Immersion Worship

No weekend wrap up from me this week as I was in Las Vegas for a wedding.

On Saturday night I got to hang out with Kurt at a wedding that he was officiating at. Over dinner, we talked a little bit about ministry strategy and about his philosophy of ‘It’s easier to say ‘no’ to a volunteer than to get rid of them later’. When I put the simplicity of this statement aside, I realize how true it is, and it’s helped me arrive at a decision I had been wrestling with. Being direct in this manner helps minimize rejection and prevent division within a ministry. And one thing I am 100% committed to is protecting the unity of the Summit worship team.

One of the biggest thing I struggle with in leadership is separating the ministry from the personal growth of those involved with it. I have to constantly remind myself that the personal growth and walk of the team’s individuals is far more important than the product (for want of a better word) of the ministry itself. I’m learning to deal with that but find myself having to get over my own selfishness. Relationship is always more important in a worship team than sound, excellence, production, or depth, no matter what the cost.

A few people have already said “I’m so happy it’s Friday” to me this morning.

I want to open up a can of 1 Thessalonians 5:16 on them:

Such a short statement, yet incredibly challenging. I must try harder at that.

I flew to Portland earlier this week on business, and while cruising over Yosemite, the captain pointed out Half Dome on the right side of the aircraft, and I gazed in awe across the entire national park that, while seemed so small from a few miles up, was clearly a diverse representation of God’s creativity.

I’ve never been to Yosemite; I hope perhaps this summer Rhonda and I might be able to take a drive up there for a few days. But I’ve seen pictures of Half Dome taken from the ground, and it looks so staggeringly high. Last year some friends of mine hiked to the top; a 13 hour round trip from ground to peak and back down again.

Yet from the sky, it seems so insignificant. Tiny. Like I could step out and crush it.

Sometimes I think we view our challenges and problems from the wrong perspective. When we’re faced with something hard, we look at it from the ground, and like Half Dome, it appears to be insurmountable. It looks so big from where we stand and the sheer mass of the problems discourages us and we tell ourselves we can’t get over, round, or under it.

Perhaps we should look at our problems from the same perspective that I had of Half Dome on Tuesday - from above. From God’s perspective. If we do that, it helps us understand that in the grand scheme of things, our problems are not so significant that they can’t be overcome. They’re not the mountains we see from the ground, but small bumps on the landscape that we see from the air. Most importantly, it helps us to remember that nothing is impossible for God. The Bible says that we are more than conquerors. The things we think are impossible for us to overcome aren’t just possible in God, they are already defeated.

I need to keep this in mind when dealing with challenges; there is always a picture and a plan that is bigger than the moment, the frustration, the obstacle, or the problem.

I was reading Kurt’s Blog and his thoughts on strategic approaches to his Junior High ministry, and it got me thinking about the place of strategic thinking in a worship ministry.

The way I see it is very simple. A unique community and culture surrounds every church, whether the church is in an urban, suburban, or rural environment. Music in a worship service can be a powerful vehicle of outreach if it is strategically designed with the surrounding community in mind. That’s basic Demographics 101 class. The tough part of the task is learning how to identify the specific cultural context relevant to your church and then figure out what steps to take in order to reach the immediate community using elements of creative arts in a strategic and relevant manner.

At The Summit, I think we do a reasonable job of this, but we could do so much better. Because the church is so young, there isn’t yet a clear demographic representation of the local community and culture, so the tendency is for us to stylize our music in a way that represents who we are, but also represents the kind of church we like to attend. Now that I’ve given this more thought, I’m not entirely convinced that is the best way to use music as a evangelistic tool.

I hope over the next 9 to 12 months to really identify the cultural aspect and make some strategic decisions that are in line with that.

Someone told me today that the comment function hasn’t been working in Internet Explorer. So I went ahead and fixed that. Not that I get many comments anyway :o)

Set 1
Name Above All Names
Your Love Is Amazing
Awesome Is The Lord Most High

Set 2
Whole World In His Hands
Wholly Yours

Thoughts
Yesterday morning was a tough morning for me. I battled through a bunch of negativity and frustration for the whole morning. The tactics that the enemy uses somewhat amuse me; he uses division and disunity for their knock-on effects - I was forgetting the words and chord changes during rehearsal for songs that we’ve done plenty of times; songs that I know well.

The good news is that God is far bigger than the enemy, far bigger than us, and far bigger than the songs we play. When it came down to it, I didn’t forget the words, and I didn’t forget the chord changes. Again, a case of me getting out of the way and God taking control.

Joel led us in prayer and communion before the service, and it was such an enormously lifting experience. I really felt like our team unity got attacked yesterday, but by the time we were done praying, it seemed like God had just stitched us all back together again. I applaud the band for battling through and I say it again; I’m so proud of each and every one of them. I really could not imagine the Summit without them, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to worship with.

Next week I’m out of town (in Sin City no less), so a guest worship leader is coming in. He plays keyboards and jammed with us last Thursday night at rehearsal. Any Summit-ers(Summiteers? Summitites? Summitons?…I think I like Summiteers the best) reading this; make sure you get there on Sunday and invite your friends - John is going to do an awesome job! I’ve got to say that it was simply awesome to have him and his wife at rehearsal, and I’ve got the bug to find a keyboard player now.

See you in a couple of weeks…

Set 1
1. Name Above All Names
2. Here Is Our King
3. Giver of Life

Set 2
1. ‘Til I See You
2. How Great Is Our God

Thoughts

This weekend was tougher than most; we were down two musicians and so had to work with a subbed bassist (my father-in-law, incidentally, who did an excellent job) and just the one guitar. Everyone pulled together to fill in the gaps, and it was excellent. I had more than handful of people approach me after the service to compliment the vocal harmonies; major kudos to Jaime and Camille for their hard work.

We’ve continued to share communion together before service and it has really made a difference. It’s amazing how a simple act of unity helps us all realign our focus and approach our collective task of leading worship with the same vision and mindset. It’s always incredible how God moves in when we move out of the way. If only I’d learn to do that all the time.

Next week we’re back to a full band; Joey and Joe will be back, and I can’t wait. We’re doing a song that I wrote last year, so I’m very interested to see how that is received, and we’ve got a feature song in addition to the regular set, so that’ll add a new element as well.

If you are stressed, worried or freaking out about anything then keep this in mind: THE TOMB IS EMPTY, JESUS IS ALIVE. If God can bring the dead back to life then He can handle your problem. The thing that is freaking you out hasn’t freaked Him out.

Psalm 100:8

I will put to silence all the wicked

Or perhaps the TLB translation might once again come in handy…verses 5 and 6…

I will not tolerate anyone who secretly slanders his neighbour;
I will not permit conceit and pride.
I will make the Godly of the land my heroes,
and invite them to my home…

What an encouragement - David is saying that he will make a conscious effort to focus on the good and give no room for the bad. How applicable is that to our lives, in a world that is dominated by bad?

Again, this doesn’t have to be a huge task. For example, read a good book rather than a less edifying one (hint: The Bible is a good start!). Or check what music you listen to. When I was in my late teens, I threw out a lot of music that contained negative messages and images. And how about who we hang out with? Plan to be with people who help you and uplift you and encourage you rather than those who gossip and bicker and slander.

“I Will” is such a simple yet powerful statement. I will sing constantly of God’s love and justice. I will lead a blameless life and walk with a blameless heart at home. I will avoid ungodly distraction. I will feed on the good things of God and His love.

I hadn’t really intended the “I Will” idea to become a series of posts, but no sooner am I done posting one thought and another pops in to my head.

Psalm 100:3

I will set before my eyes no vile thing

It took me a while to figure out what it was that David had in mind when he wrote this. He didn’t have TV or DVD or magazines or the Internet, but still he’s got something on his mind that he knows he must avoid if he is to stay plugged in to God. What was happening around him that was affecting the way he thought?

I know from experience that what we see affects us far more than we realize. There have been some major things that I used to struggle with in my life that God has set me free from, all of which where visual and all of which led me to sin. And even emotionally, what we see affects us. I’m over it now, but I remember when I was a kid, I saw images on the news of a ferry that capsized in the English channel just a few weeks before I was due to go on a ferry just like it. When it came time, I was petrified, and I stayed that way for several years afterwards.

Images on our TV screens and on the news are preceded by a warning that they are graphic and may affect some viewers. That in itself is a recognition by society that what we see affects us.

The Bible encourages us to set our minds on things of God instead. If we fill our minds with earthly images, they will affect us negatively. If we fill our minds with the vision of God, it will affect us positively.