Tag: worship

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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My Gift To You: Christmas Eve Sermon Outline

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Have a Merry Christmas everyone. Here’s my gift to the world this Christmas. Here are the general notes from last night’s Christmas Eve Sermon. May God bless us, everyone.

The band (or individual instrument) plays Silent Night instrumentally as the campus pastor steps up to speak

Pastor Josef Mohr had a problem. It was December 23rd and the church organist, Franz Gruber, had told him earlier in the day that the church organ had broken pipes, making the instrument inoperable until extensive repairs could be made. In Obendorf, Austria in 1818, it was unheard of to have a Christmas Eve service without organ music.

Not knowing what to do, Pastor Mohr took a walk through the snow, enjoying the majestic silence of the evening. As he walked, he remembered a poem he had written two years earlier about the night when Jesus was born. The next day Mohr took the poem to Franz Gruber, who set the poem to music.

That evening, the small Oberndorf congregation heard Gruber and Mohr sing a duet of their brand new Christmas carol, Silent Night. If they had known how famous the song would become, they would have been grateful for those broken pipes. God took what was broken and made something beautiful.

Let’s sing the first verse of that song:

Silent night, Holy night, All Is Calm, All Is Bright,

Round Yon Virgin, Mother and Child

Holy Infant, So Tender and Mild

Sleep in Heavenly Peace,

Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

(instrumental music continues)

Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Many of us have sung this part of this Christmas carol for years. It is nice to think about the Baby Jesus sleeping peacefully. However, before His birth, it actually wasn’t so peaceful for Mary and Joseph. We don’t know everything that happened on the night that Jesus was born, but we do know what the Bible tells us in Luke chapter two:

(Campus Pastor reads Luke 2:1-14)

“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Let’s sing together again.–

Silent night, Holy night, Son of God, Love’s Pure Light

Radiant Beams From Thy Holy Face,

With the Dawn of Redeeming Grace,

Jesus, Lord at Thy Birth,

Jesus, Lord at Thy Birth.

(music continues)

Jesus was Lord at His birth. We know this because of the words in John chapter one. Speaking of Jesus, John wrote:  “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2)

Jesus, being God, lowered Himself to become one of us. The angel who appeared to Mary even said He would be called Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”

Why would Jesus lower Himself to be born as a human? It’s a question that’s been asked for thousands of years.

With the exception of Jesus, everyone who has ever lived has sinned in some way. The Bible says that “We all fall short of short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23)

What does this all mean? Is there any hope for us at all?

The first part of Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death…” When someone works at a job, after a predetermined point of time, they receive their wages, or payment, for what they’ve done. Therefore, we know that the wages we receive for our sin is death, or eternal separation from God.

Doesn’t look good for us, does it?

However, in the second part of Romans 6:23, we see that “the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As we sang earlier, Jesus was Lord at His birth. But He didn’t stay a baby. He grew up; lived a totally sinless life; and gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice for us. In other words, He took our punishment for us.

We learn from 1 John 1:9 that “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Because of our sin, we’re all broken, but Jesus is the Restorer of everything that is broken. _____ years ago, I realized my own brokenness. I realized my own need for Jesus.

(Share in 3 minutes how you came to Christ)

Tonight, you may realize your own brokenness, but you have the opportunity to make things right with God this evening. God can take your broken life and create something beautiful.

(Lead the people through a salvation prayer and having them indicate their decision on their communication cards)

If you prayed that prayer with me and you meant it, this Jesus, who was Lord at His birth and who died on the cross for you, is now your Lord and Savior. He is able to turn your broken life around. He’s the whole reason we’re here tonight. Christmas is all about celebrating His birthday. Let’s remember this as we sing the third verse of Silent Night.

Silent night, Holy night, Shepherds Quake at the Sight,

Glories Stream From Heaven Above,

Heavenly Hosts Sing Hallelujah!

Christ the Savior is Born!

Christ the Savior is Born!

(At this point, your worship team can either go back into verse 1 or transition to the chorus of the song “He Loves Us”  by Kim Walker)

Prayer

Merry Christmas

 

 

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Seven Great Christmas Videos For Worship (including my personal favorite)

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There are a plethora of Christmas videos for worship out there, but I’ve found these seven helpful over the last couple of years. Enjoy.

Christmas In A Nutshell – http://www.danstevers.com/store/christmas_in_a_nutshell/

Dan Stevers never ceases to impress me with his ingenuity and simple messages. This video is great for a message opener, transition video, or plug for people to invite others.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus – http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/35133/come-thou-long-expected-jesus  Creative painting changing often to keep everyone’s attention shows how all of history culminates in Jesus. Set to an interesting version of the Christmas Carol by the same title by Marcy Priest.

A New Promise – http://www.sermonspice.com/product/65069/a-new-promise – Surprisingly moving, the video from Lifeway Media uses highlights of scripture to point to the promise of Jesus’ birth.

Insta-Christmas – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGx98I_utNI – Great video from Discovery Church. A couple of years old now, but creative in how it tells the story of Jesus’ birth using ancient and modern pictures in an Instagram style. Download it for free at http://smarturl.it/instachristmasHD

The Real Night Before Christmas – https://www.ignitermedia.com/products/3740-the-real-night-before-christmas – With a classic story telling voice partnering with video of children, this Igniter Media video builds anticipation for the birth of the King of Kings.

Seek – http://www.danstevers.com/store/seek/ – Another great one from Dan Stevers. Seek reminds us through shepherds and wisemen that the Lord draws near those who draw near to Him.

And my personal favorite

The Christmas Story – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWq60oyrHVQ – The story of Christmas as told by the children of St Paul’s Church, Auckland, New Zealand. There have been many remakes of this video in the last year, but this one is my favorite, with cute costumes and original ideas.

Feel free to comment with links to your favorites. Merry Christmas.

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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.

 

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com)

 

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The Absolute Best Worship Style

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Almost everyone has an opinion about worship style. Interestingly enough, most people do not refer to (or even care about) biblical worship, but comment more about music style, sermon methodology, tradition (or the absence thereof), and permissible clergy (and laity) clothing.

When Isaiah saw the Lord in Isaiah 6, he experienced the greatness of God, realized the extent of his own sinfulness, and witnessed his sin being atoned for. However, the end result of his worship experience was Isaiah saying, “Here am I, send me.” God wants our ultimate worship. He formed us after Himself so we could experience His presence and accomplish His purposes. When we realize who He is and all He has done for us, our only reasonable response to Him is worship.

The Apostle Paul, in Romans 12:1, shared these words: Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God; this is your spiritual worship.

Fully surrendered worship of all that we are for all that He is.

That is the absolute best worship style.

Related Posts: 

I Am Greater Than You 

Leading People Into God’s Presence Is Not Enough

Night of Worship Outline based on Isaiah 6:1-9

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Why Pastors Should Keep Track of Weekend Worship Attendances

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I recently had the opportunity to dialogue with a few pastors about the importance of tracking weekend worship service attendance numbers.

In our conversation, it seemed everyone agreed that weekend attendance:

  • Is the most obvious measure of success.
  • Is fairly easy to track.
  • Is easily understood by most church leaders.

However, as we were moving on to the topic of excellence, one pastor, who may have been playing Devil’s advocate (not literally), asked the following question:

How can we justify counting people in our worship services when King David got into so much trouble with the Lord when he conducted a census?  

He was referring to a story in 2 Samuel 24.  The scripture indicates that the Lord was angry with Israel and caused the king to want to count the people of Israel and Judah.  The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21 actually reports that it was Satan who caused David to take a census.  However it took place, it’s possible that David’s sin was not the counting, but pride associated with the numbers.  Joab even tries to stop David from ordering the census by saying:

May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now!  But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?  2 Samuel 24:3 NLT

After reading both accounts, it seems that King David might have been:

  • Putting his trust in the numbers of his people rather than in the Lord.
  • Taking his eyes off of the Lord when earthly success seemed evident to all.
  • Stealing the glory of what the Lord had done for himself.

Whatever the reason, before the Lord’s punishment of David for the census was completed, a 3 day plague swept through Israel killing 70,000 people.  (One could easily wonder how they knew the number of people who perished without enduring more punishment for counting).  I’ve made lots of mistakes about lots of things in church work, but never anything that’s caused even one death (that I know of), much less 70,000.

So is it wrong to keep track of your worship service attendances?

Interestingly enough, until that pastor asked that question, I had never compared knowing the attendance in a worship service with King David taking a census of Israel.  It could be because many of the churches I attended while growing up posted the weekend attendance in the worship center for everyone to see.  Another reason may be because the Bible is filled with examples of people counting.

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Here are a few examples:

  • The total number of Jacob’s descendants moving to Egypt was 70 (Exodus 1:5).
  • The Levites killed about 3,000 of the Israelite brothers after the incident with the golden calf (Exodus 32:28).
  • On the day the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, about 40,000 were equipped for war and crossed to the plains of Jericho (Joshua 4:13).
  • The 4th book of the Bible is titled Numbers.
  • The Lord limited Gideon’s Army to 300 when he attacked the Midianite camp  (Judges 7:1-8).
  • Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen (1 Kings 10:26).
  • Jesus broke bread and fed 5,000 men plus women and children (Mark 6:44) and then later fed about 4,000 men plus women and children (Mark 8:8).
  • On the day of Pentecost, 3000 were added to the number of believers in one day (Acts 2:41).

How did Jacob know he had 70 family members with him when he moved to Egypt?  You can bet with a family that large they stopped to count everyone before journeying forward each day.

How did Gideon know the Lord had left him with only 300 men to help in attacking the Midianite camp?  Someone must have counted.

How did Jesus and the disciples know that there were 5,000 men present when Jesus broke the bread and fish?  One of the disciples must have counted.  They would want to know because that’s a whole lot of people to serve even if the food is being miraculously multiplied.

Still not convinced?

I asked my social media friends why it would be important to count worship service attendees each week.  Here are a few answers I received.

– Counting your weekly attendance helps you celebrate what the Lord has done and also helps keep you accountable for pastoring the people with whom God has blessed you.

– You count your offering, right?  Why wouldn’t you be as faithful with the people resources God has entrusted you with?

– Tracking and then studying the numbers can help you spot trends and know your congregation…  It can also help you see decline before it is full-blown.  Numbers in organizations are like numbers on a growth chart for a child in development.  They’re indicators of what’s working and what isn’t.

– It can be used for message traction.  One church I was in before learned that too much effort went into teaching series openers.  There was a large (15%) spike in attendance for the first message compared to the others.  It helped us re-tool how the series were put together.

– I’m responsible for the team setting up for communion each month and let me tell you, counting is important.  Our church attendance kept rising, but no one ever told me so I didn’t buy enough supplies.  Do you know how embarrassing it is to have to tell congregation members they can’t participate in the Lord’s Supper because you’ve run out of juice?

– Being able to look at trends and seeing low attendance periods helps church leadership know when they need to step up marketing, promotions, etc…  It also helps to know that sometimes a slump is just prime vacation time.

While being surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses to the benefits of tracking attendance, I must say that keeping track of worship service attendance numbers is not only beneficial, but is an absolute must for any pastor desiring to serve and lead in a thriving, healthy ministry.

All this being said, here are some practical steps to remember when keeping track of attendance:

1.  Tell the truth.  If all of your attendance numbers begin with the phrase Evangelistically speaking we had… something needs to change.  Lying about your attendance is like cheating on your eye exam.  You’re only hurting yourself.

2.  Count in the second half of the service.  It’s my experience that the number of people you have in the building at the beginning of your service is no indication of how will be there by the end of the service.  (This is a different problem for a different article).  For accuracy, have someone count in the second half of the sermon.  People are normally seated during this time and they’re easier to count anyway.

3.  Create an easily accessible graph for your own reference.  Doing so will allow you to compare attendances quickly and efficiently.

4.  Compare attendances from season to season, year to year, and finally Sunday to Sunday.  Consider the why’s regarding your trends.

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Willie Nelson once said When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.  It’s uncertain if keeping track of your ongoing weekend church attendance will turn your whole life around.  However, it is certain that those you are counting are God’s blessings for you to evangelize, disciple, and lead.  Keeping accurate, ongoing attendance records will help you achieve these goals.


Happy counting!  

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Stop the Worship! Let’s Pray…

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How to More Effectively Connect Musical Worship and Prayer

It may sound like a silly question, but have you ever found it distracting when someone stands up to pray in the middle of a worship song set?  I have.

Think about it.  Your morning’s already been a hassle, you’re walking into the church building much later than you intended, you get your kids situated for children’s ministry, and you finally find a seat in the worship center in the during the first song (at least you think it’s the first song).  It takes you a song or two to stop thinking about the pressures of your life, and then, just when you get into a spirit of worship, some staff member comes out, stops everything, and says “Let’s pray.”

Someone’s probably asking right now, “What’s the problem?  Isn’t prayer a part of worship?”

Absolutely.

Too often the worship music and prayer are totally disconnected from one another.  As church leaders, pastors, worship leaders, and pray-ers, we must take time to connect the musical worship and the prayer taking place within the worship set without destroying to the flow of worship.

To take it further, both singing and prayer are worship.  Both can lead us to the throne of God.  Both allow us to exalt and petition the Lord.  Both are important.  That being said, how much better would the entire time of corporate worship be if they didn’t function independently of one another.

That’s why worship leaders, pastors, and prayers need to take appropriate time making the spoken prayer during a worship set fit into the flow of the musical worship.  If this doesn’t happen, there is a disconnect between the two.

It’s like we’re screaming out, “Stop the Worship!  Let’s pray.”  

Breakthrough!

I don’t want that to happen in the worship services where I’m leading, producing, or participating.

Do you?

So what are some ways we can more effectively transition from worship music into prayer?

  1.  Micro-Testimony – Before the prayer leader prays, making a 30 second connection between the theme of the song or the service and the prayer can be most helpful.  This allows the prayer person to seamlessly personalize the worship, connect or reconnect disengaged people to what is happening while adding purpose to the prayer.

Here’s an example sent to me by a friend of mine:

“I had a tough week emotionally.  However, God reminded me through my Bible reading this morning that “His grace is sufficient for me.”  You see, not only does God’s Word sustain us, but it proves that He knows exactly where we are and what we are feeling.  Let’s pray.”

  1.  Scripture – Before the actual prayer, quoting or reading scripture that relates to both the musical worship and the prayer brings both connection and spiritual validity to both song and prayer.  We are blessed to have the Word of God.  We should use it, not only in our preaching, but in our prayer leading as well.

In Isaiah 55:11 (NLT), we read the following words of God:

It is the same with My Word.  I send it out, and it always produces fruit.  It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

If sharing God’s Word always produces fruit and will accomplish all God wants it to in a given moment, it only makes sense to use it wisely in times of corporate worship.

A great scripture to use before praying in worship is Psalm 97:1-6 (seen below in the NLT), especially if you’re focusing on the greatness or holiness of the Lord.

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.  Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.  Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side.  His lightning lights up the world;  the earth sees and trembles.  The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.  The heavens proclaim His righteousness and all peoples will see His glory!

  1.  Praying within a song.  To some worshipers, it may sometimes seem as if prayer breaks up the flow of worship because it always takes place between two songs.  If this is where the prayer always takes place within the worship set, the prayer person and worship leader should work together to find the perfect place within a worship song where the prayer can happen with the instrumental music playing in the background.  Then, following the prayer, the worship leader can move right back into the worship song seamlessly.  Even though this takes more coordination, it can certainly be worth the effort.
  2.  Music intensity.  The musical worship leader and prayer person should coordinate with each other to ensure that the music flows with the prayer.  If the prayer person builds in volume and intensity, the music should build in volume and intensity to create a dynamic, electric atmosphere.  If the prayer becomes more reflective and intimate, the music should diminish in volume and intensity to create a more intimate setting.  The more this becomes the practice with the prayer person, the worship leader and the worship team, the more the worship team will be able to follow the prayer person naturally if the Holy Spirit leads them in different ways during the prayer.

So what’s the secret?

  1.  Preparation.

The person praying must prepare ahead of time.  Preparing to pray something meaningful for 30-90 seconds usually takes longer than most people are willing to spend.  An unprepared prayer spoken on the fly can ruin hours of preparation from the worship and technology teams.  However, a well planned prayer creates a launching pad for a great God moment in our services.

The worship leader and team must be prepared for what is going to happen in the prayer time.  If the music and prayer emphasis doesn’t work together, everyone in the worship center can tell.  However, if the worship team knows what is going to happen, it can help build a spirit of anticipation throughout the worship center that is contagious.

Take the time to prepare your prayer and you will see results.

  1.  Prayer.  

It may seem silly to hear that you need to pray about how you are going to pray.  Isn’t prayer simply “talking with God?”

Yes, it is.  But praying during a worship set is also a powerful tool God has given us to lead people deeper into His presence.  He wants us to “dialogue” with Him about the best way to do this for a particular worship moment.

Besides, if a prayer is important enough to pray before tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people, isn’t it important enough to pray about?

In case anyone’s wondering, the answer is “yes.”

If you have further thoughts about how to more effectively connect musical worship and prayer, I’d love to hear your comments.  

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A Tribute To Shelton Kennedy

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My friend Shelton Kennedy went to be with Jesus one week ago today, a few hours after playing for two of our morning worship services.  He is one of the only people that I have ever written a devotion about.  I thought I would share it with you today.

Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Shelton plays the synthesizer for one of our worship teams. When it is time for a rehearsal to begin, he is always in position ready to go. When we need for someone to play at another campus, Shelton is always willing to drive the extra distance to help out. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed our church sheet music library, Shelton produced a copy of every song that he had ever played with the band. He had saved them for years.

Last week, I noticed a crutch on the floor next to Shelton, so I asked him, “Shelton, is that yours?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I’m having some problems with my knee.”

“Are you o.k. to play?” I asked.

He smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll be fine as long as I’m not walking.”

Later, when asked asked again if he was sure that he could play. Shelton, smiled reassuringly and replied, “I’m on this team and a team’s a team.”

Whenever I think of Shelton, I will remember Psalm 133:1  “How good and pleasant it is when brothers can live together in unity!”

Lord, help us all be more like Shelton.

 

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3 Simple Tips For Worship Leaders To Improve Their Leadership

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Here are 3 simple ways for worship leaders to improve their worship leadership, regardless of their style of worship music:

1.     Memorize the lyrics to the songs you are leading.  If you don’t have time to memorize lyrics, then you aren’t spending enough time in preparation.  The confidence monitor, lead sheet, hymnal, or cheat sheet might seem like your best friend, but it can also become your worst enemy.  Use it as a reference, not as a guide.  People want to see your eyes looking toward them during worship, not glued to the words.

2.     Smile.  People want to worship with a pleasant leader who enjoys the experience of leading them into God’s presence.  A frowning worship leader is a distraction because his/her demeanor puts the attention on himself/herself instead of on the Lord.  A smiling worship leader can point people to God simply through positive facial expressions.

3.     Worship privately.  If you aren’t regularly spending time in God’s presence, you aren’t going to be able to lead others into His presence.  People can tell if you don’t know the way.  They can tell if you’re faking it.  Spend so much time with the Lord that it’s evident to those around you that worship is an important part of your life.

Related Post – What We’ve Forgotten About Worship

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What we’ve forgotten about worship

sacrifice

Everything we do is a part of our worship.  In fact, we worship from the minute we open our eyes in the morning to the moment we close them at night.  We do this by giving praise to someone or something in what we do, in what we think, and in what we say.  When we do this, we give this person or thing a position of high authority in our lives.  However, this understanding of worship has been forgotten in our current society.  Worship today has been minimized to a genre of music or a time in corporate worship when we sing songs to God.  Although music styles and singing are important tools we use in expressing ourselves to God, they fall far short of total submission to God.  Only through the giving of our entire lives can we rightly worship God in a way that is holy and pleasing to Him.

 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.  Romans 12:1

Lord, help us to daily present our bodies to You as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing in Your sight.  This is the best form of worship we can offer You.

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