Excellence Over Perfection

Here's a blog post from Bethel music on striving to do our very best, instead of being caught in the trap of perfectionism.

https://bethelmusic.com/blog/excellence-over-perfection/

I'm reminded by this post that our lives and worship to the Lord are part of something much larger that God is cultivating and knitting together. Sometimes I think we forget the way that God is the ultimate Composer and Creator. Perhaps we also take ourselves a bit to seriously and forget to offer ourselves grace in the everyday, as a gift from the Lord.    

Micah 6:8 (MSG) But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously- take God seriously.

Hebrews 12: 28-29 (MSG) Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!

Here's a few more resources from Bethel Music:

https://bethelmusic.com/chords-and-lyrics/

https://bethelmusic.com/blog/

Growing Creativity

I believe that we serve a God who is very creative. I also believe that the image of God is in each one of us. Does it not serve us well then to encourage the creativity in ourselves and among our people? I even wonder if cultivating creativity in this way is a way to return worship to God. 

Here's an article that shares 7 ways to encourage creativity in your church.  

http://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2016/april-web-exclusives/7-ways-to-foster-creativity-in-your-church.html

A Good Reminder to Train Your Volunteers for Big Sundays

Easter, Mother's Day, and Christmas are typically the three days in a the year with the largest number of guests in a church service. It would make sense that well before these days we take a focused look at who is volunteering and how we help them create a more welcoming setting. Perhaps this article will give us some ideas as to how to prepare for these days of possible larger numbers of visitors. 

https://openblog.life.church/create-a-welcoming-environment-this-easter/

An Article about Seeing God in Worship

"God is whispering. Are we listening? And through our visuals, are we helping people to see him? I hope this inspires you to pray and seek how God would lead your church into moments of silence. And along the way, let’s strive to keep the Creator, not our creativity, the center of worship."   (Excerpt from article below)

https://worshipleader.com/technology/helping-worshipers-see-god/

Don't Forget the Person Running the Sound

It takes a whole team of people working together to maintain an atmosphere of less distractions as people are connecting together through worship. The article below speaks to the importance of the person running the sound and how they need to put forward intentionality and preparation as much as the worship leader in front of the people. Perhaps one of the most striking points is that the person on the sound board should be committed to being a participant in worship and prayer, not just a facilitator.  

https://worshipleader.com/technology/the-sound-techs-5-rules-for-prayer-without-distractions/