Ever have one of those sets where you just can’t not worship?  It was like that for me yesterday.  1 brand new song, and 3 songs that we hadn’t done for a while but were great old friends.  You know, the kind that you don’t have to worry about where you go next because you know the song so well that it just comes out.

And I almost missed it.

M has had some kind of cold/flu bug for about 10 days now and I seem to have caught it on Friday night.  I spent Saturday in bed (as much as I could anyway) so that I would be abe to make it to church this weekend.  And I did make it, but it was rather touch-and-go for a bit.  The biggest problem was the sore throat that came & went.  It was gone Sunday morning, but the voice still wasn’t all there.

BUT

I am so thankful for the truth on the lyrics we sang in Baloche’s Hosanna - “when we see You, we find strength to face the day.  And in Your presence all our fears are washed away”  That was so true for me yesterday!  He gave me the strength to face the day yesterday, and I am so thankful!

Anywho, here’s the list:

• All Because Of Jesus [F]
• Hosanna (Praise Is Rising) [F]
• It Is You [A]
• Enough [F]
• kids story
• Love The Lord [D]
• message
• Lord You Have My Heart [D]
• Communion
• Doxology

All Because Of Jesus was brand new for us this weekend, but people were joining in pretty quickly.  We did it in F, however the verse was still a bit low for me (since I was sick).  I’m thinking about trying it out in G next week… or maybe A.  We’ll see how high I can convince them to go

Chris ended up leading It Is You & Enough - which was great because that meant I got to sing harmony - yay!  We haven’t done either of those songs in months and I really missed them.  It was just a morning of truly singing out praises to God and truths about Him & sending them back to Him.

We stayed very simple on Lord You Have My Heart - just 2 vocals, an acoustic and a djembe.  We sang it over the congregation while the bread and grape juice were passed out for communion and asked people to take the time to prepare their hearts and minds for the Lord’s Table.  Then Wayne shared a message about taking in Jesus’ flesh & blood into our bodies as a symbol of taking Him into ourselves.  It was pretty powerful.

After the service the girls decided that they were going to a friend’s house - and then informed all 4 parents involved!  It’s always fun when they try to do that.  Fortunately for them it worked this time!  They left with their friend and Eric & I actually got to have a date!  Honestly it was almost surreal.  He’s been out of town or pulling 14-hour days at the sales meeting for 2 weeks now, so we haven’t even seen each other at all except for last Tuesday evening.  It was so nice to get to go to lunch just with him.  We really need to do that more often…

All in all it was a great weekend - despite being sick.  Today, however, this bug seems to have pulled in the reserves and in attacking again.  Oh well, not much going on now

How was your service?

*This is part of the Sunday Setlist Bloggy Carnival over at TheWorshipCommunity.com - see what songs are being led all over the world!

I was bouncing around the blog-o-sphere tonight and happened upon a post that Carlos Whittaker did a while back asking 2 simple questions…

• When does a worship leader really botch it for you?
• What is the biggest gripe you have about something a Sunday worship leader does?

There were LOTS of responses - most of them contradicting each other, ironically - but one of them encapsulated it for me.  A gent named Rick tossed this comment into the mix, and I wanted to share it.  I also want to ponder it myself for a bit.  Here is what he said:

I hate it when my worship leader…
-has to remind Christians that corporate worship is a mandate from God.

-has to risk being a cheerleader because the people that claim to love God exhibit no sense of joy when singing about Him.

-has to burn the first song because 75% of the congregation is late, talking in the lobby, perfecting their coffee, or sleep walking instead of enthusiastically taking advantage of celebrating our Savior with like-hearted people.

-has to endure darts of personal preference from hundreds of individuals who have lost sight of what Sunday worship time is prescribed by God to be.

-is treated as a thoughtless hire rather than a divinely appointed servant.

-is expected to never get nervous but be humble,
execute notes and lyrics without flaw while avoiding performance and being vulnerable,
make no effort to teach or guide but don’t be a juke box, and stay traditional and contemporary,
all while burying, birthing and resurrecting songs appropriately.

I’m sure that’s easy to do!

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This also comes on the heels of seeing one of my fellow worship leading mom’s getting roasted by a “friend” on her facebook wall because she gets “paid too much just to sing on sundays, most people volenteer their time for that.”

Is this really where the Modern Church has gotten to?  Are we really that consumer-minded?  Are we that angry and judgemental?

The true question should be “what is it that helps draw you into the presence of God?” or “is there a way that your local worship leader can help you shake off the baggage you brought with you so that you can truly worship God?”

As a worship leader, these are the questions that I would love to have answered!  I want to know if there is something that I can do to help you enter the throne room of your Saviour and King.  How can I help you feel released?  How can I get out of your way and create an environment where there isn’t anything to distract you from living out your sacrifice of praise of an Almighty God?

Don’t get me wrong - I totally get why Carlos asked the questions, and I do appreciate some of the responses.  There are things that I do that would drive some of his readers insane (and I’ll be working on some of them - but not all of them!).

To be the person that God has called to stand up in front of His church and lead them is a daunting task.  To be the person that is responsible for getting a list of songs together that:

1. The congregation knows
2. Relates to the pastor’s message
3. The band plays/sings well
4. Has a natural “flow”

well, that is a hard thing some weeks!  And we do it every. single. week.

Yes, there are times that it all comes together in such an amazing way that there is no doubt that God had His hand in it… but there are also weeks that I look at the passage we will be studying (and the supporting passages) and I draw a huge blank for days.

Then you add in the hours of practice, set-up & tear down, the creating of charts (in multiple keys), the time spend seaking out new music to add to your church’s repitoire, building relationships with the members of the band and making sure they are growing spiritually… and the list goes on and on.  Oh, and having the guts to get up in front of you each week and blowing it as often as not (even when you may never know) - mixing up words or chord progressions or sounding like an idiot when you lose your train of thought.

I’m human.  Your worship leader, worship pastor, director of music, etc - they are only human too.  We fail, we get nervous, we have things that come up in our lives that reduce the time we have to prepare. The unexpected happens.

BUT

We serve a God that gives each of us a second chance - you, me and even your worship leader.

Next time your worship leader does or says something that bugs you - and I’m sure they will - take a step back and try to see the why in it.  Why does it bug you?  Is it something that needs to be addressed spiritually or theologically?  Is there something that hints at hipocracy in their lives?  Or are you just grumpy today?

Are we coming to church to be entertained, or are we coming to worship the Saviour of our souls in unity and community with a body of believers?

Just some things to think about.

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**I’m not saying that ALL churches are this way, I’m just making a generalization based on the fact that nearly 200 people chimed in and over 80% of the comments had a negative slant.  Help us out - tell us how we can help rather than throw us under the bus. If you really want to see the negativity (from both sides, unfortunately,) just google “I hate when my worship leader” - ugh.

** 2nd disclaimer - I’m not trying to cast angry comments back, but rather to help the general church-attendee to see that there may be more to it than meets the eye.  I really do want comments and feedback - I want to help make your corporate worship experience as seemless and God-honoring as I can!  I also want you and I to be able to worship together, side by side.  After all, that is the point of corporate worship!

This is part of the Sunday Setlist bloggy carnival over at The WorshipCommunity.com - check it out!

It was a fun morning today - and one that I almost didn’t make it to.  Sick kids can make things more interesting from time to time!

I did make it in, however, and I am so glad I did!  We had a sweet time of worship this morning, and it was great to see so many really entering in.

Here’s the list:

• Come, Now Is The Time To Worship
• Not To Us
• Here I Am, Send Me
• All I Have
• kids storytime
• I Am Free
• announcements
• message
• Amazing Grace

We had a full crew this morning and it was great to have everyone there.  It was a little chilly since the boiler had gone out, but they got that working and it started warming up.  Hopefully we got a good recording this week (last week’s experiment didn’t, unfortunately) so I will get that posted as soon as it’s ready.

What happened at your church this weekend?

Ever have one of those days where you’re “on” but you just aren’t feeling it?  Let me clarify… feeling the worship, yes, feeling the Spirit, yes!  But physically… well, you just aren’t at 100% (or even 75% for that matter!)

Yeah, that was me today.

I’ve been dragging for about a week (I even took a 3 hour nap the other day and still felt tired).  And I had a headache for most of yesterday which was a big sign that something is UP.  Add that to the low-grade fever I’m sure I was running off-and-on all morning and I think it’s safe to say I’m coming down with something.

Oh fraptious day.

BUT - and that’s always a big one - God is strong when we are weak!  And (especially today) I’m so thankful for that truth!

Oh, and the other benefit today?  Chris was leading most of the songs - which was really helpful when my voice threatened to stop working!

So, the list…

• Glorious (Baloche/Brown)
• God Of Wonders
• Agnus Dei
• Sweetly Broken
• kids storytime - Miracles
• Everything To God
• announcements
• message
• Communion
• Come Just As You Are
• I Love You Lord

It was a great setlist!  All songs that our congregation really seem to connect with, and we had a sweet time of worship.  We were down by a few instruments today so a couple of the songs were missing the fill that is usually played by the 2nd electric (he was playing bass today) and I missed them, but overall it sounded great.  I think we are starting to get this sound thing figured out for the most part.

We changed up Sweetly Broken today just a bit, but wow, what a difference it made!  It’s one of those songs that we love, but it has always felt a little “off”.  With the changes that Chris made though, it really felt great.  All that was missing on that one was the other guitar… it was so nice to be able to just sing the background vocals and not worry about it falling apart (not that any of us ever worry about that happening, right?)

The other high point?  I Love You Lord.  We did it simply with 3 of us singing in 3-part harmony acapella, and it really finished out the service on a great note.  I love it when that happens!

So, what happened in your service? Or, if you were part of ours, what are your thoughts? I’d love to hear about it!

**This is part of the Sunday Setlist bloggy carnival over at TheWorshipCommunity.com - take a look at that songs are being sung at churches all over the world! **

I received this in an email from a friend this morning, and it is just too good not to share.  There are quite a few truths buried in here, if we just take the time to listen.

LIFE’S HANDBOOK 2010

Health:
1.       Drink plenty of water.
2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants & has to be killed, bled, cured, aged, smoked, fried, or frozen
4.       Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5.       Make time to pray.
6.       Play more games. Feed the birds. Plant flowers or vegetables- even in a pot.
7.       Read more books than you did in 2009.
8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
10.       Take a 10-30 minutes’ walk daily. And while you walk, smile & notice your surroundings, changes in nature every day, & listen to the birds.

Personality:
11.    Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Each person has their place in the scheme of life.
12.    Don’t have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment - do what you can to make the world around you better.
13.    Don’t overdo. Keep your limits. Physically, spiritually, financially or emotionally.  Be humble.
14.    Don’t take yourself too seriously.  No one else does.
15.    Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.    Dream more while you are awake.
17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18.    Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past.  Don’t blame your parents for every problem you have. That will ruin your present. We choose actions & reactions when we become adults.

Happiness.

19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.  It’s easier to understand and move on.
20.    Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present. Yesterday is gone and you have a limited number of tomorrows.
21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you. It’s your choice to feel happy or miserable, anger or joy, frustration or acceptance, jealousy or peace, shame or pride.
22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.    Smile and laugh more.
24.    You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25.    Call your family often.
26.    Each day give something good to others.
27.    Forgive everyone for everything.
28.    Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6
29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
31.    Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends will.  Stay in touch.

Life:
32.    Do the right thing!
33.    Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34.    God heals everything.
35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37.    The best is yet to come.
38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.
39.    Your inner most is always happy.  So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40.    Please forward this to everyone you care about - even if they receive it many times, it will be a reminder on how to have a happy, healthy spiritual life, to enjoy each moment we are granted, and how to live free of conflict in harmony with others.

We only share this earth for a short time - why waste it on hateful thoughts and deeds when there is so much joy and happiness to discover.

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s already January 2010!

This weekend was a bit different in that Pastor Chris was home sick with the flu… not fun for him, but we made do without him.  Wayne did a great job on the message yesterday, and Ross went through the 8 principles from Celebrate Recovery to celebrate his 12th anniversary of being born again.  It was pretty cool.

As for the music, we mixed it up a touch by putting the slower stuff in the middle of more upbeat songs… and other than having a couple of different words in a key place it worked pretty well.

Da List:

• Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)
• How He Loves
• How Can I Keep From Singing
• Forever
• kids story
• Glorious
• Celebrating Recovery Principles
• Message
• You Gave your Life Away
• communion
• Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

How was your service this weekend?

The Sunday Setlist Blog Carnival has moved!  It’s now located on TheWorshipCommunity.com - check it out!

Today is December 29, 2009… that means that there are only two days left in the first decade of the 21st century.

The decade in which I was a mommy for all but 9.5 months.

The decade that saw me move from Arizona to Washington, (back) to Colorado and back to Washington.

The decade in which Eric & I finished school and turned the page into “real adult-hood” - and into parenthood.

A decade where I was unemployed… a lot

…and a decade where I became a small business owner.

It is a decade where I stepped into a leadership role that God called me to.

It was a decade in which I lost my earthly father, and held my daughter for the first time on the same day.

It was a decade of hope, despair, faith, trial, fear, peace, birth, loss and so very much more.

When I look back on the past 10 years I see so many things that have helped to mold and shape me in to the person that I am today - and the person that God is (slowly) making me into tomorrow.  And I wouldn’t trade very much of it.

New friendships were made, old friends were lost, and through it all God has been leading and guiding us.  Moving us from one place to the next - keeping us in this world but not allowing roots to sink in too deeply in any one place.

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see what the next 10 years will bring about!  Our girls will grow up and begin their life journey’s.  They will move toward what they want to do with their lives and hopefully will listen to that still, small voice inside of them for guidance.  They may even fall in love somewhere in there (although I hope that waits until the next 10 years!)  We may move again, we may not.  We may actually put down some temporary roots, who knows.  One thing is certain - life will be very different 10 years from now, just as life now is very different from 10 years ago - and I am curious to see what God will do.

I recently received a book in the mail to read.  It’s called Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity.

Wow.

If you are looking for something that will help pull you out of that spiritual funk that you have found yourself in, check it out.  While Primal may not be the answer, it will point you back to the answer.

What does that mean?  It means that Mark Batterson has written a book about getting back into that relationship with God that we need to have.  He has included ideas and personal anecdotes that will help spur you onto good things and remind you of many of the ways you can build - or re-build - your relationship with Jesus Christ.  He focuses on compassion, wonder, curiosity, and power in our relationship with God, and reminds us of why these are important.

It’s that time of year when we have been going, going, going with a slow-down that hits right after Christmas and a time for looking at our lives and re-evaluating things.  Is there a better time for a refresher course on getting in touch with our Creator?

If you are floundering out there somewhere feeling like you need to draw closer to God, I recommend picking up Primal - it will show you a way back into that relationship.  It will remind you why we need a Savior and how to take part in that Great Commandment that Jesus gave us - to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind & strength, and to love others.  After all, is there a better way to share God with others than through relationships?  Our lives should proclaim Him, but if we aren’t strengthening our relationship with Him, our lives won’t be talking very loudly.

So, where can you pick up your copy of Primal?

It is available at booksellers nationwide on Dec 22, 2009, just in time to be the first book you read in 2010 - or perhaps that quieter week after Christmas.

Personally, I like to get books through Amazon.com.  Other places that I often shop for books are CBD,  Borders.com and BarnesandNoble.com

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Oh, and the legal stuff - I received this book for free to read and review.