Beyond Sunday Worship

Worship Podcast & Blog

Archives for January 2011

A Simple Solution For Discouragement

Do you remember why you started leading worship? What gave you the desire to stand before people and lead them into the presence of God?

As I sit here this morning, I’m reminded of my own journey. I felt called. Not sure exactly what that means but I can tell you the moment my life’s trajectory changed was during worship. I don’t remember the sermon that night. I remember God reaching out to me in a moment of intense revelation.

I remember telling myself then, “I want to do that for the rest of my life. I want to lead people to know this amazing God.” Nothing is more worth my time and investment than pursuing Jesus and seeing people transformed in His presence. Nothing.

If you’re discouraged today, remember where you began. Revisit the feelings. Remember the word from God. Relive that “all-or-nothing” mentality. God is using you for a special purpose, even though you may feel lost in a sea of the same, week in and week out.

Don’t become so professional that you don’t pray. Don’t become so skilled that you don’t sing with tears. Don’t become so focused that you forget the Gospel and where God has brought you. Ministry rises and falls on that.

I’m praying for you today. And believing God that the best years of worship leading are ahead.

QUESTION: what do you do when you feel discouraged? What inspires you and focuses your heart?

10 Ways to Define Success as a Worship Leader

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A couple weeks ago I poised the question, “What do successful worship leaders do?” How do we define it?

If it doesn’t necessarily involve big tours and best selling records, what does it involve?


Here’s some ways I define success:

  • A congregation that engages in the worship experience
  • Musicians that improve musically
  • Musicians that grow closer to Christ
  • A team that grows numerically
  • Other worship leaders are being raised up
  • Music serves people rather than distracts
  • A team that worships and has a passion for God’s glory
  • A discipleship plan is in place
  • A team that follows and respects your leadership

Notice that all these items don’t just involve you. Effective worship leaders don’t just look internal, they pour themselves out for others. That’s the nature of leadership and the nature of a successful worship leader.

Notice there were only 9 ways listed. The last one is for you to add. What defines success for you as a worship leader?

Nobody is Talented

This book and this book ruined me for blaming extraordinary performance on talent.

It’s true that if you’re 4′ 5″ you won’t beat Lebron James in one on one. Your physical DNA is a good starting place for certain career paths.

But it’s not everything.

Those who are extraordinary:

  • work extremely hard
  • show up when they don’t feel like it
  • seek out mentors
  • invest hours upon hours of time improving
  • increase their knowledge
  • practice well
  • fail a lot
  • refuse to give up
  • invest financially in getting better
  • contribute more than consume
  • wake up early
  • think differently about failure
  • consume a lot
  • manage their time well
  • don’t watch much TV
  • think differently about success
  • see their work as more than work
  • would do what they do for free
  • admit when they’re wrong and where they’re weak
  • learn things wherever they are and whomever they’re with
  • have a driving passion

Don’t blame your inability to succeed on ‘not having enough talent’.

What do you think? Are people talented or do they just work hard and have unique experiences that make them better?

Are You Maximizing Your Weakness?

I was midway through the song and gasping for air. This key was way too high for me. Especially at 9:15 on a Sunday morning. Approaching the “payoff” moment of the song (the highest part), I said a quick prayer and went for it. Crack. Croak. Embarrassment. Failure.

Weakness.

Isn’t it funny how when we succeed we think of ourselves higher than we actually are and when we fail we think we should quit? Worship leaders, let’s face it, our self-esteem is tied to how we perform. The skillful boatload of worship leaders creating records and writing songs and touring the world doesn’t help us either. We feel that success is tied to those items, as I mentioned in this post.

You have weaknesses. You know what they are. And believe it or not, those who serve with you know what they are whether you talk about them or not.

What weaknesses?

  • a weak(er) voice
  • lack of music theory knowledge
  • lack of instrument knowledge
  • inexperience leading worship
  • stuttering
  • bad public speaking
  • etc, etc, etc

Instead of hiding from your weakness and pretending it doesn’t exist, face it. Surround yourself with people who are better in that area and allow them to serve. Great leaders are not great leaders because they don’t have weaknesses. They are great leaders because they empower those around them to shine where they themselves lack.

It’s time you maximize your weakness and be vulnerable with your team. Allow others to shine. Lead out of humility and you will foster an incredible team.

Go.

Why You Should Get A Kindle Too

For Christmas this year I got a Kindle (affiliate link). As an avid reader, I knew I wanted to transition to an e-reader sooner than later. I get a lot of questions as to why I didn’t just get an iPad. Well, after much thought, research, and reading Michael Hyatt’s insightful posts, I decided on the Kindle.

Before you iPad users start hurling electronic, flaming darts at my Kindle, read on.

Here’s why I like it and why you should get one too:

1. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE READING

Whereas the iPad is a multitasking device, the Kindle is simply an e-reader. I think this limitation is one of its strengths. For me to focus on reading great books and getting the most out of it, I don’t want to be distracted by Twitter, Facebook, email, blogs, notifications, etc. I think people read less these days because of those very distractions (which can be great in moderation, btw). As I’ve read the Kindle the last couple weeks, I’ve forgotten about the device and get immersed in the book. Score.

2. E-BOOKS ARE CHEAPER THAN PRINTED BOOKS

Most Kindle books cost between 7-10 bucks. You can’t buy books at Borders for that price any day. There are also over 775,000 books to choose from, which is the largest selection of any ebook market. I’ve tried to find books in Apple’s iBook store, and they’re just not there most of the time.

3. DOWNLOAD BOOKS IN LESS THAN A MINUTE

While the books are cheaper, it’s also easier to spend money on them. I have the Kindle 3G + WiFi so I can download any book anywhere in less than a minute. Painless spending. Keep it under control, and this is a great thing 🙂

4. ATTRACTIVE INTERFACE

To be honest, the Kindle is just fun to hold. It’s super thin, light, and easy on the eyes. I’ve heard people say that they get a headache after staring at an iPad for too long. Not sure if that’s true, but the Kindle really looks more like paper, which is great on the eyes.

5. CUT DOWN ON CLUTTER

Let’s face it. For the most part, you only read a book once. They usually just sit on a shelf for the rest of your life and just take up a lot of space. I like things to be minimal and organized, so the Kindle is great. I can hold up to 3,500 books on it. Did you hear that? 3,500. That’s more than I think I’ll ever read in my entire life. Here’s to a clean, clutter free home and lots of books. Score.

6. BOOKS SYNC ON ALL YOUR MOBILE DEVICES

This is such a great feature. Start reading a book on your Kindle, head over to your laptop and pick up where you left off with the Kindle app, then leave the house with your iPhone/iPad and continue reading. Each device syncs wirelessly. I love the fact that I have can have ALL MY BOOKS with me at ALL TIMES. Wonderful.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? ARE YOU A Kindle, IPAD, NOOK, SONY, OR SOMETHING ELSE?