DRUMS
GOING TO EXTREMES IN WORSHIP DRUMMING | Carl Albrecht
Photo by Terren Hurst on Unsplash
Yes , I really do pray about what to write for these articles . There ’ s so much information to share and a never-ending amount of resources to pull from . But I want to give you what God is saying NOW ! So .. in the middle of really struggling with what to say today the Lord said go back to the foundations . OK Lord !! So what does that mean ? Well , pretty quickly it was clear He wasn ’ t talking about rudiments , groove exercises , production , drum gear , or anything else mechanical . Although that is very important too , He was pointing to something else . Of course !... So here we go !!
I believe I heard the Lord say , “ Ask the drummers … “ Do you still love Me ?”… “ Is it still your passion to “ pour yourself out ” to Me and for Me when you worship ?” ( Yes , I know this question is for ALL of God ’ s people .) PAUSE ! Selah !... And yes , I ’ m asking myself this question too . Can we all make this a soulsearching journey ? I know I am , even while I write … This is feeling like a prayer ! And I feel the weight of the glory of the Lord as I write !! Do we all worship the Lord like that woman pouring out her expensive perfume on the Lord and weeping at His feet ? I pray so ! Help us Lord . May our art , skill , and all the “ stuff ” never be the center of what we do . Those things are the tools of our craft and expression . And they are good . But they will never be greater than the pouring out of our love on the Lord with all that is within us . We can never allow our hearts to be lukewarm about this calling the Lord has put on us !
So what are the ways we can maintain this passion for worship ? Is there a discipline of the spirit , soul and body that will help us to continually be aware of the presence of God that always surrounds us ? I say yes , yes , YES ! As musicians we can always “ Practice The Presence Of God ”!! ( Check out this classic devotional book by Brother Lawrence online anywhere and get a copy *) We can exercise and practice our love for God just like we practice our instruments .
1 . If I had to give you steps I would say the first thing is to ALWAYS “ pray before you play .” Yes , I ’ m serious . Just take a few moments before you set up ; before you practice ; before you warm up … and before you actually play for a service , a concert , or anything . I try to remember to do this every time I go to my instrument . I just talk to the Lord and ask for Him to bless the time ; to give me strength ; to pour through me by His Spirit the things He wants to hear and what He wants to be heard by others . When we play worship music the sound goes out into the heavens and into the spirit realm . We are actually joining the saints , angels , and all those around God ’ s throne in the sound that is always pouring through heaven . I won ’ t go into the quantum physics aspect of music but it ’ s true .
2 . When I ’ m playing I also try to imagine or envision what the Lord is doing when we play . Scripture says He dances and sings over us ! - Zephaniah 3:17 ( VOICE ) – “ He will delight over you with joy . He will quiet you with His love . He will dance for joy over you with singing .” This is not just poetry or a metaphor my friends , this is the reality of worshipping the living God . Now , am I still aware of the task of being a musician ? Of course !! I know that there ’ s a job to be done . All of the mechanics I mentioned earlier are still being utilized . But as worshippers we all have to keep the first thing , “ THE first thing .” We must ... otherwise we are just machines ! And we are so much more than that . Let your heart be stirred by the fact that the Lord is enjoying your sound and responding to it .
3 . There ’ s so much more , but I ’ ll stay with three points . One of the most critical things to be aware of as we worship is to not let our thoughts become distracted with anything else other than the presence of the Lord . It ’ s very natural that there are things that can be a distraction to us when we worship . It can be something about our equipment , the sound , the other players , the congregation … the ( blank )… you name it , “ it ” will try to interfere . What I ’ ve chosen to do as a musician is to always feel the music as a sound that is moving in the spirit
realm ; the heavens ; or however else you can picture where God is when you ’ re playing . Of course God is “ omni-everything ” so it shouldn ’ t be too hard to do . This may sound a bit strange at first , but the more you focus on the reality of being “ seated with Him in heavenly places ” ( Ephesians 2:6 ) your worship experience will deepen and distractions will not steal your attention .
Once you ’ ve stepped into this reality of your calling I believe you will be forever changed as a musician … as a worshipper . Remember , the Lord is asking you , “ Do you still love Me ?”
Carl Albrecht Professional drummer for 30 + years , playing with Paul Baloche , Don Moen , Ron Kenoly , Abe Laboriel , LeAnn Rimes and others . He ’ s also a clinician , author & pastor . Contact Carl for coaching , online lessons , producing , or sessions . I ’ m still growing too ... www . CarlAlbrecht . com carlralbrecht @ gmail . com
88 October 2024 Subscribe for Free ...