Improving Your Worship Experience
How can you improve your worship experience?
There are at least two perspectives as you read that question. One says, “yes, I’ve been wanting to up our game for the worship experience!” The other says, “I don’t like that you call it a ‘worship experience.’”
Confidence
The note ringing out from the bass in my hands was jarring and dissonant. I quickly stopped it and frantically tried to find out which key we were playing in. If you had been in my head a few moments before, it might have sounded something like this...
The Mirror
Here’s the strange thing. I ask good questions for a living. As I coach worship leaders, I listen to what they say, what they leave out, what they focus on, what their perspective of reality is, and I ask questions from the OUTSIDE. I’m not better than them; I’m not a better leader than they are; I can’t outplay them as a musician. My value is that I’m not them. I’m not on the INSIDE.
Post Conference Blues
Conferences are great! I used to be the guy who would sit in the auditorium in the afterglow. I didn’t want to leave. I had been inspired, encouraged, stretched, and poured into. What I received was not just information, it was impartation. I wanted to take many of the presenters home with me.
The Biblically Ethical Use Of AI
This is a beautiful treatment of this topic by Ad Lib coach Craig Knapp.
Something I hear constantly in conversations, especially in the tech realm, is the fear that AI is replacing human jobs. Frequently, I get asked the question, “Aren’t you afraid that (fill in the blank) job will be replaced by AI?”
The Long Game
Are you aging out of worship leadership? Are you feeling burned out or pushed out? Do you wish you had the same passion for Jesus, worship leading, and people that you once had before all those years in worship ministry? How can you rekindle a youthful, yet mature exuberance for the next season of ministry?
Why Are You A Worship Leader?
My friend Adam once said, “I’m not a psychologist because that’s what I do. I’m a psychologist, so that’s what I do.” In other words, his chosen profession doesn’t make him what his job title says. His calling and bent made him who he is, so he chose that for his profession.
My Favorite Questions
Thanks for reading this year! As we prep for a new year, I want to equip you with tools for reflection. Worship leaders usually aren’t very good at reflecting. Introspection and navel gazing, yes, but real reflection, not so much.
After The Noels: What Happens To Your Heart After Christmas?
The candles go out, the lights come down, the room empties—and suddenly it’s quiet. After weeks of rehearsals, planning, long days, and late nights, Christmas Eve hits with so much beauty and energy…and then it’s just done... it's over.
Crazy
On Christmas Eve, a church in your area is holding six services: traditional, contemporary, blended, modern, emergent, and orthodox. Then, after the candelighting, the worship team is hopping on a redeye to do a missions trip to Cambodia over Christmas and New Year’s.
Ministry Model
Stop and think for a moment. What has most influenced my model of ministry? Many of us don’t even realize we have a model. Can you identify it? Who shaped it? A pastor? A co-worker? An industry? A speaker at a conference? An author? A friend? A podcaster?
Outlast
It’s happening all over America. Worship leaders with twenty and thirty years of experience are “aging-out” of leading worship.
No, they’re not, but that’s what they call it.
The Key To Success As A Worship Leader
I was helping our pastor pick up some used subwoofers and speakers for our church. We pulled up to a storage container, and our tech friend, who was selling them, greeted us with a smile.
Which Fader Is The Greatest?
Which of the Five Faders matters most? The logical answer is “my Fader!” :)
This question makes sense, but it isn't the most useful one. Often, the underlying concern is finding justification to challenge a leader or team member who is out of balance or unhealthy.
Resurrender
There’s a song the 16 church worship teams will sing at this Saturday’s workshop in Lancaster. Though it’s not widely known—currently at number 473 on Planning Center Online’s Top Songs chart—it carries a message our community especially needs.
The Five Faders Book is HERE!
Have you appreciated receiving the Worship Fertilizer or any of the many resources from Ad Lib Music?
Can I ask you a big favor?
Hospitality Can Transform Your Team
If You Can Be Anything, Be Kind
I am not often envious of my daughter’s wardrobe, but she has one shirt that I covet. On the front, it says “be kind,” and on the back, it says “everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” It’s a simple concept that has become my personal mantra as a worship leader and church planter.
Creating A Multiplication Culture
I turned 50 in February. I’m not sure how it happened. I’m pretty sure yesterday I had all my hair and it was much darker, I could see at night while driving, and there were more days ahead of me than were behind me.
Something’s Not Right
Did you ever feel like something was just not right in your sphere of ministry? Wade Mullen wrote an extremely helpful book called Something’s Not Right. It was invaluable to me during a very difficult time as a worship director on staff at my church.
Did Jesus Lie About The Whole Yoke Thing?
I was overwhelmed during a season of life and ministry that felt so heavy. I felt no traction. I wanted a clear, big picture to shoot for and a simple strategy for making daily progress.