If I ever again am a part of a team like the Jimmy McNeal Band, I’ll be doing ministry indeed. They truly care about the people they’re leading in worship, and that they are being led to worship the true God. They have a far-reaching ministry, but more importantly, deep-reaching.
Category: Worship Leading
ReEngage Ministry
I have loved getting to lead worship for our married couples at our ReEngage class. It’s a curriculum borrowed by courtesy of Watermark Church in Dallas. The first round through the it is nearing the end and I’m going to feel something is missing on Monday nights once it’s over. Last Monday was a special…
Is inadequacy a good heart-posture for worship leading?
Two years ago, when I finally confided in a close friend that I wanted to start leading worship, I immediately felt pressure to add a counterbalancing statement. Because in my mind, a guitarist in a worship band wanting to “step up” to worship leading could only mean one thing; they must think they’re getting too…
“Where The Signs Appear” – A Transition To Worship Leading
August marked the beginning of the second year of my two-year residency at the Austin Stone. It’s the time in most residencies where we stop adding things to our plates and begin to focus it down to exactly what kind of ministry we feel “called” to post-residency. It has been an arduous season for me….
Shepherding Idle And Fainthearted Church Musicians
Last Christmas Eve, I remember setting up my guitar gear on the stage of my church right next to a row of three Christmas trees, each one shorter than the last, mirrored on the other side of the stage. I thought to myself, “Am I just the fourth and shortest Christmas tree in this row?” The church had set up these trees because they wanted the room to have a certain vibe, and they neither distracted nor particularly attracted anyone to the glory of Jesus. That sounded awfully familiar to me.
I’m In Recovery
Today was my first day to lead worship at Austin Stone Recovery. It is the highest honor to get to worship in an environment like this where Jesus is truly a felt need and the gospel is cherished in such a serious way. Many churches have a similar ministry by a similar name, but it’s…
Worship Leader Assessments
I have a lot of room to improve in a lot of areas. One specific area where I’m finding it particularly fruitful to lean into during this residency is leading worship. I’ve led worship some in the past, but the heaviest pressure of this type I’ve ever experienced has been the worship leader assessments. As…
4 Ways You Might Be Distracting People During Worship
Even during worship services, we are constantly tempted to worship ourselves instead of Christ. One of the hardest times of this temptation for me is while I’m padding under a prayer, or playing music during an offering, Scripture reading, etc. Here are some of the actions I’ve seen this temptation turn itself into. Whether you…
The Grace to Lead Worship
Back in 2008, I used to sing some worship songs with an unplugged acoustic guitar and a rickety music stand for my church’s youth group. Today was the first time since then. I co-led worship this morning with Paul Morris at the Stone’s West Campus Students. Now, I know. Everyone on the stage is a…
2017 ERLC Conference
Today through Saturday, I’m with Jimmy McNeal and the band, leading worship at the ERLC conference in Nashville. The topic this year is “Christ-Centered Parenting in a Complex World”. Stream it live at live.erlc.com! I’m happy to have Sarah here with me too, though she’s technically with the South Campus Kids team. We’re treating the…
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