"Do We Really Need More Worship Songs"

I was given this short but great blog post on "Do We Really Need More Worship Songs" and asked to give my thoughts on it. After reading and posting my thoughts for a friend I decided to do a post here and see if others have thoughts. It was a great challenge and I have my thoughts below BUT read it firsts, check out my thoughts and let me know yours. 

Remember Eph 4:29 as you read and respond: "Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

My Thoughts: I think there are some great thoughts here in this article. I think when the author challenges writers on their lyrics that it is a great challenge and an often needed one. I agree that the Idea of poetry is at root of great songs and I think we can see that even in the hymns that will last longer then most of their counterparts out of the hymnal. The ones that are written as poetry instead of a sermon will last much longer, I believe, and thus say even more with less (Holy Holy Holy, How Great Thou Are, etc). I would agree, out of how many songs I check out each week I like 1 or none, usually, but that is ok. However, I think the author said it well without trying to say it when he talked about the songs written out of his church. They are written for a purpose or a season and create great meaning for that church or community and carry power and anointing there. If I was to hear the same song I might brush it off quickly as lacking depth or poetry or meaning to me or my church. So does that mean they should not have been written? NO! Of course not. Because they were written for a season and community and that’s what God was doing there. So with that in mind, we have to be careful, especially as artists and worship leaders, to not attack or judge others art that was created for their church or community. Even with phrases like "sloppy wet kiss" (which I hear many people criticize).  For the many people that hate it, there are also many people that it speaks to and paints a poetic picture that gives them a closer understanding of Gods truth. That’s the power of language, art and poetry. It won't speak to all and doesn't need to. That is the great advantage of the many many many new songs being written. They are tools in the hands of the Holy Spirit and I am a fan of letting God use what he will use and me shutting up when it comes to criticizing when I have no real idea of context and God movements in those other places where the songs are being used. BUT theology and truth MUST always be a filter we can judge a song by, as we do all other literature or writing or art in a Christian context. For me personally, my favorite songs have lyrics that are right out of the Bible (whether its depth or simple) but my least favorite songs are the ones that feel the need to tell a whole story or give a many sermon (Like many hymns do). As a worship leader I have found that I do craft a theme or even a story each week I lead worship but it is with several songs, flowing from one to another. To me the best song are the ones that don't try and do to much, but then I can lead, give scripture, and move on to the next one to create a message that is pointed to God and pointing people to God.Well those are my thoughts on it! So to answer the question "Do We Really Need More Worship Songs" I would say, if the spirit is leading them to be written then who am I to argue with God.

See also other previous posts on this topic: 

"I Lay Me Down"  or   "For Him or Me"

Salt and Light Part 2 - Actions of Faith

Continuing on this theme of “Salt and Light” and “good deeds” I want to look at the book of James. In reality I would love to look at this entire book but for starters I’ll just hit a few verses that I think give us an even greater challenge to the idea of being Salt and Light and explore this idea of others seeing our good deeds as I discussed in my last blog post. (If you have not read that one yet just look down a few posts for “Salt and Light” and read that one first)

When we looked at Mathew 5 we see Jesus challenging us to show that we are truly followers of Christ, Salt and Light to this world, by our “good deeds” and I ended it with a challenge to go do good deeds. This past week I was reading in the book of James and I came across the same phrase, “good deeds” and it got my attention again.

In James 2:20 James says “How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is dead?” In other words, if our faith is not seen by what we do then we really don’t have a life changing faith. That might seem harsh but look at the verse right before. In verse 19 James says, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. “

Here James makes a very hard direct statement to those who call themselves Christians. He says that just claiming the knowledge of truth does not set us apart yet as followers of Christ (or as Salt and Light). Even the demons know that truth you claim BUT it has not penetrated their heart and life to a point of living out that truth in a way that makes them different then the way they where before they knew the truth. Our faith MUST be shown! Not because our actions save us, but its our actions that show we are saved. If the actions are absent, if our life does not have the good deeds Jesus and James talk about then what do we have? We have knowledge of Truth, yes we know Jesus is God, but what is that alone? James even asks the question in verse 14 “If you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions…Can that faith save you?”

When we truly surrender to God as the LORD of our lives our faith then is shown in our actions and good deeds because we truly begin to live out the truth that “our lives our not our own” (1 Cor 6:19) and our actions show our faith is real and alive by how we live, showing that we are living as Jesus would live and do what we saw Jesus doing.

This is not an easy word to think about but I think it’s a word that all of us who call ourselves followers of Christ must be willing to hear and let God speak to us and challenge us through.

This has greatly challenged me! Is my faith seen as active and alive by my actions? Am I Salt and Light that is seen by the world around me as different then the rest of the world? Does my faith appear dead by my actions, or lack their of…? 

I encourage you to read James Chapter 2 completely to get an even better picture of this incredible challenge to us all.  BUT also find encouragement that God is writing this to Christians who had the same struggles when it was written back then as we do today. God wants us to grow through these words and find our strength in us coming to Him in this challenge!

Salt and Light

The last several weeks there has been a theme emerging from my blog posts. I know it is flowing out of things God is teaching me but I also believe they are for us as a church. Today I came to Mathew 5. It’s a great chapter, full of so much teaching and direction from Jesus. I feel I could hang out in it for a month and still not be done seeing the many things Jesus would show me. For this blog post we will skip past a few verses and look at Matthew 5:16.

 Even though verse 16 was the one that stood out to me, here is the group of verses it flows with. Mathew 5 starting in verse 13. Jesus is talking and says:

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

These are verses I have read many times and I expect you might have as well. Jesus is calling his followers, his Church, the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Great verses and they are so popular there are even a few kids’ songs that come from these as well. But it was the last verse that God emphasized to me today.

Here we are being called to be salt and light, but then the question is, how are we to be salt and light. Since there are many ways we can do that, Jesus gives clarity at the end of this section. We are salt and light when others “see your good deeds”.

So, if you’re like me, when Jesus says, “be my salt and light on this earth,” we raise our hands and say “yes” to the call. But I read that last verse and had to ask myself; have I had good deeds, and has the world seen them in a way that points to God? It’s a question we all must ask ourselves. The answer will look a little different depending on our season of life and where God has called us to be BUT the call is there all the same. He didn’t say they will hear your good words, no, he said they will see your good deeds.

So what deeds have you and I done this week or last week? Would Jesus say we are being salt and light by our deeds? It seems that is the challenge to us today….let’s go do it

It Would Change The World

They deserved it! They had it coming! They started it! That’s justice! I have a right to…

These are statements I think we have all have made at some point in our lives. Maybe we hear them more from our kids, but in reality we definitely have adult versions of these phrases that we live out in our lives. Usually they are said after someone has hurt us or wronged us. Maybe we respond to that hurt by putting that person in their place, seeking justice to see them suffer the consequences of their actions or maybe even taking action against them (“justifiably” of course) for what they did.

How we handle those who wrong us is one of the greatest indicators that either mark us as followers of Christ or hypocrites who act just like an unbelieving world. Jesus calls each of us to a standard of living that removes all “rights”we think we have when we are wronged and He says this in Luke.

Luke 6:27-31“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

You know, every time I read this, it's like BAM! I respond to these words and feel them smack me right in the face. What is Jesus saying? He is saying that we have no rights! That we are a slave to righteousness and righteous living (Romans 6:18) under the new standard that He calls his followers to.

When someone wrongs us, Jesus is not a situational based teacher. In fact he really makes this one pretty straight up. Love those that show you no love. Bless those who keep attacking you. Show kindness to those who show you none. If someone wrongs you, give to them even more.

This is one of the HARDEST callings of Jesus to live by. I honestly don’t see it lived out much at all. What do you think would happen if Christians took this command from Jesus and let it change how we act in response to every person we know and encounter? Do you think an unbelieving world might look and see something so different in us they would come to ask what it is? I do! It would be the most incredible life changing testimony we could have if we learn to just love like Jesus already loved us and see our friends and enemies come to a life-changing encounter with God. It would change our lives and the world’s around us!

Do They See What They Hear?

I was thinking about the words and teachings of Jesus today, nothing specific but more about the entire breadth and power of his words. These are words I read, memorize, try to live by and even quote as a regular part of my life. So a random thought popped in my head today, "So what makes the words of Jesus powerful". I know this might seem like a silly or even easy question but I had the thought and then a simple answer that kind of hit me right in the face.

  The words and teachings of Jesus had the power they did because his life matched them completely. Jesus never taught a message he was not already living out. His great teaching, even great "sermons", as some might call them, flowed out of a life that lived out each word he said. Ok, I know some of you might be thinking "well duh". And yes you might be right, but then that very idea caused me to say, so if I am not living them, will they have power when I say them?

  I taught on Zacchaeus a few Sundays back and the main point I saw in the text is that it was not a deep intense teaching or sermon of Jesus that led Zacchaeus to repent, rather it was the life that Jesus lived that accompanied his teachings and led Zacchaeus to a life changing encounter with God. Zacchaeus knew the teaching of Jesus, but in that moment, what led him to repent were the actions of Jesus. He could see that Jesus’ actions matched His teachings, and in that moment, Christ SHOWED him the very love of God that He taught. 

  So maybe you might have said "duh" when I first mentioned my thoughts but what about it. Do our lives give better sermons then our mouths? If they don't then no matter how much scripture we know or how many great teachings of the Bible we can quote, unless our lives match our words the teachings will hold little power to the world around us.

  My encouragement would be to take some time to focus our lives on living out the words before we say them. Because it’s easy to give someone a Bible verse that shows them a truth or the error of their ways but the power of that Truth becomes real when they see it in us more then they hear it from us. 

"Servant Leadership"

I read a quote recently that got me thinking. It said:
"True leadership is servanthood. Put the interests of others at the center of your decisions."

The quote got me thinking. What is "servant leadership" and has this term been misused to create bad leaders?

I have witnessed to many times leaders not leading and failing to do what is best for their people and organization in the name of "servant leadership". They are so consumed with serving those they lead that they loose the ability to lead them. Many times leadership must take people someplace they, initially, don't want to go. Leadership takes people into the unknown and plots a path, a leader brings vision. If someone is not doing these things they might be in charge, but they are merely a manager, not a leader.


Th quote is right, servant leadership does need to put the interest of others in their decision but to lead means that it's possible what is best can not be seen unless you are seeing a bigger picture. When leading people you have been given a responsibility to give direction and unify your community  around a call to strengthen and grow your community or organization. A leader sees the future and sees what will, in the longterm, hurt or hinder the organization as a whole and then must lead so as to not fall into those traps. But if the voice of the people wins out over the needed change then you are NOT leading, in fact the people are now leading you.



Sadly I see this many times in our churches today. Churches are dying off and it is not due to failing followers, it is due to failing leaders, allowing this "servant leadership" idea applied wrong to kill the churches until they implode and die from lack of growth or change. Basically they a dying because of lack of leadership.

I was thinking about this idea and looking at many of the great spiritual leaders in the Bible. Many of them where not popular with the masses that God had called them to lead. Not because they where bad leaders, but because they were leading in a direction people did not want to go BUT it was a direction God wanted to go. If those leaders of God would have lead like many pastors today they would have stopped the change they were calling for and lived to "serve" the people and make them happy. In fact they would have been serving men over God.

I think the best description of "Servant Leadership" means: To faithfully serve God first and foremost  more then those you are called to lead BUT love those you lead unconditionally as God loves them. In loving them you will be caring for them and serving them while also leading them as God calls us to; into the place God is leading us. It seems that this a healthier and wiser approach to Biblical and Spiritual "servant leadership."

I Lay Me Down

This past week we sang one of my favorite songs to close the worship service, “I Lay Me Down” by Christ Tomlin. (Check out the YouTube link here)

This song has been echoing through my heart and mind the last two weeks as I have been challenged by the lyrics.  They are simple but yet speak so much scriptural truth that is much easier to say then do.

The lyrics to the chorus are:

I lay me down I’m not my own

I belong to you alone Lay me down

Lay me down Hand on my heart

This much is true there’s no life apart from you

Lay me down Lay me down

The bridge says:

“It will be my joy to say Your will, Your way”

As I read these lyric I am reminded of the scripture from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 where Paul writes:

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

As the scripture says and the song reminds us, we are not our own, we have been purchased by God and now belong to Him. As I think about these words, the song and scripture, I am reminded of the need to live my life knowing that I am no longer to live for me in any way, I must be surrendered over to the will, desires, and direction of God for my life. I must live my life saying “Your will, Your way”. I can’t have it 50/50 or 60/40 or even 99/1. It has to be 100% I belong to God and therefore must honor God will all that I do.

It’s a simple yet powerful challenge. As we look at our lives, what we do each day, how much of it is for our God and represent His will, and how much of it is for me and my desires? It’s a tough question but I am reminded to be more focused on looking at my life each day and asking myself these questions and being willing to change what I do and what is being prioritized in my life for the sake honoring God with all I do knowing “I belong to You (God) along”. Declaring with our lives to God and the world around us: “Your Will! Your Way!

His Ways or Ours

“...Aslan didn't tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he's up, I shouldn't wonder. But that doesn't let us off following the signs.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

One of my favorite C.S. Lewis books is "The Silver Chair" (which is a part of the Narnia series), mainly because of this quote. The scene is set in this way:

Aslan tells Pole that she is to do whatever is asked of her by the first person she encounters who asks her to do something in the name of Aslan. Later in the story, Pole and her companion are in a room with a man who says he must not be released from the "silver chair" he is tied to, for if released, he would kill them both. So Pole and her companion wait for this madman as they watch him appear to go crazy while locked in his chair. Then, to the dismay of Pole, the man said, "In the name of Aslan release me from this chair."

It was in this moment Pole was presented with the greatest challenge she had yet seen. What does she do? Does she obey what Aslan had said and release this madman who, to the best of her knowledge, would kill her? Or does she justify disobedience by saying, "this could not be what Aslan would have intended by his instructions". 

We are all presented with this same scenario in the same way in our lives, usually on a daily basis, as we encounter situations where we have to decide if we will do what God has asked of us or, with our own logical re-interpretation of His Word, determine a new meaning not requiring our obedience. 

The above quote sums up the act of faith and obedience we must all have. God does not tell us what will happen every time we are confronted with a choice to follow his way verses the way of this world we live in. He only says obey. 

In these situations we are confronted with some deep personal questions. Do we truly believe God knows more then us? Do we believe His ways are better then ours? Are we truly submitted to His authority, leadership and Lordship in our lives? The answer to these questions is not in our verbal response but in our actions. Will we obey, even when the apparent consequences seem so out of touch with our "logical" ways of living life? Who’s ways will win, ours or His?

When Are We Worshiping

This is something a wrote for my church this week but thought that it was a good reminder for all of us...

Each Sunday we gather for a time to worship together and to hear teaching. I love these days. I look forward to being in the room with hundreds of people that sing and lift their voices to God together to worship Him. These moments have brought tears to my eyes as I stepped away from the microphone to hear voices raised in passionate worship of our Savior.

 I was thinking about those times of worship and was reminded that they shouldnot begin and end on Sunday morning. In fact our time together should be flowing out of times of worship that is happening in our lives throughout the week.

It makes me ask myself, am I taking time to worship God outside of Sunday morning? Am I setting time aside to give Him praise and adoration in my week? Times that are about worshiping God for who God is, giving Him glory despite my needs, hurts, or struggles.

I know for many of us, when we come together on Sunday morning, it can be difficult to enter into our times of worship. We have had a long week. The pressures, struggles, and worries of our days fill our minds. But I can't help but wonder how much easier it would be and how much more joy we would find in our joint times of worship together, if we were all worshiping outside of our Sunday services as well. Sunday would then be a time of worship that is continually flowing out of our times of worship and praise with God during our week.

Here’s something to think about. Maybe put on some favorite worship music and just sit, sing, pray, read the Psalms and worship your Creator and Savior! Seek to set aside time for God during your week to just worship him, apart from asking him for things. Just loving Him for being God!