What is the church here for?  More specifically, what is a Sunday service all about?  What’s the purpose?  Ask 10 people, and I’m beginning to believe that 9 of them would answer something along the lines of, “Church is where I get fed,” or, “Church is where I get filled up for a long week at work.”  “Then, by Wednesday, I feel empty, so I get a recharge in Bible study.”    As the worship pastor, it’s my job and my call to prayerfully consider these things.  I think people lose...

I’ve been thinking about what it means to prepare for worship.  I have a routine to prepare for each Sunday, so I can be “ready” to worship.  I put quotes around “ready,” because how can a person be truly ready?      I hear you: “Ok--so what in the world are you talking about?”  Being ready for worship means I prepare myself for the work of the Holy Spirit.  Being filled with the Spirit is a must.     The first part of the process is in Luke 14:11:  “For everyone who...

I’m freshly returned from a mission trip.  Sometimes, a mission trip can be a spiritual rush.  It’s like going to a Christian “Camp” of sorts.  If you’ve ever worked with teenagers, you know what I’m talking about.  Your teenager goes off to camp, often ending with the letters “-FUGE,” and they return on fire, stirred up, and otherwise passionate about the things of God.  What often happens, sadly, is the fervor lasts for a specific time span:  be it months, weeks,...

I’ve been thinking about the subject of worship (big surprise, that) and the role that we, the Body of Christ, should play.  Sincerity in worship is of great concern to me.  I frequently examine, as a matter of discipline, the way I worship.  I desire to always be honest in my worship as I serve my King.  Being paid to lead others in worship puts me in danger of sliding into a state of hypocrisy, a state of play-acting.  Fake.    Worship music in the...