What I mean by that is, as a worship leader, sometimes it’ s very easy to look out and just see people staring back at you blankly. Or maybe nobody is raising their hands. It doesn’ t look like people are engaging. I’ ve had moments throughout my Christian walk, and we’ ve probably all had this, you pray for someone and they look at you and it just doesn’ t look like it has any impact. Then they come back a week later,“ Hey! Last week when you prayed for me, that meant so much to me, that changed my life!” and I’ m thinking really? I could not tell at all. I think sometimes we just don’ t know what’ s going on inside of people.
There could be someone whose greatest expression of worship in where they’ re at with Christ is to lift their hands in worship. But, for somebody else that’ s going to be spazzing out in the corner dancing like a maniac. I just think all of it is beautiful and important, and sometimes people might just be taking baby steps. Someone may want to more boldly worship but they are just taking baby steps out there. I don’ t think that God looks at all of our different forms and expressions of worship and thinks that one is better than another. I think He just loves it when we give him our worship, our attention, and our affection. So, something that’ s been really important to me that I’ ve learned, when I’ m up there and I’ m looking out at people and connecting with them, I don’ t want to judge where they’ re at. I don’ t want to make assumptions about where they are based on how it looks.
The other thing I’ ve learned as a worship leader, it is incredibly important to have a good relationship and a good connection with the team that you’ re playing with and leading. I think those are relationships that are worth fighting for. I’ ve been playing with the same guys for all these years. With Chris it’ s been twenty years, and the other guys trickled in a little bit later.
Ian, my keyboard player, was a kid in our youth group! He was just learning keyboard when we started working with him and I was one of his mentors!
All of these guys, we’ ve been through lots together – ups and downs. Being at each other’ s wedding, raising kids and families together. Those relationships are important and worth fighting for. They’ re worth working on, making sure that they are strong and healthy connections. Your team is incredibly important if you’ re a worship leader, and your team is important for those you are leading in worship. It’ s important that they’ re healthy and that you have a good relationship up there.
[ WM ] Which songs on Living with a Fire are speaking to you most and why?
[ Kim ]“ Not Afraid” is one that speaks to me a lot. It’ s a huge declaration, or anthem of telling fear
8 September 2018 WorshipMusician. com