Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Shine
Your name O Lord
Can still the storms in our darkest night
The darkness flees before Your radiant light
Your presence here
My comforter, my shield and my guide
O God of glory, let Your presence shine
O Lord hear our prayer
May Your light shine upon us
And in mercy, let Your glory fill this place
Face to face, let it shine
The wonders of Your beauty Lord, cannot be defined
I long to look on that consuming sight
And all my life, and everyday Your will, will be mine
That everyone will see Your presence shine
Let it shine
King of glory, king of majesty
Reveal Your light and let it shine
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Coming Prepared to Worship – Lessons from Noah
The (Not-So) Secret Diary of a Worship Leader #3
Coming Prepared to Worship – Lessons from Noah
Genesis 6-9 tells us the story of Noah and the flood that God brought on the world.
Do you remember the song? …
“The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain…”
The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain…”
Now it is true, as in the song, that God told Noah to take two of every kind of unclean animal onto the ark. However he also specified seven of every clean animal. If two of every unclean animal was enough to continue their existence, then why the surplus of clean animals?
Well, we can see that later in their history, God’s people were only allowed to eat clean animals and these animals also formed a large part of their worship offerings. Noah might not have realised it at the time but God was giving him more animals than he needed, so that he might provide for himself but also have something to offer back to God.
As for ourselves, God regularly gives us more than we need in order that we can use our surplus to give to Him; whether that is our time, our money, our spiritual gifts or our musical talents.
Noah came out of the ark prepared to worship. He could have kept the extra animals for himself but he chose to give them in worship to God, and because of this God was pleased. God’s pleasure rests on any worshipper who comes to God ready to give.
Definition of worship #3: Coming to God, ready and prepared to give.
Challenge #3: 1 Corinthians 14:26 - When you come together, everyone has a hymn or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.
When you meet together with other Christians do you come ready to give to God or do you come waiting to be lead into worship by someone else? Do you spend time with God before a worship service receiving from him personally so that when you come together you have something to share corporately? I challenge you, before you next get together with other Christians, to seek God for yourself, and then to bring your surplus with you to share with God and those around you.
Photos taken from:
Friday, 16 September 2011
The Wilder Way.wmv
Holy wind and fire of the living God
Help me walk the wilder way of truth and love
Stir within my heart a hope for things unseen
Lord I long to walk where only You have been
Lord I long for brighter skies and deeper seas
Where the path's uncertain but the Spirit's free
Where the finite flesh can meet eternity
Lord I long to walk into my destiny
So I will take the narrow way
I will choose the higher way
I will walk the wilder way with You
Holy wind and fire full of truth and grace
You will guide my feet with steady steps of faith
Though the storm it rises as I tread the waves
Yet I still will walk upon these wilder ways
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Satisfy.wmv
As the deer may pant for streams of water
So my soul, it is longing for You
There's a thirst deep inside that is like no other
And no other can quench only You
I'm tired of spending my life on things
That do not satisfy
I'm longing for something of worth to drink
And fill this aching heart
Satisfy me Lord
Saturate me Lord
As I come and drink from Your deep, deep waters
Purify me Lord
Energize me Lord
O Spirit of God we say come!
Majesty.wmv
Majesty
Great Redeemer
Glorious
Loving Father
You are Lord above all other gods
And You God are Lord over me
And I bow down
I bow down
Bow in worship within this holy place
I surrender all I am to You
I lay it down before Your throne of grace
Monday, 29 August 2011
What Motivates You to Worship? Cain vs Abel
The (Not-So) Secret Diary of a Worship Leader #2
What Motivates You to Worship? Cain vs. Abel
Genesis 4
Genesis 4
Imagine that in your local church worship team there are two brothers, Cain and Abel. Sunday morning comes and Cain is playing in the band. He is a really good guitarist; in fact he has worked extremely hard to become the best guitarist in your church. He is quite sure that God will be impressed with his fantastic guitar skills and will be grateful for his worship today.
His brother Abel also plays in the band. He is the bass guitarist, and like his brother, Abel has worked very hard be the best musician he can be. He has come to church today to say thank you for everything God has done by offering his musical ability in worship to God.
During the service a prophetic word is given saying that God is very pleased with Abel's worship, but not with Cain's. Cain gets so angry that he turns on his brother Abel and kills him right there in the aisle!
Sound familiar?!!
To be honest, I can relate to Cain. Ok, so maybe I've never actually killed another member of my worship team (!) but I have to admit, there have been times when I've been jealous that God seems to be blessing someone else's worship more than mine. My competitive streak always kicks in when, like Cain, I start trying to impress God with my worship. My mind runs something like this: "God I've put in so much work to make this set list fantastic. I've been training my voice to make it sound great. I've rehearsed the band within an inch of their lives. I deserve to have you bless my worship!"
When you find yourself running into that kind of thinking, the only thing to do is to say sorry to God, stop focusing on what you're giving out and start focusing on the One you're giving to.
In Genesis 4, Cain assumed he knew what God wanted and he brought it, expecting God to be impressed. He was proud of his own achievements and jealous of his brother. His attitude stank and God was not pleased with his worship. Abel on the other hand, thought more about God than he did himself. He brought the best portions of his animals, the parts that God would later specify as the proper sacrifices for worship.
Clearly Abel had taken the time to find out what would bring God the most pleasure. His attitude was right and God blessed his worship.
Definition of worship #2: Giving your best to God in the humble recognition that he deserves far more than you'll ever be capable of giving.
Challenge #2: Spend a little time right now asking God if there's anything you can do today as an act of worship that would bring Him pleasure. It might be he'll ask you to sing him a song, but maybe he'll ask you for something entirely different. Perhaps to give some money to charity or spend time with a friend, or give up your favourite TV programme to be with God. The challenge will be for you to put to one side your pre-conceptions of how worship should be done and ask God "What can I do today that will bring you pleasure?"
I will offer up my life in spirit and truth
Pouring out the oil of love as my worship to you
In surrender I will give my every part
Lord receive the sacrifice of a broken heart
Jesus what can I give?
What can I bring?
To so faithful a friend
To so loving a king
Saviour, what can be said?
What can be sung?
As a praise of your name
For the things you have done
Oh, my words could not tell
Not even in part
Of the debt of love that is owed by this thankful heart
Lyrics by Matt Redman © 1993 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
In the Beginning...
The (Not-So) Secret Diary of a Worship Leader
In the Beginning...
Imagine you are an artist who has been shortlisted for the Turner Prize. The competition is fierce and as the day arrives you nervously enter the gallery to see which artist's work has won. Amazingly you see that your own work has been chosen, but somehow, strangely, there has been a mix up with the labels and no-one else is aware who created it.
Now there's no question that it was created by someone. I mean – works of art don't paint themselves! The problem is that now there’s some confusion about who painted it, and clearly the person who created the artwork should be the one who gets the credit.
Genesis chapter one is not only the first chapter in the Bible but also our first port of call to find out about worship. It directly answers the question: Who made the universe? Who deserves the credit? Our starting point for worship should always be that God created us and therefore he has a right to our applause.
Definition of worship #1: Giving God the credit he deserves for creation.
Challenge #1: Find yourself some creation and observe it for 5 minutes! My favourite place to go would be the beach or the moors. Maybe look at bit more closely at the intricate pattern on your fingertips. Wherever you decide to go, find something natural and take a bit more time than usual to study it. If you can't get outside search the internet for pictures of landscapes or people. When you've spent 5 minutes studying God's creation, try spending the next 5 minutes giving God the credit he deserves. You could speak it out loud, write him a letter, or why not post it on this blog?
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand has made
I see the stars I hear the mighty thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!!
Lyrics by Stuart K. Hine © 1953
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