IDENTITY CRISIS
Who are you when your not leading?
Who are you when your not playing guitar?
Who are you when you don't work at a church anymore?
If you haven't read "How To Worship A King" by Zach Neede, I recommend it. He makes an obeservation that is important to be aware of - the trap of function. The "my function must determine my identity" trap.
It usually goes like this:
If I play guitar, I must be a guitarist.
If I sing, I must be a singer.
If I lead worship, I must be a worship leader.
These titles, of course, are not the problems but if we're not careful these titles we take on can become obstacles. For instance, we see this play out when giving feedback to a artists. When we give critique its like where saying we don't like who they are. It becomes an identity crisis. Why? Because we hold onto our function so tightly that it becomes a hinderance to our growth and to the bigger picture.
Zach Neese said "God didn't create you to only use you - He created you so that he could KNOW you."
Are you worshiping out of function or worshiping as a child of God? Worshiping out function will produce whatever music you want - worshiping out of identity will produce life.
Our function will come and go - our identity is eternal. It's the only real ground worth standing on.
Here's the thing - being a part of a worship team won't last forever so, don't hold it so tightly that all you become is a "musician", or a "singer". You are more than that.
According the scripture - You are a friend of God (John 15:15), a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinth. 6:19), a Saint (1 Corinth. 1:2), you are purposed (Ephesians 2:10), set free, you have been called, qualified and ordained to lead people into new life.
So I ask - who are you and what are you leading from?
"You don't lead worship; you lead people into worship" - A friend of mine reminded me of this a few years ago. Gosh, that stuck with me. It might just seem like semantics, but I believe this thought really does put into focus the sometimes blurry role of a "worship leader."
Our souls were created with a longing to connect with a real Jesus at a heart level. If we believe that, then it has to be more about shepherding people. Pastoring the hearts in the room. It's less about how well you execute a set of songs as it is how well you lead people into the worship of God. Darlene Zschech said "if all we do is play and sing songs then we rob people of the Holy awareness of His presence and our spiritual inheritance."
There's been times that I've experienced an unhealthy thread in worship leaders. There can be a sense that it's more important to rely on talent. Keeping your charisma up. Leading a set of songs well. Don't get me wrong - become excellent at your craft and don't stand there looking stiff either. But remember; a great voice isn't enough. A solid five song set isn't enough. It's about meeting people where they are and shifting thier focus to something bigger. It's about becoming more than song leaders.
So, how do we practically start to move away from just leading songs well to leading people well? I would say that it's in the small things. We don't have to ditch the excellence and creativity. Hold it in balance. It's things like speaking out a call to worship to start the service. Speaking out scripture in between transitions. Share a story about the song. It's about guiding people.
Yes, the church needs you to be skillful. To pursue excellence. To be creative. But most importantly the church needs you to maintain a spiritual sensitivity towards God and what's happening in the room. Take them beyond a set of songs. Speak out, read scripture, encourage. Pursue meaningful moments and prepare with people in mind because at the end of the day you don't lead worship; you lead people into worship.
Ideas:
- Scripture: Prepare a scripture to read during the set.
- Story: Pick a song that you can share the back story of. This can help draw people further in (worshiptogether.com is a great place to find the back stories of popular worship songs)
- Talking Points: Whether it's opening service, song transitions or a prayer - take a few minutes to prepare your "talking points". A great resource is just by searching "Calls To Worship" online. When I first started leading I would ramble. Don't make the same mistake I did. Make those moments count and give your people substance.
- One-Liners: This might sound lame but another way to make the little moments count is by preparing declarative one-liners. Instead of always saying "Come on, with everything you've got!" or "Do you believe it?!", Think through other one-liners like; "Let's sing out in faith", "Make this your song", "Let's declare His truth" - Again, it may sound strange but don't take those little moments for granted. The reality is, people notice when you say the same line over and over.
- Try starting service slower. Listen, just because it's "time" to start worship doesn't mean people are always ready to dive in. Many people are coming in from a stressful morning. Kids are crying, unresolved issues are lingering, a bill just came in, an argument on the way to church, etc...The reality is people don't turn a switch that easy. Don't get stuck to a formula. Create sets with this in mind. Start with a slower or mid-tempo song or even a simple chorus that builds into celebration. When we meet people where they are the time of celebration will be that much richer and authentic.
- Lastly, take people where you have already been. Spend time worshiping through the set before you lead it. Pray through it. Find and meet God through it.
Hope this helps!
Preaching to my own heart,
Aaron Flores
Inspired by a conversation I had with a recovering addict and former gang member.
He shared with me about being jumped into a gang, being locked up in prison, selling drugs, struggling with addictions and all the pain he caused the people he loved. He shared with me how he found Christ and how his life started to change. There was something in our conversation that really impacted me. He said - ”You know what, man - after all the junk I’ve been through I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t change it because now I’ve seen, now I know how real God is. I don’t think I would have ever known God the way I do now without what I went through. Now I want to help the younger generation. I don’t want these kids to make the same choices I did.” What moved me so much was when he said “I wouldn’t change it…because now I’ve seen, now I know how real God is.” I walked away thinking about this profound perspective on the trials in our lives. My friend wouldn’t change his past. What I heard him saying was that all the mistakes he made, and the pain and chaos he went through, is what actually made the joy he found in Christ that much greater, that much deeper, that much more meaningful. His past is what actually became the catalyst for a real and rich relationship with Christ. A relationship that now gives his future clarity. What a testimony!
In tough times I think back on that conversation and I remember this quote from Oswald Chambers - “If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.”
Praise God.
SONG LINK
CHORD CHART LINK
NOW I’VE SEEN
When I look back I see how you have shaped
The road that brought me here
I was carried in Your perfect arms of grace
You where with me all along
Verse 2:
I’ve known sorrow, I’ve been tested in the fire
And You heard my every cry
For my Savior has lifted me up
Oh, the wonder of His love
CHORUS:
Now I’ve seen the Glory of Your name
Now I’ve seen a love that never fades
Your are faithful and all to You I sing
An endless song of praise
Verse 3:
I’ve seen darkness, I have lived the empty claims
I have sank beneath the waves
But You’ve reached down and pulled me from the grave
To show Your on the throne
Verse 4:
When the darkness turns and breaks to light
And I stand before Your throne
I will finally see the fullness of Your ways
And I’ll stand in awe and say
Ok, so Saturday got away from me again. My phone alarm wakes me up and its another hectic Sunday morning…
Bit it doesn’t have to be. Of course you can’t control the unexpected situations like the power going out or the baby spitting up on all your clothes before you’re about to head out the door but there are things you can control that will help eliminate loads of extra stress.
With all the mornings I’ve rushed to get washed up, dressed, grab a bite to eat… and oh yeah, squeeze some prayer time in – I’m realizing it’s time to rethink how I get ready for Sunday. I’ve spent way to many mornings not being intentional with my time. Without a doubt the mornings I’ve gotten a head start on the night before have been like a breath of fresh air. My mind is calm and I’m that much more excited to lead.
Here are some really practical rhythms I’ve been putting into practice. This stuff may be silly or obvious but lately, at least for me, the obvious has become forgetful, so having this mental check list has really helped me out. I hope it helps you too.
• LAY OUT YOUR CLOTHES THE NIGHT BEFORE.
• DON’T RUSH. GET UP EARLY.
• PRAY/MEDITATE (I’m really loving this site lately. Great for morning mediations http://d365.org )
• LOOK OVER THE SET. IMAGINE WHERE IT’S GOING AND HOW IT SOUNDS.
• DRINK WATER.
• EAT LIGHT.
• USE THE DRIVE TO CHURCH TO WARM UP YOUR VOICE.
• LASTLY: HAVE A TON FUN AND DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.
As a child growing up in church I never thought much about worship happening outside the “4 walls” of a church building. I really assumed it was just another word for the music we played during service. Little did I know then that the word “worship” was actually filled with rich meaning and to understand it correctly is vital to the Christian faith.
The New Testament Greek word for worship often meant “to fall down before” or “bow down.” Simply put the biblical meaning of worship is about a state of being. It’s important to know that worship isn’t a time, or place. Worship is an ALWAYS thing. Worship is not started; it’s aimed. So, the question is – where is my worship directed? If I can be honest - the challenge for me is not necessarily for a church service to be Christ centered but for my life to be Christ centered. Getting off the throne of my life and putting God back on it every minute of the day. It’s pretty easy to worship when the music is great and the message is inspiring and you’re around people you like but the challenge is during the week. The challenge is during the “grey days” of your week, the “ordinary” moments. William Temple, one of the great teachers of Church of England, unpacked worship in a powerful way. He said “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His Holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of our will to His purpose.”…. WOW! At the heart of this Temple is saying worship involves thinking, meditating, reflecting, processing, evaluating, and understanding what God has revealed to us of Himself. Simply put; worship takes intentionality.
How amazing is the power of Christ that comes alive in us when we live a life intentionally worshiping Him. When we intentionally aim our hearts and minds towards Him in the valleys of our lives and when we’re experiencing the mountain top. I spent many years of my life not even knowing that I was actually spending my focus and emotions worshiping fake gods. Understanding this word worship made a significant difference in my faith journey. If worship as an always thing than the question is – what rules your time, energy, thoughts, longings and choices?