"Quality Worship Leading"

      I believe that there are a lot of qualities that should make up a "quality worship leader." First of all, they should not only be worshippers in public but also be true worshippers in private. Public worship should be an overflow of a person's personal and private relationship with God. A quality worship leader should be filled with scripture along with the spirit. They should build their life on godly character not on their talent. And they should be available for the spirit to move them during a service.
     A great example of a quality worship leader is Taya Smith. Taya Smith is a worship leader from Hillsong United. The video I picked of her was from a live performance of Even When it Hurts. Taya Smith clearly represents all the qualities I mentioned before. You can tell that her worship is meaningful and is true praise for the God she has a personal relationship with. She also seems so humble, giving all the glory and honor to God. She makes worship about Him and not about her own talent. She also definitely makes herself available to the Holy Spirit and allows herself to be moved by it. You can tell by the way she improvises or ad libs during the song. Her presence and performance carries so much power and emotion that you can't help but feel connected to the song and more importantly, to God.

Reference: http://josephmattera.org/10-traits-of-spiritually-mature-worship-leaders/

"Worship is...what?!" -Tom Kraeuter

Worship is...what?! by Tom Kraeuter, is all about understanding and practicing worship from a scriptural point of view. Kraeuter recognizes that most people form their opinions on worship through their own personal experiences and other people's experiences. For this reason, he wants to examine what the bible actually says about it. In this book Kraeuter shares various definitions of worship in a way that is helpful and practical for people in our society and culture. His goal is to help us expand upon our knowledge of worship so that we could come closer to the fullness of God's desire for us as his children.

Two points:
-One definition that Kraeuter states is "Worship is: our reason for being." He explains how scripture says that the reason for our existence is to worship God. He goes on to list several biblical characters that exemplified this. His conclusion is that worship is and always will be our first priority.

-Another definition that Kraeuter states is "Woship is: wholehearted, passionate adoration of our Creator/redeemer. He emphasizes that worship is not passive. It involves action on our part. He also clarifies that worship must originate from the heart, it cannot be just heart. Worship that is heart alone is passive. Worship that is action alone is not true worship. God wants both heart and action. Again, Kraeuter goes through several biblical stories that represent this definition.

The Gift of Worship

     Today we watched a video called The Gift of Worship. It talks about how we tend to see worship as something we get instead of something we give. Worship is not about the feelings we get when we sing or about what's happening on stage. It's not about us at all. It's about Him. Life does get crazy and it's easy to get caught up in our own problems. But worship is about bringing our burdens to the cross and surrendering it to God. 

     I really enjoyed this video because it was really relatable. Often times I say that I love worship because it is such an incredible feeling to be with the band on stage and sing powerful songs. But what I forget to realize is that what really makes worship so amazing is that I have the opportunity to connect with God and put aside all other distractions. This video helped me change my perspective on worship. 

guiding principles of worship

Worship is a dialogue:
We should worship God through prayer and praise. This is how God reveals his character and acts.

Worship is focused on Christ:
When we worship, we are connecting with Jesus.

Worship is contemporary:
We should work to make our worship match the time we are in. We don't want to play too many old songs.

Worship is traditional:
Although we should be careful not to overdo it, we should incorporate hymns and some old songs to appeal to the older generations.

Worship is wholistic:
We need to engage our whole selves during worship, including our intellect, emotions, senses and body.

Worship is participative:
We need to be inclusive in our worship, involving everyone in our congregation.

Worship is inclusive:
We should strive to include all kinds of people, no matter how old or what background they have.

Worship is a balance:
It's a balance between the transcendence and immanence of God.

I'm with worship team

     The article, "I'm with the worship team," talks about the differences between a regular band and a worship band. He explains that there are key differences between being in a band and serving in a local church worship ministry. Specifically, he says that a regular band is a closed circle. A worship band should be open to others. He also says that a band is about ownership but a worship team is about stewardship. A band is an exclusive, privileged group and a worship team is about serving. A band is about performing and a worship band is about facilitating.
    I really enjoyed this article because it helped me see the worship band from a different perspective. I really think that we often treat ourselves like a normal band instead of a worship band. I agree with Tom that we should check to see if we are being faithful, dependable, humble, teachable, and leaders with a passion for God.

Why aren't we singing?

    In this video, the man talks about how he noticed that more and more people these days refuse to sing during worship at church. He said that he's making the assumption that singing during a time of worship is a good thing. It even says in the Bible to sing to the Lord and make a joyful noise back to God. He recognizes that some people choose not to sing because the song is too difficult to sing. The man says that we must ask ourselves wether the songs we pick for worship are suitable for the people of the congregation. Another factor, he considers, is that many people think of worship like a concert or performance. This, however, is not worship is about. Worship is about everyone in the church bringing something to praise God. He concludes that at the end of worship, we must direct all the attention on God.
     I like how the man says that each individual in the church should bring something for worship. Worship isn't meant to be a performance or concert. Many people think that as long as the band is singing and they are listening, they are worshipping God. But this is not how worship should be. Worship is about everyone, including the congregation, bringing their own voices and/or instruments to praise God. My main take away from this is that worship isn't about receiving praise, it's about offering praise.

Response to "Are you living in your element?"

     In this video Dan Wilt discusses the benefits of living "in your element." He starts off by saying that each individual has been given "something to do that shows who God is." God gave each of us unique talents and abilities. But he didn't just give them to us for fun. God gave them to us so that we can use them to bring him glory and to show others his love. He explains that not only will you benefit from being in your element, but everyone else will benefit too. 

     I really enjoyed learning about the different elements that Wilt explained. Each person is a different element and that brings us together as a whole. I personally think my element is what Wilt called, "Water: a communal life." I tend to be the nurturing friend who encourages and lifts people up. I like to invest in others and support them. But it is interesting how the other people on our team may have a different element. I find it so cool how all of our different elements are what eventually allow us to lean on each other and grow closer together.