FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Thursday, December 11, 2008,8:18 p.m.
GOD'S QUICK ANSWER
The very night after I wrote and posted the blog below, I started reading the second of three new books on worship that I bought this week. I'm not sure why, as I rarely have two "teaching" books on the go at a time. The scriptures, a teaching book, and a novel, yes - always - but more than those three seems a little much. (Maybe those three seem a little much!)
But out of curiosity for what it had to say, I picked up Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God by Bob Kauflin. I've read many things by Bob Kauflin before. He has practical tips on leading musical worship, and his books are always useful. The title and index of this one intrigued me in the store, but really, I was just hungry for anything new so a cursory glance is really all it got before I purchased it.
The first chapter is almost identical to what I posted the night before I read it.
He tells of a worship leader friend of his who "confided that one of his greatest struggles in leading worship is fighting the feeling that he has to 'get up and do it again' for the two-hundredth time. He has to resist going through the motions and simply 'mailing it in'. (page 15)." I think there are a lot of people in leadership who deal with that, and I myself am not exempt. I, too, have fought those feelings. Fortunately, I have a healthy fear of God and leading His worship in authenticity, and those particular feelings don't get to win or I won't get up in front of a group of worshippers to lead. But that does not mean the struggle is not real and disheartening. Isn't this the same as what I was expressing the other night? That sometimes passion and drive can get lost in obedience and the responsibilities of leadership?
Bob Kauflin writes this after talking about the struggles of leading from a place of passion when there are so many struggles or even us details to consider and deal with:
"After thirty years of leading worship, I've realized that worship isn't just an opportunity to use my musical gifts. It's more than a heightened emotional experience or a way to make a living. It's way more than what we do on Sunday morning.
Worship is about what we love. What we live for.
It's about who we are before God.
This book is filled with practical ideas for leading worship. But we don't start there. These initial capers are about the way we think and live. I want to challenge, encourage, and inspire you to live your life for the glory and praise of Jesus Christ. Holding nothing back. Giving no ground. It's the only kind of life that makes sense for someone who leads worship. (page 17)"
AMEN. I couldn't agree more.
And it's exactly what I'm looking to recapture.
Extra note: When I was looking up the URL for the link to buy the book, I came across Bob Kauflin's blog called Worship Matters (shouldn't be surprised at that, I guess!). Looks like it could have some good things in there - dig in! http://www.worshipmatters.com
But out of curiosity for what it had to say, I picked up Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God by Bob Kauflin. I've read many things by Bob Kauflin before. He has practical tips on leading musical worship, and his books are always useful. The title and index of this one intrigued me in the store, but really, I was just hungry for anything new so a cursory glance is really all it got before I purchased it.
The first chapter is almost identical to what I posted the night before I read it.
He tells of a worship leader friend of his who "confided that one of his greatest struggles in leading worship is fighting the feeling that he has to 'get up and do it again' for the two-hundredth time. He has to resist going through the motions and simply 'mailing it in'. (page 15)." I think there are a lot of people in leadership who deal with that, and I myself am not exempt. I, too, have fought those feelings. Fortunately, I have a healthy fear of God and leading His worship in authenticity, and those particular feelings don't get to win or I won't get up in front of a group of worshippers to lead. But that does not mean the struggle is not real and disheartening. Isn't this the same as what I was expressing the other night? That sometimes passion and drive can get lost in obedience and the responsibilities of leadership?
Bob Kauflin writes this after talking about the struggles of leading from a place of passion when there are so many struggles or even us details to consider and deal with:
"After thirty years of leading worship, I've realized that worship isn't just an opportunity to use my musical gifts. It's more than a heightened emotional experience or a way to make a living. It's way more than what we do on Sunday morning.
Worship is about what we love. What we live for.
It's about who we are before God.
This book is filled with practical ideas for leading worship. But we don't start there. These initial capers are about the way we think and live. I want to challenge, encourage, and inspire you to live your life for the glory and praise of Jesus Christ. Holding nothing back. Giving no ground. It's the only kind of life that makes sense for someone who leads worship. (page 17)"
AMEN. I couldn't agree more.
And it's exactly what I'm looking to recapture.
Extra note: When I was looking up the URL for the link to buy the book, I came across Bob Kauflin's blog called Worship Matters (shouldn't be surprised at that, I guess!). Looks like it could have some good things in there - dig in! http://www.worshipmatters.com
