Free Christmas Music!!!

Looking for some christmas music for your church services this winter?  Follow the link to some FREE downloads.  Audio, Lyrics and Lead Sheets!!!

10 Free Christmas Songs

What Is Worship? (a 15 minute Bible Study)

Article from Intouch.org

Releasing Our Preconceptions and Learning to Exalt the Lord
Psalm 96

One of the most controversial issues in the church today is worship. Sadly, the phrase “worship wars” is used to describe the conflict between various music and service styles. Maybe it’s time to open our minds, drop our preferences, and learn what the Lord says. In the Scriptures, the word worship means to bow oneself down in humble respect to a superior being.

The goal is to meet and exalt the Lord in such a way that we come away transformed. Like Abraham, we humble ourselves and honor God by believing Him, obeying His commands, and withholding nothing from Him (Gen. 22:1-18; Heb. 11:17-19).

The Old Testament gave very specific regulations for worship, but when Christ came, He changed the way we approach God (Heb. 9:1-15; 10:19-23).

Now Jesus tells us that the only way to worship the Lord is in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). Since the Holy Spirit lives within each believer, our meeting place with God is no longer an external temple but the internal spirit of man (Phil. 3:3), and the sacrifice we offer is ourselves (Rom. 12:1-2).

Because the New Testament records only general guidelines for churches to follow (Acts 2:42), each culture and era has been allowed the freedom to determine the specific elements of their meetings. However, the spirit of our gatherings should match that described by Paul in Colossians 3:12-16.

Although detailed practices and methods are not prescribed for the church, Psalm 96 lists timeless ways to praise and exalt the Lord.

But sometimes we don’t glorify the Lord when we meet with Him. In Mark 7:6-13, Jesus warned that it is useless to honor God with our lips while our hearts are far from Him. If our attitudes are divisive, argumentative, or selfish, we have failed to worship the Lord (1 Cor. 11:17-22).

Questions for Reflection

1. Where is your focus during church—on yourself, others, your preferences, or the Lord? What hinders you from concentrating on God? What do you need to surrender to Him?

2. Private, personal worship shapes your mind, emotions, and will—and prepares you to give God genuine honor through corporate expression. How can you exalt the Lord each day with your thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions?

Love Extravagantly

“…we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

Camp Redwood Glen :: February 18-20, 2011

Check out the following link for details and registration:

http://expectchange.dreamhosters.com/music/?page_id=423

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What time will the event begin and end?
Registration begins Friday, February 18th 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. The first meeting begins on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The last meeting will be the Sunday morning meeting, followed by lunch.

Should I bring my own bedding?
Yes. Linen will not be provided unless you have special housing needs.
What will the weather be like?
February in Northern California can be a little chilly. Bring some warm clothes. Check the weather forcast here as you approach the weekend.

Who should attend?
Worship leaders, artists, worship participants, soldiers, officers, or anyone interested in worship, and over 18 years of age.

Who are the guests?
Main Speaker: Bart Tarman, a former chaplain of Westmont College, Young Life staff member, and associate pastor, is an ordained Presbyterian minister who holds a master’s of divinity degree. For the past six years, he’s worked with members of the U.S. House and Senate prayer groups to encourage friendships in Jesus around the world. He and his wife of 38 years, Linda, help serve as a liaison on behalf of these groups to Latin American nations. Bart has been associated with the National Prayer Breakfast for more than 30 years.

Drama: Lacey Theatre Company was founded in 2004 by award winning British author of the word on the street, Rob Lacey. Rob, together with a group of actors, sought a fresh approach to theatre and storytelling with the Bible as their inspiration. Touring around churches, schools, prisons and conferences we tell old, sacred stories in a new, everyday way.

We do act, we do sing, we do that humming warm up thing, we do story, we do wit, we do poems, we do riddim wid it, we do workshop, we do teach, we do the big speech, we do inreach, upreach, outreach, we do most things, we do not preach…

Dance: Alicia Hood has spent the last 10 years as a staff Choreographer for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. She has had the pleasure of choreographing portions of a number of Parades and shows locally at the Disneyland Resort. Some of her current work can be seen in Fantasmic!, Drawn to the Magic, A Christmas Fantasy, and Mickey’s Halloween Costume Party. Alicia has also served as Assistant Choreographer for such performances as Disney’s Electrical Parade, Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams, Lights, Camera, Chaos, and Goofy’s Beach Party Bash. In addition to being classically trained in ballet, tap, and jazz, she has gained experience in Web, Trampoline, and Bungee as well as elementary Stunt work to create movement for the various needs within the Resort.

Prior to moving into Choreography, Alicia enjoyed a successful performing career which included touring the United States and abroad in Japan with different dance and entertainment companies, including Disney, Diavolo, and Buena Vista. She also appeared in numerous Corporate industrials, Musical Theatre productions, music videos, and several summer intensives with the American Ballet Theatre Company. She worships with The Salvation Army Praiseworks in Anaheim, California with husband Mark Hood.

Authenticity 24/7

By Major Warren Dabis

Isn’t Facebook great? Most of us would say “Yes,” however too many of us bear our souls online! Hmmmm…perhaps it may be a good thing depending on the way you look at it!

Authenticity 24/7. Not long ago, my wife took to task a Salvationist young person who used inappropriate language in a posting and it was not a good witness. The young person wrote back and said his posting had nothing to do with The Salvation Army, it was his Facebook, he was his own person and his decision and he did not need a sermon. Quite an uproar of discussion in my circles with several young people asking me: “Is that person authentic?” I answered, “Absolutely!” Where upon the young people were taken back by my answer! Let me explain!

I do believe that young person was authentic because it was very obvious with his posting that he was authentic: to the worldliness he found himself in! He felt his worldliness had nothing to do with his witness or testimony. As a matter of fact, he was witnessing and testifying to the pull that the world and Satan exerts on us!

Speaking of Facebook, let me share with you another posting that caught my eye. This person gives a definition of integrity. "INTEGRITY - It's not what you do when other people are watching; it's what you do when they're not." It is an excellent quote, however, even more excellent when we live up to it! Which is what authenticity is all about!

Authenticity: Being WHOSE we are and in this context being the “true” worshipers we are in Christ. Being authentic 24/7; not only when we are leading worship, or a Bible Study or when we are at WYI and WMI or at Youth Councils or at TWAR or WBC. Not playing the game of Christianity when we need to at the Corps or DHQ or where people see us, but being that Christian true worshiper 24/7. David, in the midst of the desert, was praising his God when he wrote: “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night” Psalm 63:6. Yes, we as “true” worshipers need to be authentic 24/7, even when we sleep or should be sleeping!

Let me close with this question to worshipers and lead worshipers: How can you expect to lead your people in corporate worship of the one true God, when you do not worship Him in your personal worship? Amos says, “Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps” Amos 5:22-23. We may give Him our talents, skills, abilities, and we can make great music, but are we truly authentic 24/7 in our worship of Him?

May we be authentic in our worship as the older praise chorus challenges us:

I Love You Lord


I love You Lord and I lift my voice
To worship You, O my soul rejoice
Take joy my King in what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound In Your ear

CCLI Song No. 25266
© 1978, 1980 House Of Mercy Music (Admin. by Maranatha! Music)
Laurie Klein
For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com
CLI License No. 581793

Whatever’s Worth Most

by Louie Giglio (blog.worship.com)

Worship is simply about value. The simplest definition I can give is this: Worship is our response to what we value most.

Worship is that thing we all do. It’s what we’re all about on any given day. Because, worship is about saying, “This person, this thing, this experience (this whatever) is what matters most to me…it’s the thing I put first in my life.”

That “thing” might be a relationship. A dream. Friends. Status. Stuff. A name. Some kind of pleasure. Whatever name you put on it, this thing or person is what you’ve concluded in your heart is worth most to you. And whatever is worth most to you is—you guessed it—what you worship.

Worship tells us what we value most. As a result, worship determines our actions, becoming the driving force for all we do.

And we’re not just talking about the religious crowd. Christians. The churchgoer among us. Or the youth group attender. We’re talking about everybody on planet earth…a multitude of souls proclaiming with every breath what is worthy of their affection, their attention, their allegiance. Proclaiming with every step what it is they worship.

Some of us attend the church on the corner, professing to worship the Living God above all. Others who rarely step inside the church doors would say worship isn’t a part of their lives because they aren’t “religious.” But everybody has an altar. And every altar has a throne.

So how do you know where and what you worship?

It’s easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money, and your loyalty. At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship.

Sure, not too many of us walk around saying, “I worship my stuff. I worship my X-Box. I worship this pleasure. I worship her. I worship my body. I worship me!”

But the trail never lies. We may say we value this thing or that thing more than any other, but the volume of our actions speaks louder than our words.

In the end, our worship is more about what we do than what we say

The Skinny on Worship

Learn Your Neck

by Israel Doria

Like many of you, I learned to play the guitar on my own. This means that I simply learned chord shapes and scale shapes that were unrelated to each other. I learned fret numbers instead of note names and tablatures instead of music notation. These are all good things to know, but its also very important that we, as guitar players and musicians, take the time to learn theory and apply it to our playing. It is imperative that we learn the notes on the neck, key signatures, chord tones and put them all together to make music that works.

MUSICAL ALPHABET

The first thing we need to get under our belts before we start hammering away at memorizing these key signatures is the musical alphabet.

There are seven letters in the musical alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Once you reach the end, it starts over and continues in each direction infinitely. Go ahead and play these notes on your guitar.

You'll notice that some notes are two frets apart where other notes are only fret apart. These are called whole steps and half steps.

Accidentals
In addition to these notes, we have what are called accidentals.We will go over three kinds of accidentals: sharps, flats and naturals.

A sharp sign(#) raises a note a half step.
A flat sign(b) lowers a note a half step.
A natural sign(♮) cancels out any other accidental.

Chromatic Scale
Now its time to put the two together. The chromatic scale is a scale that includes every note within an octave. In the key of  A, it would look like this:

A - A#/Bb - B - C -C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A

This scale is the same in any key. Lets take a look at E:

E - F - F#/Gb - G -G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E

Application to Fretboard
The chormatic scale and understanding of the musical alphabet and accidentals will help you learn and memorize the fretboard. In order to get a point of reference, we need to memorize the open strings. The 1st string is the thinnest one and the 6th string is the thickest. The names of the strings are:

1 - E
2 - B
3 - G
4 - D
5 - A
6 - E

Now you can figure out any note on your guitar's fretboard! For instance, if you want to know what the 7th fret on the top string is, you know the top string is E and if you could seven half-steps up from E you'll see that the 7th fret is B.  This may seem tedious and boring but it is imperative to your playing that you memorize the fretboard. Next time, we'll talk about key signatures and how to control the vast range of notes
that the guitar provides.


RESOURCES:

Musical Alphabet
(http://www.guitartutoronline.com/index.php/Beginners/The-Basics/musical-alphabet.html)

Sharps
(http://www.guitartutoronline.com/index.php/Beginners/Learning-The-Strings/sharps.html)

Flats
(http://www.guitartutoronline.com/index.php/Beginners/Learning-The-Strings/flats.html)

How to EQ

Hopefully I find more resources on this subject or we can create some regarding sound. Many times I know we try to EQ our sound as best we can, but sometimes we just do not have the trained staff to do so. Here is a video outlining a few tips on EQ for vocalists and guitarists.  In order for our congregations to have a distraction-free worship experience we need to make sure our sound is tight and pleasant to the ears.

Free Background Loops (I love free stuff)

Looking for a cool background loop or slide to put up on the screen during worship?  You can find some helpful resources on "CMD - Church Media Design."  It's a great place to find graphic elements to help you in enhancing your presentation.

Being Real is a Big Deal (Part 2)

by Major Warren Dabis

Praise and Worship has always been about God and to God! What are the obstacles you are placing in front of yourself and your team as you worship God? Is it hidden sin that leads to hypocrisy as you sing or play? Is it an ego that places you above others and God as you sing or play? Is it an attitude that tells your peers, “I’m up here and you’re not” or something worse? Is it that you have an unresolved conflict with a peer that prevents them from accepting your leadership in worship? Is it that you want everyone to see you wear the latest fashions rather than seeing Christ in you? And on and on…

Let us be as David in Psalm 51: 10 – 13: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

The progression here is a pure heart, the renewal of a steadfast spirit, a purposeful relationship with God, accomplished through an intimate, personal experience with the Holy Spirit. Consequently, this results in a joyful restoration of the state of salvation and a willing spirit to continue that state!

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”

Then, this progression is expressed in who we are (authenticity) to those in our sphere of influence!

Being “real” is a ‘big” deal!

Being Real is a Big Deal (Part 1)

by Major Warren Dabis

I recently commented on a posting in this blog of a young lady in our Praise and Worship team that came to me to ask to not sing on a particular Sunday morning saying she was not right with the Lord. I had shared this with a group of WMI students and one young man quipped, “What’s the big deal? She was your lead soprano and you needed her! What is Praise and Worship without a lead singer to sing the melody for the congregation?” Good questions and I needed to clarify this before he went back to his Corps team!

Being real or authentic in our Praise and Worship is a big deal! Bigger than our “tight” vocals or instrumentalists, “big” sound, “best” equipment” and “great” lead vocalist! Ooops, and maybe “right on” worship leader! Being authentic is essential to Praise and Worship whether we stand behind our instruments or microphones because we stand before a holy and jealous God in leading people in worship of Him! Someone has said to me, “Be careful what you say (or sing) in His presence!” Our recovering friends say it even better, “You gotta walk the walk as well as talk the talk!” And I say, “You cannot give away what you do not have!”

Authenticity is being who you are! And if we are leading people in worship of God, we had best be “His own!” I want to get into this in another article about being transparent 24/7, but in a nutshell we as worship musicians and leaders need to know and experience intimately the One we are praising and worshipping! Anne Ortland, in her book, Up with Worship: A Call to Quit Playing Church, calls us “Upfronters.” This does mean that we lead from upfront! However, I believe we lead and praise and worship God from the “inside out.” What we do behind the mics and our instruments, must be an indication of what is taking place “inside” of us!

Click here to read Part 2

The Motions

Watch this video and let your heart come to it's own conclusions.

Tips for Hip Drummers

Written by Katie Steinhauer

Playing drums for worship is a hard task…especially when a worship team is “newer” to the congregation. What do people think when they hear the word “drums”? LOUD!!!! Awful!!! HIPPIE MUSIC!!! Well, probably not the last one, but drums seem to have a bad reputation among a lot of congregations because it brings a rock and roll aspect to worship. Heaven forbid there is rock and roll in church!! We can argue back and forth about drums and worship but that would obviously make us drummers frustrated and angry. I’ve been in many situations where I felt like I was not wanted in worship. It’s not fun and takes away from my focus on playing for God. But there are so many drummers out there who play like God is listening from heaven, thrashing as loud as they can so He can hear them. Remember…God is everywhere, therefore He is in the church building with you and can hear you just fine. I’m not saying give into those who complain about the loudness. I’m saying play with some awareness of how loud you are. You also have to remember that you are playing WITH a group and not by yourself. A worship team is helping lead the congregation to the foot of God’s throne, not playing a concert for personal glory.

The only way we can break this vicious cycle of drum hate is by tapping into our sensitive side. Literally. We all hate to get shushed in church when we’re playing, but as a drummer, you have to be sensitive to the congregation and fellow musicians’ needs. It’s not just playing with a light touch…its listening to what’s going on around you. Yes I know it’s hard to play quietly sometimes and in the right setting, go ahead and let loose. A good rule of thumb that I go by is if you can’t hear the rest of the band…you’re too loud! This is where listening to what’s going on around you comes in and being aware of what the other musicians and vocalists are doing.(Many times you can play off of what other people are playing. If the bass is playing a riff that you can play on your bass drum, do it! If there is some sort of accent that everyone is hitting…hit it with them. Every little thing that you catch onto in the music makes a world of difference. Remember…don’t make noise….blend in! The less a musician stands out in a worship band the less distracting it is for the congregation. If the congregation is focused on how loud or busy you’re playing they’re not going to be in the right frame of mind for worship. Keep it simple and tasteful.

We’ve already talked about volume, so let’s talk about what to play. Hardcore rocker fills where you’re thrashing the toms and cymbals are cool, but probably not the best choice for church. Yes they’re fun and you want to show everyone your mad skills, but keep those for your garage band or jam sessions. If you think it will be too distracting, don’t do it. You want to keep it easy on the congregation’s ears and if you throw in crazy fills it could distract your fellow musicians from doing what they’re doing too. Simple is sometimes best and it’s a good skill to have. So try this…next time you’re in worship rehearsal lay off of the busy beats and crazy fills. Keep it smooth and steady. While you’re simplifying, take a listen to how the entire band sounds and see if you can feel a difference in the groove. I say groove meaning; are you and your fellow musicians really locked in to the beat or can you hear a discrepancy between you and everyone else…

With that said, think about what you’re playing and who is listening. Most importantly remember WHO you’re playing for! Be humbled in His presence. May the sticks be with you!

Lead Worship With Your iPhone

God, who created the universe, has also given us the creativity to worship him in new and different ways.  The Bible invites us to "sing a new song" to the Lord.  I think it's very apt to say that this also applies to our methods.  Use what you have at hand and praise the Lord with it.  It could be a guitar, a piano, a cowbell, an iphone, and any number of things.  But above all let's worship Him with our lives.

The Praise and Worship in Praise and Worship

written by Major Warren Dabis

As a worship leader for over 30 years, I have had the privilege in leading worship teams in Corps, Divisional, Territorial and International venues. I have also taught workshops and seminars at these levels and have answered many questions about Praise and Worship. The most intriguing to me came from a young lady, a very diligent student of worship and the worship leader at her Corps. She asked me, “Where is the Praise and Worship in Praise and Worship?” After a moment of pause, I exclaimed, “Excellent question!” and answered: “Praise and Worship is STILL in Praise and Worship!” Let me explain my answer to her as well as to you!

Praise and Worship is just that: Praise and Worship. We in the Salvation Army of that tradition will know this as leading our congregations in the worship of God through contemporary Christian songs and choruses with guitars, keyboards drums and vocalists.

Praise and Worship is still a vital aspect of this tradition, however, the main question is: WHO are we praising and WHO are we worshipping? Praise and Worship teams should be leading their congregations in the worship of God. However, much too often, these teams are praising and worshipping themselves!

This can be characterized by listening after the service to the congregation: “Wow! The music was fantastic and really made me feel good!” “The guitar riff in the second song was outta this world.” “Where in the world did you find your drummer? Incredible rhythm!” If this is happening in your Corps, it is a tell-tale sign that you may be leading your congregation in praising and worshipping you and your team and not God! And of course, this is idolatry!

As Christians, we sometimes are like the people of the Old Testament in 2 Kings 17:33: “They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.” We do all the right things on Sunday-we sing and play, lift our hands and look the part. However, we actually praise and worship idols - ourselves and anything that makes us look and be the part even more and more!

Many of us think idols are graven, carved or man-made images of some long-lost and forgotten so-called deity that we would never, ever worship! But what about name brand and designer clothing? The best guitars, musical or audio/visual equipment? And what of material goods; property, wealth, cars, houses. Exodus 34:14 reminds us: “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

You may be asking yourself: “How could I possibly be worshipping idols when I devote myself to Praise and Worship every Sunday and at practices?” Yes, you may not be worshipping graven idols. America’s idols are a bit more subtle, which I believe makes them a bit more dangerous! Stop listening to people giving you the glory that truly belongs to God! Tell them to give God the glory! Then live lives worthy of being used to bring glory to God through your talents and abilities as Christian musicians!

A Few Recommendations (Part 3 of 3)

Prepare Yourself
The next thing I want to talk about is sheet music. If you watch your favorite guitar player in concert, they aren’t going to walk on stage with a music stand and all their charts. They take the time and effort to memorize all the music and words. If rock stars can do this for money, why shouldn’t we do it for God? Try and memorize your music! Then you don’t have to flip anything, you don’t have to cart around charts and you aren’t providing distractions for the congregation.

Whenever you get on the platform at your corps and get ready to practice or lead, try to remember these things. Your ministry is incredibly important so you need to make sure you are prepared for it. Practice everyday, improve and give God all the glory!

A Few Recommendations (Part 2 of 3)

Balance Your Group
Most guitar amplifiers are about 2 feet tall and sit on the floor. As a result, the sound hits the back of our knees and we think we are too quiet. So, we turn it up and the vocalists complain so you turn it down…it’s a vicious cycle.

There are a couple things you should do to fix this. First off, realize that your part is rarely the most important. The congregation is singing and therefore the singers are the most important. It’s difficult to admit but true. However, this doesn’t mean they are always right about the levels. The second thing is to bring someone else in to listen. Sit someone in the pews so they can listen and let you know what the congregation is hearing. Balancing is a huge part of the playing experience, so do it right!

A Few Recommendations (Part 1 of 3)

Hello readers. My name is Israel Doria and I will be posting helpful tips and techniques for the guitar about once a month. However, today I’m just going to give you some recommendations not all to do with your playing.

Speak to Your Audience
As guitar players, we are usually trying to excel; to find more difficult music and play faster licks. I strongly encourage you to continue pressing on and try to learn something new every day. But when you get up on the platform on Sunday, your motives need to be different. When you play for a congregation, you are their spiritual leader and like any leader, you must cater to their needs.

If your congregation wants Hillsong, play them some Hillsong. But if your congregation wants 20 year old Hallelujah Chorus songs then that’s what you need to play to lead them in worship. Later on you may try and ease them into the 21st century but you can never forget their needs.

Resources for Bass Players

What can I say?  I have a special place in my heart for bass players.  The ones who lay down that nice neat foundation that drives the song forward.  You might not often take center stage, but without that low-end songs just lack body and depth.  Here is a great bass resource for you:  ActiveBass.com

This site has something for bass players of all levels.  Track and Line Builders, scale finders, lessons, articles, tips, tabs and more!

Have fun and build some funky bass-lines!

Traits

What are some important characteristics of worshippers (in this instance I mean singers, musicians, worship leaders etc.)?  A popular quote comes to mind. "always preach the gospel and if necessary use words."  It's no different in worship.  If we are going to step up and sing/play an instrument/lead worship in a congregation, we must demonstrate worship in our lives and be an example of it, just as Jesus said he "set an example" of being servants in John 13:15. 

I thought about it for a bit this morning and found this verse in my Bible:  "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12)

Be an Example in Speech:

We need to be wise about what comes out of our mouths.  If you lead worship, make sure you are biblically prepared and that you have prayed so that you are sure that what you are going to say is correct and comes from God.  Secondly ALL OF US need to make sure our daily conversations reflect the message of the songs we sing in worship.  Proverbs 12:18 says "...the tongue of the wise brings healing."  So make sure to stay away from gossip, hurtful conversations or speech, and profanity.  This includes our comments on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Be an Example in Life:

We need to have Kingdom priorities.  Do we store up treasures here on Earth? The bible says that our heart is where our treasure is stored (Matthew 6:19-21).  Many of us look for fame, popularity, recognition, and even status as musicians.  Jesus said, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33) So let's set our hearts on the Kingdom of God; God will take care of the rest.

Be an Example in Love:

We sing about God's love.  We must demonstrate this love in our lives:  We must love VERTICALLY (God) and HORIZONTALLY (our fellow man) genuinely and let it reflect in our lives. If our congregation can see God's love reflected in our daily lives, and a passion to serve and proclaim Jesus on and off the stage, they will truly be open to following us into worship.  When the congregation feels that we genuinely love them as well, they will more willingly worship with us.

Be an Example of Faith:

Worshippers need to have faith and grow in the faith.  How is this accomplished?  By studying God's word, and spending time with God.  When we have a deep understanding of God, this is transmitted to the congregation.  We must continually grow and constantly try to know God more.

Be an Example of Purity:

As worshippers we must reflect Jesus' character.  Nothing wrecks our credibility more than moral compromise.  Our lives must reflect a moral purity.  This means we should know our moral standard (God's Word) and live in obedience to God.  When we know God and live our lives in worship to Him we seek to please him in everything we do.  We can live our lives in such a way that people will not have anything negative to say about us.  Titus 2:7-8

Some resources adapted from "The Complete Worship Leader" by Kevin J. Navarro

Just for Drummers

If you are a drummer there is a lot of pressure riding on you to keep the beat, be consistent with tempo, and do really cool fills.  Check out this Drum Clinic Library by Drummer World.  It has drum lessons by some of the world's best drummers teaching you their moves step by step.

What's an A sharp minor demolished?!?!

There is no such thing as an A#m demolished; but I'm sure if you're like me, every once in a while you run into a chord that you've probably never seen before.  So if you sometimes need a little help with chord structures head over to chordbook.com and take advantage of their interactive chord tool and other helpful gadgets.

Wonder

"Most high, most excellent, most potent, most omnipotent; most piteous and most just; most hidden and most near; most beauteous and most strong, stable, yet contained of none; unchanging, yet changing all things; never new, never old; making all things new, yet bringing old age upon the proud and they know it not; always working, yet ever at rest; gathering, yet needing nothing; sustaining, pervading, and protecting; creating, nourishing, and developing; seeking, and yet possessing all things."1.

If you skipped over that last paragraph I suggest you read it over carefully.  There is an incredible sense of wonder in it, as though when St Augustine spoke it he couldn't contain his awe toward God. 

In a world where every bit of information is at our fingertips and everything can be explained it's easy to lose our child-like wonder at who God is and what he does in our lives.  But we must never forget the GREATNESS of God if we are to worship Him sincerely.  In Job 36:26 it says "Behold, God is great, and we do not know him."  Can we ever know God or even explain him completely?  No of course not.  That's where wonder comes in.  Paul wrote in Roman 11:33 "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out!"

When you have your devotional time, or when you go up on that stage to play an instrument or to sing, remember to revel in God's wonder.  Express your sincere praise to the Creator of it all and stand amazed at his awesomeness.

1.The Confessions of St. Augustine, in A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol.1

Mighty To Save (Hillsong Guitar Workshop)

This post is for all those guitarists out there. Nigel, the instructor in the video, is actually one of the music directors for Hillsong United, so he knows what he's talking about. Enjoy!

Be Creative

One of the major qualities for a musician or worship leader to have is the ability to be creative.  Think of musical arrangements and incorporate new ideas to bring a new refreshing quality to the music you minister with at church.  Here is an audio tool that will get your mind thinking of different ideas.  You might never use this in a worship service, but it will definitely get your creativity flowing.

Hobnox Audiotool

Chords, Charts and Sheet Music

A lot of people often ask me where I find chords for songs we sing at church or where to find sheet music free of cost.  Here are some sites that I go to when I need to find music for my praise team.

1. lacuerda.net :  This one is great.  Fair warning though that these are chords uploaded by musicians and not by the artist, so they might not always be accurate.  But it does have various cool tools like a transposer and chord diagram charts for those tricky chord structures.
2. higherpraise.com :  This one has an extensive list of songs old and new.  Chords are pretty accurate on this site.
3. Acordes y Partituras Cristianas : This is by far my favorite one.  It has original uploads of music books and sheet music resources in English and Spanish (mostly in Spanish).  The best part is that since they are original published works by artists you know they are accurate.  It is limited but it has grown into a large library of resources. 

Well, I hope this has been helpful.  Leave a comment and let me know if it has.  I will post more resources soon.