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What Christians Can Learn From The Life of Prince

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As a teenager, I had a love hate relationship with Prince’s art. I never saw Purple Rain, but I knew every lyric on the soundtrack. However, I was once so convicted when I caught myself singing some of his unsavory lyrics by my high school locker that I pulled all of the tape from the cassette (yes, I’m old) and burned it in our fireplace.

But now, hearing of his death, decades away from that moment, I find myself once again perplexed by this man, but for a different reason.

In his song Raspberry Beret, Prince states his boss, Mr. McGee, didn’t like his kind because he was a bit too leisurely. That’s an interesting line in the song, but apparently, the opposite was true of Prince. He worked hard, writing songs and recording music at all hours of the day and night. He was known for waking up sound engineers in the middle of the night, requesting they come right away to record a song he had just perfected.

I read yesterday that Prince has a vault with so much unreleased recorded music that if his estate were to release one album per year of completely original music that the world could have new Prince albums for the next 100 years. If an average album has twelve songs, that means he could have around 1200 unreleased songs.

Prince apparently was never really known for doing something close to nothing.

In the book of Colossians, Paul encourages Christians to work hard as well. He writes, Work willlingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

At the end of our lives, we may not have a century’s worth of unreleased recorded music, but if we serve God faithfully and do the work he’s called us to do, we’ll have something even better, the pleasure of our Lord and Master.

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My Favorite Illustration Giving Talk

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One purpose of the offering introduction, or giving talk, in a Christian worship service is for ongoing stewardship education. Those words may sound dry, but the giving talk doesn’t have to be. In fact, the more interesting a giving talk is, the more likely the listener is to hear the point and apply it to his own life. In this type of giving talk, illustrations are important because they draw the people in.

Here is my favorite illustration giving talk I’ve seen to date:

Illustration Giving Talk – Wind Farms

We’re about to receive our offering. Many of you have already given online and we appreciate that. While the rest of us prepare to give and our ushers prepare to receive, I like to show you a picture.

(Show picture of wind farm)

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Wind farms like these now produce almost 3% of the world’s energy. Many of you have probably seen farms like these in your travels.

Have you ever wondered how windmills are able to capture the wind’s energy? Here’s a brief explanation: A wind turbine blade works like an airplane wing. Blowing air passes around both sides of the uniquely shaped blade. The uneven pressure around the blade then causes it to spin. The blades are attached to a shaft, which turns about 18 revolutions per minute. This doesn’t seem like much, however the shaft is connected to a series of gears, which increases the movement to about 1800 revolutions per minute. At that speed, a generator can produce a lot of electricity as long as the wind is consistent.

You may be thinking, “This is all very interesting, but what does that have to do with my offering?” Sometimes, people think that the amount they give can’t make much of a difference. Like the large shaft that only turns 18 times a minute, it seems like their gift is insignificant. However, God blesses the offerings given by people and allows the church to connect them with the gifts of others, multiplying it a thousand times over in various ways that then produce amazing results.

However, as with the wind and the windmill, the secret to this occurring is faithful and consistent giving.

Let’s pray.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing examples of giving talks which serve other purposes. I hope you will join me. In the meantime, if you have a favorite giving talk, feel free to comment or contact me personally.

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Tribute to W.O. Traywick

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One of my favorite people on the planet, W.O. Traywick, passed away on March 14th.

When I first met Mr. Traywick, he scared me to death. I was short for my age while he was a man of great stature with a strong deep voice. Even though he wore large, thick glasses, he had the ability to stare into your very soul. He was a staunch Democrat who taught Civics to me, a young Republican, during the Reagan Administration. 

Mr. Traywick also had a reputation of being good with a paddle. When he took a student into the hall for a discipline session, the entire school heard and counted the licks. One year, the school paper even dedicated the Dazz Band song Let It Whip exclusively to him.

By the end of my high school career, I had taken Public Speaking, Drama, Civics, and U.S. History from Mr. Traywick. I also had the honor of acting in nine plays he directed, including the classics Our Town and The Crucible. Later, when I had the opportunity to act in my first play at Ouachita Baptist University, his alma mater, he brought a group of students to watch. That meant so much to me.

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Mr. Traywick also served in the youth ministry at First Baptist Church, where I was a member. He once taught us about John the Baptist by serving us actual locusts dipped in honey as our refreshments. He taught my Sunday School class for a couple of years and once helped me clean the floor after I had vomited in front of my friends. That summer, on the night I made Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Mr. Traywick prayed with me. I’ll never forget that.

Years later, long after Mr. Traywick’s retirement, I visited him in the hospital, hoping to bring him some form of comfort. Instead, I was the one who was encouraged. From his hospital bed, in a voice that wasn’t nearly as deep as I remembered, he told me he was proud of the man I had become.

William Arthur Ward once said, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

Winifred Otis Traywick was a great teacher. He inspired me and for that I will always be grateful.

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3 Steps For Improving Spoken Transitions

 

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It was the early 90’s. I had big hair, a mustache, and huge shoulder pads in my sports jacket. In our musical worship set, I was verbally transitioning to the old praise song Behold the Lamb. I had planned to share about how John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

However, in the moment, the transition was going well, so I took it further than I had planned. Big mistake.

Here’s what I said:

“Jesus is the Lamb of God. He’s the only person who has ever lived who has lived a totally sinful life.”

And then, without realizing my mistake, I said it once again.

Spoken transitions, no matter where they fall, are extremely important for the flow of a worship service. If one goes badly, the worship leader or preaching pastor may never fully re-engage the people.

Here are 3 steps I believe can help us all improve our spoken transitions:

Think. Take time to think about what you are really trying to accomplish. Think about the words you are going to say. Think about the people who will be hearing your words. Think about what is coming after the transition.

Script. Take time to write out what you are going to say. Then, tighten it up by shortening it as much as possible. Remove unnecessary or repeated words and phrases.

Practice. Take time to rehearse what you’ve scripted out. Start by reading your what you’ve written aloud. Chances are, you’ll make a small adjustment or two. Then, stand in front of a mirror and practice until what you are saying feels more natural to you.

These 3 steps all have two words in common.

Take Time.

If something is worth being said, it’s worth taking the necessary time to make it as good as possible. Hopefully, by doing so, you can avoid telling your congregation that Jesus lived a sinful life.

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(Photos courtesy of Unsplash.com)

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Why I Continue This Blog

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In the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, 9 nine year old Oscar says that people often treat other people like numbers, but that people aren’t like numbers at all. Instead, they are like letters because letters can tell stories.  I quite agree.

I love stories.

I’ve been in church ministry for almost 30 years, serving in churches ranging in size from 5 to 5,000. During that time, I’ve made my share of mistakes, I’ve worked with some great teams, I’ve met my share of jerks, and I’ve experienced some tremendous victories while enduring some gut wrenching losses.

Through it all, I’ve discovered that the stories are what I remember most. Stories are what help me strive to do better in what I do.

And everyone is either the subject of a story, has their own story to tell, or both.

In my blog, I’ve told lots of stories, hopefully helping others in church ministry, particularly worship ministry, in practical ways. Hopefully, these stories will better enable us all to better serve our Lord Jesus, the greatest storyteller of them all.

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One of the Most Important Weekly Investments For Pastors, Worship Leaders, Speakers, and Prayer Counselors

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Churches spend thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars on quality sound systems and hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars on worship facilities. Worship leaders and speakers also often invest thousands of dollars in training, instruments, and resources, not to mention countless hours in sermon preparation, worship rehearsals, worship planning, and prayer. All of this time and money is dedicated to honoring the Lord, reaching the lost, and empowering the church.

However, one small weekly personal investment can help pastors and worship leaders when it comes time to make real connections with people.

Gum.

No matter how great our upfront preparation is and will be, if we speak personally with people and they are offended by our breath, we will lose vital opportunities to share the gospel, encourage the timid, or recruit vital leaders and volunteers.

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Prayer Service Outline Built Around the Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

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Last night, our church had a special time of prayer and worship in conjunction with our January Prayer and Fasting Emphasis. It was a powerful time of worship, reflection, confession, and intercession. As is usual with these types of services, we tend to go off script from time to time, so we use these outlines as a guide and ask the Lord to guide us and lead us accordingly.

I hope this outline blesses you and your churches. If you have similar (or different) outlines, please share them with me so our church can benefit from your experience.

Prayer Service Outline

Opening 

  • 2-3 Song Worship Set
  • Welcome and Offering Prayer
  • Offering as service continues

AFFIRMING GOD’S GREATNESS Section

  • Read Matthew 6:9 – “Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
  • Comment personally upon the scripture.
  • Direct the people to spend a moment in personal prayer, instructing them to acknowledge the Greatness of the Lord.
  • Pray for the people before the worship music continues.

Song about the Holiness/Greatness of God

  • Suggested song: Glorious by Bryan and Katie Torwalt

SUBMITTING TO GOD’S WILL Section

  • Read Matthew 6:10 – “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Ask the people to pray for God’s will to be done. Ask them to think about how often they really pray for God’s will to be done.
  • Direct the people to get into small groups where they pray for God’s will to be done in the lives of others in the group.
  • Pray for God’s will to be done in our church, in your campus, and in the lives of those present.

Song About God’s Will or His Wisdom

  • Suggested song: God I Look to You – Bethel Music

REQUESTING GOD’S PROVISION Section

  • Read Matthew 6:11 – “Give us this day our daily bread…”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Instruct the people to think of one area of their lives where they need God’s provision. Direct them to pray and ask God for His provision in this area.
  • Ask another pastor, elder, deacon, or life group leader to pray for the needs of the people.

Song About God’s Provision, Blessings, or Care

  • Suggested song: Good Good Father – Housefires

ASKING FOR GOD’S FORGIVENESS Section

    • Read Matthew 6:12 – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Direct the people to pull out a blank sheet of paper (which we’ll need to provide). Have them draw a line down the middle of the paper creating two sections. At the top of the first section, have them write “My Sins.” At the top of the second section, have them write “Sins against me.” Give them 60-90 seconds to create a short list of their own sins in the first section. Then, give them 60 – 90 seconds to create a list of those who have sinned against them.
  • Lead Then, lead the people in a prayer where they ask forgiveness for their own sins and grant forgiveness to those who have sinned against them.

Song About the Forgiveness of God

  • Suggested song: How Can It Be- Lauren Daigle 

PRAISING GOD FOR HIS GUIDANCE Section

    • Read Matthew 6:13 – “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”
  • Comment upon the scripture as you feel led.
  • Recite the model prayer with your people and comment on what it means.
  • Upbeat Closing Prayer by Campus Pastor praising God for who He is, all He has done, and all He will do.
  • Upbeat Closing Praise Suggested Song –

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What’s Your Worship Vibe?

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At a conference this past week in another city, a guy asked a group of us, “So, what’s your worship vibe?”

“Excuse me?” I asked. “What’s our vibe?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Who are you trying to be like?”

“We’re trying to be like Jesus,” said one of my co-workers.

“Yeah, I know that,” he said, “But what other churches are you trying to be like? Are you trying to be like Hillsong or Gateway or Church on the Move? Are you trying to be like Charismatic Baptists or Evangelicals with a Spirit-Filled vibe…”

“A Spirit-Filled vibe?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be real, it just has to seem like it.”

“Do you serve at a church?” I asked.

“Me, ah, no, I run a Christian magazine and I’m leading a break-out tomorrow.”

“Really?” I asked. “What’s the name of that breakout?”

He told us the name and I made a mental note not to attend.

Just for the record, serving in worship and church ministry is not about a vibe. It’s not about trying to be like Hillsong or Gateway or Fellowship or First Baptist or LifeChurch or Mosaic or First Assembly Anywhere.

Not that there’s anything wrong with them.

Those churches have to be who God called them to be. And every other church has to be who God called them to be.

And that’s ok.

You see, worship is not about suits and ties and formal wear. It’s not about skinny jeans and feminine shoes. It’s not about hymnals or projectors or candles or stained glass or hard pews or theater seating.

It’s about Jesus.

He is the One we should be trying to emulate.

And living that out is so much more than a vibe.

 

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Night of Worship and Prayer Outline based on Paul’s Prayers for the Ephesians

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Opening 

  • 3 Song Worship Set (Freedom, Open Up The Heavens, Holy Spirit)
  • Prayer Welcoming The Presence of the Holy Spirit, Asking God To Work In The Hearts and Lives of Those Present
  • Welcome and Offering Prayer
  • Offering as service continues

BLESSING Section

  • (Read Ephesians 1:15-18 to the congregation as if you are praying it over them. – “Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
  • Make any comments you desire regarding the scripture.
  • Direct the people to spend a moment in personal prayer, instructing them to share their personal needs with the Lord. Then direct them to tell the Lord what they are hoping to hear from Him during this prayer service.
  • Pray for the people, asking God to bless them before the worship music continues.

Song – God, I Look To You

GREATNESS OF GOD’S POWER Section

  • Read Ephesians 1:19-23 – “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”
  • Make any comments you desire regarding the scripture
  • Pray for the people, that they would experience the greatness of God’s power 

Song About The Greatness of God’s Power – Overcome

EMPOWERMENT AND GROWTH Section

  • Read Ephesians 3:14-17 – When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
  • Make any comments you wish to add to the scripture
  • Call People to the Front as Pastors/Staff/Key Leaders Pray For Their Empowerment and Growth

Song About Growing In Christ – Here’s My Heart

UNDERSTANDING AND EXPERIENCING THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S LOVE Section

    • Read Ephesians 3:18-19 – And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
  • Make any comments you wish to add to the scripture
  • Lead the People to Pray For Each Other to understand and experience the fullness of God’s love before the worship music continues.

Song About The Love of God – Your Love So High

CONCLUSION

    • Read Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
  • Upbeat Closing Prayer by Campus Pastor
  • Upbeat Closing Song – I Give You Glory!

 

 

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What Happens When Church Ushers Don’t Know Their Team Members

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I once visited a large church in another city on a Saturday evening. When I entered the foyer, a man frantically ran up to me and said, “Thank God, you’re here! Follow me.” I smiled and followed him into a side room, leaving my wife to find her own seat.

“Ok,” he said. “I need you to cover Section F at the end of the service.”

“Section F?” I asked. “Where is that?”

He quickly handed me a map and replied, “You must have missed our training meeting.”

“Uh, well, yeah, I wasn’t there,” I replied. “It’s probably because I…”

“It doesn’t matter now,” he interrupted, “At the end of the service, when the music begins to play behind the pastor, come back here for the elements.”

“The elements?” I asked. “Are we going to serve communion?”

The man rolled his eyes.

“Yes,” he replied. “This is the Communion Room.”

“Oh, sorry,” I replied. “I didn’t know.”

“Well,” he replied, rather annoyed, “That’s what happens when you miss training meetings.”

“I’m sorry,” I replied, “It’s just that I…”

“Just come back here when the music starts and we’ll give you what you need, ok?”

“Will do,” I said as I left for the service, map in hand.

As the service began, I confirmed where Section F was from a man standing near the sound booth.

Finally, I found my wife sitting close to the back of the worship center.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

“With this guy who serves here,” I replied. “He asked me to help serve Communion.”

“Do you know him?” she asked.

“No,” I replied. “I don’t know anyone here.”

“Did you tell him you were just visiting?”

“I tried, but he wouldn’t listen.”

At the end of the sermon, the music played and I returned to the communion room as instructed. While there, I was given a bucket filled with disposable communion packets including both the juice and the bread.

I quickly made my way to Section F where I stood and imitated the actions of the man in Section E in front of me. Within three minutes, I had served everyone in my section and returned my bucket and remaining elements to the Communion Room.

“Thanks,” said the man in charge when I returned the bucket. “By the way, how long have you been a part of this church?”

“I’m not a part,” I replied. “I’m just visiting. This is actually my first time.”

“Really?” he asked. “And we asked you to serve Communion?”

“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “I just figured your church was really into the concept of Open Communion. Have a great day.”

“You too,” he said. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t tell anyone about this, ok? It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“I won’t.”

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