Disclaimer: While this is catered more towards worship leading, a lot of points are still relatable and you get a snapshot of what goes on behind preparations for worship.
Mark Counihan began his keynote session Saturday morning with an anecdote about his dad. His dad, despite his age, has been actively exploring and hiking the world. When people hear of his travels, they want to know which mountain he was planning to conquer next…as if mountains can be conquered. All you do is climb on top of it and stick a flag on top. You don’t swallow the mountain or blow it to bits. It’s not a pet that can be “tamed” or “trained”. How is it conquered? It can’t be. Similarly, we are not conquests. We have our own wills. We are all different, and purposely created so. God did not create robots, mindlessly following Him, all with the same hair, same build, and same face.
We were also made to worship. From a quiet, deep contemplation to a loud, unrestrained shout, how we worship God may also manifest differently from person to person because we are all different. However our worship takes form, we look to the Scriptures because it is truth. God’s Word is true. So we delve into Proverbs to reflect on the wisdom God’s Word provides us, things to be mindful of when we aim to freely worship and please Him, and as we also lead others in worshipping Him. We have 4 main pitfalls to consider:
1. I. I. I. I. I. The I problem.
“Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men…” (Proverbs 25:6).
There was once an event being held out in the open. The main attraction was a fireworks display at the end of the event. However, it is to be noted that this region often has storms and lightning occurrences. While the people were admiring the huge, colorful, and elaborate fireworks in the sky, a storm started brewing. Pretty soon, the lightning in the sky was proving to be a show in itself as the people admired the lights and the huge, intricate patterns it made. The awesome fireworks paled in comparison to the natural, ethereal beauty of those lightning strikes.
Similarly, we are so often caught up in putting on a show when leading worship that it becomes a matter of how I put on the production just right – my own efforts with the lights, songs, instrumentation, staging chosen. We become so focused on entertaining/being entertained. “This worship service needs to be less boring for ME. I’m gonna make this happen.” Or even if we have the sincerest of intentions, such as feeding ourselves spiritually…”The songs should be catered to ME, who God is to ME, what God is doing in MY life.” I. I. I. We become so focused on fireworks and the artificial that we forget the wonders of natural lightning. In our self-focus, what room does God have in our lives? Did we leave any space for God to work in? Do we really even want God to work in, through, and amidst us?
Can you envision how awkward it is, not to mention how embarrassing and impolite it is (to say the least), if you were facing a king (or in this case The King) being so pleased with yourself and boasting of your efforts and accomplishments, when in truth, it amounts to nothing really significant? Mark recalled a time when he wrote a song, just as a hobby, something to pass the time. The recording was also simple, just his vocals and his guitar. Pretty soon, he noticed that it was climbing the iTunes charts and eventually reached #1 in the African region. His ego was steadily inflating. An internal struggle commenced. “My song is doing pretty good. If this is what happens when I make songs for fun, imagine what I can achieve if I put more effort and resources into it! Should I share this with my Twitter followers? Yeah, I think I will!” He took a screenshot of his song being on top of the African iTunes charts. Well, guess what? The moment he posted it on Twitter, his song was bumped into second place by Jad Gillies’/Hillsong’s newest tune…to which Jad heavily chuckled to in the audience. Humbling moment, ain’t it?
I would liken it to lollipop (big head) moments like this: “See God, I made the perfect set list! Did you see that lady crying the entire worship time? No need to thank me for opening her up to be more receptive to the Holy Spirit. I’m just that awesome and skilled! I bet I’m better than Darlene Zschech! Right?” Whatever the scenario, it doesn’t end well.
“Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 15:33).
It’s only this year that I’ve started being intentional in asking God for wisdom whenever I pray. You’d think it’s enough to do devotions and read His Word, and yes, you draw wisdom from that, but reading something and internalizing it is very different from actual application. The bridge from stock knowledge into everyday practice is that attitude of fearing the Lord. We have to answer to Him, whether it’s leading worship or just in our normal everyday walk. And so this also helps with humility. In answering to Him, we acknowledge the hierarchy of God being above us.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve been open about my previous struggle to be humble. Another example of this would be that I was so defensive in my early days leading worship, whenever someone would come to me with a critique of the worship time. It was my baby. Eventually, after a workshop with Ben Fielding of Hillsong and hearing him speak of partnership and stewardship, it just opened up this whole new perspective for me, which I hold to this day. It’s helped me to welcome feedback and value it, rather than dread it. I’ve learned that critique isn’t to be taken personally, because the focus is God and ministering to others. Feedback is beneficial to improve and be effective in my role in guiding people to that safe space of worship. Stewardship of my talents involves placing myself in as high a standard as, say, a pastor, especially with song choices and accurate theology. I could never do that without humility, and let me tell you – more than honor, I’ve been blessed with so much peace and joy in this ministry because of it.
2. Integrity
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise” (Proverbs 27:21).
My mom always makes fun of me and about how she doesn’t trust my taste in food. Everything seems to be delicious to me. What can I say? I’m a simple girl who appreciates the little things. What’s my point? My praise for a certain restaurant or food reflects who I am. My taste buds are easily pleased. Similarly, a lot can be deduced from how a person praises or worships. I’m not just talking about the outward appearance, but the inner conditions as well. Is your heart right there, present in the now? What are the themes that you gravitate towards? How is God moving you at this particular moment/season of your life? Do you sing/play your musical instrument with abandon or with much reservation? You know for yourself, and God knows as well, how genuine you are being. Psalm 78 has a nice little ditty about integrity of heart. So what can we do to uphold integrity?
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
Your heart holds your desires and motives. Everything you do is an outpouring of this. There shouldn’t be a gap between what you sing/play and how you live. You can’t compartmentalize worship to Sundays only. You are you, no matter what day of the week it is. This next passage is also closely related to humility. Be humble enough not to exalt yourself, but also be genuine enough to receive praise because it reflects the wonders and glory of how God is working in you. After all, your talents are from Him.
“Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2).
“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Proverbs 29:7).
What’s a better gauge of integrity than love in action. Where is love in apathy? I believe it’s in Ephesians 4 where we are called to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. This further reminds me of James 1:27, where we see that what is regarded as pure and faultless religion is looking after widows and orphans in distress. Compassion, my friends, extends beyond the music.
3. Isolation
Some people might not understand this, but this is all too familiar to me. Mark mentioned the isolation we intentionally choose. We choose to fly solo. It’s easier than you think. Somehow, it’s easier to talk to a crowd on Sunday, imparting God’s words, than one on one after service where you actually have to have an exchange/conversation with people that go beyond just theology. I gravitate towards isolation and credit it to shyness. Sometimes, we just find it difficult to enter community. Sometimes, it’s just more comfortable to stick to our little pockets of acquaintances, our few friends, or even to just duck out right after service. This should not continue.
Jad Gillies also made a very good point (on a separate panel later that day) in saying, “We don’t need more Christian rock stars, but sometimes, we just need leaders. People sometimes just don’t know how to get from the place of being bound and broken to a place of surrender and faith and worship and response.” We have a specific purpose. It helps to invest in something local: a local/home church and the community it holds. Christy Nockels, Chris Tomlin, Paul Baloche, Hillsong, and all these other Christian artists, at the end of their touring and their travelling, all have a home church they return to to minister and serve in. You have to be present in your congregation…each part is the Church. The next generation is going to have to come from here. And besides, how will you lead when you’re so far removed from the realities of the congregation? Which brings us to…
“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense” (Proverbs 12:11).
“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice…As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:9, 17).
We have all these ideas and perceptions of how things are when, in reality, things are very different. We struggle to take advice. We were raised in a society that values autonomy, independence. We are problem-solvers. We can do this on our own! Right? Wrong! One person sharpens another and true friends build each other up, even if it means dishing out tough love. This is why feedback is so important and why I’m so thankful my eyes were opened to its value. Feedback in this context of worship and leading is essential to be effective and to continue learning and growing in faith, knowledge, and style/creativity.
On the flip side, Jad also mentioned that opinion is valuable, yes, but if you’re swayed just by opinion, you miss the mark. You’re there to worship God, not to just follow a few people’s preferences. If you try to please everyone, you become reactive/reactionary instead of imparting influence/effect. So just always remember that you’re serving God. That focus should provide you with a balance between constructive feedback and clear vision/direction.
4. Ignorance
We’re no longer talking about ignorance of the needs and journeys of the congregation. We’re talking about the technical stuff. Do we ever stop to think, “What are we singing/playing?”
“The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps” (Proverbs 14:15).
We have to sift and weigh every single word in each song that we sing/play. In the few workshops I’ve been to that talk about the technical and spiritual aspects of how you string lyrics and melodies together, this tension is a constant struggle in songwriting. Correct theology is a priority, sometimes at the cost of a brilliant melodic resolution or dropping a word that flows well in speech and image portrayal. Flow and alliterations and rhyme schemes should always be secondary because in writing worship songs, you’re not just writing songs. These are songs with the primary purpose of praise and worship. I say “should”, but this isn’t always the case. There are, unfortunately, countless stories about famous Christian musicians and worship leaders and pastors with theology so off the mark, but still leading their congregations in those ideologies. They don’t just believe in something false, but they’re also causing people to stumble. It’s a scary thought to be lifting heretical offerings to God.
So when you hear a moving, melodic swell, or a killer guitar rift, or an extremely danceable, driving beat, or a really awesome wordplay, pause and assess. Read God’s Word regularly, know your stuff. I try my hardest at this when putting together set lists. First question is always, “Is this theologically sound?” Second is, then, “Does the song tie well with the message” or “Can the congregation respond to, with, and through this song”, and then, further, “Do the songs flow well in terms of thought and key transitions”, and so on. For those who don’t understand why I take so long in announcing sets, this is why. Now you know. Haha.
Let’s go back to our roots – Why are we singing/playing/worshipping? Well, the simple answer is because we were made to worship and glorify God. When God inhabits the praises of the people, as when His Spirit moves in our minds and our hearts, something happens. It changes our expectancy for Sundays. We don’t expect mediocre, and we certainly shouldn’t. We aim to always encounter God in that space of total surrender, whatever condition we’re in, however this manifests itself. We need to understand the bigger picture, focus on God’s mission and not on just our respective roles. God is not limited by our capabilities. He uses us even in impossible circumstances and He certainly gives us all the tools we need to do His work.
Reflecting on Proverbs is all well and good, but Mark points us to a growing concern he had as he was going through the book – its background. It was written by the wisest man ever, Solomon, but he messed things up too. Even the greatest wisdom wasn’t able to keep him on the straight and narrow. It’s a good reminder that we can have all the wisdom in the world, all the tips from all the experts on how to worship and how to lead worship, all the resources to improve our gifts, but we still need that one thing – a genuine growing relationship with God. We need that intimacy in our lives to keep on the path, and Solomon needed it too. Luke 10:1-24 shows us an interesting perspective if we were to liken ourselves to the 72 that Jesus sent out ahead of Him. The harvest is plenty. What are we doing with it?
“Peace to this house.” Peace be with you.
The Necessary Additives 