Tuesday 5 April 2016

#AtoZChallenge: Discipline

A series on worship leading isn’t complete without a note on discipline. Discipline is sometimes a “bad” word in modern circles, being equated to punishment. But we’re not talking about that kind of discipline, fortunately.

Discipline is defined in Wikipedia as: “The suppression of base desires, and is usually understood to be synonymous with restraint and self-control. Self-discipline is to some extent a substitution for motivation.”

Dictionary.com explains it as (amongst others) an "activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training."

Worship leading is a skill, as much as it is a gift or a talent. And with any skill, one has to work at it. It involves hours of practice, the ability to take criticism, the desire to improve and the will to work at it. These skills include vocal skills and musical skills which can be improved through vocal lessons or music classes, as well as generally through practice and a lot of experience. It’s not just the musicians who have to learn up the songs and practice. Worship leaders also need to practice the song.

How well do you know the songs you have chosen? Do you know the lyrics by heart? You need to know the song, the places it builds, the dynamics that drive it, the rhythm and tempo, the way it segues between verses and choruses and bridges and all the other odd things that are involved in a song in this era (key changes? Tempo changes? 7/4 timing?!).

But more than just a physical set of skills, it involves the discipline of waiting on the Lord. It involves spending time in private worship and devotion, of seeking God. Creating a worship set doesn’t happen in twenty minutes. As I mentioned in Capacity, it also has to do with seeking the heart of God for the congregation.

What happens during worship isn’t always under your control, but what you bring to the session is. I have to confess that I’m not the most disciplined of people. I’m sometimes (read: always) lazy, and that sometimes translates into last minute song selections, periods of spiritual deadness, and times where nobody knows what the heck is happening during practice and therefore during service. So seriously, be disciplined as much as you can.

(See the post on Grace when that happens.)

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Are you an A to Z blogger? Send me a message on my facebook page or twitter with your blog name and number and I will send you a coupon to get Coexist on Smashwords for only $0.99!

About the book:

Jane Hays has been told all her life that it’s dangerous to be out in the forest past sundown. At fifteen, she’s quite sure that it’s all old wives’ tales... yet, why does her village bar the gates every night? Why do they even have gates? When she is caught in an unexpected rainstorm on her way home, Jane ignores all the warnings and seeks shelter in a cottage in the middle of the forest. Soon, she is caught up in a world of magic and beauty – and in the storm of the Fairy Queen’s wrath.

The Fairy Queen is out for blood. There have been intruders – human intruders  in her domain and she will stop at nothing to find them and kill them. After all, it is only fair. She is only seeking retribution for the death that humans leave in their wake.

But Jane isn’t all that she seems to be. And the events of the night aren’t as innocent as they appear.

A tale of magic, fairy creatures and family, Coexist is a novella for the young and the young-at-heart.

Get Coexist on Amazon or Smashwords. Check out Book Depository or Createspace for paperbacks!

Coexist


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Today's stop is a physical one. 

I'll be reading at the PWE Reading event in The Big Fat Hen tonight at 8pm. Come early and catch a great dinner!
You'll also be able to pick up a coupon to get Coexist at $0.99 while you're there. ;)

[edit: Here's the video!]


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PRIZES!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment:

  1. It is amazing how much you can tell when a worship pastor/leader has spent time preparing versus not. Thanks for sharing.

    Joy @ The Joyous Living

    ReplyDelete