We made it! 2020 is 99% in the rearview mirror. Phew!

I want to invite you into hope. Into a world with less anxiety. Into a less distracted, more purposeful, wildly optimistic living.

This year has been both a punch to the gut and a kick in the pants. How are you responding?

Losing our normal, hurts. We had rhythms. We had reasonably certain expectations. How should we, as worshiping Christians, grieve our loss of normalcy?

Long trials require exceptional resilience, a healthy perspective, and an ability to stick with it. But we never thought we were in a sprint, did we?

I love worshiping with blind trust.

We were observing a Sunday morning rehearsal.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" said the flustered senior pastor to the worship leader. A couple of times.

We thought they might come to blows, and the worship leader was visibly livid.

Maybe we feel disoriented because God is trying to reorient us.

As churches, we’ve been forced to rethink virtually everything about our weekly gathering rhythms.

Lucas. Now you know how to say Luke in Spanish. Well, only if you pronounce it Spanishy.

But do we know what to do when a messenger from God shows up when we’re just doing our weekly service?

“You tend to feel in control of your life when our wills are in harmony.” - God (via Sarah Young)

Control. Remember that feeling?

I was leading worship, and I felt like the congregation could take it or leave it. 💔

Imagine calling yourself a chef. You have libraries of cookbooks…that you’ve actually read. You watch every show on Food Network and have even met some of the stars! You can even guess at the beginning of the show who’s going to get Chopped. You grocery shop and fill your pantries with supplies. You just love the smell of food cooking.

I got off the airplane when we first entered Costa Rica, and the customs official asked me, “¿A que te dedicas?” “Músico,” I’d answer.

We made it! To a whole new decade.

But do you have hope?

Imagine your worship team on a retreat. On a missional retreat in Costa Rica.

What am I taking to heart?

What has been getting me out of bed on these cold, dark winter mornings?

I took stock. I noticed. I paid attention. I realized that I’ve been leading three to four Sundays a month over the past twelve months. That was okay then.

But it was time to change.

Maybe you’re a worship leader who is caught in the unrelenting cycle of leading weekly worship gatherings while managing songs, arrangements, schedules, teams, relationships, and life.

You feel the need for... 

• A deep walk with God (Intimate, Consecrated, Scripture-soaked)

• A deep love for people (Shepherd, Launcher, Encourager, Leader)

• A deep understanding of music (Listener, Craftsman, Fluent)

“The measure of a worship leader’s success is not better services, but building worshippers.”