I stumbled upon hearing God’s heart on the matter through the following instance:

My colleague & I were going to watch a DVD on the subject. A boring DVD. A very expensive, boring DVD. And then we were going to show it to our team for instruction, he made a copy for me which I promptly lost, then he lost his original copy, hmm..mysterious…so I had to actually seek God and see what He has to say about it all, perhaps this was what He wanted all along?

I shall start out with a few stage presence stereotypes that we are all familiar with & if some are humble enough to admit, also guilty of (please note, this particular section was not from the Lord, and I admit my guilt on several of these!):

• Nervous Nancy: white knuckles gripping the microphone, you end up being so distracted by how nervous she is; wondering if she is going to pass out, heck- I’ve even prayed for them while they were up there “Lord please let ____ not puke on me, oh & give them strength to make it thru this song!”
• Rock Star: basically if the WL looks & acts like he’s a part of U2 and not leading people into God’s presence.
• Diva: this is the counterpart of the ‘Rockstar’, very Broadway theatrical, dramatic, and looks like a Spice Girl.
• Ugly Face: scrunching of face as if in pain, ‘I’m so holy it hurts!’
• Nauseous: holding stomach frequently.
• Narcolepsy: eyes closed constantly as if one were sleeping through the set.
• Cheerleader: the over happy perma grin “if I don’t smile, I will hear it from my pastor” face.

1.  Stage presence vs performance

• Performance is what you do
• Presence is who you are

Actors will immerse themselves in research for a role so that they nearly become who they are acting or pretending to be for a more believable performance.

How much more, if we ‘practice His presence’ will our stage presence flow naturally without trying to be or act or look a certain way.

2.  Drop the act

• What we want to do is move away from theatrics & performance and actually project a genuine presence that is authentic & inviting for others to worship.
• Presence is not something you conjure up, it’s who you are.

Being immersed in His presence is where our stage presence flows out of.

“They look to Him and their faces were radiant” ~ Psalm 34:5

3.  His presence becomes your presence

I was recently in a class taught by Bob Hamp and he had asked, “What is the opposite of worship?” And, of course in my head I’m like “Devil worship!” But his answer took me by surprise and was something very profound that has revolutionized some of my thoughts! “The opposite of worship is self-consciousness.”

1. The less you are aware of yourself, the more aware you are of Jesus.
2. Self awareness is the opposite of worship

A few practical things to help us become less aware of ourselves:

• The more comfortable we are, the less distracted we are. So get comfy! If it means having a mic stand or not, wearing comfortable clothing, ladies this means wearing something that you don’t have to ‘think about’ or be conscience about.
• Stand firmly planted feet hip width apart without locking your knees, this is what wedding planners tell the wedding party, it helps you not appear and feel stiff or awkward. Locking your knees cuts off circulation and can make you feel lightheaded which can lead to nervousness paired with an unstable footing could lead to mega self-awareness!
• Worship wherever you are, wherever you go, whatever you do.
• Don’t compare yourself to the next person or try to be them.
• Don’t worry about screwing up or forgetting the words, YOU WILL STILL LIVE if that happens.
• Please do not ‘practice’ in the mirror unless you are going to be on American Idol or Broadway. However, watching a video of your team with your team periodically can be a beneficial thing to work out distractions etc…

Your stage presence is perfected when it becomes about His presence and not ours.

I really wish we could have our singers & band all off to the sides and have the center of the stage clear because it is Jesus who is really the focus, the ‘center stage’…the main event. Keep the main thing the main thing: JESUS.

Now, I wonder where HE hid our DVD’s? : )

-Julie Terwilliger

Julie is a part of the All About Worship leadership team.

Related posts:

1. A Leader of Worship

The opening track, ‘Running Into Your Name’ is a great song about taking refuge in The Lord. As with most of this album, this song relies on a stripped down feel that makes it perfect for most churches to add into their Sunday morning lineup. The chorus really tugs at the heart of this song: “I keep running into Your name, You are my hiding place. I keep running into Your name, You are my safe refuge. Let the mountains and the valleys all resound with one song; Jesus Saves.” One of the things that makes this EP special is that even though it was recorded in the studio, it was recorded as a worship set, and so the songs run into each other. This makes it easier to listen and get lost in the place of worship.

‘I Love You So’, is a great song that begins with soft piano and Ben’s soothing voice crying out to the Lord. The verse builds this atmosphere of love. It is truly an offering to the Lord more than it is a song for us to sing. The chorus is amazingly simple: “I Love You so, I want to sing till the whole world knows”. The song feels bigger as Ben introduces cello into the chorus, which makes it more majestic without making it busier.

Ben gives us something more akin to modern worship with ‘Great is Your Mercy’, with electronic drums and an electric guitar riff that relies on delay, reverb and tremolo. However this song has a slowed down tempo and a very passionate feel. This song about mercy really hits deep into your heart as you listen. It has one verse, a chorus, and a simple tag. It doesn’t try to be eloquent, or fancy, it just rejoices in the mercy God has extended on fallen men.

This is followed up with an instrumental track he calls ‘Selah’. I think this is a perfect name for it, because its comes at the end of the last song when there are no words left to say and simply uses the instruments to express the emotions that are overflowing from the heart. It’s a brilliant moment of genuine worship.

This is a solid EP that should be in the hands of every worship leader. With 6 songs it sits about the perfect length for an average church worship service. I could see this exact EP being someone’s Sunday morning worship. I applaud Ben for another great offering – 4 Stars, and that missing star is because this EP left me wanting more. I ended the EP thinking, I wish it wasn’t over. Which is a great feeling. Buy this EP on Ben’s BandCamp page.

-Review by Mathew Reames
(review copy provided by artist)

Related posts:

1. Spirit Break Out, Worship Central – Album Review
2. “For the Weary Souls”, This Hope Prevails – Album Review
3. Into The Glorious, Christy Nockels – Album Review

What Else?

• Witness as Ben demonstrates how painkillers can impact one’s ability to recall a setlist
• Listen to “Light of the World”, the winning entry from our most recent songwriting contest, submitted by Josh Fox.
• Learn more about our next songwriting context at the new, improved site for The Songwriters’ Cafe
• Help us welcome back WorshipPlanning.com as sponsors of the podcast.

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Related posts:

1. Video Interview w/ Dustin Smith, Part 1
2. AAW Podcast Episode 85 – Interview w/ All Sons & Daughters
3. Podcast Episode 86 – Featuring An Interview w/ Paul Baloche

This free 5 song EP is definitely something you will want to download.

The album begins with “Our Refuge” –  this song grabbed me right off the bat. The electronica balances nicely with the ambient guitar, to set a nice atmosphere of worship. I love the chorus of the song which goes, “Jesus You are, You are Hope, for the weary souls, Your eyes are fixed on those, on those who fear You, Lord. You’re our refuge.” It just grabbed me as a song that would really exhort and encourage both the churched and unchurched. It is definitely a song I would consider for a Sunday worship service.

“Always” is a much heavier praise song. The electronic influence shines through here. The lyrics are great but often get lost in the volume of the electronica and instrumentation which is a bit of a detriment, but if the vocals were mixed better it would be a fantastic song. I love the ending of the song where they strip away all the instrumentation down to only an acoustic guitar and voices and play the classic hymn “Take My Life and Let it Be”. It is a stark contrast from the rest of the song yet really helps add to the overall theme and feel of the song.

“You Have My Affection” is the final of the five songs and is probably the heaviest song of the EP. I love the cry of the chorus – “Oh Lord, You are faithful Creator, You take hold of my life in Your hands and before You. I stand with my affection, You have my affection; You have my hearts cry.” It is a strong song and a great end to this EP.

I would say the overarching theme of this album is the salvation power of Christ, which is always a welcome theme. I enjoyed this album and think it is a good start for This Hope Prevails. I think they will have a good platform to build off of for future albums. It’s a solid 3 star album if you like electronica.

Grab it for free at: thishopeprevails.com

Review by Mathew Reames

Related posts:

1. Spirit Break Out, Worship Central – Album Review
2. Where I Find You, Kari Jobe – Album Review
3. Hope’s Anthem, William Matthews – CD Review

My purpose in this devotional is to really share with you the reader (Worship Team, Pastor, Leader, Musician, Study Group, etc.), what God continues to remind me of day after day, week after week and is what I believe to be a foundational reason that all of us are created to be worshippers.

What is the foundational purpose or reason WHY we WORSHIP? Why do you worship? Individually, Corporately, as a Worship Leader or part of a Worship team or Band? Write down your answer(s) here.

For so long I was convinced that I was supposed to worship God for all of the things that He’s done: Goodness, mercy, grace, loving-kindness, salvation, family, health, jobs, financial provisions etc. These sound really good and the act of praising and worshipping Him for what He has done by providing us these things along with all the other things he does for is not wrong, in and of themselves. However, these things are not the primary purpose for which we were created to worship our creator. These are all things God has done, is doing and will continue to always do for us because He never changes.

Ask yourself these Questions:

What is the greatest gift that God has ever given us? What is the greatest thing He has ever done? 

Hopefully you’re a Christian and you’re answer was: “He gave His son’s life for us and gave us a free choice to accept Him as our personal Savior.” Or something along those lines.

Now think about this:

Almighty God, NEVER would have given us that gift and He NEVER would have done that act of love or any other act for that matter…If He wasn’t WHO HE IS.

Read the following phrase a couple of times and really let it soak in:

“God never would have done for you, what He did….if He wasn’t Who He is!”

Try and really wrap your mind around the fact of who God is. “He was, He is and He always will be!”

Our number one purpose in this life and the reason WHY WE WORSHIP God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is because of WHO HE IS! We were created to Worship Him for Who He is. 

Read Psalm 40:3

The Positive

Often times, our fervency for worship (in the natural), acts as a barometer of what’s going on in our lives. It’s so easy to walk into our weekend gatherings of corporate worship and fellowship and be excited about worship when life is grand. It’s especially easy for us Worship Leaders (and by Worship Leaders, I mean everyone involved in the service: the audio guys, the band, the media team, the song leader, the Pastor, the volunteers etc.), to get into our flow and be  “all systems go” when life outside the walls of church is in our favor and especially when we are ahead, financially.

Remember, It honors God when we bless Him with our mouths. Our praises and thanksgiving are huge vehicles of worship. It’s important to honor God and be constantly aware of His presence that’s in and around us and not wait for a tragedy or crises to go running to or cry out to Him. The more we recognize His Spirit and His presence and not just wait for Sunday morning to roll around, the more of an understanding we’ll have for true worship. We can actually become worship beings. We can BE worship, not just do worship.

The Negative

It’s usually evident in people’s attitudes, countenance and in the general way they carry themselves; when tragedy , persecution, financial crisis and hardship are at hand.

I believe that It’s in these situations and trials of life that we find ourselves in, where we have the best opportunities to honor God in our worship.  When we reach the end of ourselves so He can take over through our worship. Our weakness is made totally perfect in His strength. Be it in song, prayer, crying out to Him, reading His word, soaking in His presence…whatever it is that get’s you into a place where you are totally and 100% reliant and focused on Him. It is impossible to do this based on a feeling or gauged by emotion. The act of choosing to magnify God’s name and declaring his goodness and mercy and his love in these times…this is worship, personified. When you choose to command your soul to praise Him, the breakthrough has to come.

As leaders we have a higher road to take and a bigger responsibility to choose to worship through our circumstances, trials, tests and situations while at the same time dealing with the very raw feelings of emotion.

This is much easier said than done, I know. And believe me, it is usually right after I talk about this topic at a conference or write a bout it in a journal / devotional; that I am tested to put my money where my mouth is and actually walk this out.

On a Personal Note:

Recently, I fully ruptured my Achilles tendon, twice…the same tendon within 6 weeks. The average full recovery time from tearing an Achilles tendon and then having It surgically repaired is 6-8 months. It has been almost 6 months for me now and let me tell you that if there has ever been a time in my life where I have felt like giving up on my job and career of leading worship it has been in these last 6 months. This injury has messed with my head in SO many ways it’s ridiculous, not to mention what it has done to me physically. I’ve pretty much been home at my house in Tampa Bay, FL the entire time.

Not being able to travel for me = not playing conferences / gigs and not leading worship which in the long run = not making money.  You want to talk about stress? Mortgage & car payments, insurance & cell phones bills along with all the other household bills that add up to thousands of dollars a month has allotted me SO much anguish, a few sleepless nights, and caused me to worry about not being able to provide for my wife and our long-term future, BUT…God has provided so many opportunities for me to worship him sitting right at my piano at home with no one watching, no kicking sound system, no lights, reverb and no crowd. He has given an opportunity for me to show Him that I will still worship Him when all those other things go away and when I am at the end of me. There have been a few days in these past few months that emotions have ruled over and gotten the best of me. I’ve said things and acted ways that I regret but not without recognizing I need to will myself to take the high road. I choose to worship through my thoughts, attitude and my emotions. My love for Him and this walk far outweighs a little “self-pity party,” that creeps in every once in a while.

Taking the high road is a choice. Everything we react to in this life is a choice. God gave us emotions. He designed us to feel things, that’s why they are called feelings. He designed us in His image and He made us to be like Him. He was tempted, so we WILL be tempted but just like He did, we have the ability to call on our Father’s strength and allow Him to pull us through and be made perfect in His strength.

Summary

Q: Why do we worship God?

A: Because and for Who He IS.

Remember to find ways and make conscious choices to recognize God’s Presence away from Corporate Sunday morning times.

Use negative situations (whether you fall victim to them or you have made choices and put yourself there), to draw close to Him.  There’s nothing that can separate you from the love of God. Absolutely nothing.

Worship is a choice. Choose to take the high road. Choose to worship in everything and through everything.

Be Worship.

-Dave Fitzgerald

Dave is a worship leader, songwriter, and Kingsway artist. To find out more about Dave Fitzgerald, visit www.davefitzgerald.com 

Related posts:

1. Are You Listening? (Devotional)

There’s only one way to phrase it. For me, and many others that I personally know or have observed, there is a gravitational pole towards something I would call the “idol of worship.” No, not idol worship… That’s a little more overt.

I’m talking about something that starts out harmless enough… maybe even with the best of intentions. But it seems to always result in the same issue – the most pure form of glorifying our Creator can be hijacked by something that’s just a degree off of center… the idol of worship.

What exactly do I mean? I’m convinced that songwriters, worship leaders and even music enthusiasts can fall so in love with the act of worship that it can become just that… simply an act.

I want to be sure that you understand my heart in saying this. I love worship. I love “worship artists.” And more than anything, I love The Church. But I see a tendency in my own walk with God to lose site of what worship is all about, and I thought it might be a good idea to think out loud amongst friends.

I’m not suggesting this is an issue for every worship leader. It’s possible that this tension most commonly exists in writers and those who enjoy to create. But it’s an undeniable reality in the circles I seem to find myself in.

So how do I know if I’ve been sucked in? A few things come to mind…

How often am I connecting with God? Is it hit or miss at best? Every few days? Maybe once a week before the mad rush for the weekend hits? This is a big indicator of our heart condition.

Another gauge… my ability to join in worship with the congregation. For some, this applies as we’re leading worship, and for those like me, this applies as I worship with the church (I’m on staff at a church and I write for our worship records).

But truthfully… I can’t tell you how many moments I’ve wasted thinking about the technical aspects of a worship set. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve spent entire seasons of ministry disconnected from God as my church worships all around me.

And even more shamefully, I admit that song choice has down right angered and offended me! I’m just being real… Many times I’ve thought things like, “Are we seriously going to play that again?” or “Oh we’re playing your song and not mine,” or “I can’t believe the people aren’t in to this! They so liked his song more than mine!”

Maybe I’m the only carnal person who’s ever thought these things, but maybe I’m not…

How about the whole “record label” thing? This is huge for a lot of writers. Many of us would never say it out loud, but it’s easy to feel like our ministry will never be legit until we’ve been “discovered.” Until others are singing our songs, inviting us to lead at their event or even registering for our worship conference to hear our thoughts on worship.

And I totally get that this is a tricky thing. I mean God gave us these desires after all, and it pleases Him when we use our gifts for His glory. Right? But that is the key… when the act of glorifying God has become something less, we are in a dangerous place.

So what’s the solution? I’m not pretending to know all the answers, but God has been leading me to ask some hard questions of myself. Questions like…

“What if we eliminated the lights, the people, the record labels, the writing and everything else that comes with “modern worship…” and we spent a year on an island… Just you and Me… does that get your heart racing as much as the thought of your song being sung by millions?” Ouch!

I think we could all benefit from a time away from worship as we know it. A worship fast if you will. No blogs… No comparison… No looking at the iTunes top ten chart… Just us and God.

What if the reward wasn’t the compliments, adrenaline, and fill in the blank…? What if He really became our exceeding and great reward?

I’m not suggesting that it’s impossible to sincerely worship God with lights and people present… A huge part of leading worship involves “leading” people into worship. I’m just wondering how much more of God there is to explore… What would my world look like if I truly allowed God to have all of me?

And what if one of my songs never “hit”? What if my only desire was for my song to hit Heaven, and Heaven to hit earth? My prayer is that those who are already practicing this type of worship would only grow hungry for more. And those who feel stuck in the rut that I’m talking about, would simply examine their worship, take inventory, and invite God to do something extraordinary.

-Joe Cameneti Jr.

Joe is a contributor and team member of All About Worship.

Related posts:

1. Corporate Repentance: A Missing Ingredient of Worship? – Part 1

As a musician, you know the importance of scratching notes on your chord charts during rehearsal – get loud here, don’t play at this spot, remember the key change. Your worship leader or choir director likes it when you do that because it means that you’re paying attention and maybe, just maybe, things might go according to plan on Sunday morning.

If you’ve spent any time in the Psalms, you’ve seen the same kind of note scratched in to a few of the chapters of that book. Have you ever seen the word “selah” in the middle or at the end of a psalm and wondered what it means?

Our best guess is that the placement of selah was an instruction to the choirmaster to have the song (remember, psalms are songs not poems) stop for a moment to let the people think about what they‘d just sung or heard. The choir would sing a couple of lines and then selah - stop and listen! A few more lines and another selah – stop and listen!

Psalm 3 is a great example of how this stopping and listening increases the impact of the text.Have someone read Psalm 3 out loud and give a few seconds when you get to the selah moments before continuing.

Psalm 3 (ESV)

O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah

The content of the psalm itself is incredible – the anguish of David as he’s fleeing from his enemies; the continued hope he has that God is good and hears his cry; the affirmation that God can still save and bless and sustain despite David’s uncertainty and fear. There is a deep fountain of encouragement that comes from this psalm for anyone seeking to follow God in the midst of very difficult circumstances.

But don’t miss the importance of the three selah moments which happen here in Psalm 3. Don’t disregard the instruction to stop and listen at each of these spots. Have you ever heard or said something like what David hears in verse 1? “There is no salvation for him in God!” Ouch. Of course we don’t believe that to be true – God’s love overcomes every sin, every wicked deed, every act of brokenness – but we’ve maybe thought that before, haven’t we? “Wow. I’m not really sure God could save someone like them. I’m not sure God could use a life like that. I’m not sure there’s any salvation for him in God.” Selah.

Selah. Stop and listen. Ask the Spirit to examine your heart. You may need to ask him to renew your love for those around you, those who seem so far from God that He could never save.

And there’s good news to come. God hears us when we cry to Him! Yes, He may seem far but He is also near. As near as a shield to protect us, He lifts our head when we’re weary and tired and overcome. He answers us when we call to Him. Selah. Stop and listen. Do you know that God is near to you? Are you crying out to Him? Are you listening for His answer?

David continues to be in fear, continues to see his enemies and at the same time continues to exalt God in the middle of all of it. More good news! Our God saves! Not only does He protect us and answer us when we call, He saves! He rescues! He pulls us out of the pit, defeats our enemies, protects us from evil and saves us from our sin. All of it – He does it! Salvation belongs to Him! What a blessing He pours out on His people. Selah. Stop and listen. Do you recognize the blessing of salvation in your life? How has He rescued you? Do you need Him to be your protector?

As you gather with your worship team, remember to take selah moments together. Times where you can simply stop and listen to the words you are singing or hearing. Listen to His Spirit. Be reminded of His goodness and His love for you. Cry out to God and remember His blessings.

-Chris Vacher

To find out more about Chris Vacher, visit: www.chrisfromcanada.com or worshiprises.ca.

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