Untapped Power?

The older I get, and the more I look at Jesus and the men and women of the Bible, the more I find myself searching for real life, walking-around-people who can model mature faith for me. The book of 1 Corinthians calls them “spiritual fathers.”

One of the great blessings of serving at Woodburn Baptist Church is that I’ve found several. Many are more like big brothers than fathers, but I want to tell you about one of the things that has really impacted me from Don, a man who is old enough to be my father.

You see, every once in a while Don will be listening to our pastor (Tim) preach, and when Tim is struggling to say something that’s difficult—because it is deeply emotional for him, or because it will be hard for some to hear, or… well, any reason you can imagine, Don will quietly say “bless him, Lord.” 

That’s it.

“Bless him, Lord.”

And then God does. Tim says beautifully whatever he was struggling to say. And it connects with the deep places in the souls of we who listen.

But it goes deeper.

Don has been doing this for Tim for years. Many years. And God has been blessing Tim as a preacher for those years. There seems to me to be a cumulative effect—the more Don blesses Tim as he preaches, the more blessed Tim’s preaching becomes. It is so beautiful I’m nearly in tears just thinking about it.

But it goes deeper still.

You see, Don is Tim’s dad. Like, literally his dad. Don has been praying God’s blessing over Tim for every one of Tim’s 49 years. It didn’t start with Tim’s preaching or Don’s listening, it started with Tim’s breathing. Probably even before Tim was breathing.

And so I wonder… how much power could we wield speaking God’s blessing over those we love, or know, or don’t even know. And then I wonder… what if we started blessing one another routinely. I don’t mean praying for people who have a special need—that’s essential, of course. I mean when we hear of someone who is struggling to do the right thing, what if we just said “Bless him, Lord” or “Bless her, Lord.” 

What could change in that person’s world?

In our world?

In the world?

Remember Abraham, and how much God used him to bless the nations of the earth?

Remember Jacob and Esau, and how much they yearned for the blessing of Isaac?

Perhaps most importantly, remember the instruction of Paul: “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” (Romans 12:14)

I’m curious… how do you experience this in your Christian journey?

How Can I Create Holy Expectancy?

I was honored to spend some time with a couple of churches recently as a Worship Coach. One of the questions a pastor asked stroked me as profound. I thought my answers might serve you as well.

His question? "How can I help my congregation come to the worship gathering with a sense of expectancy?"

Don't you love that question? I do!

My first answer was actually a question, and I think it is essential. I'll ask you the same question: "Do you come with a sense of expectation that God is gonna do something?" 

Leaders, if we don't come expecting God to do something God-sized, I don't see how we can expect those we're leading to do so. Shouldn't that anticipation penetrate the way we prepare sermons, choose songs, rehearse musicians, and pray for those who will come?

Now that we've covered that, here are some other things we talked about:

• Before the next time you gather to worship, ask God to create a sense of holy expectancy. When you gather with others to pray, ask God together. When you gather as a church to pray, ask God corporately--as a faith community.
• At the beginning of a service, call people to worship. I don't just mean to read the first few verses of Psalm 100 or Psalm 150, though I'm all for using passages like those and do so myself. More than that, let's call people to engage in worship. Perhaps you could use your own words to say something like, "Let's connect our hearts with the heart of God and discover together just how much He loves us." You can find a hundred ways of your own to do the same.
• At the end of the worship gathering, announce what you're excited about next week--a new series, a new sermon, a specific audience the Word will serve powerfully, etc.
• Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc. to herald the things that are exciting to you about the service. (I will sometimes share a great YouTube video of a song we'll sing in worship.)
• Encourage everyone you can, in small groups or one-on-one conversations, to engage in personal, private, daily worship. The more people worship on their own, the more dynamic when those people gather together. Said another way, personal worship explodes public worship.
• As lives are changed--especially as that happens IN the worship gathering--a very natural, organic sense of expectation will develop. Find ways to share the stories of life change when you learn about them. Use videos or live testimonies. Publish stories in the church newsletter and on the website. Celebrate life change and people will come to expect life change. I can't imagine a better way to create holy expectancy!
• Finally, success breeds success. The more people start to experience worship as dynamic, powerful, engaging, transforming, etc. the more they will begin to expect it.

I hope this serves you and those with whom you worship.

Are there other ways you do this in your congregation and community?

Prophet, Priest and King

This trio of descriptors--prophet, priest and king--has been used by lots of folks to describe 3 facets of leadership.

A prophet speaks truth clearly, compellingly. A faithful prophet speaks God's truth faithfully.

A priest cares for people deeply. A faithful prophet is an advocate for his/her people before God.

A king rules with care and wisdom. A faithful king uses structures and systems to make life better for those under his umbrella of leadership.

Autobiographically speaking, being a prophet came first--I was speaking truth pretty well  as a teenager. Being a priest came second--about a decade ago I found myself caring for people in ways I never had before. But this king-thing. I'm still waiting on that part. Actually, I've made great strides--by God's grace. But I don't want to get bogged down in my own junk.

I want to share something that has really struck me powerfully in the last few weeks.

If we'll lead well, like a great king--making life better for those we serve--it will be easier for them to believe we care for them deeply, and then they will be even more open to hearing the truth of God's word.

But if the folks under our care struggle with logistics, or are distracted by practical oversights, then it may never occur to them that we care and they may never get to the place where they are able to hear us speak life-changing truth. So leaders, let's manage time well, communicate logistics clearly, consider how our choices affect their "day-to-day" lives.

Young leaders, don't just live in the part of this triad that comes easily. Pursue all three. Surround yourself with people who can both compensate for the ways you aren't yet developed and who will help you grow into all the roles.

Oh, a word of hope might be helpful here, yes?

Jesus was and is the perfect and complete manifestation of Prophet, Priest, and King. That's only half of the good news. The rest?

According to the letter Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, your old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer you who live, but Christ lives in you... as Prophet, as Priest and as King. Hallelujah!

Dangerous Righteousness

The Christian scriptures seem to place a very high value on righteousness. In fact, I can't imagine an easier premise to prove in book after book, chapter after chapter. 

But it strikes me that there are two kids of righteousness that are dangerous, and perhaps even more dangerous for those who lead in worship than for others in less visible places of ministry.

The first is something I struggle with a great deal--and have since I was a kid. It's called self-righteousness. 

The second is something I find more tempting the older I get, and it's called false-righteousness.

Both are deceptive. Both are lies from the enemy.

Self-righteousness is when we think we are better than we are--and, God help us, better than those around us. God is slowly healing me of this, but I still battle it often.

False-righteousness is when we want others to think we are better than we are, and usually, better than they are. For me, this is the other side of the same coin. For others, the struggle may be one or the other.

Can you see why this is dangerous, especially on a stage? The bright lights and the attention of others can magnify these temptations.


There is a danger we might not see as easily, but I've encountered it repeatedly. When we are on stage, representing the God who calls us to righteousness, there is always a chance that we'll be found out. What if someone you work with, live near, go to school with, or even share a house with--what if they hear you on stage declaring the glory of a life changed by Jesus but see you off the stage bearing evidence of a life that testifies to just the opposite?  Well, when we do that, we've lost credibility. We've damaged the opportunity to bear witness to those far from God about the power of God to redeem and rescue us, to free us from a life bound by sin.

But there's good news--no GREAT NEWS!

One of my favorite verses comes from the most famous sermon ever preached. Jesus said, in Matthew 6:33, "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well."

You see, the antidote for self-righteousness and false-righteousness is Christ's righteousness. That's what we seek. That's Whose we seek. 

So let's seek--and by that I mean, let's pursue, go after, peer in every corner, look in every scripture passage--the kind of righteousness that comes from our God. It won't be condescending to others, it won't even be offensive to others. Remember, Jesus lived a life that was 100% righteous, yet those chasing sin found Him compelling, attractive, and transformational. 

There's more at stake than how we perceive ourselves and how others think about us. That's why we need the righteousness of Christ, the kind that flows from the inside out.

I love the way The Message translates Paul's desire for the same thing: "I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ--God's righteousness." (Phil 3:9)

Bad Biblical Worship?

Does the title trouble you? Can Biblical worship be bad?

Actually, it can.

You see, most of what I read about worship these days, especially in blogs like this one, are about created things—screens, hymnals, organs, drums, keys, etc.

I find it fascinating that the Bible is silent on issues like this. I find it equally fascinating--and extremely challenging--that it is not at all silent on things related to worship like obedience, engaging both our heart and minds, and the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ.

Consider a powerful passage by the minor prophet Amos. It describes bad worship, and it's in the Bible.

"I hate all your show and pretense--
     the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.
I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
     I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings.
Away with your noise hymns of praise!
     I will not listen to the music of your harps.

No mention of screens or hymnals. Nothing about harps being good or bad. But God seems quite upset with "noisy hymns of praise." Of praise. God was upset with their praise.

Maybe we should be more concerned about why our Father would use words like "I hate... and I will not accept... and I won't even notice... or I will not listen."

This is bad, Biblical worship.

Maybe that’s why I feel compelled to write so often about the “impractical” side of worship. As long as we are missing the mark on the things the Bible tells us clearly, we are probably wasting our time debating the myriad of things the Bible doesn’t tell us.

Let's not stop here, though. We should get to what makes for good Biblical worship.

What did God want from the people Amos was sent to admonish? It's in the very next verse:

"Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
     and endless river of righteous living."

As just one among thousands and thousands of worship leaders, I'd like to suggest we spend a little more time working toward justice and righteous living and a little less time posturing (even arguing) about the things where God chooses silence.

What do you think?

Wanna Eat Raw Chicken?

Have you ever eaten raw chicken?

I don't think I would. Now I've eaten chicken in all kinds of ways for all three daily meals and in multiple countries, but I can't imagine eating it raw. There's just gotta be some kind of preparation. And, the more time spent preparing the chicken, the more possibilities of great flavor.

A while back I had scrumptious grilled chicken at a friend's house. Prepared with a Pampered Chef rub, then grilled. It took an investment of planning, purchasing, rubbing and cooking. And it was fabulous.

I cook chicken sometimes, too. My favorite simple way is to put some garlic powder on it, drizzle lemon juice over it, put it in a baking dish with a little water, and then slowly bake it. Doesn't take a real long time, but it takes time.

But my favorite chicken of all time has to be when my grandmother would cook it for dinner (that was lunch in her her world) by cutting it up, breading it, and then frying it. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. My brothers and I used to fight over the crumbs.

What in the world does all of this have to do with worship?

Simple, really.

Worship well done (pun intended) requires preparation. Planning. Purchasing. Practicing. And the best services I've ever been part of leading involved practicing both individually and together.

Raw chicken will make you sick. I'm concerned that raw worship leading can keep our worship ministries from being healthy.

In my current church position, I get to see young worship leaders a lot. It is easy to tell when they have spent a good amount of time preparing on their own, spent time preparing with one another, and then--fully prepared--led beautifully.

Conversely, it is easy to pick out when they have failed to prepare on their own before practicing with others, or have difficulty prioritizing practice with others. The best musicians get by, but they significantly limit themselves musically. Perhaps more importantly, they struggle to get past the music and to a place of freedom to worship.

I suspect this is not only true for young leaders but for all of us.

Don't be a chicken. Prepare well. Serve well. Lead well.

Pretenders?

Romans 12:9 says, "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them."


If you serve in any sort of leadership--as a paid servant or an unpaid one--I can't imagine a more potent "horizontal" instruction from scripture.

I confess: I have often pretended to love others. I think I most often pretend to myself, not to them. But still, for most of my career I don't think I've loved people very well.

Now, lest you think me more of a jerk than I really am, I have certainly loved some people. You know, those that were quick to support me personally or my ministry... I loved them really well. The more they loved the songs I picked, the more I loved them. Not just the songs, but those who played and sang and led and served. You get the idea.

I'll spare you the psycho-babble and circular reasoning. You're welcome to speculate about  my past on your own. I'm more concerned with what God is showing me now. And what that means for the future.

I'm hopeful that what I'm seeing might serve your journey as well. These things seem to be true for those in my ministry, but also for those in my circle of friends and--more importantly--in my family.

When I really love people, I ask them to do things because it is best for them, not for me.

When I really love people, I speak encouragement to them rather than expect it from them.

When I really love people, I ask how they are doing. I pray for their needs and check in with them--not so they think much of me, but because I think much of them.

When I really love people, I speak truth into their lives. But only with and in great love. I do so because it serves them, not because it makes me feel better.

When I really love people, I am for them. I'm on their side, regardless of whether or not they're on my side.

Perhaps more practically, when I really love people I choose songs they love as well as songs I love--even if I don't love their songs. 

Similarly, when I really love people, I ask people to do things because they feel compelled by the love of Christ to do them, not because I want them to do them. 

Those last two are where the rubber really meets the road for those of us in worship leader positions. 

It makes so much sense when I read it from The Message: "Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it."

You see, that's the difference in a Christ-follower and a "nice person." We who follow Jesus have the same power coursing through our veins that raised Jesus from the dead. That power makes it possible to love people because of who we are, not because of who they are. And we love them because it's what we do, not because of what they do.

I'm learning. Feels like little tiny baby steps, but I'm learning.

How are you doing at loving people from the center of who you are? Any other places where the rubber meets the road that I've left out?