August 16: Tuesday Refocus

“The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it.” - Henri Nouwen

God made everything and called it good (Genesis 1:31). Sin broke, warped, and distorted everything and everyone. This is true for even the people of God - but as the people of God we are also carriers of God’s presence into a sin-sick world (1 Corinthians 6:19). Followers of Jesus are those who are not of this world, but are called to be a city on a hill, salt and light, and to make disciples of the whole world (John 17:16, Matthew 5:13-14, Matthew 28:19-20).

As carriers of the presence of God, there is no sacred and secular dividing line. All of life is spiritual and all of life is lived before the face of God. For the follower of Jesus, a life that is lived to the glory of God will always be a life lived for the good of others. Because abiding in the life of Christ becomes a lifeline to a broken world.

Lord, may You not remove us from the world, but enable us to abide deeply in You, amen.

Coram Deo,

AB

14 August: Liturgy + Set List

• A THOUSAND HALLELUJAHS

  Call to Worship: Psalm 40:1-4

  If you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, the words of the Psalmist are the words to your life - God has plucked you from the pit of destruction and placed your feet on the firm foundation that is Jesus Christ. And this truth should not just shape your mind, but transform the entirety of who you are from the inside out. It is a truth that requires a response - Let’s hear how the Psalmist responds in verse five: “You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us, none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.” Let’s proclaim the works of the Lord together.

• GREAT THINGS

• ALL HAIL THE POWER (RAISE UP THE CROWN)

  Sermon: Romans 10:9-10

• The Apostles’ Creed

  Communion

• YET NOT I BUT THROUGH CHRIST IN ME

Getting Ready for Fall

You have mercifully survived Summer. Whether you serve at a large church with many resources or a smaller church that has managed to eek out your weekly services, surviving the Summer is no small feat!

Fall seems to be a time when many people are settling into new rhythms and routines. This is often true when it comes to attendance and involvement within a local church context as well. So how do we leave Summer, and step intentionality into the Fall?

Reevaluate and reestablish rhythms. This is true for the team, as well as yourself. Making changes to a culture, the rhythms of rehearsal, preparation, or communication takes time, consistency, and discernment about when to shift, change, end, or begin something new. Making those adjustments can be softened if they are rolled into a season when people are already attempting to establish new habits and rhythms. In the same way, we may need to make changes to what and where we give our time. Has the way I have budgeted my time in the past going to be able to sustain me this Fall? Are there things that are going to require more time in this season than in the past?

Invite. Invite new people to participate. Invite the people who are already serving to be known, and engage others. Invite deeper investment.

Make plans with an open hand. COVID has taught us what the Scripture has always said - “The heart of man plans his ways, but the LORD establishes his steps (Proverbs 16:9).” We can and should make plans, we can and should pray and discern where God may be leading our team, but we must also be willing to release plans to the One who establishes our steps.

It is a gift to do this work. I have learned the more that I am able to identify life and ministry moving in seasons, the more I am able to be grateful for what is, hopeful for what could be, and see everything as a gift inviting me to be conformed to the image of Christ. I hope whatever Fall may look like, we may all learn to lead and serve with open hands, gratitude, and a servant’s heart.

August 9: Tuesday Refocus

“Solitude well practiced will break the power of busyness, haste, isolation, and loneliness.” - Dallas Willard

The more we fill our lives, the emptier they become.

The more we empty our lives, the richer they become.

Solitude may seem the opposite of what we want, but it makes space for that which we truly need. But this is life in the upside-down kingdom of God. It is a Kingdom where Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that…

The poor in spirit receive the kingdom of heaven (v3).

Those that mourn will be comforted (v4).

The meek will inherit the earth (v5).

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied (v6).

The merciful will receive mercy (v7).

The pure in heart will see God (v8).

The peacemakers will be called sons of God (v9).

Blessing, rejoicing, and gladness accompany the heavenly reward and kingdom of heaven for those who are persecuted and maligned for the sake of Christ (v10-12).

These are the principles of an upside-down kingdom. A kingdom where the last will be first, the first will be last (Matthew 20:16). A kingdom where to lose your life is to find your life (Matthew 16:25). A kingdom where the proud will be humbled, and the humble will be exalted (Matthew 23:12).

Lord, may what is true of your kingdom be true of our lives. For Your glory, amen.

Amen,

AB

7 August: Liturgy + Set List

• PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY-GOOD GOOD FATHER

  Call To Worship: Psalm 17:15

  One of the things we confess as we gather is that we are far too easily satisfied. We are satisfied with created things more than our Creator. The truth is we need God’s help to love God. We need God’s help to see God as the source of our life and joy, rather than a means to our life and our joy. So let’s pray that as we gather and sing today that God would help us to see and treasure Him together:

• GREAT ARE YOU LORD

  God is the giver of life and salvation. One of the things that we can wrongly believe as followers of Jesus is that we only need Jesus for our salvation. But we need Jesus every moment of every day as the One who saves us, keeps us, sustains us, and grows us up into maturity. This morning we’re going to teach you a new song that gives language to the ongoing work of Christ in our lives. Let’s sing together:

• YET NOT I BUT THROUGH CHRIST IN ME

  Sermon: Colossians 1:24-29

  If you want a deep, rich, mature life, you will not always have an easy and comfortable life. If you want a deep, rich, and mature faith - a deep walk with the Lord - you will not have an easy and comfortable faith. But as followers of Jesus we know that when we lose our lives, we find our lives. When we die to ourselves, we live to Christ. So we can treasure Christ more than ourselves. We can grow together rather than isolate and withdrawal. We can live on God’s mission rather than our own mission because we being made mature and complete in Christ. Let’s stand and celebrate what Christ has done for us as His people…

• LIVING HOPE

  Benediction

Recommended Reading [Part 4]

Recommended Reading [Part 1] | Recommended Reading [Part 2] | Recommended Reading [Part 3]

Reading allows you to learn and grow from other people, in other contexts, while still being planted in your own. If you’re looking for some books to finish out your Summer reading schedule, take a look at these:

The Worship Pastor - Zac M Hicks

Many books focus on the musical aspect of leading - great! Many books focus on the theological aspect of leading - great! But this was the first book I had read that focused primarily on the pastoral and shepherding aspects of what it is to be a worship leader.

Ever Ancient, Ever New - Winfield Bevins

Reinventing a wheel week to week and generation to generation is exhausting. We have much to learn from the ancient and global Church. I am continually learning how to incorporate ancient practices and liturgical rhythms in a way that is meaningful and makes sense in a modern context. If this is something you’d like to explore, this is a great resource.

Delighting In The Trinity - Michael Reeves

This book is beautiful. More than building knowledge and skill in our craft, and understanding of leading worship, we must fuel our affections for Christ. This is a book I will return to again and again.

Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down - Marva J. Dawn

This book is well-highlighted and noted on my shelf. Dawn’s ability to accurately see and articulate the time, and learn how to engage, lead and serve is something that will serve to equip those at any time.

August 2: Tuesday Refocus

“It seems to you that you have understood the divine Scriptures, or any part of them, in such a way that by this understanding you do not build up this twin love of God and neighbor, then you have not yet understood them.” - Augustine

When asked what was the greatest commandment in the whole law, Jesus said “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).”

As James reminds us, faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Understanding Scripture is not evidenced solely in our interpretation, but in being a hearer and doer of God’s Word (James 1:22).

Lord, may our lives be built up with the twin love of God and neighbor. In Christ’s name, amen.

Learning,

AB

31 July: Liturgy + Set List

• ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK

  Call to Worship: Psalm 121

  If you are here this morning as a follower of Jesus, you need to know that the One who upholds the universe by the word of His power, is the same One who holds you and keeps your life. Whether your life has been or will be marked by sorrow and suffering, joy and celebration, there never has and will never be a moment where you have not been pursued by the steadfast love, grace, and mercy of God. Let’s sing those truths together:

• GOODNESS OF GOD

• HYMN OF HEAVEN

  Sermon: James 5:19-20

  One of our core values here at Life Church is ‘We belong together.’ And we belong together not because we meet in this room once a week, or because we share preferences or interests in common. Not because of our background or education, our family of origin, or our education, not because of our ethnicity or political affiliation. If you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, we belong together because we share the same Father. We have been adopted into the family of God through the blood of Christ. Let’s stand and celebrate our adoption through Christ’s completed work:

• SON OF SUFFERING

  Benediction: Jude 1:24-25

Heart Preparation and the People

To my knowledge, there are no studies to prove the data, but I would venture to guess that most people who walk through the doors of our churches are doing very little to prepare their hearts for the corporate gathering of the people of God on a weekly basis.

Why is that?

I’m sure there are several reasons:

• People are busy. We cram our lives full of activities, responsibilities, and tasks, and because of this, it is difficult for us to see any further than the very next item on our to-do lists.

• Our church attendance feels more like a box to check rather than a body in which to participate and build up.

• Our faith is shaping very little else in our lives. It is merely an addition to a nice, comfortable, full life.

• We leave a small margin to slow ourselves down long enough to reflect, repent, remember, or celebrate.

• But ultimately, I think it is that we do not understand, nor have we been taught that preparing our hearts readies us to hear and respond to the Word of God, to apply God’s Word to our lives, to serve one another, and to celebrate the person and work of Christ.

Every Sunday is a celebration where the people of God are invited to “feast on the abundance” of the house of God and “drink from the rivers of [His] delights (Psalm 36:8).” And just as we prepare our homes to host and celebrate with our friends and family, so we must prepare our hearts to celebrate with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we encounter God together every week.

Naturally, for the worship leader and worship team, there is the preparation that is required to lead and serve every week. You have to choose songs, get set up, and rehearse all before the corporate gathering. And hopefully, these opportunities become yet one more chance to ready your heart instead of just completing a task. Unless they are preparing to serve, our church members are probably not spending time outside of church getting ready for church. How do we help our people learn to value the preparation of heart for the gathering? First, we must model it in our own lives. Second, we must lead them to understand the value, and how they might begin to ready and prepare their hearts to worship. The following is how I described it to our church members in a recent email:

We prepare our hearts for worship by turning our attention to God - inviting Him to speak to us and turning our hearts and minds to Him. We prepare our hearts for worship by setting our affections on Him - learning to treasure Christ as we confess we have loved things more than God. We prepare our hearts for worship by coming with expectation - expectant that God will move in us and through us, expectant that He desires to speak to us, expectant that we will encounter Him and be changed. We prepare our hearts for worship by looking for the opportunity to serve rather than be served.

No true encounter with Jesus ever leaves us the same.

So may we encourage and equip our people to prepare their hearts for worship, and model for them the value.

July 26: Tuesday Refocus

“By my calm courage, people shall this day recognize that I’ve been with Jesus.” - E. Stanley Jones

Each of us is worried and troubled about many things (Luke 10:41). But each of us can choose the good portion, the one necessary thing - to be with Jesus (Luke 10:42).  It is in being with Jesus that the troubles of the world are choked by the presence and provision of God. It is in beholding His glory that we are transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).

A transformed heart leads to a transformed life. A life continually resting in the presence of Christ, is a life of rest, peace, and blessing to others. May it be so for you today.

Lord, may we rest in who you are and what you have done. May our lives be transformed from the inside out, bringing rest, peace, and blessing to others. In Christ’s name, amen.

Resting,

AB

24 July: Liturgy + Set List

• HOW GREAT THOU ART

  Call to Worship: Psalm 96:1-6

  African Church Father, Augustine said, ‘He who sings, prays twice.’ Our songs are more than words and music put together. Our songs are prayers. We pray the things we believe, we pray the things we need to believe, and we pray the things we desire to believe. And when we gather in this room we sing to God, but we sing to one another. We pray to God and we pray with and for one another. Even if you are not a singer, even if these songs are not familiar to you, don’t withhold your songs and prayers from your brothers and sisters in this room. We need to hear one another confess and profess these truths about who God is, what He has done, and who He has called us to be. Let’s pray and sing together:

• CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED

• SON OF SUFFERING

  Sermon: James 5:13-18

  The arms of Christ extended upon the cross are the same arms that invite you and me to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace to receive mercy and help in time of need. So let’s draw near with confidence together and confess our sin to God and to one another:

Merciful God,

We confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done, and what we have left undone.

We have nto loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength.

We have not loved our neightbors as ourselves.

In Your mercy, forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your holy name.

Through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Brothers and sisters, hear the good news: for those who are in Christ, there is a never-ending stream of mercy towards us in and through Christ. Let’s sing together:

• COME THOU FOUNT

  Benediction

Everything Is Gray

We prefer formulas.

This plus this, equals this.

Plug in the correct information in the correct spaces, get the correct (and same) answer every time.

The truth is that people are not equations, ministry is messy, and we live in an increasingly complex world. Almost nothing is black and white, and everything is gray.

In the first half of 2022 I was slowly realizing that many of the things I had learned in twenty years of leading worship in different environments were not working in the same ways I had come to expect.

Was it cultural? Yes.

Was it learning life in a ‘post’-COVID world? Yes.

Was it the way I have learned, grown, and changed in the past 20 years? Yes.

But more than anything, I think it has been an increasing awareness of how everything is gray. I want things to be quick, easy, reliable, and efficient, but much of life - and certainly much of ministry - is about learning to adapt learning to apply wisdom rather than formulas.

If you feel the same everything is gray tension, you are not alone. Even as I write these weekly posts for worship leaders I hope that there are general principles that are helpful. But I recognize that each of us must do the work of taking what is helpful to adapt and apply to our specific and unique context and time in history, and leaving what is not helpful.

Mark Sayer’s latest book ‘A Non-Anxious Presence,’ has been helpful for me in learning to identify this gray zone, and that adaptability is what is required to navigate these spaces. Everything he writes is well worth your time, this book is no exception - you can pick it up on Amazon here.