“Just Give Up”
It was cloaked in tiredness. It hid behind a lack of passion. It was tucked between the pages of insecurity, failure, and disappointment. Finally, on Thursday, I recognized the liar as he whispered, “Just give up. That would be the right thing to do.” My family and our prayer team banded together and prayed against it in Jesus’ name.
Like yours, my life has been tremendously blessed and completely imperfect. Things have happened that have discouraged me. God has “dissed my illusions” (read “I’ve been disillusioned”). The trying season has stretched on and on, and faithful plodding has become my pace. It’s been a couple of years of feeling struck down but not destroyed.
I was pretty low.
In fact, my tank (energy, anointing, hope) was empty. On a long enough timeline, we all can get there. Let’s not stay there.
I’m typing this from airports and airplanes on the way home. The last four days have felt like a whole month of encouragement to my spirit and soul. But remember last Thursday? I was to leave to minister, but it was very dark.
I want to share my experiences both so I can remember them (storing them up in my heart like Mary) and as a testimony to the marvelous work of God. And hopefully to encourage you!
I was planning to speak at the Worship Innovators conference held on Monday and Tuesday. Because I had to pay my own way, I started looking for a place to lead worship the day before the conference started. After contacting 22 churches and coming up empty, I remembered my cousin’s church was about an hour south of town. I ended up pouring into their team on Saturday and leading worship on Sunday. It was such a beautiful time together. It was a special combination of ministering to and strengthening leaders and their team, all while being with family. It was unforgettable. (and I intend to repeat that experience!)
Sunday night was a dinner for the conference speakers and leaders. I strolled into Labriola Ristorante and awkwardly stood among the “strangers” for a few minutes before being introduced to Keith Elgin, the host of the @worshiponline Podcast. I continued talking with him, and when we discovered our dear mutual friend Seth Condrey, I slid over to the seat next to him. I enjoyed time with him, as well as my new friends David and Amber Peairs of The Worship Life. I also met Jad Gillies and Eric Liljero from Hillsong. (I later found out that Eric wrote “Cornerstone.”)
The next morning, I arrived at Christ Church of Oak Brook (look it up on Google Maps - it’s quite the place!) at about 6:45 AM. No sooner had I walked in the door than a guy named Vincent called out, “Hey, you’re Dave Helmuth, right? I’ve been following you for a long time. Thanks for all you’ve done, I’m so glad you’re here!”
I’m sorry, what?!?
Honestly, I was still walking in like I wasn’t sure I belonged. Lord, I hear You loud and clear. But wait. There’s more.
I got to connect with and encourage and be encouraged by…
David and Amber Peairs from The Worship Life. Amber and I are also teaching at next week’s Level Up Online Summit. These Texan folks are the real deal and are such cheerleaders!
Keith Elgin, who just wrote The Worship Journal, a cool book that helps you connect more deeply with the songs you lead. I traded a copy of that for a Five Faders book. He leads in Virginia.
Matt Miller from Worship Team Coach, based in Ohio.
Roger O’Neil from Worship 4:24 Conference at Cedarville University in Ohio, who just wrote a book called Worshiper: A Biblical Portrait. I’m teaching some of his students about the Five Faders next week.
Rashard Allen from Neffsville Mennonite in Lancaster (who has been teaching the Five Faders material in Spanish on his trips to South America).
Chris Mellon from Grace Baptist Church (who was an Ad Lib coach for a season and leads a worship leader group in Lancaster).
Mike O’Brien from Atlanta-based Three Streams Worship Training, who I’ve known for over a decade. He’s on Insta at mikeoworship.
Wesley King from RukesGroup, based in Chicago, but he lives in Boerne, TX, just three miles from the original Rudy’s BBQ and the university I went to.
Dusty Foster from Audio Video Fix in Oneida, a little town in western Illinois.
Cory from MxU (who has six kids under ten)
Matt McCoy he started both Loop Community and Worship Innovators, and is now the president of CCLI (owners of WorshipTools and SundaySounds) in Chicacgo.
Jeff Lee from California-based Citizen Guitars (these are electric guitars and basses made specifically for worship)
Jeff Barnett from Sweetwater, who told me about Church Gear, a Tennessee company that buys used gear from churches and sells it on consignment to smaller churches.
Janson Roberts from Worship Innovators Academy in Chicago (a super cool 10-month online academy starting in January 2027).
And the two breakout sessions I taught went really well. I was able to sell or give away every one of the Five Fader books I brought along.
I mean, there were more in those two days, but my goodness. Well, His goodness! Let me tell you about three more gifts from the Lord.
I had what felt like a divine appointment the first day at lunch. I looked for someone who caught my attention. Earlier, I had seen this guy wearing a bowtie, so I sat down next to him and started chatting. Where do you think his pastor is from? Yup, Costa Rica. And the two guys from the RukesGroup, Wesley and Todd, were sitting at the table. We traded business cards. Well, he gave me his card, and I gave him a copy of the Five Faders.
So that was the first lunch. The next day was even crazier. I did the same thing, and I thought I saw my friend Mike O’Brien, but when I got close, I realized it wasn’t. I decided to sit down anyway. He introduced himself and his friend, the only two guys at this table. Well, it turns out his friend’s name is Shad! Shad lives where my parents used to live in Ohio. And he has served and is good friends with the folks at VidaNet. We know and love so many of the same people. Out of the thousand people at this conference, God had me sit down next to Shad.
Tuesday morning, I received the following text from a church in Pennsylvania we had ministered in earlier this year: “Hey Dave. Hope you and the family are doing well. We were thinking about you this past week. Our church is finishing up our 2027 budgeting process and have some funds available in our missions category to help support those serving in global, national, or local missions. And we thought of you guys. Do you have folks that support you from their missions budget? And/or have support letters that you send for people to support? Just looking at some next steps to help support you guys if we can!” 🥹
I had said hello to my friend Doug Gould from Worship MD a few times during the conference. At the very end, he was packing up the twenty or so Martin guitars he had on display, and he said, “Hey Dave, would you be interested in teaching at the Church Tech conference in Miami next month? They did one in Brazil and it drew 10,000 people. This one already has 2,000 coming and I’m working with the organizers to find teachers.” Yes please!
And one more. It was a big blessing in several ways. I was trying to save money, so I commented on the conference chat asking if anyone wanted to share a hotel room. A guy named Nate, from California, texted me that he was interested. He ended up getting us a great room only a few minutes from the church. And Nate Jones (as I found out) is a great brother! He does snore, but the church had earplugs available, so that wasn’t a problem. He was so encouraging and enjoyable. He also connected me with his friends and fellow students from Worship Ministry Training Academy who were at the conference. We enjoyed a dinner together, and one of the sons looks just like Dude Dad. Google it. I definitely made a new friend in Nate, though when I Venmo’d him for my half of the room, I wrote, “hotel room with a stranger.” We prayed for each other as we left, no longer strangers.
Even on the way home, I got a call from Tom Kraeuter from Training Resources (who just wrote a great book called “Don’t just GO to church. BE the church.”) on my layover in St. Louis where he lives. And I was texting with Paul Baloche from…Paul Baloche, and Kent Henry also from…Kent Henry to encourage them.
I feel like the Father had to bring His son Dave back to life.
My friend, we all get down. Don’t ever, and I mean ever, let the enemy lie to you. It’s not over. Not by a long shot!
-Dave Helmuth
Author of the Five Faders and Founder of Ad Lib Music
“Just Give Up” (Nº 492)
Why do some leaders succeed at building lasting worship ministries while others fail? In the Five Faders, Dave Helmuth explores the process of development and breaks down the lies, myths, and traps keeping you from being the fruitful leader God desires. Using decades of evidence-based insights, Dave reveals how understanding what motivates you is the first step in becoming a Five Faders Leader.
With our framework for becoming the best Artist, Shepherd, Priest, Educator, and Producer, you'll learn to slide each Fader up or down as Love requires you in each moment of leadership. Through relatable stories, insight gained from years of coaching worship teams in every kind of setting, and step-by-step advice, readers learn how to become the healthy expression of their Fader, build a culture of honor on your team to bring out the best in everyone, and be the most effective leader in the ever-changing landscape of ministry. Whether you’re looking to relieve frustration, increase confidence, or outlast change, this book offers the tools to become a Five Faders Leader.
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• Ceramic
• 11 oz mug dimensions: 3.79″ (9.6 cm) in height, 3.25″ (8.3 cm) in diameter
• 15 oz mug dimensions: 4.69″ (11.9 cm) in height, 3.35″ (8.5 cm) in diameter
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Whether to fill it with Costa Rican coffee is up to you.