Friday 22 April 2016

#AtoZChallenge: Sensitivity

Worship leading calls for a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. In the middle of the set, in the middle of the million things that are happening at the same time, you, the worship leader, need to be sensitive to what the Spirit is saying, to what God is doing and to where He is wanting to go.

I don’t recall exactly where I heard or learnt this (probably from Josh Yeoh, the founder of PenHOP), but throughout the worship set, even whilst you are exhorting the people to praise and worship, even as you are juggling the many things that you need to do and decide, the most important thing you need to keep asking is this: “God, what do You want to do next?”

“What’s next” could mean moving on to the next song. It could mean staying in this song for a little while longer. It could mean leading the people into a new song, into free worship, into a roar of praise, or into a moment of silence. It could mean sharing something you never intended to share, or praying with words that you never knew you had.

It isn’t easy. You get distracted wondering if you’ve sung this chorus too many times already. You get worried about how to tell the musicians that you want to do something different and you don’t have the appropriate hand signals to tell them - or you just can’t think of the signals quick enough. (Well, you can always walk over and talk to them; also, there’s where listening and unity makes a difference.) And you get that worried feeling in the pit of your stomach which says, “What if I’m hearing wrong and everything flops?”

The main thing is this: remembering that worship is about Jesus and even as we set out to seek Him, He draws near to meet us. And you — blessed worship leader you — get to facilitate this by listening to what He has to say right now in this moment. Your sensitivity to the move of the Spirit is something you need to cultivate.

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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

4 comments:

  1. Anna, good luck with your Smashwords promo! I'll give it a Tweet!

    I’m exploring different types of dreams and their meanings.
    S is for Sleep Paralysis
    Stephen Tremp’s Breakthrough Blogs

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  2. Worship demands that we are sensitive. This sensitivity begins when we take personal time out to seek the LORD for ourselves. As worship leaders that personal time with God is essential.

    Yes, I am a A to Z Blogger. I'll send you a message on twitter and all the best for your book.

    Visiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.

    Shalom,
    Patricia @ EverythingMustChange

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  3. That's why I appreciate when lights are dimmed.


    Joy @ The Joyous Living

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  4. I really enjoy reading your perspectives. I never considered how difficult it must be to lead the congregation yet remain sensitive to the spirit as well.

    Molly @MyCozyBookNook
    My Cozy Book Nook
    Revising Life after 50

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