How Creating Art Will Make You a Better Worship Leader

April 27, 2012 in Creativity, Worship with 4 Comments

If you have anything to do with leading worship… you are an artist.

Sure, there are varying degrees of art, but nonetheless you are an artist.

And what makes art so great? Is it creating something from nothing? Or maybe creating (or recreating) something beautiful?

As worship leaders, we have the unique opportunity to help make worship a beautiful expression of that which we find worthy. Namely God. But often times, this role or job or gift, can become somewhat monotonous. We revert back to a worship cover band with no real passion for the object of our worship.

But I have found one key element in helping me stay creative and fresh. It’s the simple act of creating art. Yes, creating art has a natural way of rejuvenating the artistic soul.

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The First Fifteen – Starting Your Rehearsals Off Right

April 26, 2012 in Leadership, Worship with 3 Comments

Do your rehearsals ever feel rushed?

Yeah, I think we’ve all been there. We either fly by the seat of our pants or struggle to find a good rhythm and flow during our practice times. I recently switched things up during our midweek rehearsals that really helped. I call it the 20 Minute Tune Up and it has been a huge for us.

But today, I thought I’d focus on one important aspect of any gathering, especially worship practice.

I’m calling it the First Fifteen and instead of writing it out, I thought I’d try my hand at video blogging.

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7 Tips for Leading Worship on Acoustic Guitar

April 24, 2012 in Fundamentals, Worship with 19 Comments

My acoustic guitar is like my Linus blanket. Without it, I feel a bit naked.

When it comes to leading worship, many of us lead with an instrument. Whether it’s a keyboard or a guitar, we usually have something in our hands.

I’m an acoustic type of guy. I like how an acoustic has the ability to lead a song without being too overbearing. It’s leads strongly and simply. It fills in the holes at times and gives you that raw organic type of sound.

But there’s really more to leading worship than three chords and a strumming pattern.

Believe it or not, you can create dynamics in your worship leading using only an acoustic. Likewise, you can also destroy moments with the flick of a wrist.

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Ascend the Hill’s Newest Worship Album for Free

April 21, 2012 in Music, Worship with 0 Comments

I’m a huge fan of Ascend the Hill.

They jumped onto the worship music scene a couple of years ago with their self title album and have since been tearing it up.

Their hymn album is constantly playing on my iPod and is in my opinion, one of the best hymn albums out.

ATH just released their third album, O Ransomed Son, this past Tuesday and they just keep getting better.

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Encouragement… 5 Keys for Healthy Teams

April 17, 2012 in Team Building, Worship with 0 Comments

Let’s be honest… we love being encouraged.

We try to keep our ego’s in check along with our pride, but having someone tell you how awesome you are is just, well… awesome!

It has the ability to lift someone up and out of a rut and give them the motivation to keep doing what they’re doing.

Likewise, negative feedback can completely disable a person. And the negative ones are the ones we remember. However, I believe there is another danger that we often overlook.

Silence…

This is a confidence killer. When musicians and team members feel un-appreciated an overlooked, it can lead to a poor attitude and a horrible team environment.

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The Ten Commandments to Starting Sunday

April 16, 2012 in Fundamentals, Worship with 0 Comments

It’s another hectic, chaotic, and stressful Sunday morning.

But it doesn’t have to be. Granted, you can’t control those unexpected, unavoidable situations like the computer crashing or the power going out. But there are quite a few areas you can control that will help eliminate loads of stress and get you started on the right foot.

I call them the Ten Commandments to Starting Sunday and I hope they’re as helpful to you as they are to me.

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The Four Foundations for Every Worship Drummer

April 13, 2012 in Fundamentals, Worship with 2 Comments

Your drums are the foundation of a great band.

Like I mentioned in yesterday’s post… a good worship drummer can absolutely make you or break you.

And while learning how to speak their language is crucial, it simply won’t be enough. Your drummer will need to be able to keep good time and drive the song.

This is easier said than done. So where should you and your drummer start? I’d start here.

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