Immersion Worship

Set 1
1. Happy Day (Tim Hughes)
2. Salvation Is Here (Hillsong Utd)

Set 2
1. Everything (Tim Hughes)
2. Fearfully & Wonderfully Made (Matt Redman)

Thoughts
It was great to have the full team back again this week. I always feel like we’re at our strongest on the spiritual front when we’re all there and can stand in unity as we worship. I think this really showed yesterday.

We opened with ‘Happy Day’, which I think has become something of a congregation favourite, and it’s one of my favourites too. And we continued the resurrection theme with ‘Salvation Is Here’, which was really tight. I’ve been really enjoying the opening songs for the last few weeks, as there has been an atmosphere of real celebration and joy that is refreshing.

Scott and Mary were away on vacation this week, so Mark Turner (Scott’s dad) was with us and he brought a fantastic message on taking steps of faith. He used a clip from ‘What About Bob’ which illustrated his point seamlessly, and the message then segued really nicely in to ‘Everything’, a Tim Hughes song that we were debuting.

I was really impressed with the way the band came together for that song. I had cancelled rehearsal last week for a couple of reasons, but wanted to keep the new song in the set. Everyone did their homework and came prepared, knowing their parts. After a few times through it during soundcheck, we were good, and when we sang it during the service, it seemed like we had rehearsed it a hundred times. Everyone on the team was immersed in their worship to God and the congregation followed.

We closed the service with ‘Fearfully & Wonderfully Made’, which the church by now have learned and will be a mainstay in our worship. We vamped on it for a while after the service was closed to keep the atmosphere alive for those who were receiving prayer or just wanted to stay in the moment a while longer, and it was an opportunity for me to just step back from the microphone and enjoy worshipping with my guitar only. Really nice.

Finally, it was Joey’s last Sunday with the band. He’s been incredibly faithful and a joy to have on the team, and whoever comes in to play bass with us next has some big shoes to fill.

Next week we have Summit Unplugged again, back by popular demand. I can’t wait.

I was reading a comment made over at Blending Worship in response to the Brian McLaren video. The commenter was putting forth their thoughts about the demerits of a “religion-less Christianity” and it got me thinking about that.

I’d be the first to stand up and say that Christianity is not about religion; it’s about relationship. There are those that will point to the religion that the jews practiced when Jesus walked the earth and say that it was the religion that God gave to them. This is true, but today we are under a new covenant.

I get tired of religion in church. By religion, I mean the straightjacket imposition of rules about how to live your life as a Christian. No smoking. No drinking. No tattoos or piercings. No listening to secular music. No dancing. No rock bands in church. No talking about sex or pornography or drugs or any of the other plethora of issues that are entirely relevant to the struggles of every person in today’s society, both the believer and the unbeliever.

The disciples went to Jesus one day and said “What’s the greatest commandment?” They basically wanted Jesus to sum things up for them and tell them what life is all about. They were asking for the Bible Cliff Notes. The Reader’s Digest version. And he said two things: “Love God” and “Love each other”. I don’t know about anyone else, but that speaks volumes about relationship and nothing about religion.

That’s not to say that loving God doesn’t introduce boundaries on our lives. Of course it does. If we love Him, we want to obey Him, so we want to stay away from the things that can harm us and tempt us, and instead strive for purity and integrity and honesty and Godly disciplines. But that’s still not religion. That’s relationship.

Let me put this another way that I think helps illustrate things. Hugging in church bothers me. That’s not to say I think that it’s wrong; I think a hug from the right person at the right time can work wonders when someone is going through a hard time. The problem is that many hugs in church are phoney. People hug strangers because they think it’s the “Christian” thing to do. Whoever started that? If anything, that’s a blatantly religious act. For many people who have never been in a church before, getting hugged by a stranger is weird and odd and could quite easily scare them. How is that “loving others”?

Maybe I’ll catch some flack for this from some people at The Summit, but if I reject your hug, don’t be offended. And when I offer a hug to someone, it’s because I mean it and I offer it as an act of friendship and love to someone I know. Not because it’s “just something we Christians do”. Do you see the difference?

So, when it comes to religion-less Christianity, I say “right on”. Jesus did too. There are plenty of examples where Jesus acted in the face of religion in the interests of relationship. In fact, remove the word “Christianity” and you’re left with a very simple decision to make. For most people, making a decision for Christ comes down to three simple questions. Does God exist (and if so, what am I going to do about it)? Is the Bible true (and if so, what does that mean for me)? And who is Jesus (and if He is who He claims to be, how will this reality change my life)?

Everything points away from a religious experience and points towards an honest, intimate, transparent relationship with God through Jesus.

I stand by my conviction on this; it’s not about religion, it’s about relationship.

The video below is an excerpt from a series the Sundance Channel did not so long ago. The main subject is Jay Bakker; the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker (the timing of this video I think is also apt considering what a lot of people in society have been saying about Tammy Faye since she recently passed away).

The reason why I love this video so much is because there is a transparency that is evident with Jay that is refreshing to see. While I’m sure there are those in the church that would bash this guy for his tattoos and piercings and for smoking, I think it’s quite clear the emphasis he puts on his church ministry - come as you are; be who you are. This guy goes on my list of people I’d like to have lunch with.

I’ve been really struggling with the idea that we sometimes treat our involvement with a worship ministry (or in fact any ministry in the church) as a hobby rather than honouring the commitment that we made to God to answer His call on our lives.

This morning I finally got it:

Worship and serve God with your whole heart and with a willing mind.
~ 1 Chronicles 28:9

When I look at how Jesus led His life, and how He worshiped God, I’m inspired to follow His example. Even in the things that were tough for Him, He went with a willing mind and poured His whole heart in to it, setting an example for the way we should approach serving Him and serving the church.

I guess what it comes down to is that my ideas and plans and agendas are nothing compared to God’s, and I need to learn how to leave them behind so I can receive everything that God has for me, but even more than that; so that I can be the leader that God wants me to be. That means worshiping and serving with the whole of my heart, and with a willing mind.

Set 1
1. Name Above All Names
2. Your Love Is Amazing
3. Happy Day

Set 2
1. Surrender
2. Hungry

Thoughts
Considering the fact that we down to half a worship team today, I thought on a musical level, we did excellently. The essentials were there - bass, drums, and me on guitar and vocals - and I think because we were so stripped down, we all had to work that little bit harder to fill in the gaps. I got creative with my delay pedal and amp mic’ing as well, and the result was a full and tight sound.

Anyway, it was our 6 month anniversary. Can’t believe that it’s been 6 months since that launch group of 15 or so people stepped out on a limb and trusted God to build His church. And by all accounts, He is doing so.

I think the fact that we were under strength also once again brought home the need th shed my own ideas of how to go about things and rely on God to work through me. The Spirit let and we all followed. It was particularly sweet at the very end, during Hungry. I took my in-ear monitors out of my ears and the voices of the congregation just blew me away. Not only were we worshiping corporately, but as I opened my eyes it became obvious that there were personal moments going on all over the room.

Next Sunday, Scott and Mary are out of town on vacation (and if anyone needs a vacation, it’s them), so Scott’s dad is in town to preach. I love hearing him preach, he always has a message that’s right on and God has always used him to nail something in my heart, so I’m really looking forward to it.

You’ve probably noticed the new look. I think I prefer this simpler, slimmed down version of Immersion. Much cleaner.

For the Summit team, your resource links have been relocated to the top right of the page. Your username and password remains the same.

And I’m a slacker, I know. There’s been no post for over a week. I shall remedy it shortly.

Set 1
1. Because of Your Love (Paul Baloche)
2. Happy Day (Tim Hughes)
3. Your Grace Is Enough (Chris Tomlin)

Set 2
1. How Great Is Our God (Chris Tomlin)
2. How Great Thou Art (Refrain)

Thoughts
Yesterday, Scott and Mary gave out the very first ‘Summit Award’ (that some of us are affectionately calling ‘The Summies’). The idea behind the award is to recognize those who work hard at The Summit, to encourage and reward, and also exemplify what it is to be a servant. And the first award goes to…my wife! Fantastic. She really is a hard worker and does it all with the right attitude and the right heart. She’s awesome.

The music yesterday was good. We debuted ‘Happy Day’ by Tim Hughes, and it really rocked out. Musically, it was tight and happening, and the congregation received it really well. I think there were some people who were already familiar with it, as it seemed like there was a real offering to God of praise and celebration, even though it was the first time we had sung it together. This one will be a mainstay for a while.

Scott and Mary tag-teamed the sermon, which worked really well. The message was about keys to healthy relationships, and although they spoke mostly of their experience in marriage, the message applied to all kinds of relationships. Of course, it ultimately comes down to the very first point they made - #1: God First.

Afterwards, we sang ‘How Great Is Our God’ and ad libbed ‘How Great Thou Art’ at the end. It was powerful and I had one of those moments again when I just got lost in the Spirit and felt Him leading us in worship. The more I seek those moments, the more they happen, and they more they happen, the more I seek them.

Next week we’re down a couple of people from the band, so that will effect the song choices for the week, but that’s perfectly okay; God told us to make a joyful noise, not a perfect sound.

Christian and I referenced this video in our latest podcast. It’s interesting and I think more than just take a dig at those that attempt to ‘produce’ worship, it highlights the unrealistic and incorrect pressures that the “church” puts on worship leaders to produce a feeling or an atmosphere, rather than simply offering true worship and letting the Holy Spirit lead.

Set 1
1. Name Above All Names (Tim Hughes)
2. Here Is Our King (David Crowder Band)
3. Salvation Is Here (Hillsong United)

Set 2
1. Whole World In His Hands (Tim Hughes)
2. Wholly Yours (David Crowder Band)
1. Show My Love (James Ridgers)
2. Surrender (Vineyard)

Thoughts
I was so far off my game going in to this morning’s service, I felt like everything would collapse. I woke up with a heaviness and a burden, just weighing me down, and I knew that God was trying to speak to me but I was missing the clarity. All I got was the word ‘remember’.

Then before service, as the band were praying together and having communion together, God began to reveal to me what He was trying to say. And slowly, throughout the service, God gave me a message of remembrance and response; to remember that as much as we love to display our joy in the Lord, that we were first His joy. And to remember that as much as we love Him, He first loved us. And to remember that as often as we come to offer a sacrifice of praise and worship to Him, none of it would be possible had He not first sacrificed and surrendered Himself.

God really prompted a response to that, so at the beginning of the second set, I shared what God had said to me, and then rather than singing the songs we had rehearsed and planned for, we sang a few lines of a song I wrote about six or seven years ago called ‘Show My Love’ and from there we went in to ‘Surrender’. The heaviness lifted and I found myself knowing God more. When God speaks, the world is irrelevant, and that’s when we find the expression from our soul to truly worship. It was pretty amazing.

Practically speaking, the morning was a bit of a nightmare. We dropped the first song of the set in the interests of time. And for whatever reason, all the in-ear monitor mixes got jacked up between soundcheck and service. I don’t know what everyone else could or couldn’t hear, but I couldn’t hear my guitar or voice or the click track. I just had a whole lot of bass guitar and kick drum. The rest of the band also left the stage unsure of what had happened. I think this is an area that we need to get our heads together on and figure out what we can do to bring some excellence and consistency.

It was also quite cold in the room and I found it really hard to sing. Thankfully, Camille and Jaime sounded strong and carried me most of the way!

I was really encouraged this morning to find an email from someone who’s been attending The Summit, asking about joining the worship team. I put a small paragraph in the bulletin advertising the open door to the worship team, and I’m glad there was a response. I’m looking forward to the next few months as the team grows and gets reshaped.

Finally, I had been planning on introducing a video ‘Worship Confessional’ series starting this week, but as I flipped on my camcorder this morning, there was a small fizz and the picture went black. Time to find the warranty methinks!…