Worship Soundtrack For Life

Truelife has just started a new series of messages entitled: “Worship, Soundtrack For Life.”  When many of us hear this term “worship” we may think music, but music is just one pathway in worship.  Here are other pathways I think of when we talk about worship:

1. Contemplation / journaling – we see this throughout Psalms through the writings of King David
2. Serving : As we honor each other and those less fortunate, we are honoring God.
3. Compassion: Helping the sick and helpless.
4. Pursuing Dreams: Going after those dreams that God has put in our hearts.

The key to each act of worship is our heart connection while engaging in these pathways.  We should be striving to bring honor to God in everything thing that we do in life.  In our home, workplace, and community.  Since we are carrying the presence of God, people around us should scense God’s peace, kindness, and love.  Though this is not new to many of us, the reality of making worship our life can be difficult.  Sometimes we place our desires above God’s and His plan for our lives.

The question I asked Truelife on Sunday was, what 1 step do you need to take in your life to begin engaging in worship?  For many of us it is as simple as making a mind shift regarding worship. “Everyhing I do is to bring honor to God!”.  What is your step foraward?

 

New Worship Album

A friend of mine recommended that I check out http://elevationchurch.org  As I went to their worship page  I found that they have produced a couple of albums.  If you like Desperation Band, I think you’ll love this team of worshipers.  Their new album is called “We Are Alive.”  you can listen to samples through CD Baby. 

As of July 15th they were giving away 100 CD’s  of the new album “We Are Alive.”  I’d like to thank Wade Joye for posting the give away.   Your team seems to be doing amazing things for the Kingdom.  This is a must for all worship leaders to check out. 

I’m interested to hear if you are finding any new worship albums.

Desperation Band

The Desperation Band has just come out with a new album- “Everyone Overcome.”  Wow!  It is great!  I am using a lot of this album for worship with our youth church.  This worship team is from the youth ministry of New LifeChurch in Colorado Springs.  

You will not be disappointed with their mix.  I have enjoyed every album that I have listened to from them.  They create a great sound that moves you to worship and motivates the listener to sing.   

Heman

I remember when I was growing up in the 80’s watching the television show – Heman!  He was the most powerful man in the universe that battled the evil forces of Skeletor! Though Heman was a fictional character on TV, the boy in me wanted to believe that there was such a man with powers to fight the forces of evil.  As I have been going through the book of 1 Kings I found another Heman who has great strength in wisdom and in leadership.  Check out what scripture says:

Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.  1 Kings 4:30-31

The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them. 1 Chronicles 35:15

As we see in scripture Heman was full of wisdom.  He was the grandson of Samuel and son of Joel.  We also see that King David and King Solomon used Heman’s wisdom in making decisions about organizing events.  We don’t know in detail everything he did, but we do know that he was a great leader.  I’m sure there were many who looked up to Heman in his day and would aspire to be like Him. 

We also see in 1 Chronicles 16: 41-43 that Heman had a background in music.  We see that Solomon had him along with others, oversee the sounding of the trumpet, cymbals and other instruments.  I’m not sure about you, but I’m not going to appoint a person who has no idea about music over the orchestra.  That would be disastrous! You would never know what kind of sounds would come from them!  I would want someone who has shown he has the ability to lead my orchestra. 

 Heman isn’t recorded as the strongest man battling the powers of darkness, but we do see that he is a leader, full of wisdom -He was ranked just below Solomon, and a worshiper!  This guy was making a difference by embracing the gifts that God had given him and used them to impact a nation and a people as he served the kings of Israel. 

Simon of Cyrene

Many of us have read the passage of scripture that says to “take up our cross and follow Christ,” but one man that we read about in scripture literally took and carried the cross of Christ.  His name is Simon of Cyrene.  I can’t imagine the emotion and thoughts that must of raced through Simon’s mind.  Scripture tells us

Luke 23:26-27:  that As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.  A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.

Matthew 27:32-33:  As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

(Matthew 15:21)

Simon was coming in from the country expecting to get to his destination, but on his way he was seized and made to carry Jesus’ cross.  The act of carrying Jesus’ cross must have been life altering, to be forced to aid in the execution of the son of God must have weighed heavily upon Simon.  The shock of being forced to carry the cross is emotional enough, but to think that Simon had the opportunity to serve our Savior at the hour of his greatest pain must have taken this brutal crucifixion and transformed it into a life changing act of worship. 

To carry our cross is more then a pain ridden path to death. To carry our cross daily  reveals a surrendered heart of love for the one who bore our sin, shame and our greatest pain – even death on a cross!  How will you choose to carry your cross?  In shame and regret or in surrenderence as an act of worship? 

Steve Harvey’s Introducing Christ

If you haven’t seen Steve Harvey’s video on how he would introduce Christ if he had the chance, you’ve got to check this out!  To me that’s worship!  Great job Steve!

My Life?

You may have notice the mynakedpastor.com tag on my blog.  I just heard about Troy Gramling this morning.  Troy will be on a 24-hour webcam for five weeks starting 9/9.  The thought that came to me as I read about Troy was, “what would people see in my life if I had a webcam connected to me for 24 hours?”  Would my life look any different than our culture?  Would I display Godly characteristics that would encourage and help others to live out their faith? 

I am all for reaching the post-modern / post church, BUT – yes but, I believe their is a fine line between reaching people with the gospel message and blending in with the culture so much that we no longer carry the presence and the power of God for daily living out our life as we see in 2 Peter 1.  I would hope that people would see that being a believer is fun, that I take my relationship with God seriously, that I honor and interact with my family in a way that builds them up in Christ.  I know for me, each morning after I spend time in scripture and prayer I go to my wife’s computer and I see digital scripture note on her desk top…that is so encouraging to read what God is doing in her life.  So I would hope that my life would give honor to God (true worship) and bring encouragement to the body of Christ.  What would people say about your life?

Expressing Worship

I was listening to Brian McLaren’s thoughts on worship and can understand what he is saying.  Being a worship leader, we a have a role to encourage the church to engage in singing a song which we call worship.  Some sing and declare worship to God get something in return from God.  Many times an emotional experience.    I’m not saying that we should stop using music, but I think it goes back to bringing people to a place where they can express to God true adoration, love, and thankfulness for who God is and not just a sing feast, trying to sing the latest song.  Let’s help people learn how to humble themselves before an Almighty God…and truly express generosity for everything that He has done for us that often times we give no notice too.  Worship is not a song, but a voice of God’s people expression reverence…and as Dan Kimball says, “Express love, devotion, adoration and praise to God.” Not to get something from Him, but to go to God with an offering, “offering our prayers, lives, praise, confessions, finances, and service to the church body.”  What will you give as you worship?