glimpse, the first time I knew. Maybe
all this turmoil inside me might have
a purpose. Maybe God could take
my messed- up emotions and turn
them into something good. More
opportunities came along soon after.
I had to re- situate my mind to lead
worship, to change my perspective
from a performer to a shepherd, from
being led by the song to being led by the
Spirit. So yes, I will sometimes share—
but I am mindful that I’m not there to
tell my story. This is not about me.
It’s not my show. It’s God’s show, and
the response comes not because I hit
some really high note while the music
grows more intense, but because I am
helping to build a bridge and usher
people into the presence of God.
“
That’s what good
worship is: realizing
that we are not alone
in our struggles, that
God loves and cares
for us.”
Worship should be a little uncharted,
a bit of an adventure. I’d rather blaze a
trail and see where that leads us than
stick to the strict and safer path. God
didn’t lead Moses the straightest route
through the desert. It was an adventure
with many detours, manna raining
down and pillars of fire in the sky, seas
parting to make a way. True worship
should take us somewhere we’ve never
been. You have to trust, to step out of
the boat and onto the waves, to get out
of the box and move on to an entirely
new place. I am not scripted. Not like,
“Okay, I’m going to do this set list and
tell these stories and we’ll do A, then
B, then C, and then take it down the
road to the next event and the next.” I
have never been let down in worship
by following God’s lead and taking
the unplanned and unexpected way.
But that’s who God made me to be:
unscripted. My weakness, my stubborn
streak, my curiosity— it works for the
best in worship.
We rehearse. We pursue excellence.
I am mindful of the boundaries
of time that I have been asked to
keep. But we do not bring a show. If
I feel the audience needs a certain
message or to hear a certain song, I
will change things on the fly. I used
to think worship had to go one way.
If you have the “one way” mentality
and you are in a different venue every
few days? It’s going to be stale. You
will rarely have real connection. Every
room of people is different. Different
backgrounds, different denominations,
different beliefs. With different needs
and different struggles, at different
places in their lives. You have to be
sympathetic to that. So that’s another
place being sensitive can help. It’s not
all intangible. Sometimes it’s practical
common sense. If I get on stage and
there’s a church full of grey hair out
there, I might need to sing some
hymns. They might respond to “How
Great Thou Art” better than “Alive.” And
if it’s a sea of skinny jeans and tattoos?
Solutions • 41