Wednesday, August 16

WorshipGod06 insight from Challies

I'd have to agree with this post by Challies regarding the WorshipGod06 conference. I know I said I'd post my own thoughts, but his are so good!

One element of attending conferences that amuses my little mind is the opportunity it provides to eavesdrop on the faith and spiritual expressions of other believers. Rarely am I privileged, as I was this week, to be in the presence of such a wide and diverse number of believers. For that reason I enjoyed watching the way other Christians worship, hearing how they read Scripture and listening to the way they prayed. With a thousand Christians gathered together, there are a thousand ways of praying to God and a thousand ways of expressing worship to God. I enjoyed hearing the way others prayed--some expressing themselves in simple ways with a childlike faith and others expressing themselves verbosely and with big words. But whether using many words or few, big words or small, it was wonderful to hear the expressions of hearts that love the Savior. In worship there are some who sing quietly and reflectively while others throw their hands in the air, sing the songs at the top of their lungs, and jump up and down. But as with prayer, the hearts may both be filled with a love for Jesus, though the expressions of that love may vary. It is always educational and challenging when I eavesdrop on the spiritual expressions of other Christians.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Just bumped into this at the MySpace blog for Holland Davis:

Here is a list of the Top Ten often over-looked topics in Worship Conferences:

“Precious Lord, Lead Me On and On and On” - How to ignore the time limits of a worship service and make your Senior Pastor really believe you were just being “led by the Spirit".

“Instant Sincerity” - Practical workshop on how to say those key worship leading phrases like you really mean it EVERY TIME. You’ll learn how to cry on cue, the everlasting smile and the "I really care about you" look. A field trip to the local Christian television station will be included as part of this class.

“The One Shall Become Two” - How to start a church split from within the worship team. This workshop will discuss Biblical approaches to church domination through worship. Topics will include: "They’re Only Here For The Worship", "There's No Preaching In Heaven" and "Worship Leading: Eternal Job Security".

“Shade-la-la-la-la” - How to make singing in tongues sound like jazz scatting. This practical workshop will give you suggestions on how you can get away with singing in tongues without an interpretation.

"Rehearsal Is For Sissies" - How to establish a practice of not practicing and thereby incorporate all the missed chords, words, breaks, modulations, out of tune instruments, and overpowering monitor levels into a very meaningful experience for both people attending your church.

"More Of Me and Less Of Her In The Monitor Please" - Very brief workshop designed to give the musician the basic phrase of communication between musician and sound personnel. You will learn the fundamental principles of making the worship experience all about you.

"Worship Workout: How to get your congregation to move during worship" - Special breakout session in modern hand raising and dancing techniques like "Raisin' the Roof", "The Monkey, "The Peacock", and "The Holy Ghost Shuffle" plus old favorites like "The Hand Jive".

"We All Have To Start Someplace" - In this session we will provide the worship leader with a convincing answer for the Sr. pastor who asks the annoying question, "Is that new guitar player with the Bud-Lite T-shirt a Christian?"

"Hey Dude! Where's The Party?" This all important workshop will cover Green Room basics, including how to make a fun party atmosphere and pamper all members of your worship team, keeping them happy and comfortable. We will talk about Green Room snacks, hair care products and modern conveniences such as wireless Internet connection and unlimited cable channels (for worship teams that serve multiple services). We will also discuss the fact that being forced to listen to the pastor's message in the Green Room or having to sit with those people in the sanctuary can actually cause a disturbance in the musicians creative force and overall vibe making them extremely difficult to work with. The workshop attendee will understand how to be in the church, but not of the church.

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:

"Primitive Praise" This workshop will be a historical survey of that savage time in church history before stage monitors, sound systems, PowerPoint, worship celebrities, artist contracts and dramatic stage lighting. In other words, we will reflect on that primitive age when worship was simply All ABOUT JESUS.