are you making room

Have We Left Any Room For The Holy Spirit

I’m a planner. Whether it’s a week out or two months out, I like to have a game plan.

There are several reasons why I believe it is important to be diligently planning ahead. One of the biggest is how much time it ends up saving. Plus I like to get my team as prepared as I can.

But there can be a danger in this. We can literally plan the Holy Spirit right out of our services. Now obviously, He can and still does show up, even despite our own efforts but that is one of the many things I love about the grace of God.

When it comes to the Holy Spirit involved in our worship, I’ve seen both sides of the coin. You have the folks that don’t do any service/song planning and sort of ‘wing it’ on Sunday’s, pulling everything together literally at the last minute. Some would say that this is relying on the power of the Spirit.

But you also have those overly anal people, that not only have the next 6 months planned out, but every word, chord progression, lighting Que, and smile assigned to a time and place. And they too would say, that they are being led by the Holy Spirit.

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Filling in the holes...

 Creating Some Ambience is Well Within Reach

If you listen to any Hillsong live album, you’ll immediately notice the flawless transitions created by huge swells that completely drop off  into an ambient dream scape.

It’s a beautiful thing. 

Of course Hillsong has built quit the worship culture and an incredible team to pull this off. Most of us don’t have the luxury of having two keyboardists and some of us would love to have one.

No worries though. Even if you don’t have a keyboard player you can add some really cool ambience to your sound. And all you need is an mp3 player!

Say what?! Yep, it’s true. In fact, I use one almost every weekend on top of having some fantastic keyboard players.

If you’re skeptical I understand but let me set your minds at ease. This is a really effective, cheap, and simple way of filling in those holes in your sound. If you are undermanned in your band, you will be amazed at how well this works.

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which one are you...

Worship Pastor vs. Worship Leader vs. Song Leader

Do playing a guitar and singing worship songs make you a worship pastor?

Should the title of worship pastor actually refer to anyone with musical ability or who can lead songs?

I’ve wrestled with these questions from time to time and I thought it would be good to start this conversation. I consider myself a worship pastor. Not because it’s a part of my title. Not because I’ve been ordained into the ministry. And not because I lead worship in the local church.

I’m a worship pastor because I shepherd (or lead if you prefer) a group of people on a daily basis. I spend time with them, I cast vision to them, and I challenge them to live authentic, faith-filled lives.

I’ve heard of a handful of churches that have been re-defining the names of various staff members. They are actually taking away the title of ‘pastor’ and ‘minister’ and using more professional terms like ‘director’ and ‘leader’.

This doesn’t really bother me.

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Here are a couple...

I like to read. I read everything from books to blogs to the backs of my cereal boxes. It’s enjoyable (most of the time), it’s a learning opportunity, and most of all it challenges me.

For most of us, reading is an important tool for growth. Whether we are reading the bible, a devotion, a book on life, and occasionally fiction, it keeps us sharp.

I often find myself reading a wide array of topics. Anything from books on marriage, ministry, worship, creativity, philosophy, biographies, and even the Little House on the Praire series! But shhh… don’t tell anyone.

And I wasn’t always like this. When I was younger, I hated to read. It was so boring and uninteresting. I’d rather be outside getting dirty, shooting cans with my BB gun, or playing ball. Reading was for girls. Or so I thought. Then, when I went to bible college, reading made up 50% of our studies. I couldn’t believe all of the books and papers we had to read. But looking back, I see the greatness of literature.

I’ve often heard it said, ‘Great leaders are great readers.’ And that, on top of my personal desire for growth, has made reading a huge part of my life.

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