On The Road

Well, I'm on my way out of town tonight. Going to do a choir clinic in Louisiana for the rest of the week. Been a while since I've accepted anything like this. I haven't enjoyed doing this kind of thing for quite some time. So it's almost new to me again.

I'll post a little info on how things go soon. Also, I'll be getting back to Chapter 3 of Pure Religion soon. Just really busy and distracted lately.

God Bless!

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Time Is Flying By...

Haven't had much time to update the blog lately. I'll be working on Chapter 3 of Pure Religion and should have it up by the first of next week.

We're in a state of flux waiting for some decisions to be made that will affect our future, so I'm working on graphic design, video production and some audio recording to make some extra money just in case...

Through it all, GOD IS GOOD! I'm seeing some wonderful progress in my personal life and in the lives of some of my family members.

Come check the site out over the next few days. It'll be updated soon. Or you could subscribe to the RSS feed and you'll be notified anytime there is an update. Gotta love technology!

C ya!

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Worship Team Wisdom

I'm starting a website specifically for worship leaders that deals with worship ministry and will have a great amount of resource materials for those in this specific area of ministry. Visit it in a few weeks when it starts to take form... CoreWorship

Until then, here is an article written by Phil Christensen I found extremely interesting and thought I'd post it.

Ten Secrets of Life I Learned While Leading Praise

After interviewing hundreds of psalmists, I can safely say that worship leaders are a special breed. They nurture the souls of sensitive singers, and encourage brusque sound guys to be…less blunt. They see the gifted drummer within a goofy 9-year-old. Worship leaders sharpen their mastery of Scripture and musical chops in the same week. They calmly walk into meetings where they'll receive near-lethal doses of personal criticism.

Through it all – praise God – these worship leaders will somehow emerge with tender, Davidic hearts. I suspect it’s all part of God’s greater strategy in conforming us to the image of Christ; pressure turns coal into diamonds, and the constant rub of a grain of sand creates a pearl. The unique pressures of a psalmist create a unique kind of perspective and character.

Such “Worship Team Wisdom” probably contains the essence of what we need to know about life; it worked pretty well for King David. Over the years, I’ve repeatedly found myself drawing on principles learned while working with worship teams; I’ll share here my personal top ten bits of Worship Team Wisdom.

There’s only One Person in the audience. There are lots of people out there to please (and some of them are quite insistent). At the end of the day, though, One Person matters most, and His name is Jesus. Seek first His approval. (Mt. 6:33)

Everybody needs to tune to the same pitch. We pass around the tuner every time we gather, and find that this guarantees we’ll be in tune with each other. Similarly, if we’re all in fellowship with God, we’ll also get along together beautifully; our differences simply become rich harmonies. (1 Jn. 1:7)

Sometimes we’re at our best simply because we spent quality time together. An afternoon together as friends can tighten the groove of a bassist and drummer when they play together that evening. God has commanded a blessing when people “dwell together in unity.” (Ps. 133)

All our plans are subject to change. I have yet to experience a worship service, a wedding or a work-week that went exactly as I expected – or wished. Wise people are prepared to bend; they also know that these changes are often directly from the Hand of God. (Pr. 16:9)

How we respond to change is probably more important than whatever we had planned in the first place. When we’re thrown a curve, the way we handle it reveals much – maybe everything – about our character. (Job 1:21)

The song is bigger than the singer. The message we carry is more important than we are. When the cheering masses greeted that donkey at Jerusalem’s gate, he might have felt pretty good about himself, but I doubt he was ever received that way again. Without his Divine Passenger, he was just another donkey. (Jn. 3:30)

The person in charge of your “sound” can help you or destroy you. If your work has to be channeled through someone else, make sure of their competence and character. A lot rides on the shoulders of the middleman. (2 Kg 5:21ff)

We never really leave the platform. The wireless microphone is never truly switched off. Strangers, co-workers, friends and family are observing us every moment of the day. We are – 24/7 – as Paul said, ambassadors for Christ. (2 Co. 5:20)

God often turns our worst mornings into miracles. There are Sundays I step down from the platform thinking I should resign and get a job at Walmart. These are usually the same days someone grabs my hand, and – tearfully – thanks me for leading them into the Presence of God. I don’t know how God transforms my clumsy moments into masterpieces, but I’ve seen Him do it over and over, and not just with music. Trusting that His transforming power is working in us (and often in spite of us) should keep us both humble and confident (Ph. 2:13).

The song might not end exactly as we rehearsed it. Musicians must follow the leader’s cue as he closes a song; life’s that way, too. Sometimes there’s a key change. Sometimes we finish a Cappella. Once in a while, the song even has to be cut off early. Our times are in the skillful hands of the Chief Musician, Whose timing is always perfect. (Jn. 20:22)

God is the Supreme Economist; He never allows one teardrop more than is absolutely necessary to complete the good work He began in us. Along with the pleasures and the pressures of His calling, may we always clearly sense the presence of Him Who is our Wisdom (1 Co. 1:30).

Phil Christensen is worship pastor at Cedar Hills Evangelical Free Church (CHEF) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is married to Mitzi, the Beauty Queen, and is father of four great kids. Phil has served as a worship development missionary in the Pacific Northwest and is co-author of two books for Kregal Publishing. You can reach him via email at philc@chefc.com.

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Pure Religion - Chapter 2

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." - James 1:27

A Common Oversight

As far back as I can remember, I have heard sermons preached that focus on our need to keep ourselves separate from the world. "We are a peculiar people." This is a basic truth and not to be questioned, as it is directly from the Word of God. Indeed, we are admonished in James to keep ourselves "unspotted" from the world.

Many of us labeling ourselves "Christian" have clung to the latter part of James 1:27, priding ourselves in our distinction from the world. However, James was clear that there are two overlapping aspects of pure, undefiled religion.

While the latter part of verse 27 is emphasized, the former part is often overlooked. "To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction..." The "fatherless and widows" here are meant to be types of anyone who is in need of charity or suffers affliction. Matthew Henry observed that the word "visit", in this context, indicates "all manner of relief which we are capable of giving to others." In other words, we are not to just visit those in need, but we are to give whatever assistance is necessary to alleviate the pain and discomfort of those who are afflicted in any way.

Let's imagine for a moment that those of us (I include myself in this) who claim to be "religious" actually exemplified the true definition of "religion". What kind of churches would we have then?

How many times in the past have we looked disapprovingly on someone who entered our sanctuaries looking disheveled, world-weary, or smelling of alcohol and smoke? How many of us have frowned on the crack addicts we have seen roaming the streets late at night looking for another "fix" for their affliction?

On my way to service last Sunday, I passed a cigarette butt laying outside the door to the church. My first reaction was to think, "Great, what are we gonna do about the person with the smoking problem? We'd better get the air freshener ready!" But God spoke to my spirit and caused me to view that situation in a different light.

We really aren't doing our job of reaching the lost until we regularly see cigarette butts, beer bottles, crack pipes and other questionable paraphernalia outside our church doors. We need more churches that have ashtrays outside the doors and the distinct odor of smoke and alcohol in the sanctuary. We need churches that have more seats in the front for the visitors and fewer reserved parking spaces for deacons and VIP's.

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." - James 2:1-10

We are "guilty of all" if we offend in one point. Wow... what an indictment on the modern-day Church. How can we sit idly by and attend service after service with no one there for the Word of God to reach? Please understand, I am not being sacrilegious. How else do we know we are truly reaching those who are afflicted? Only when we reach the needy and hurting and they become a regular, welcome sight in our churches can we say we're beginning to fulfill the Great Commission.

In my next chapter, we'll cover the attitude the Word of God commands we have toward those in need.

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Can we really learn something from the secular world?

Found a great article about the necessity of authenticity in worship leading. Just thought I'd share it with those of you who are worship leaders. Here's the link..

American Idol: Three Lessons for Worship Leaders

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