“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. (John 4:19-22)
Dear Hymn-Singer on the Other Side of the Aisle, Continue reading
So, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this CHRISTmas dance to The Little Drummer Boy! First, Mickye Castillo’s Freedom in the Dance (FITD) Ministry is a powerful and anointed dance ministry out of Dallas, so that alone tells you this will be good!! But then…. they added a drum corps to the dance!!
I’m going to jump up on a soapbox a bit today. As a preacher’s kid and having been involved in pastoral ministry myself, I want to speak to Sabbath rest and family time for your pastoral, ministerial and church staff at the holidays.
National Book Month is winding down! And we have THREE books—all for artists and creatives in church ministry! I know many creatives feel like the church has let them down, but these books help artists AND pastors walk through the process of starting a worship arts ministry together. All three make a strong case for the use of arts in our churches. Here they are and what others are saying about them!
October is National Book Month, so I’ll be continuing to post links to books for creative Christians and artists all month!
Matt Redman has a BEaUtiful heart of worship and so much wisdom to share as a “veteran” of the modern worship movement.
In addition to many songs to his credit, he has written more than a half dozen books on worship, including The Unquenchable Worshipper and Face Down. You can explore his book offerings on his website at www.mattredman.com. There are excerpts of all books available to read there so you can preview them before you decide to buy.
For National Book Month in October, the rest of September and all of October we will focus on books for creatives, artists and worshipers!
Experiential Worship: Encountering God with Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength by Bob Rognlien is a must-read for pastors, worship leaders and creative arts ministry leaders and its companion book, The Experiential Worshiper: Giving Yourself More Completely to God, a must-read for all others! As a worship leader myself, this book has been foundational to the way I do ministry!
Church Stage Design Ideas is a website filled with creative inspiration for churches, ministries and worship events. There are design ideas for all types of settings, stages and budgets. Sets for youth and children’s ministries too! Lots of pictures, instructions and idea sharing. Continue reading
Worship band a little sparse on keyboard, piano, and /or synth? I’ve struggled with this very problem as a worship leader until I discovered Worship Pad Loops by Shalon Palmer.
padloops.com
Pad loops provide ambient noise in the key that matches the songs you’re playing and fills in empty space with beautiful sound.
Files download right onto your phone or mp3 player and then can be routed through your sound system. I have used them in a variety of settings including a large cavernous church and a small retreat setting. Works well in many settings!
Skeptical? There’s a sample in the key of A so grab your guitar and play your favorite song in A right along with it to hear how it sounds! And enjoy your worship time with Jesus as you do!
Have you always wanted to play the piano or keyboard at church or for your own personal times of worship? Had trouble fitting lessons into your busy schedule? Perhaps traditional piano lessons have left you frustrated? Well, I’ve got a possible solution for you!
This is my friend Dr. Ron Sprunger and this is his creative offering called How 2 Play By Ear. Check out the site for a quick summary and sampling of Dr. Sprunger’s program to help you learn to play the piano or keyboard by ear.
Looking to improve your guitar playing or drumming? Looking to learn? Looking to equip your worship team? Worship Artistry provides online worship guitar and drum lessons to help you master today’s top Christian worship songs – with new songs being added weekly – all from the convenience of your computer, smartphone or tablet.
Dr. Pamela Hardy created the Eagles International Training Institute to mentor and train leaders of worship art ministries around the world. Below is Pamela ministering through dance with Yvonne Peters to Grace Flows Down. You’ll notice about 4:13 in, the music switches from the recording to live music by the event’s worship team. It’s obvious that the Holy Spirit’s healing power and anointing was flowing and the participants did NOT want to leave the beauty of the moment: Continue reading
Summer is fast approaching, and for those of you who look for books to read over the summer, have I got a resource for you!
Worship the Rock blog has compiled an extensive list of 100 Books on Worship. Although it’s geared towards worship leaders, there are many titles on this list for everyone! I can tell you as a worship leader myself, many of these are the books we would love our congregations to be reading right alongside us!
Priestly art directs attention to God. It leads us into praise and worship of the Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It ministers first to God and second to the people of God.
Called to Belong Worship Event
Ever wish you had a better singing voice? We all know God’s Word says to lift a joyful noise unto the Lord, but we sometimes wish our joyful didn’t sound so off-pitch!
Enjoy this article complete with tips on How to Sing Gospel from Vocal Singing Tips. Then practice along with this live version of Tasha Cobbs singing Break Every Chain:
Today I would like to direct you to The Journey to Rebirth blog. Although the author herself is a dancer, this blog is NOT just for dancers. Addressing a variety of topics, it’s for anyone in leadership or ministry—and it is written for those of us with an artist’s heart. I have been blessed on more than one occasion by Rasheeda’s blog. It’s worth the follow!
The Stations of the Cross (or the Via Dolorosa), often done on Good Friday, represent a spiritual and physical pilgrimage to commemorate the Passion of Christ. Most often practiced in Roman Catholic Churches, today I will refer you to “The Cross as Journey: The Stations of the Cross for Protestant Worship” by Dennis Bratcher. The article provides historical description and background material, as well as a simple Service of Worship with preparations, supply list, the liturgy and song suggestions.
Creative Lenten Worship is a blog with creative worship ideas for the Lenten season, Holy Week, and Easter for pastors, worship leaders and creative arts teams. There are ideas for decorating your altar space for worship (with photos), as well as a reading for four voices for communion. There are also ideas for visual reminders such as Lenten nail pocket reminders and bags with thirty pieces of silver for family devotions. Instructions included for everything offered.
Need some fresh ideas for Easter at your church or for your ministry? Here’s a list of Creative Worship Settings and Elements from The Worship Closet: The Place for Creative Worship Ideas. It also includes ideas for Mission Projects. Lots of great ideas! Happy hunting!
worshipcloset.com
ShareFaith has a variety of videos for use in your Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter worship services. Watch this example:
From now until Good Friday, I will be posting resources and inspiration geared towards Easter. Perhaps you or church will be inspired to do something creative to help others experience the breadth and depth of the Easter season.
Journey to the Cross is an interactive prayer walk focusing on the stations of the cross. It was done by the worship arts ministry of Level Ground Mennonite Church in Abbotsford, BC. The entire service with participant directions, readings, audio and video walk-through instructions is posted on rethink worship.com. If you’ve ever wanted to do Stations of the Cross but wasn’t sure where to start, everything is all laid out for you.
Nurturing the Creative Spirit Within 