I had some revelation this week about giving advice and making sure you take it yourself.

I was chatting with a worship leader friend of mine, hoping to encourage him and pour into him whatever the Lord has given me as experience, etc. I found that I myself was encouraged and challenged as a result of the conversation.

I was asking my friend where it was that he found the most freedom to personally worship the Lord - where the place was that he could "get lost" in his worship of the Lord, and encouraging him to ensure that he goes to that place regularly and spends time worshipping. I was telling him that back when I was first really digging in to the worship leadership thing and going deeper in intimacy with the Lord through worship (and specifically worship through music for me), I would spend hours alone at my keyboard in my living room just pouring out my heart to the Lord in worship - tears, joy, stress, exaltation, declaration - whatever it was. Lots of hours and lots of volume. (It was great that I had understanding Believers as landlords....)

As I have been processing my conversation with my friend from Thursday night, I wonder where that place is for me now? I don't take that kind of time in front of my keyboard anymore, really, and when I do, my head is fairly fixed on the "leader" role - will this song do for this congregation, is it too hard for the band, etc. - instead of on the "worshipper" role. That's not cool, either for the refreshment of my own spirit or the integrity of my worship before God.

One can really only ever lead worship from a place of personal experience. I know that I am a worshipper. It is my primary calling and the reason that I was created - to bring glory to the name of God Almighty and to bring Him pleasure. Maybe my personal favourite way of doing that these days isn't in front of my keyboard. Maybe my personal favourite way shouldn't matter. But my intimacy with the Lord certainly does. Both as a leader and as His child.

As a rhetorical question: where's your personal worship and intimacy time with the Lord? Do you go there enough? Is it all about and for God, or do other things creep in?

I'll be asking myself these questions a lot in the next few days and weeks. I pray that either the answers will be pleasing to God or that He will help to purify my offering before His throne.