Songwriting for Worship

1. Music has always been a part of church history, from Grgorian chants to European hymns.
2. Music is used to express adoration towards God.
3. Songs have an enduring way to last in people's hearts as they journey on their paths with God.
4. Songs give vocabulary and can teach Biblical truths.
5. Music brings people together and reflects what is going on in our hearts and our minds.
6. Inspirations to write songs can come from a variety of different places, and came come quickly or slowly over time.
7. Become a student of life and observe the world around you.
8. Keep the editor out of the creative process for as long as possible.
9. Ask concept questions to establish the feel and groove of the song.
10. Must commit yourself to a song structure.

Worship Band Interactive

1. 100% rule, each player only makes up a part of the whole.
2. Don't have too many people playing in the middle range at the same time.
3. Plan out who plays the lead lines
4. Listen and connect with the other people on the team.
5.  4 parts of sound: pitch, rhythm, tone, and volume.
6. Make sure the bass player is locked in with the drummer.
7. Have a plan, but also be willing to be flexible.
8. Not everybody should be playing full out all the time because of the 100% rule.
9. Listen to each other's ideas.
10. Always be available for God to use you.

Quality Worship Leading

A quality worship leader is someone who worships the Lord in everything they do, not just when they are up in front of the congregation. A quality worship leader does that brag about their skills, but uses them for the glory of God. A quality worship leader leads the congregation without taking the focus away from God and putting it on themself.

Kari Jobe featured Cody Carnes, which reflects on the point that worship teams are inclusive. Also, when they were leading worship, they were not making any crazy hand gestures and things as to draw attention on themselves. The whole band had great musicality, which aided in the whole worship experience for the congregation. When the band played, their preparation was very strong, so they could just focus on worshipping God, rather than on the technicalities of the music.

Worship Matters

The book, Worship Matters, by Bob Kauflin, is about who the worship leader is: his heart, mind, hands and life, the task of a worship leader, healthy tensions, and right relationships. Worship matters to God because he is the one ultimately worthy of all worship. It matters to every worship leader because there is no greater privilege than leading others to experience the greatness of God.

People tend to focus on "worship wars", like arguing over music styles and song selections, but nobody focuses on the worship wars happening inside of every one of us. Everyone has internal battles over what they love most: God or something else, which is idolatry. Worship is less about the music, techniques and songs; it is more about our hearts: what and who we love more than anything.

The Gift of Worship

The video was about how worship is about God, and not about us at all. It says to leave all our pain and sorrows at the cross. It is not about if the guitar is too loud, or the lighting or sound. Worship is not about us.

I enjoyed the video a lot because it reminded me why we worship. I also really enjoyed the background music on the video as well. It reminded me that worship is about being selfless and giving everything to God.

Guiding Principles of Worship

1) Worship is a dialogue. It should include two elements: prayer and praise.

2) Worship is focused on Christ. It should be focused on Jesus instead of ourselves.

3) Worship is contemporary. It should reflect the culture we live in so it is more accessible to people.

4) Worship is traditional. It should also reflect the past and include hymns people have sung for centuries.

5) Worship is wholistic. It involves the whole person, including intellect, emotions, senses, and the body. People should be fully engaged in worship.

6) Worship is participative. We should try to engage as many people as possible during worship.

7) Worship is inclusive. It should be accessible to people from all walks of life, not directed towards a certain audience.

8) Worship is a balance. We should try to balance the closeness and nearness of God, expectation and surprise, and pagaentry and intimacy.