. 

Have you met people who affect you in this way – it’s not in the ‘doing’ but in their being, that you sense God’s purpose?  Maybe you are that person to someone else.  Remember that as you lead in worship this weekend.

Driving People to Distraction

A worship leader’s worst nightmare is looking out upon a staring, lifeless congregation.  It will happen to all of us somewhere along the line.  When it happens what’s your first inclination?  Chastise them …  reprimand them … BEG them to sing?

Our primary job as worship leaders is to invite others to participate.  When people enter the doors of the church they are, on some level, hoping to encounter God, and to encounter others who are worshipping.  Our intent is that we direct them toward that opportunity – not away from it – removing the distractions.

Every church has its own culture and style of worship.  What about your church?  Are people actively worshipping in their own way?  Below are a few words of advice that can facilitate heartfelt worship in your church.

Before entering the church building this weekend take time to thank God for this opportunity to serve Him as a worship leader.  Allow Him to wash over you – bask in His presence.   Realize God is about to use you to impact others – there is no greater calling.

Take a good look around you when you lead, and allow your attention to move from your needs to the needs of those in the room.  Make eye contact with a few individuals in the pews, at various spots in the room.  Look at others on your team.  Eye contact and body language (and the lack of it) can speak volumes to people in the pew.  If you are genuine, people will be encouraged to enter into worship.  Not every moment in worship is perfect for hand clapping – enter into the words of the song and you’ll know what to do.

Do you know the song you’re singing?  Has it become a part of you?  Musical mistakes are not nearly as distracting as a face buried in sheet music.  Your church might have projected song words on the back wall – even so, burn that CD and sing along with it in the car.  Don’t rely on anyone else on the team to pull it off.  When you’ve prepared yourself and that moment of doubt steps in, close your eyes and trust that the words will come to you.  ‘God does not give us the Spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.’

There have been ‘God moments’ in worship when I have been so moved I couldn’t sing – standing and lifting my heart to God was all I could do.  Honor those moments when they happen – and respect individuals in your congregation who are experiencing those moments as well.

What are We Waiting For

Performance – surrender – lifting my hands – dancing in the Spirit -- standing in the front row – cowering in the back row. We’ve heard these and similar words over and over and over again, if we lead worship at church.  What outward signs and inward feelings are good, bad, right, wrong, or does it matter?

The thing that distinguishes Christianity from a man-made religion is the truth that God EXPERIENCED what it meant to be a man  - joy, fulfillment, deep pain, disappointment, hatred, rejection.  I suspect, even though God is perfect and completely self-sufficient, He walks with us and KNOWS what we are going through – each one of us.

Are emotions a valid part of who we are?  Do we hide our feelings and emotions from those closest to us?  Is it wrong to shout for joy and jump up and down when we are truly joyful?  What about when we’re deeply disappointed – are there those we can trust that will wrap their arms around us?

There are moments in worship we all experience the SAME thing at the same time.  There are other moments when we all experience DIFFERENT things – when God’s truths deal with individual experience.

So what are we waiting for, for heaven’s sake, when it comes to expressing ourselves in worship?  Don’t hold back – for the sake of those around you!  Be real, and it will be contagious.

As One

Who’s on your praise team? Take a moment to name them individually to yourself – try not to forget a single person.   When we are part of a team, we rejoice together, and we suffer together.  We pray together and we care for one another.  We function together as one.   Not one of us, including the leader, is more important than any other member.  The soundman and the lead singer, the drummer and MediaShout person -- all are equally important.  Coming to grips with that fact should help keep us in our place as individuals.  The congregation, whether they realize it or not, depends upon each and every one of us to do our part. 

There should be an opportunity to communicate individual opinions – a good leader will listen to all of them and make a good musical choice.  It’s the bringing together of individuals, with all of our idiosyncrasies, that gives the team its collective personality.  God has brought us together.

Are we, each of us, offering the team our very best, in terms of preparation and developing our skills?  Do we bring our best to rehearsals?  Do we pray for the team, and rejoice in the opportunity before us to serve the church with our music?

As I’ve told members of my teams, music is living and breathing.  If we want the song to have absolutely no variation each time we do it, we might as well put on a CD.  The very fact that God is present, and WE are changed,  means the song WILL change.   So we maintain focus as a team as we move and flow together – as one.  As individuals we bring our own set of experiences and talents – as a team we overflow with passionate love for the One Who made us. 

None of us are perfect – we have our ups and downs on Sunday mornings.  If any of us consistently fails to bring our whole heart, soul, mind and strength to the song, our worship as a team is lacking.  We can’t hide that lack from the congregation, from the Lord, or from ourselves.   The moment we consider it a ‘chore’ to bring our best to worship is the moment we should step down and let someone else do it.  

A Grateful Heart

Ephesians 5:15-20:  “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. ¹⁷ Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. ¹⁸ Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, ¹⁹ singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. ²⁰ And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

My Pastor once said, if you are living in a state of thankfulness, it’s harder to sin.  I’ve found that to be true – it’s when I covet something someone else has, or crave someone else’s approval,  that things begin to look askew.  Those of us in the arts can definitely relate to these weaknesses.  We live for recognition, and when we don’t hear it we think either we are doing something wrong, or that those around us just don’t ‘get it.’

The above passage tells us ‘don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.’  The music we offer in worship pours forth from a heart focused on thanking God, resulting in a heartfelt sharing of God’s goodness with others.

I really like the part that says ‘Don’t be drunk with wine … instead be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.’  I live for those moments in worship when I feel everything that’s weighing me down (worries, concerns) just lifts off.  I can never explain exactly how or when it will happen, and I love that sense of the ‘unexpected’ and unpredictability about God.   We get caught up in the moment and we know that nothing is impossible with God.  That’s what He wants us to do.   When we abandon everything else He meets us there in our praises – and when we release our burdens and jump into His lap, we are truly made free.

I pray you experience that holy freedom in worship this weekend!

Taking Wing

10/8/10

Ahhh, October and November – if you live in St. Louis, they are the two choice months of the year.  The nip in the air calls to you to get away from your work and come out and play!  What a treat to put a log on the fire again, and do some baking in the kitchen.

Missouri is well-known for its many wineries, and after church Sunday my husband and I set our sights for a long drive into wine country.  The one we chose was high on top of a bluff with a great view.  After eating and basking in the glow, we took a little walk and happened upon a pond with mallards and swans.  We noticed they were having a rather heated territorial conversation.  For a moment I felt sorry for them.  I thought, poor things – they are all stuck here together in this pond, whether they like it or not.

Then I remembered – birds are some of the freest creatures on earth.  They are not stuck anywhere.  They fly in and they fly out – they come and go according to the climate changes.  Once I even saw some geese fly down into a swimming pool belonging to my piano students.  To the kids’ delight, the geese touched down and then, as quickly as they arrived, they were gone.  What a sense of awe and wonder – the freedom birds have.

Is it really any different for us?  There’s a spot in Isaiah 11 which speaks of a time when God pours forth the blessing of peace throughout the world – the wolf and lamb lie down together.  Isaiah says that in that day we all live in freedom and in peace with another. Psalm 31:8 says, “And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place.” Our little ‘pond’ will surely seem a much larger place when we stop arguing with one another, when the peace of God reigns everywhere, and when we see the endless capacity God places within us.

Freedom from condemnation – even the condemnation of God – that’s what God’s Son has brought to us.  Why should any of us feel trapped?  Why should our heart feel crowded or pressured with limitations we place upon ourselves, and upon others?   Even if someone you know, perhaps in your congregation, has physical llimitations – if they have God’s gift of eternal life inside, those limitations are only temporary, and cannot confine or define them as a child of God. 

We, as worship leaders, can offer our best worship when we bask in the depth of His presence, and lift our songs from the depth of our heart and soul.

Let’s bask in Him, and soar to new heights!

Jumping Off the Diving Board

10/1/10:

I attended the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) National meeting in Branson, MO.  Friday morning, well-read author Larry Crabb said something I’ll probably never forget:  “Christianity in the United States is 3,000 miles wide and about an inch thick.” 

Wow – what a way to put it.  Is it true?  Do most Christians in the United States not take the opportunity to go deep into God?  Counselors at the conference know the value of ‘going deep’ into the lives of their clients, helping them turn over the rocks and see what’s beneath the surface.  Pastors knows a person can’t really be ‘a new creation in Christ’ if it only seems to happen on Sunday mornings in the pew. 

Are many Christians resistive to ‘going deep?’  Are we afraid to find what lies below the surface in their hearts?  Later in the conference, John Townsend said, ‘nature abhors the vacuum.’  What if we go deep and find something we hate?  Heaven forbid, something anti-Christian?  Maybe it’s better to leave the rocks alone and continue to sing our happy songs.

Happy songs – after all, we’re supposed to ‘be joyful in the Lord.’  What about the Lamentations we read in the Old Testament?  What about Isaiah?

What about the cross?  ‘For the joy before Him, [Jesus] endured the cross’ (Hebrews 12:2).  But did He ever cry?  The shortest verse in the Bible tells us He did (John 11:35).

This is the way most non-believers look at believers – painfully shallow.  And when they accidentally tune in their radios to the Christian station they hear us singing our happy songs to God. 

Joy is deep, and joy is very real in the life of a Christian – we hold the hope of the world in our hearts – the One who has transformed our own hearts and lives.  The God who has gone with us through our tragedies and our triumphs inspires us to sing and write songs --  songs that reflect our deep joy, and our sorrows.

So let’s remove the façade by going deep into God. Let’s lift our hearts to Him in true worship and in the process, let Him change us.  

Worship

‘I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Psalm 122:1)

I can honestly say I feel goose bumps when I walk into church most Sundays.  As a worship leader / director I’m one of the first to arrive.  My adrenaline is pumping  – as I go through the motions of setting music stands, mic checks and other last-minute tasks, I feel a strong surge of anticipation.  I think through the words of the first song – and my heart asks:  What will God do in the hearts of those present today?  What heights of praise will we reach?  Where will God take us?  How will I, and the team, be changed?

In those moments, I utter a private ‘thank you’ to God.  I will never take this position for granted.  Worship is what I was made for, and God has given me a place and time to serve Him.  A week’s worth of coordinating musicians, rehearsing charts and preparing folders – and this hour is the culmination. 

‘You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.’ 

 Have you experienced the Lord in this way?  What is it like for you?  We’re maybe a rare breed – those of us who take on this awesome responsibility to lead worship.  Many people will enter those doors after us.  Some have had to deal with bosses who have little tolerance of even one weekend hour off work.  Some are in desperate need of one hour of peace and quiet after a busy week feeding and caring for their kids.  When the first notes of the first song are played, I gaze across the room, praying I find that one person in worship I’ve never seen before.  Before I know it, the service is over, and I’m energized and exhausted all at the same time.

Worship leading is my passion – and I’d love to hear from others who feel the same way.