Michael's Notes - Thoughts On Worship, Leadership & Fitness

Behind Every Success

Two years out of college I was in a job where I felt very frustrated. The potential for success was great, however I felt trapped by a leadership team that wouldn’t listen to a 20something kid.  Okay I admit, I really didn’t have the best ideas in the world, and I didn’t have the experience to work the system. During my mostly self-inflicted frustration my supportive wife bought me the coffee mug pictured.

 

Behind every success is someone with a great idea!

Behind every great idea is someone

saying it won't work.

Lesson…

I must guard myself that I don’t reject the ideas of the younger or really anyone I lead. And for us to be a success I must make sure there are celebrations of our successes.

Sunday Setlists: March 7, 2010

Sometimes the most powerful moments in a service are those where we bring the volume level down and simplify the arrangement so that the words become the most important thing. It is in these moments we hear God speaking from the text and not over the volume of sound.

 

Sunday we spent a significant part of our service concentrating on words.

 

The Service

Glory to God Forever

               -by Steve Fee

               -this up-tempo song was a great way to enter the worship service, the words are good also. We took time to sing the second verse twice, we wanted them to get the words.

 

Mighty To Save

               -by Ben Fielding and Rueban Morgan

              

Spoken Song Introduction

               -the next song was to be a choir feature and its words were to speak of many attributes of God. Earlier in the week I asked one of our vocal team members to introduce the song…wow…she did great. When you give someone a challenge, lay out the expectations, they can really come through. The Holy Spirit really used her to communicate.

 

You Are

               -by Mark Roach

 

Prayer

               -still trying to change culture…breaking down the barriers that some have that keeps them from using the altar for prayer. We have come a long way and our pastor did a great job this morning inviting people to pray and explaining how they could come to the altar…many did.

 

Still

               -by Ruben Morgan

               -a response to the prayer, great words of comfort and promise

 

Welcome

               -a necessary portion of the service, but this Sunday extremely brief. The service was going great, people were connected to God and I did not want anything to break the connection

 

Speak O Lord

               -by Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty

               -There are those songs that you know will be around for years, this is one of those. Great words that both comfort and challenge. Also a great way to get ready to hear from God’s word

 

Sermon Intro

 

Sermon

               -tough subject today “The Church and Sexual Sin” but God really used our pastor to speak truth. You can find the podcast here.

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This post is my contribution to the blog carnival Sunday Setlists found at www.theworshipcommunity.com

Putting up with this leader.

Monday, there was a celebration around my office…nothing I have done but something I have been blessed to experience.  The celebration, my office administrator Tanya Jones has put up with me for ten years. She is what keeps the worship ministry at ClearView spinning and moving ahead. Without her support I would spend most of my time in drowning in details. With her help I get the time to dream, create and lead this ministry. 

In the ten years Tanya has stayed as my assistant we have witnessed amazing growth at our church and in the ministry. She has also helped me navigate through two building projects.

Not only does she support my work, but through the years Tanya and her husband David (another David link) have become important friends to my wife Melissa and me. 

Tanya…thanks for being a part of ClearView and the worship ministry for the last ten years.

And...there would be a picture of Tanya on this post, but she would have to tell me how to do it and approve the picture.

Being a Lifetime Learner

One of the core values that drives the decisions and actions I take in life is “be a lifetime learner.” The older I become the more I realize how little I know and how much more I want to learn.  But today I was challenged by the words of my son to take a wider view of “be a lifetime learner.”

 

 Today Spencer and I were on a mission to start gathering effects pedals for his first guitar rig. (I love spending time with him.) During our conversation I asked him if he really likes to play the guitar…of course he said yes. I then did my best to challenge him to practice often because music is something he can enjoy the rest of his life. I then began to be-moan the fact that I couldn’t play the guitar and said I wish I had learned to play when I was younger.  He then said: ‘Dad, remember it is never to late to learn something new.’  And he is right…I know he is right…I had just been limiting my concept of what I could learn.  So maybe someday I will be playing the guitar beside my son.  It would be one of the best days of my life.  Thanks Spencer.