We've upgraded the worship blog to a worship website.
Check it out at http://sites.google.com/site/wsvcworship/
There will no longer be any posts left on the blog (no change there then :))
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Inside Worship podcast
Are you into podcasting?
If so then check out the Inside Worship podcast that Vineyard music USA put out once a month. It contains a new song from the projects they are doing plus an interview with the songwriter to get some background on how and why they wrote the song. This month, they focus on Ryan Delmore's new song 'Falling down' from his upcoming CD out later this year. Ryan is the worship pastor at Five Cities Vineyard in California.
They have also done episodes on songs by Sherri Carr, and Chris Lizotte from the US vineyards.
Its worth a listen especially if you're into songwriting or looking for new songs.
http://www.vineyardmusic.com/insideworship/
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Worship leading as an offering
As worship leaders its really important that we treat our service as an offering.
Like the man who is on his knees with his hands stretched out in front of Him presenting a gift for the Lord, our worship leading is an offering to Him, a good and pleasing gift.
Personally speaking, when I treat it as an offering I have found that I am more open to be moulded and shaped by God and also my leaders. I become more flexible. I am more open to feedback to make what I do the best I can and I become less defensive, because its not about me its about what I offer to God and the group, it becomes more about what I can give, rather than ‘my ministry’. The goal is to do my best for the group and for God. I will seek the opinions of my leaders and those I trust to ensure that I did an effective job. If something isn’t quite right or hasn’t gone right, then I will listen to the feedback given and put it right so that its better for next time, no hassle, no worries.
The most important thing is the offering.
This single-mindedness to bring this offering to please the Lord, and to do a good job brings a renewed emphasis on doing the best I can. Narrow-mindedness is stripped away and I become more teachable and humble. More able to be the kind of servant the Lord seeks.
You can apply this principle to any area of service and indeed most areas of life. It works!
Chris Perkins
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Vineyard Key Value: Accessibility
Our songs are often simple, and very melodic, as we are trying to make a way for everyone gathered in a room to find their way to God through the songs we sing.
Our musical goal is not to impress people with the capabilities of the band, or worse yet, with the capabilities of an individual, but rather to beautifully create a musical space for people to meet with God.
We have one goal ever before us as a team. We are playing so that the congregation might find a clear way to lay down the burdens they walked in with at the feet of Jesus, and to meet with Him in worship through the vehicle of the music that we make. We are poised as a worship team to serve, to use all our musical giftings to get out of the way, and to make a way, for people to get to that place of encounter.
Dan Wilt
www.danwilt.com (a blog on emerging worship)
Sunday, June 01, 2008
The journey to intimacy
Leading people to worship is like taking them on a journey.
If you’ve ever climbed a hill or even a mountain, you’ll know it often starts quite gently We can compare the top of the hill to the holy of holies or the place the Lord dwells. The Bible says if we come toward God, he will come toward us and meet with us. So, there needs to be a desire in our hearts to go meet with Jesus.
People arrive to worship from many different places- often with their hearts in many different states. Some are already up the mountain, as they’ve made the journey themselves many times during the week. Some are reluctant to even make the journey. Our job is to help them from where they are, right to the top and into the presence of God.
The journey is dependent on many things: the mood of the worshippers, the level of expectation to meet with God and the environment created by the worship leader.
We can’t expect people to get to that place without taking that journey. So for the benefit of the entire group, we’ll often start at the foot of the hill, calling people to worship. Thankfully the more experienced worshippers are often more than willing to make that journey and help the less experienced people in the group.
• Starting out
This usually comes in the form of an invitation to worship – a call to worship, or a lets go for it kind of thing. As we do this we find ourselves making a dynamic connection between ourselves and God. There is a magnified sense of God amongst his people when the church gathers together.
• Moving on up – towards engagement in worship
As we begin to sing praise and adoration to God His presence begins to stir in our hearts and minds. We begin to meditate on what God means to us personally – to think about what he has done for us and the amazing power of his love.
Going back to the mountain picture, you’ll find some people are still with you, some are lagging behind a bit, and some will have raced ahead of you eager to get to that place of intimacy.
• Finding intimacy
As we express our heart to the Lord, he responds by drawing near, coming down the mountain to meet us and walking with us the rest of the way.
The word worship means ‘to come toward and kiss’.
As we spend time in the Lord’s presence, and express our love songs to him, he responds to us and we encounter true intimacy. But as a result of this other things start to happen.
Firstly, we are more aware of our inadequacy compared with the perfection of Jesus. Secondly, we cannot fail to be changed to be more like Jesus the more we spend time in his presence.
Isaiah tells of his experience in the presence of the Lord
Isaiah 6
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Like Isaiah, when we meet with God in intimacy, it’s like he gets a mirror out and shows it to us. Isaiah cried ‘woe to me, I am ruined’ as he dwelt in the holiness of the Lord. When come into the Lord’s presence, are own sin and inadequacies are revealed before us and it can be an uncomfortable place. But God, by his mercy, comes and cleanses us from our sin when we let him, as Isaiah did.
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ‘With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’
Intimacy with God is a dangerous place to be if we don’t want to be changed. When we open our hearts to him, we can’t help but be changed into his likeness. Quite often we see a change in ourselves after a time of worship when we’ve opened ourselves to the Lord. This is why we do it. It helps in our mission to become more like him, and one of the reasons why worship is our first priority.
• Our response – A life of worship
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
The more we worship God, the more our lives become a response to Him - a life given over to Him in service and gratitude. As we allow God into every area of our lives, allowing him to change us, our lives begin to reflect Jesus and his generosity to others.
For I have come to serve and not to be served
A life of worship, induces a life of servant hood
If you’ve ever climbed a hill or even a mountain, you’ll know it often starts quite gently We can compare the top of the hill to the holy of holies or the place the Lord dwells. The Bible says if we come toward God, he will come toward us and meet with us. So, there needs to be a desire in our hearts to go meet with Jesus.
People arrive to worship from many different places- often with their hearts in many different states. Some are already up the mountain, as they’ve made the journey themselves many times during the week. Some are reluctant to even make the journey. Our job is to help them from where they are, right to the top and into the presence of God.
The journey is dependent on many things: the mood of the worshippers, the level of expectation to meet with God and the environment created by the worship leader.
We can’t expect people to get to that place without taking that journey. So for the benefit of the entire group, we’ll often start at the foot of the hill, calling people to worship. Thankfully the more experienced worshippers are often more than willing to make that journey and help the less experienced people in the group.
• Starting out
This usually comes in the form of an invitation to worship – a call to worship, or a lets go for it kind of thing. As we do this we find ourselves making a dynamic connection between ourselves and God. There is a magnified sense of God amongst his people when the church gathers together.
• Moving on up – towards engagement in worship
As we begin to sing praise and adoration to God His presence begins to stir in our hearts and minds. We begin to meditate on what God means to us personally – to think about what he has done for us and the amazing power of his love.
Going back to the mountain picture, you’ll find some people are still with you, some are lagging behind a bit, and some will have raced ahead of you eager to get to that place of intimacy.
• Finding intimacy
As we express our heart to the Lord, he responds by drawing near, coming down the mountain to meet us and walking with us the rest of the way.
The word worship means ‘to come toward and kiss’.
As we spend time in the Lord’s presence, and express our love songs to him, he responds to us and we encounter true intimacy. But as a result of this other things start to happen.
Firstly, we are more aware of our inadequacy compared with the perfection of Jesus. Secondly, we cannot fail to be changed to be more like Jesus the more we spend time in his presence.
Isaiah tells of his experience in the presence of the Lord
Isaiah 6
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Like Isaiah, when we meet with God in intimacy, it’s like he gets a mirror out and shows it to us. Isaiah cried ‘woe to me, I am ruined’ as he dwelt in the holiness of the Lord. When come into the Lord’s presence, are own sin and inadequacies are revealed before us and it can be an uncomfortable place. But God, by his mercy, comes and cleanses us from our sin when we let him, as Isaiah did.
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ‘With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’
Intimacy with God is a dangerous place to be if we don’t want to be changed. When we open our hearts to him, we can’t help but be changed into his likeness. Quite often we see a change in ourselves after a time of worship when we’ve opened ourselves to the Lord. This is why we do it. It helps in our mission to become more like him, and one of the reasons why worship is our first priority.
• Our response – A life of worship
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
The more we worship God, the more our lives become a response to Him - a life given over to Him in service and gratitude. As we allow God into every area of our lives, allowing him to change us, our lives begin to reflect Jesus and his generosity to others.
For I have come to serve and not to be served
A life of worship, induces a life of servant hood
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