Note to Self: Sing

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.  PSALM 30:4

Dear Self,

You really should sing more. You should sing more than at gathered worship with the church. You should sing in the car, while working in the yard, and in your home. And when you sing, you should do so with more than lungs and lips. You should sing with your heart, mind, and soul.

And stop rolling your eyes! I’m not suggesting that you become the perpetually happy whistler who rolls through the aisles of the grocery store whistling others into an incurable state of annoyance. But song does need to be a much bigger part of your life.

“ When you sing, you should do so with more than lungs and lips. You should sing with your heart, mind, and soul.”

People sing about the things that capture their hearts and things that give them joy. People sing of heroes, victory, longing, and hope. People even sing as a way to express their sorrow. Does anyone have more reasons to sing than you? As a sinner who has been forgiven, a slave who has been freed, a blind man who has received sight, a spiritual cripple who has been healed—all by the gospel—you have real reasons to be known as a person of song!

It is one thing to tell the world of God’s work of redemption in Jesus; it is another to sing of it. Anyone can parrot truth, but to sing of it—from the soul—reveals how you feel. Song is the natural and appropriate response to the gospel, because singing is one of the highest expressions of joy.

“There are songs of praise, thanksgiving, confession, lament, and victory that need your voice.”

So why aren’t you singing always, only for your king? Have the mercies of God grown small in your heart? Is there little joy, little gratitude, little wonder? Do you just not feel like singing? The confession of your sins and gospel meditation will lead you to song, so start there. There are songs of praise, thanksgiving, confession, lament, and victory that need your voice.

From the great hymns of old to the new songs echoing the wonders of God’s mercy, you have more means of finding songs of redemption than any other generation before you. So join the chorus of God’s people, who have always been known as a people who sing.

http://theresurgence.com/2011/05/17/note-to-self-sing

Breaking Out of the Worship Formula

Can you make authentic worship?

Growing up in a small Baptist church helped me learn something at an early age: Our gatherings as the Church tend toward formula. There are lots of reasons for it. It’s easier. It’s comfortable. It’s predictable. It fits inside of our “boxes.” It’s replicable. It allows us to attempt to recapture meaningful moments of the past.

But—like in all relationships—our encounters with God are meant to be progressive, not repetitive. That’s why I think I was so excited about the movement of a fresh approach to worship that was coming out of people like Martin Smith and Matt Redman in England in the early '90s and things like the Passion Movement here in the U.S. It wasn’t simply a stylistic change. It was something fresh in the expectation of the movement of God.

But now, 15 years and thousands of songs later, there seems to be a new homogeny throughout our churches and our worship gatherings. We’ve gotten to the point where we have made what was fresh into a formula once again. 


A familiar formula

Tell me if this sounds familiar for a worship song as played by the band at your church:

Loud intro.
 Come down for verse one.
 Hit it hard for the chorus.
 Keep it going hard up til the bridge.
 Drop out for the bridge. 
Build back into a loud bridge section.
 Come down for an ending chorus.
 Vamp low on the end (with some occasional builds).

This type of song formula takes people dynamically up for two minutes, down for one minute, back up, back down. It’s a constant roller coaster for the duration of the set.

There’s nothing wrong with this song structure, but it might point to a greater issue: Perhaps we’re relying on musical dynamics to elicit an emotional response more than we are pleading for the Holy Spirit to engage us in the spiritual realm.Obviously, the solution to what seems to be our new habitual formula is not another formula. But we should be aware of how songs really do affect us emotionally and how we can engage with God in different ways through a range of dynamics. It might help to think through what we think of as a time of “worship.” Are there times of celebration with the Lord as well as times of rest? Do we dwell on the joy of celebration and the peace of rest, or are those moments fleeting?

Who is worship for?

Ultimately, worship leaders are there to help foster moments where individuals can connect with God. And our goal as worshipers is to use that time to connect with God.

Sometimes, I think we get into the mindset that the worship is for the band—that we are present to allow the band to do what it wants or to help us hit an emotional high. There’s a time for high notes and guitar prowess, but it’s a matter of the chicken and the egg. Because those moments aren't all the time. It’s a continual balance of asking, “What is this moment calling for, and what will take us deeper?”

Music seems to be this strange thing that serves as a bridge between the natural and the supernatural. Because of that, our conversations about how to do what we do best involves both the earthly and the spiritual. It means not getting stale in what we think of as “worship.” But it also means fighting the temptation to judge whether or not the worship was “good” by criteria like, “They sang well” or, “That band was awesome.”

But the most important thing about worship is that it allows us to engage with God. It matters a lot less if everyone hits the right note, or if the band hits the right solo at exactly the right time or even if the particular song is the one you want to sing. What matters is if worship is providing you a space to connect with God—it’s not a formula or a series of easy answers. It’s letting God work through each of us to connect with Him both as individuals and as the Church.
 
Relevant Magazine:  http://m.relevantmagazine.com/god/worship/features/24146-breaking-out-of-the-worship-formula

Recruiting and Training New Members for Your Worship Team

Here are some guidelines I follow in recruiting new worship team members. The first six points apply to all worship team members and the last five points apply to worship team leaders.

Choose people who have a heart of worship.

Look for people who love God with all their heart, soul and strength. There is no substitute for this foundation. Out of that heart flows genuine worship and a desire to be a team player. These are the kind of people I want to raise up into leadership—people whose lives are devoted to Christ, His Church and His cause in the world.

Choose people who are full of zeal to serve.

Don’t mess around with people who aren’t ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. When a developing leader is full of energy to serve and grow, they have an appetite to learn. They’re not picky about the tasks they are given. They come early to meetings and stay late to absorb all they can.

In the various churches and meetings where I’ve led worship, I’ve played with all levels of musicians—everything from great players who have done lots of recordings to inexperienced players. I really don’t mind undeveloped ability as long as the attitude (in the Christian sense of the term) is professional. A person with a professional attitude shows up on time, takes seriously his or her responsibility, doesn’t pretend to know everything, pays attention during rehearsal and wants to fit into the big picture.

Choose people who are loyal and willing to follow your leadership.

You can’t lead people that don’t want to follow you. They decide who their leader is. Attitude is everything. The apprentice must be willing and eager to learn from the mentor. The most fruitful mentoring relationships I’ve had are those in which both parties have a mutual desire to cooperate as co-workers.

Choose people who are integrated into your church community.

Worship leaders are formed within community—by pastors, leaders and worship leaders—and by the hard knocks of life. I impart worship leading principles, but I depend on the power of the Church to form people into mature leaders. Worship leaders are, first of all, Christians; secondly, they are musicians. A lifestyle of worship encompasses everything from feeding the poor to setting up P.A. systems to leading a worship set.

Choose people who have musical ability

If you’re in a small church, you should start by looking for anyone who can play the right chords, keep rhythm pretty well and sing on pitch most of the time. If you’re in a big church, you can be much more selective—choosing people who are highly skilled. In a medium-sized church, you will probably have a combination of skilled musicians and beginners who have talent that is developing. Regardless of the size of your church and skill level of your team members, you can have a spiritually rich worship ministry. Don’t ever let the spirit and heart of worship be lost in a quest for a polished performance.

Release people into positions of responsibility gradually.

I’ve made the mistake of giving people too much responsibility, too quickly and watched those musicians and singers struggle because they weren’t ready for heavier responsibility. Ask someone to lead worship one time or to play an instrument in a rehearsal before they play in a worship service. Don’t give them a permanent or even a semi-permanent position at first. If they are called to a greater scope of ministry, they will first be “faithful with little things.”

Read more at: http://worshipleader.com/finding-timothys/

hope.glory – challenging worship perceptions and practices in Salvation Army gatherings

By Phil Laeger

As I write this, I’m listening to the near final mix of our live worship recording that took place in November of last year. I can’t wait to release the album and DVD. This project is—for me anyway—the culmination of the hopes and dreams and prayers and tears and frustrations and vexations and sweat and optimism and roadblocks and open doors of the past 10 years. Wow. Maybe I need to unpack that run-on sentence a little…

I have been so privileged to be part of music ministry in The Salvation Army over the past nearly 15 years. It has been a great journey and the groups I have played in and led have been given incredible leeway in a lot of ways. We’ve led worship at youth councils and conferences, camps, retreats, etc, etc. Some of those times have been life transforming for me. We have seen people give their life to Christ, people broken free of addiction, people transformed in a very real way by the power of God in worship. It has been humbling to be used by God in that way. We have had extended times of energetic praise and extended times of reverent and precious worship, dripping with the presence of God.

Read the rest of the article at:  http://www.phillaeger.com/hope-glory-challenging-worship-perceptions-and-practices-in-salvation-army-gatherings/

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.

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!

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