One day I was driving down the road and I was in an “angry music” =] kind of mood. So I put on Drowning Pools song “Let… Read more “How The Song “Let The Bodies Hit The Floor” Changed My Personal Views On Worship!”
Category: Worship Relevance
Anything relating to worship.
Dress To Impress & “First Impressions”
You have all heard it said, “dress to impress”, right? If your going on a first date you want to look debonair. If your going to a job interview you want to look like you know what the business is all about and you dressed appropriately. There is definitely something to be said about first appearances. But now that we got the human side of “first impressions” out of the way, lets look at the spiritual side shalt we?
Matthew 4:18-20 says,
“One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.”
Obviously, Jesus was looking to hire some people. He was in the market for some disciples for His kingdom business. So let’s talk about first appearances.
1st) Exhibit A: Simon Peter & Andrew. Exhibit B: FISHERMEN!!! Have you ever smelt a fisherman before? Yeah, they smell like fish.
2nd) I bet when fishing, you definitely don’t dress debonair. You dress the part. Your going to get wet, so your not going to wear a ton of clothes that would hold you down. You’re also going to get fish smell and mud all over you so you’re not going to wear your favorite designer jeans and loafers.
3rd) Were they covered in mud? You bet. Were they wet with seawater? Sure. Did they smell like fish? Definitely.
So how did they dress to impress Jesus? How was that a good “first impression”? Does Jesus just like the fisherman look? Maybe. Does Christ have a fisherman theme He likes to stick to? Possibly. But you see this is where we [as humans] get confused. We resort back to what we know and understand as “dress to impress”. And we forget that Christ doesn’t function that way. You see
1 Samuel 16:7 says,
“The Lord doesn’t see things the way we see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying to never bathe and always wear rags. I’m not saying you can’t dress nice or comfortable. I’m just saying, sometimes we put way to much emphasis on what people are or aren’t wearing and not enough emphasis on the heart. Just because someone on the worship team or pastor or janitor or newcomer wears shorts or a hat or has piercings and tattoos or dresses overly nice, doesn’t disqualify them from fitting the part that God has placed them in. Just sayin’.
Keep Worshiping!
Bad Practice, Good Practice. What’s The Difference?
This is one thing I have notice when practicing for a worship set. There are times when worship practice go so well that you feel like nothing… Read more “Bad Practice, Good Practice. What’s The Difference?”
Becoming A Worship Leader
First: You Are A Pew Worship Leader. If you can’t worship as part of the congregation, what makes you think you can lead a congregation into… Read more “Becoming A Worship Leader”
The Difference Between Tithe & Offering
“Tithe” is what God called the believers of the church to give. Which was 10% of your increase? Your “increase” is anything you gain, whether it is money,… Read more “The Difference Between Tithe & Offering”
Christianity: The “Celebrity” Life.
When you think of celebrities, I’m sure the last thing that would come to your mind is Christians. Well, it’s time to change the way you think.… Read more “Christianity: The “Celebrity” Life.”
Creating A Good Set List For Worship.
There are a few different ways to create a set list that will make the worship experience amazing. But the one I’m going to talk about today is a up front set list. This is when all the worship is in the beginning of the service.
1. You need to pick a good first song. A song that is up beat and preferably well known by the congregation. You want to draw people in, grab their attention and wake them up for service. Not confuse them or play a song they can’t engage with. Watch for the key changes and transitions.
2. For the second song, you don’t want to go straight into something slow. It’s an awkward transition and it doesn’t flow very well. So you want to stay up beat and relevant.
3. Now the third song is a key song because it is a good transition song. You don’t want to slow down worship too much, but you don’t want it to be to fast either. I’ll leave it up to you what type of song you’ll put here. But keep in mind your transitions
4. For the fourth song, you are going to want a song that is relevant to the sermon topic and can bring people to a place where they can meet God face to face.
5. And finally the fifth and sometimes the last song, depending on whether or not you have a sixth song, should be worshipful and joyful. A song that ends the worship experience on a high note or a transition to the sermon topic if the pastor decides to go straight into the sermon.
Well there you have it! This is a more traditional and probably the most common type of set list and is a good start to getting you on your way to making an amazing set list for your congregation. But please keep in mind the key changes and transitions of all the songs. They can make or break the a good set list. Have fun and keep worshiping!
Worship Naked!
There is a common misconception out there that many, many people are falling prey too. There is a lie that says that, “you have to dress and… Read more “Worship Naked!”
Writing Worship Songs.
If your having a hard time writing a worship song or you just hit a block. Step back and instead of writing a song, write what’s on… Read more “Writing Worship Songs.”
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