Stop, and be with me.

Even though we are past Chapter 3, I wanted to mention something I found on page 30. Kauflin says, "Getting to know God is time consuming. We live in the age of instant everything. We want a life-changing devotional in fifteen minutes max" and goes on to say "Given our small minds , our absolute dependence on revealed truth, and the immensity of God, how can we thing there is an easy path to knowing the God we worship?"

This stopped me in my tracks, and brought me to the word. How can I expect to do things in a way that glorifies God, while totally ignoring who God is and trying to discern His will without consulting His Word?

I was brought to Philippians 2:3-4, which says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." This is exactly how Christ lived, how can I not do the same?

God needed me to stop what I was doing, and listen to Him through His word to prepare me for my day.

The Task

Worship Matters Chapter 4

In chapter 4 he mentions that skill level matters to God and it should matter to us too. But then he also says “Skill Doesn’t Make Worship More Acceptable before God”. That almost sounds contradictory, but he’s absolutely correct. If we do develop a skill level where music is an extension of us, then we could play from the heart and that is what God does listen to. I love when he says “All gifts from God are intended to direct our attention to God and create fresh affection for God”

I developed my bass chops from secular music like funk, jazz, rock and Latin. I was inspired by great bass players in that scene and never listened to Christian music to develop my playing. But I can honestly tell you that playing for the Lord is the most rewarding musical and spiritual experience I’ve ever had. Bottom line, it all belongs to Him.

I believe what the author of this book is telling us in this chapter is to give the Lord our best always and acknowledge that our gift of music is exactly that. Being a musician on a worship team to me is like being a chef. Practicing is like gathering all your ingredients for this spectacular meal that you are fixing to serve a very special guest.

Dr. Thompson

Hey if anyone is interested, here is the website for the hospital that Dr. David Thompson serves at in Gabon.

http://www.bongolohospital.org/

From Judy Rodrigues

I know were past ch. 2 but I loved how he clearified it.  "That worship isn't primarily about music, techniques, liturgues, songs, or methodologies.  It's about our hearts.  It's about what and who we love more than anything."   And that is why, " a worship leaders primary concern can't be song preparation, creative arrangements, or the latest gear. Primary concern has to be the state of our hearts."   pg:25-26.

From Michael Lachina

I love this book. Thanks Paul for making us read it, ( just kidding ). It really makes you stop and check the condition of your heart and think about the kind of idols we set up in our lives.

It made me see how we can start off by doing the right thing and worship God only, but somehow get side tracked and lose our focus.

In chapter 1, I liked when he said "As worship leaders. we're helping people connect with the purpose for which they were created --- to glorify the living God". And he also said "Worship is about what we love - what we live for".

In chapter 2, there were a couple of things that jumped out at me when he said "When I sought glory for myself and praise for my accomplishments, I wasn't depending on a Savior --- I was searching for an audience", and "Worship isn't primarily about music, techniques, or songs.  It's about our hearts. It's what and who we love more than anything".

In chapter 3, I liked how he said God called us to not only love Him, but to love the truth. "We worship the One who says He is the truth and who tells us the truth will set you free".
The author also shows us the importance of being in God's word. He said "A worship leader who barely knows the Bible can't be a faithful worship leader".

I just started getting into chapter 4 - I'll add more comments later when I finish.  ( As a side note, notice in his fictional story on page 33 about Joe and the worship team, after the 'train wreck', it was the PIANO PLAYER that got them back on track. - I just thought I would point that out in case anyone missed it. )

That's all for now,
Michael Lachina

Chapter 3...GREAT!!

Kauflin's defense of theology and doctrine has been encouraging and challenging. In the past, I could have been perfectly labeled under misconception #3. I was so discouraged by church division and the thousands of different denominations sprinkled throughout the world that I wanted nothing to do with "theology" per se and just wanted "Jesus". But what I ended up with was a watered-down skewed version of our Saviour. There is a truth that sets us free. Proverbs 2:4-5 tells us that: "...if we seek [wisdom] like silver, and search for it as hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." That, I believe, is our role, not just as worship leaders, but as followers of Christ.


Today I finished "Out of the Depths", an autobiography of John Newton. Reading these letters about his life, I couldn't help but notice the enormous amount of scripture he used throughout. I also noticed how confident he was in his theology, and how it was applied confidently to his life. John Newton loved scripture. He said he would spend 8 hours a day in sleep and eating, 8 hours in work and exercise, and 8 hours in his studies. 8 HOURS!! He lived and breathed scripture, and studied it so that he could grow closer to God, and become more like the Jesus that saved a wretch like him.

As worship leaders (Christians) we need to be in the Word of God! We need to cherish His truth and seek His wisdom! We need to be reading good books written by God-fearing men and women. We need to be confident in the truth we sing, hear, and read about so that truth, through faith and by the Holy Spirit, will transform our lives into greater vessels more accurately revealing the greatness of God to a needy world.

Wouldn't it be great if we could explain, talk deeply, and write creatively about things such as redemption, salvation, glory, the gospel, and love, as easily as we show people how to play a G chord?

Thoughts on Chapter 1...

"In too many churches we detected a disconnect between the God that they worshiped on Sundays and the one they seemed to follow during the week." -p.18

  Last night after practice Joaquin, Dave, Lance, and I were having a short chat about the book and about where our hearts are at on stage and out in our world during the week. Lately I've been thinking a lot about what is means to be a worshiper of God, and how I can more effectively lead people to the One who brings us life and deserves our praise. In the last few years God has led me to realize that leading musical truth on Sunday is a very small part of how I lead people in worship.
  As Christians, our goal/life/purpose is to make the name of Jesus great. Not just when we sing, but by what we say, how we live, how we spend our money, how we treat our spouse, how we raise our kids, etc. When we make the name of Jesus great, we establish worth, saying that He is worthy of our voice, our bodies, our time, our money, our lives. This is worship. Declaring that our Great God and King, is what our lives are about, and He alone is the end of all goals.
  John Piper starts off his book "Let the Nations Be Glad" with this line: "Missions is NOT the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." Our goal as the church is to make Jesus' greatness known and to LEAD people to make His greatness known. That is our purpose in life, and that is the ultimate goal of the church. So in a way you could say we are ALL in some way worship leaders.
  So as we lead our congregation in worship on a Sunday morning, our one job, when we sing, play our instruments, set up the sound, pick the songs, is to glorify God through the atoning death of His Son, and declare that the victory is His. To remind each other, encourage each other, and challenge each other of our one goal. From the second we show up at 7am on Sunday morning to the time that we leave at 8pm, we have one goal. Make His name great among each other, and to declare His truth in our lives throughout the week!
  I am blessed to be on this team, and to go through this book with all of you!

What's that mean?