Worship-related Book Recommendations

So, this is a question for all those out there, mainly in worship arts, but anyone who can offer suggestions!

I’m trying to expand my resources & knowledge on worship, particularly relating to leading worship & working with worship teams, choirs, musicians, & so forth. Would any of you care to suggest some must-haves for my bookshelf, good resources, good reads in general on such topics…??

(Don’t be afraid to suggest the obvious ones even if you think I already know about them or have read them–it’s good to see others’ confirmation of must-have books as well!)

I’ll soon enter a new chapter of God’s will for my life, & I’m looking to do my part in some of the preparation as well, but want to spend wisely when it comes to books & other resources with the small salary I currently make!

Thank you all tremendously!

I AM - Just in Time

I’ve been planning to begin this Bible study by Lisa for a few weeks now, & am glad to say I’ve finally joined in! The scripture verses for I AM - Just in Time are Acts 7:17-20:

But as the time for the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased & multiplied in Egypt. It was at this time that Moses was born; & he was lovely in the sight of God, & he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. (NASB)

Also, here are some excerpts from Lisa’s commentary:

Have you ever considered that your placement on planet Earth, in your generation, in your county, state, city, family, circle of friends was completely intentional? That you are not the accidental end of a long list of ‘begats’ that just happened to spring forth when you did?

…there is a reason God has placed us just in time in our particular circle of influence… I believe with all my heart that our entire lives are a series of unrecurring incidents in which we have the opportunity to use our ‘yes’ for God’s fame. Just as Mordecai stated (paraphrase), “If you say ‘no’, God will raise up a deliverer from somewhere else. But who knows that you were placed in your position for such a time as this?”

The Questions:

1. Are there any circumstances or relationships in your life where you can see God has intentionally placed you? What do you perceive may be at stake if you do or do not speak out for Him?

Most definitely! To start, the initial reason I was brought to this city turned out to not be the real reason. In fact, coming here is how I became truly saved, found my church family & found my true self in Christ! Now, I also am seeing new reasons why I have been “placed” at my particular church for such a time as this, & am being prepared & equipped for what is to come in how God uses me to serve Him & others through worship ministry.

2. Can you honestly describe yourself as a woman with a ‘yes’ in her spirit? If not, what keeps you from this?

Yes. I am ready for whatever God asks, as long as His will is made clear. Not to say that I am not anxious about whatever He has & will ask of me, or that it will feel incredibly easy. It won’t be; I will have times when I grow weary, times when I worry & don’t trust Him as I should, but I ache to do His will! Oddly enough, I sometimes worry that I’ll ‘jump the gun’ & do more than He wants, & therefore be out of His will in that way!

3. Do you recognize any circumstances in your life which could be described as an ‘unrecurring event’? Have you ever said ‘no’ to one and watched God use someone else instead?

Nothing too ‘big’ that I can recall saying ‘no’ to; something small — feeling the Holy Spirit’s nudge to request prayer for something particular (not directly related to myself), & not speaking up. Someone else made the request known instead.

4. Are you in an emotionally and spiritually healthy place? If yes, how are you using this freedom to minister to others? If no, what do you feel is holding you in your Egypt?

I feel that I am for the most part, but I am still learning & growing in faith as a new Christian of just less than a year (I grew up in Christian school & church, but wasn’t truly saved & didn’t even know it!) I am still learning to trust God in all things, learning to know when & how He is speaking to me, & to let go of worry, control & concerns because He is the Controller & Creator of all things. My desire is to use whatever gifts God has given me to serve others, whether that is in simply providing words of encouragement in difficult times, merely being there to listen, or serving in worship ministry through the abilities God has blessed me with in music specifically to both worship God & lead others into His Presence through worship.

So Obvious, So Oblivious

Sometimes God’s will for our lives when we need to be sure of it is right in front of us; yet in my current experience, instead of seeing it, I have felt like I must have an excessively obvious response about the situation. Right in front of me is the answer, yet I miss it completely — nearly oblivious to it! I forget about all the things the Lord has been doing to lead me up to this very time, preparing me & providing the experience necessary to take on what comes my way. He doesn’t prepare us in vain, providing experience for nothing!

I think part of it is that I didn’t see His will playing out like this in the least, & honestly still don’t want it to. Not that there isn’t or isn’t going to be good in all this, because God’s Word stately clearly that there is. Yet it isn’t an easy time for many of us, & I don’t think it is going to get easier just yet.

In fact, it will most likely get worse in some ways, as often things sometimes must before the turn around comes. It will be challenging, it will be fatiguing both physically & emotionally. It will be a time to trust the Lord in His all-knowing & perfect path for all of us here. It will be a time of growing trust & faith, & being drawn closer to God through it all.

I’d been praying for my faith & trust in You to be made stronger, & it is surely happening. Nonetheless, I’ve failed in some ways, so apparent in my usual worrying about both the present & future, revealing my absolute need to put my trust & faith in You more! & still, this is something that will take continual prayer & constant surrender & casting my cares upon God in all things.

To end this positively… I thank God that He is faithful to all He loves, & that in revealing His will in any aspect of our lives — large or small — He will continue to prepare, equip & provide for us in whatever need we have. God doesn’t at all leave us to fend for ourselves, giving us direction & leaving us on our own. No! He is our strength when we are weak, He is our Everything when we feel we have nothing, & what we already have is what He Himself has so graciously & lovingly provided!

Why Worry?

My worry, concern & stress are so unimaginably easy for God to handle.

He who made the stars, the earth, the animals, & most importantly, you & me — He can bear our simple, human burdens.

My current fears & anxieties, my doubts, my questions, my fright over the future — all of these are so minute, so small & finite compared to God’s might, power & control of all things.

Yahweh — who was & is, & still & always is!

He who knows me inside & out, who knows my thoughts, feelings & every prayer before it even surfaces within my mind.

My needs are so weightless a burden for Him who loves me so much.

Why then, must you worry? Why then, must you fear?

Pray then, pray.

Have faith in the One who is always faithful. Trust He who made you & loves you with a love indescribably infinite, unimaginably divine.

Good Reading/Listening

I’ve been trying to catch up in reading others’ blogs tonight, & in that, finding more worship & other Christian blogs I didn’t know about! So… there’s a lot of reading to do.

That being said, I thought I’d share some of the posts I’ve found that have been helpful, insightful, or just good reminders for living a life in Christ.

• Top Ten: Living a LIFE of Worship from Thoughts of a Worshiper
  Remember that worship isn’t just “an hour on Sunday morning.”

• Are You a Perfectionist? from Restore Worship Blog
  This was a much needed reminder of being who I am in Christ & getting out perfectionist tendencies.

• More magical music… from Life’s Little Stories
  Hillsong Conference Opening Video - it’s wonderful to see others giving their all to God! (& I have to admit that as a flutist, I love that they’ve used flute in this!)

• Dualism from Consuming Worship
  A cartoon reminding the Christian that all aspects of our lives are to be an act of worship to God.

Have any posts from a blog or elsewhere of interest to share? Something that touched you? A new worship blog or web site of interest?

Taking God at His Word

It seems that the last few weeks have turned into a mild roller coaster ride. I’ve had a lot going on, a lot on my mind, & a lot to learn.

Through everything God has been teaching me a lot. In sum, you could say He’s been teaching me how to ‘take Him at His Word’ no matter how I’m feeling; to remember that even when I’m feeling this or that, it doesn’t mean that this is reality. I finally read a book that a college friend of mine gave to me as a gift soon after I became a Christian - Faith is Not a Feeling: Choosing to Take God at His Word by Ney Bailey. I only wish I’d read it sooner!

Choosing to take God at His Word - it’s a matter of putting aside how I feel & choosing to trust in what His Word says instead of my own feelings. God & His Word are constant & will never perish; my feelings, however, are ever changing & often reflect my over-analysis or over-reaction to life.

One of the feelings I’ve dealt with lately is feeling worthless or unloved. But despite such feelings affecting me at times, I know that God loves me because His Word says so, & there are many verses to prove it!

As Psalm 119:76 states, God loves us unfailingly:

May Your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to Your promise to Your servant.

& in Psalm 36:7, for a second example:

How priceless is Your unfailing love!
Both high & low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

I too often find myself worrying about needless things, which also reveals that I am not trusting in God & His Word as I should. During such moments, I must remind myself of these things:

1. God will take care of us & our concerns (1 Peter 5:7)
2. God is faithful - always (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)
3. His love for us is immeasurably wide & long & high & deep (Ephesians 3:18-19)
4. God works in all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)

Choosing to take God at His Word. An important new habit to put into practice. I know I won’t always get it right or be free from worries or emotions I’d rather do without, but through all things I know God will help me to continue discovering His steadfast love & faithfulness in each & every day.

Don’t Give Up!

Keep on going, even when the fire & passion seem dull, even when doubt creeps in.

Press onward toward the goal, forget those feelings of being too young, too inexperienced, too far from the mountaintop.

Don’t hide your face behind fear, don’t evacuate or run when the storm comes.

Hold on, dig in & push through. Don’t give up. It’s only a little while longer now.

Mode of Expression

Music for me, is an overflow of my heart & spirit, my unhindered expression of love for the Lord. It is an overflow of thanksgiving & love for our Father God who gave His beloved Son Jesus to take away all wrongs, guilt, shame. Such an overflow of love that can never begin to truly express enough thanks to my Lord & Saviour.

I love to write & sing & play melodies of thanks & love to Him, to God who has done so much in my life even though I could never deserve it. & those times when I feel most in pain, most worthless or unloved, His Word says that He loves me unfailingly just as I am. I have to choose to believe His Word, His grace & His love, especially during these more difficult times. I have to choose to take Him at His Word, & remind myself of His love for me even more during the harder moments.

I don’t even know if I’ve got all complete sentences here. It’s that overflow happening again, yes, yes it is…

Explaining Worship to Non-believers

I haven’t had a lot of time or energy lately to post something coherent or worth reading (if I ever post anything worth reading anyway!) Nonetheless, I was thinking about something this evening as I read some in the Psalms, & thought it’d be a great question to pose to others, & am curious to see what others have to say.

The question:

How would you define or explain worship to a non-believer or anyone who doesn’t truly know what ‘worship’ is? & let’s make it a little more difficult — Try to do so in two sentences or less.