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Interview: Anthony Skinner WORSHIP SMARTBook [Video]

February 17, 2012 in Practical Advice, Reviews with 3 Comments

Recently I had the honor of a  GoogleHangout with artist, songwriter, and producer extraordinaire Anthony Skinner.  He’s one of the most creative people I know and penned “Your Love Never Fails”, “Forever and A Day”, “Blow Mighty Breath of God” and has cuts by Jesus Culture, Rita Springer, CeCe Winans, The Newsboys, and more.

Anthony recently released his first book, “Worship SMARTBook: Actionable Tips For Real World Worship”. At the end of this post I’ll tell you how to get a free chapter and a chance to win the entire book.

This edited video (about 11 minutes) features conversation on engaging our congregations, encouraging our teams, and an overview of the book’s topics .

“I feel like when you’re leading worship … the goal is to meet people where they are, and take them as far as you can,  in the time that you have. To build trust and give them a comfort zone is good.”

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When Are You Too Old To Lead Worship ?

February 7, 2012 in Practical Advice, Vision, Youth Worship with 21 Comments

I just celebrated my second over-50 birthday, time to retire from worship leading, right?

When are you Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll, Too Young To Die ? [Totally random link to the song by Jethro Tull , 1976 performance, and a bonus link to their 2008 performance]

Time to be put out to pasture?

My favorite worship blogger David Santistevan  has few posts on this topic, most recently How Do You Connect Older Musicians With The Younger?  “The old and the young, can’t we all just get along?”

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Kent Henry Interview: Raising Up Next Generation Worshipers

January 30, 2012 in Practical Advice, Reviews with 3 Comments

Kent Henry, Rob Still 2012

I ran into prophetic worship pioneer Kent Henry at the the Praying Church Conference hosted by the International House of Prayer/ Atlanta. He is one high energy, anointed dude!

Back in the day, Kent taught some conferences at Belmont Church that changed my life. I listened to his teaching tapes all the time. Kent’s mantra has been “mix your praise with prayer, and your worship with intercession.”

It was an honor to meet him in person. He graciously agreed to talk on camera with me. In this interview he shares advice for raising up the next generation of worshipers.

Kent Henry Interview Video

Some ideas from this video:

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Worship Leaders: Be A Problem Solver

January 25, 2012 in Practical Advice with 2 Comments

This post continues the theme of  practical advice for worship leaders. [Check out more practical tips in the series here.]

Today’s article also follows up from this past weekend’s worship, when we had a minor “worship leader emergency.” One lesson from my last post is to  have  back-up, or contingency  plans.  We also covered  how to lead worship without projection.

VIDEO: Worship Leaders: Be A Problem Solver

Much of worship ministry is problem solving. The content in this video …

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Worship Leaders: What’s Your Back-up Plan?

January 23, 2012 in Practical Advice with 2 Comments

VIDEO: What’s Your Backup Plan?

This post is practical advice for my worship leader friends. [See more posts in this series.]

At church this past Sunday the computer went down and we couldn’t project the lyrics. We were forced to interrupt our regularly scheduled programing.

Yet it was still a fabulous worship time.

In this video pastor Paul Roberts and I reflect on what happened. Later in this post I’ll share some practical ideas for contingency planning.

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Wholehearted Prayer: Keep It Real

January 18, 2012 in Practical Advice, Spirituality, Theology with 1 Comment

God where are you?

My personal worship plan this year includes listening to the Daily Audio Bible. Reading through the narrative of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, once again we see that the Bible is a book full of messy stories.

This post reflects on David’s prayer song in Psalm 13. Let’s call his theme “Keeping It Real”.

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3 Biblical Principles for Goal Setting

January 5, 2012 in Practical Advice with 4 Comments

At this time of year many people reflect, refine and reset their goals. God is keenly interested. He desires to be at the center of our hopes, dreams, goals and plans.

Setting goals is essential to happiness and successful living.

The Bible has a ton of insight on goal setting. This post examines 3 biblical principles to consider as you go about making this year the best one possible.  Continue Reading…

9 Vocal Heath Tips For Worship Singers

December 15, 2011 in Practical Advice, Resources with 10 Comments

This post is part of the “Practical Advice for Worship Leaders”  theme. Check out the other articles in this series.

Sunday is Game Day (Image copyright Altanta Falcons)

Sunday is game day not only for the NFL, but for every worship team musician out there. Singing as a part of worship leading is a very physical activity. Singers are vocal athletes.

Here’s some simple tips that will help you sing at your best and stay injury free on game day. Continue Reading…

Series: Practical Advice For Worship Leaders

December 9, 2011 in Practical Advice with 3 Comments

This is the video introduction to the series: “Practical Advice For Young Worship Leaders”. It’s a compilation of ideas already posted and upcoming articles.

These are practical tips and insights I’ve learned along the way in my worship leading journey,

It’s designed for:

  1. Beginners, those starting and don’t have a lot of experience
  2. Teachers, coaches and mentors
  3. Worship leaders interested in a different perspective

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12 Super Practical Tips for Worship Leaders Starting Out

December 8, 2011 in Practical Advice with 8 Comments

I was a young adult when I first started leading worship for junior high kids. Many years later I was ‘called up to the big leagues’,  the Weekend Assemblies. Our church happened to be filled with music industry pros. Though I was in my mid-30′s, I was a beginner at leading worship. It was all a little intimidating. :)

Here are some ideas that have worked for me. They’re helpful when you’re starting out leading worship, or mentoring those who are, and good reminders for those of us who are more experienced. The core principle is to  make it easy for the average person to worship.

12 Practical Tips For Worship Leaders Starting Out

1. Prepare as much as you possibly can.  There are numerous benefits to being well prepared. It gives you peace of mind, confidence and calms the nerves. Remember the adage “prepare as if everything depends on you, pray as if everything depends on God.”  Don’t just rehearse your set, also practice the presence of God.
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