Worship Podcast & Blog
“God will not anoint who you want to be… He will anoint who you are.”
“Worship songs” don’t ALL have to garner the same response from a congregation to be effective (stand, raised hands, dancing, singing). Sometimes maybe the people need to sit and just listen to TRUTH.”
“Co-songwriting demands lots of vulnerability.”
SONGWRITER AS CREATOR (Identity)
- Kingdom songwriters are in the business of fostering a holy, kingdom imagination. Imaginations that dream for the glory of God and the good of others…without discounting the good pleasure of creating.
- Kingdom songwriters are good citizens…of their community, church, stage, region, etc. There is no sphere of life that is hidden from the view of God. Bring on the big songs that cause the mind of God to bear on people.
- Kingdom songwriters have the ability to do good creative work in the world and in the church while becoming more like Jesus and not less. We are bent on making a name for ourselves
- Kingdom songwriters need a humble ambition to excel at artistic ability out of reverence for God.
- Kingdom songwriters need to respect the art form of songwriting. Know about it. We want pilots to have put in thousands and thousands of hours in practice. You need to write a lot of songs to get to great songs.
- Kingdom songwriters have the wisdom to ask first, “What is good and not first what will succeed or make money?” Christians have an unusual lot…we could be hated by everyone yet be successful because we lived obedient to God. People pleasers to not make good songwriters.
- Kingdom songwriters need a commitment to truth telling narrative in all its forms. There’s no greater calling than to stand before God and say, “You are WHO You say You are.”
As I mentioned in this previous post, we are running in a race for a prize that is eternal. The question begs to be asked, ‘What is the prize?’ Is it heaven? Is it being reunited with our lost loved ones? Is it golfing on the clouds with Moses and Elijah? Is it an eternal chinese buffet where we never gain weight?
Olympic athletes work extremely hard and some win a medal, but their glory does not last forever. What is the prize you are running for? Ponder these verses:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8a).
“…I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own…I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12b & 14).
Paul says the prize is the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. What does this mean? I believe it refers back to verse 8, which is the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.
There is nothing more valuable than something of surpassing worth. It may sound unfair, but just face it…it will always be better. Our prize at the end of this race is that we can enjoy knowing Jesus for all eternity. The wonder will never cease. The beauty will be electrifying. How amazing.
Does this excite you? If you are more excited for glorified earthly pleasures, you need to begin investing your life into knowing Jesus. This is the greatest joy, the highest pursuit, the most worthy goal.
John Piper says, “Would you be satisfied in heaven if Jesus wasn’t there?”
Definitely a question we all need to face.
Next week I will be traveling to Mount Hermon, California, for this amazing conference. I am so excited to attend and learn from the likes of Paul Baloche, Derek Webb, Sara Groves, Bob Kauflin, Don Moen, Phil Wickham, Charlie Peacock, and more.
I will be blogging the sessions I attend (believe it or not) so stop by and glean some songwriting insights. Check out the conference website here.
I have spent a considerable amount of time watching the Olympics this past week. There is something about it that is incredibly addicting. Sometimes I’m not even that interested, but I realize that I haven’t blinked for 5 minutes or taken a breath. Maybe I need to get outside.
What is it about the Olympics that is so gripping? Why do we all love having conversations about those who win gold medals? I think great stories inspire us. We are amazed at the perseverance, dedication, and singular focus these athletes have towards their goal. We find ourselves coming alive through their success. Check out this verse:
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (I Timothy 4:8).
I want to live for Jesus with more dedication than an olympic athlete has for the gold medal. I want to run with perseverance the race marked out for me. The prize for this race is eternal and everlasting.
You think this is worth living and dying for? What is the prize, you may ask? More on that later.