Worship Matters: part 1

I'm currently reading a book called "Worship Matters: Leading others to encounter the greatness of God" by Bob Kauflin. As a read through it, i'm going to be posting my thoughts on the various things that jumped out at me or connected with where i'm at. It's not a "review" of the book, but rather a "what impacted joe" overview.

"Worship matters. It matters to God because he is the one ultimately worthy of all worship. It matters to us because worshipping God is the reason for which we were created. And it matters to every worship leader, because we have no greater privilege than leading others to encounter the greatness of God. That's why it's so important to think carefully about what we do and why we do it."

This was from the end of chapter one. In this chapter Bob talked about several issues/feelings that he has experienced in leading worship that i really connected with... things like "what's the point of this?" "does it have any eternal value?" and feeling dry and empty in the midst of leading worship. God's reminder: "that's exactly what it would be like with out me - pointless." Worship really matters, but we also need to look at what matters in worship...

So, often I catch myself trying to lead on my own, thinking that i've got what i need to do it and I end up with that empty feeling. In chapter two, Kauflin talks about this struggle in terms of "what our heart loves". He summed this up on page 25.

"In my pride I had lost sight of what really matters. I had overlooked what couldn't be clearer in scripture. Jesus said the greatest commandment is this: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37). While it's simplistic to say that worship is love, it's a fact that what we love most will determine what we genuinely worship"

"Thats why as worship leaders our primary concern can't be song preparation, creative arrangements, or the latest cool gear. Our primary concern has to be the state of our hearts."

Man, talk about a great reminder. The primary concern of a worship leader is make sure is heart is fully and authentically worshipping God. Its so easy, with good intentions, to focus on what will cause the audience to worship God. This isn't a bad focus, but can't be our
primary.

The universe, God, and man... (John Piper)

"Man must reside on tiny planet earth in a seemingly infinite universe. And the universe must look infinite to be a fitting picture of what it cannot be: infinite. Only God is infinite. The universe is declaring that. Pretty well."

check out the whole post here...

David Ruis on worship...

I came across this in book called "The Worship God is Seeking" by David Ruis. (a vineyard worship leader/artist/songwriter.) A great read about worship, justice and the Kingdom of God.

"The worship God is seeking relies completely on His initiative, knowing that the only true expression of worship is through the abandonment of all our agendas for His, as we trust in His sovereign power and unlimited grace. It is from this heart posture that true liturgy flows, that music and arts find their highest calling and that the light of a worshipping community shines as a beacon of hope to a suffering and search world."

What struck me was the call for the "abandonment of all our agendas for His." Surrender is the result of true, authentic worship of God.

Worship?

Two questions from a worship leader looking to better understand worship...
I would appreciate your input...

1. What is the most important thing for church leadership (pastors, worship leaders, elders) to do, teach and/or model in order to encourage, facilitate and aid an authentic, vibrant, holy spirit lead, worship service on a regular basis? (looking mainly at the "worship service" aspect of worship, although realizing that the "lifestyle" of worship is directly connected to the "worship" service, so answers pertaining to both are appropriate.)

2. What is the greatest hindrance/distraction that keeps a congregation (that keeps you) from worshiping authentically and wholeheartedly in a worship service? (Basically, what keeps/distacts you from worshipping with an "all that you are/whole body, spirit, mind" type of freedom?)

Signs you are too emergent!

I saw this post over at Take You Vitamin Z

and thought it was good for a few laughs... 

Signs you are too emergent...

20. You only curse around fundamentalists.

19. You leave your church because the sermon was not obscure enough.

18. You refer to your local assembly as “church,” “synagogue,” or “mosque” depending on who you are talking to.

17. Your blog is a rant about how everyone else rants too much.

16. You brag that you have never been pinned down theologically on any issue.

15. The only thing you are sure of is that others cannot be sure of anything.

14. You bring your own wine to communion.

13. You are offended when someone says they are going to “Preach the Gospel” or “Teach the truth” believing they should just “Tell a story.”

12. Instead of a tract, you carry a can of Play-doh in you back pocket.

11. Your website links to Green Peace and the Democratic National Convention just because conservatives are against it.

10. You start a Christian blog, but leave it blank, fearing that you might offend someone.

9. You are not any good at art, yet you continue to present the Gospel by painting stick figures on recycled paper.

8. When you present the Gospel, Heaven is renamed The Matrix and you call Christ Neo.

7. Your church caters from Whole Foods.

6. Every sermon illustration begins with “The other night I was drinking a beer and . . .”

5. You have yet to read the book of Romans believing Paul was too modern in his thinking.

4. Your car has a bumper sticker that reads “I think my boss is a Jewish carpenter but I can’t know for certain”

3. You will not hire a pastor who has NOT been divorced.

2. You don’t worship on Sundays because everyone else does.

1. You evaluate truth by asking how many people hold to it. If it is too popular, then it is wrong.

Joel Osteen... somethings wrong here...

Ok, so i'm not going to rant. I'm not going to accuse and be obnoxious. I'm not going to adamantly criticize. Even though i really feel like doing all of those things.

Something is very, very wrong with the "christian" message that popular "christian pastor" Joel Olsteen is preaching and promoting. It saddens me to see so many people buying into this message that is so far from what Jesus actually taught and lived. If you want to send a message of hope through bettering yourself and a sure way to prosperity and physical blessings,,, go ahead, but don't you dare attach the name of Jesus to it and pull a few select (out of context) versus from the bible to support your views... people will discover soon enough that physical stuff just won't satisfy. Only Jesus will.

i don't consider that ranting,,, :) but i will stop while i'm ahead.

Read this link from ben witherington and let me know what you think.

the mystery of the absence of God's presence...

ok, so this is my first real post... and its not actually a real post... i'm simply referenceing a post of another blog which i am subscibed to.
What Micheal Spencer says here really got me thinking... I think it has changed my approach to those times where i feel distent from the presence of God for a season. In the past, during these times, i've tried to muster up my "spirituality" by telling myself that i must spend more time reading the bible or praying and seeking to find God, which i do, even though those times seem dry... I think those things are good and appropiate, but I think Michael has a better approach...

here are a few excerpts from a post called "Mother Teresa and the Mystery of God's Absence" on a blog called internetmonk.com run by Michael Spencer
go to
http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/mother-teresa-and-the-mystery-of-gods-absence
for the complete posting...


"...What we do know is that from Job to David to Jesus to Teresa to Jack Lewis to Michael Spencer, those who belong to God and have His Spirit go through times, even entire chapters of life, where God’s presence does not come in simple, “felt” ways. God seems to be hiding; to be purposely staying out of reach and out of touch. To what end? For what purpose?...

...The lived spiritual life is a frequent contradiction. I reject the kind of “victorious life” formulaic teaching I grew up hearing in fundamentalist circles, and I must also reject the kind of consumeristic emotional junk food that is found everywhere in evangelicalism as a substitute for the presence of God. As much as I count myself a Christian hedonist, I am suspicious that “Delight yourself in the Lord” is often deeply and significantly misunderstood...

...Where do I look for the presence of God? I have learned that looking for such signs in a spirituality of isolation is pointless. For me, the presence of God meets me in community. In worship. In narrative. In story. In communal prayer. In the imitation of Jesus in serving others. At times, it arrives with surprise, and departs abruptly. The wind blows where it will, and we are pilgrims in the life of prayer and faith. We are not called to be pretenders of certainties that do not exist in our experience..."