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.

I'm with the worship team.

     The article talked about the differences between a band and a worship ministry. In a worship ministry, it is an open circle, while in a band, it is a closed circle. In a worship ministry, instead of feeling ownership towards things, we should feel stewardship instead. Most of all, a worship ministry is about serving the congregation and facilitating worship to God.
     In our worship team, we have to recognize that worship is about God and not about us. Our job is to just facilitate worship, and not to perform in front of the student body. Instead if being like an exclusive group, we should strive to be as inclusive as possible.

Why Aren't We Singing?

     There has been a shift in culture because singing has become a specialized activity. When we introduce new songs, we should allow everyone to learn them so they can really sink in. We should be aware of how many new songs we introduce. When people know the songs very well, they are more likely to sing.
     People think the songs are too difficult, so they do not sing. When picking songs, we should pick songs that are suitable for our audience. We cause frustration when we ask people to sing songs that are too difficult to sing. People look at the people on the platform as a screen, and that they will do something to them. But, worship is a community activity and we should all come together and bring something that contributes to the whole.
     The songs have to be a model of what worship looks like. The last song should be pointing directly to God. Where are we heading? In chapel, we should be mindful of the songs we pick so that more people can feel comfortable in worshipping God with us in song.

Essentials in Worship

When we live in our element, it is a gift to us. It inspires, grounds, and empowers us to connect together. There are four elements in life: earth, wind, fire, and water. Earth represents living a grounded life. Wind represents having an inspired life. Fire represents living a passionate life. Water represents nurturing others and being invested.

I think it is important to recognize what element we live in, so we can work better with others. In worship, we all have different strengths. We should use all our strengths to their maximum potential to be the best we can be.

Laura Story

          Laura Story is a contemporary Christian music signer-songwriter from Spartanburg, South Carolina. She began her musical career while she was attending the Columbia International University. She played bass with the band, Silers Bald. She then left the band and began her first album, Indescribable. Since then, she has released four more albums, There Is Nothing, Great God Who Saves, Blessings, and God of Every Story. Some of the songs she released include "Mighty To Save", "Blessings", and "Grace". Story has been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2011, and won the title in 2012. She was also nominated for Artist of the Year in 2012. Her single, "Indescribable" was nominated for Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year in 2006. In 2009, her single, "Bless the Lord" was nominated for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year, and Great God Who Saves was nominated for Praise & Worship Album of the Year and won Inspirational Album of the Year.

          In 2012, the album, Blessings, won Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, and the title song, "Blessings", won Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2006, she lost her husband to a brain tumor, and she wrote "Blessings" to reflect on that tragic event in her life. During times of trial, God remains faithful to us, even when unexpected things happen. In the chorus of the song, it says:
          'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
          What if Your healing comes through tears
          What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
          What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.

          It is so easy to look at bad things and think that nothing good will ever come out of it, but everything that happens is a part of God's plan and it is important for us to know that something good will come out of it. In the chorus, Story uses words like raindrops, tears, a thousand sleepless night, and trials of this life to describe all the bad things that happen in our life. But, she says, through all these bad things, God brings blessings, healing, closeness to Him, and mercy.

Are you insulting God in worship?

The article says how God is self suffient and does not need us. He is the one who is responsible for our existence. We do not need to serve God because he is poor or weak. Instead, we should be there for God to humbly ask him to give us life and to refresh us. We should worship God to receive breath from Him.

This article reminds me that we are dependent on God, and God is not dependent on us. We depend on God to give us breath. When we think that God needs us to worship him, we insult him because he does not need us. God is all powerful and does not lack anything. We need God, and God does not need us.

Get off the platform

The article is telling us that we should not put all our concentration and focus on expanding our leadership platform. Instead, we should trust in God to create our platforms for us to worship Him. We should take our focus off the hidden motives of our heart and be free of them. Instead of trying to build and expand platforms, we should focus on gaining authority. Our role as worship leaders is to be a servant to those we are leading in worship.

This article was meaningful to me because it reminded me that leadership is the greatest form of servanthood. I should also explore the spiritual art of hiddenness so I can focus on worshipping our God. It also reminded me to go into chapels with the mindset of leading worship to lead our student body to God. Worship is a great way to grow closer to Him. We should be more selfless and put all our focus on God.