newworship blog

Tech Beat Apple's design process - BusinessWeek

How much do I love this!
So many principles that are transferrable to ministry.

Link: Tech Beat Apple's design process - BusinessWeek.

Vertizontal: Sand Art/Aesthetic

JVo the Sandman

Some nice creative input!

Link: Vertizontal: Sand Art/Aesthetic.

Cost vs. Effectiveness Curve at LifeChurch.tv : swerve

Define success for your ministry. What does effective look like?

Link: Cost vs. Effectiveness Curve at LifeChurch.tv : swerve.

Cost vs. Excellence Curve at LifeChurch.tv : swerve

Very interesting confirmation of recent conversation here at Westside. I ran into this at the Lifechurch Leadership blogs.

Link: Cost vs. Excellence Curve at LifeChurch.tv : swerve.

U2 3D

Hey All,

Just saw the 3d U2 film. Very cool! Seriously, this is the shape of things to come in entertainment. The 3d effect was pretty great. And the way it was shot and presented was very immersive. With the surround mix it is as close to virtual reality as I have ever seen. Go see it if it's in your area.

The Best Things Fuel the Good Things

I realize this will sound obvious to most of you. But, I have really fallen short in this area. It's one thing to know what is the best thing to do. Yet, quite another to do it. Often the best things aren't fun or easy or attractive for some reason.

Here is one thing that is coming alive for me. Time with God. Don't get me wrong, I don't have issues with consistency in my quiet or reading scripture.

I am discovering there is a difference between doing your routine that is a good thing. I am learning, seeking wisdom, lifting up requests. But, what I haven't been doing is resting and lingering. Enjoying His presence. Enjoying the richness of that intimacy. Being still and listening for His voice. Being conscious of the presence of the Spirit.

For me this means having some music that helps me connect. It's having the scriptures open to a passage that is coming alive for me. It is quietly worshiping and raising my hands before God. It is writing down some things that are revealed to me in prayer. It is lingering and drinking in the goodness of His presence.

This is one of the best things that make the whole day work for me. It helps me get into an awareness of the Spirits presence with me throughout the day. That makes me better at EVERYTHING else. Everyone benefits. My kids, wife coworkers, team members. I feel as if I am fueled by the Spirit of God to live out His purposes.

I hope this doesn't sound self righteous or pious. It is just where I am at in the journey right now. I want to now what it means to be "in step with the Spirit." What does that look like?

Gal. 5:16-17 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

Gal. 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Sabbatical

So, my wife kicked me out the door for a week, by myself mind you, for a week in Colorado Springs with some friends. Given the season we have been in at the church I have been a little "frayed" lately.

I am basically an introvert. So, I need to be alone to get energized most of the time. That is tough to get when you have toddlers. Couple that with the most demanding ministry season of my life, and it all adds up. It is as close to burn out as I have ever been. Thank God for my wife recognizing it and having the generosity of spirit to demand I get some time alone with God.

Through some alone time and prayer with our friends at New Life Church, I had a pretty important re-calibration in my spirit.

Here are some highlights in what God is teaching me:

It is more important to lead out of brokenness than out of ambition.

What does it mean to be "in step" with the Spirit?

God is in to mind control.

The best things fuel the good things.

God gives back what you surrender to him.

Forgiveness is for YOU not for the forgive-ee. Lack of it will hold you back from what God has for you.

When we feel inadequate, God is in the business of filling in the gaps.

I can't change everything. But, I can change one thing at a time.

God's presence is what energizes.

Have you ever worked for a "Saul?" Am I of the order of Saul or of David?

God will give me the tools I need, when I need them.

My wife is a hero.

In the coming weeks I will try and unpack some of this stuff in case it is an encouragement to you. Thanks for reading.

Heb. 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

In All the Universe on itunes!

Hi All,
Kind of fun. My new recording, "In All the Universe," is now available on itunes! Pretty cool, huh?

You can check out my page at this link!

My New CD "In All the Universe"

So after two years  this thing is finally out! What a gift from God! We released it at Westside this last weekend. And, it feels like a long promise fulfilled.
I am really happy with how it has come out. It is easily the best work I have done. It also sounds more like me than anything else I have done either. God is so good!

I'll tell you more of the story in future posts. If you want to hear song samples, you can go to the newly revamped newworship.com. All of the songs were written for corporate worship while I was still at Rolling Hills Covenant in Los Angeles.

Daniel 4:17

Dan. 4:17  “‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.’ (bold mine)

This should be a relief for all of us. Because, the truth is, none of us earned the leadership we have. It isn't because we worked harder, smarter, were more talented or played the political game better than the next guy. God has given it to all of us for a season. As Andy Stanley says "Leadership is stewardship. It's temporary. And we are accountable." I love this!

God has equipped us for the season we are in. It is intentional and ordained by the Almighty. None of us has reason  to be doubtful, insecure or arrogant and overconfident. We handle this mantle of leadership faithfully with joy, humility and a servants heart. We also need to hold it loosely. What a privilege it is to be chosen by our Creator for this season?

What do you think?

Revealing Discipleship

Recently, I had an important experience. At the Leadership Summit, Willow unveiled a new book that contains some recent research they had done with theirs and 6 other congregations. The preliminary results are astounding. And, it concludes what many of us had intuitively felt but not articulated.

I won't try to unpack it for you here. But, the net results will revolutionize discipleship in the church as we know it if their findings continue to be affirmed.

I will say this. Have we as church leaders perpetuated an unhealthy dependence on the church for peoples maturing and dependence on Christ? Have we, for a very long time, led people to believe that their ultimate maturity is a result of the programs we offer in the local church? Are more mature Christians dissatisfaction with the offerings of local churches a result of a misguided mindset we have unintentionally encouraged?

This is a conversation that will polarize many. But one, I believe, that is vital to the future full Kingdom effectiveness of the Church.

What do you think? I highly encourage you to read this book and track with the conversation as it develops.

Reveal Now

Keyboards in Worship

A year or so ago it seemed as if keyboard driven music was making a comeback in progressive church worship i.e...in churches that stylistically don't sound particularly dated. (That is a WHOLE other post.) Is that fair to say. From my perspective it was encouraged by the success of the last couple of Coldplay albums. But as there has been more time since X&Y was released, It hasn't taken off like I thought it might. Now it looks as if the guitar is stronger than ever in church worship. I see more folks leading from electric guitar now than ever.

Has anybody else been thinking this? I believe that keys will eventually see a resurgence as more writers feature it in recordings. But, it doesn't look like it will happen soon. Maybe the next Coldplay CD will spur it on. I'm not sure I like that. Then again, hasn't every modern worship band been ripping off U2 (I certainly have) with delayed, dotted eighth note guitars for at least the last 6 years?

How do you feel about that?

I'm Back (In Case You Are Still Watching)

So, I have pretty much utterly neglected my blog for quite a while. There are a lot of reasons, I guess.
I haven't really had much to say.
I haven't had the time or energy to say it.
Not sure with all the amazing minds writing out there that I really have anything all that helpful to offer. (I'm not trying to be noble or charmingly self deprecating. But, maybe just realistic.)
Plus, I have been busier and more overwhelmed than any other time in my life.

I do apologize for anyone who has actually been interested in this blog. If for some reason you are still subscribed, thanks for taking another look.

A lot has happened. Westside lost it's Senior Pastor and Head Administrator to a several years long affair.
Myself and two other pastors on staff were placed in senior leadership as a team.
We have survived the initial shock at the church by the remarkable grace of God. Just no other way to explain it.
We are still weathering the inevitable backlash from folks who don't understand or are too wounded to see past their own perspective. Lot's of fires to put out. Lots of phone, email, appointments with folks who are grappling with the loss and disillusionment of something like this.
I can see how God has prepared me for a season such as this. It's nice to see some of your baggage pay off.
The church is doing amazingly well. Still growing and reaching the community. Something very special born from God's faithfulness. I can't believe we still have momentum after all of this!
The weird thing is I have loved this. No one would have wanted this leadership come to them in this manner. I certainly didn't. But, I do love the challenge and responsibility.

No, I don't want to be a senior pastor. I do, however, love the leadership dynamic of a team that has the opportunity for the whole to be greater than the sum of it's parts. I do love the visioning and the healthy debate. I do love the opportunity to help shape the leadership and ministry culture that will take us into the vision God has for our future. I do love being part of a move of God that challenges us to maximize the gifting He has placed in us. That is pretty cool. And for that I am grateful.

I plan to try and share some of this journey with anyone who cares. Thanks for reading.

Here is a passage that I have been clinging to:
Heb. 12:28-29  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

A Leader Lesson From Ousted Home Depot Chief

This was passed on to me from a fellow minister. A good word for all of us.

A recent headline in the New York Times read "Home Depot Ousts Highly Paid
Chief." While you may not be highly paid as a minister, all of us can learn
a valuable lesson from this leader's failure.
When time ran out for Home Depot's chairman and chief executive, Robert
Nardelli, the cause of his dismissal was reportedly linked to his inordinate
compensation-but the underlying cause is one where we, as church leaders,
may also be vulnerable.
The problem was not Nardelli's work ethic. He'd commonly rise at 4 a.m. and
work 14-hour days, plus many weekends, putting in time at the company's
headquarters and many stores. The problem was not Nardelli's productivity in
terms of company growth. During his tenure, Home Depot doubled sales and
increased its earnings per share.
But less than a year ago, in a meeting for stockholders, Nardelli limited
the length of questions and abruptly ended the meeting after 30 minutes.
Afterward the angry outcry came not only from the handful of shareholders
who attended the meeting, but also from all those who'd been discouraged
from attending the meeting in the first place.
"It was an erosion of relationships over several months. He lost the
confidence of the board," said a person close to the board.
The leader lesson for those of us in church life is this-while we have to
keep the ship afloat and mind the hours of sermon prep, we cannot afford to
lose focus on the influencers around us. When we let relationships fray
because of avoidance or lack of attention, the result will come back to bite
us.
Shrewd and savvy leaders know that they must consistently carve out time to
connect with organizational influencers in order to strengthen the bond of
relations and trust. We can't rely on hard work or even productivity to
become the ultimate measurements of our effectiveness. These are
insufficient. As pastors, we can't assume people should know our hearts. We
need to invest in heart-connecting opportunities.
So whom do you need to call today? What board member is overdue for coffee
or lunch? What power broker in the church deserves to be invited over for
dinner-for your sake, and ultimately the church's sake, even though he or
she may never ask for it?

Alan Nelson is the executive editor of Rev! Magazine (www.rev.org
<http://www.rev.org/> ), the author of a dozen books, and has been a pastor
for 20 years. You can reach him at anelson@group.com.

LET ALL THE EARTH REJOICE

From one of the most original lead worshipers, Martin Smith of Delirious begins a column a column in Worship Leader magazine.

" In our English language we use the word “love” a lot. I love that movie; we loved our car; I love your hair; I love you God. Worship is a word that is also getting a run for its money....click here for more.

Beliefwatch: Blasphemy

'Hi my name is Lindy and I deny the existence of the Holy Spirit and you should too.'

A website dedicated to daring God to send people to hell is up and running. Young people are challenging the idea of blaspehiming the Holy Spirit as the unforgivable sin by proclaiming his non-existence. Yikes! As if we didn't have enough trouble people are now ignorantly chasing after their own condemnation. More on this from MSNBC. Click Here.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Music of '06

Kind of a slow year for my own taste. But, still reaped a few good things. Just a few of the things that caught my ear and I actually listen to released in '06.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

Probably my favorite recording of '06. Muse continues to grow and define their own creative voice. Early on they were plagued by Radiohead comparisons. But they have thoroughly avoided that as they develop. I hear more Rachmaninoff and Queen than Radiohead by far. Creative, original, melodramatic, heavy, bloated and way too self important, but you gotta love their passion and musicianship. I saw these guys when they cqame to Kansas City this last year and that sold me on what a great band they are.

Switchfoot - Oh! Gravity

Just snuck inn under the wire for '06. Great record from a great band. This is probably their heaviest and most musically adventureous record. Think the energy of Foo Fighters meets old Switchfoot. As always, Jon Foreman is a soul searcher who is willing to ask the questions of himself and American culture without having the answers. I really like this recording.

India Arie - Testimony, Vol. 1: Life & Relationship

Such a soulful and well written, painfully honest collection of songs. Gotta love India. Easily one of the best of the year.

Mutemath - Mutemath

Great live band and a creative force I hope wil be around for a long time. Love these guys. Although not as strong as their EP, this is still a terrific listen when you are craving a different "flava."

Thom Yorke - The Eraser

An aquired taste. Very vibey, cool and original.

Beck - The Information

Only Beck can get away with mixing so many genres and have it come out like music was always "meant to bethat way." I love the genre busting disrespect for accepted pop form and his  willing ness to explore other art forms.

Honorable Mention -

John Mayer - Continuum - Starting to sound a little too self important to my ears. But I love how he is digging into old Stevie Ray Vaughan, Clapton and George Harrison and bringing those influences to a modern pop audience. I still like the John Mayer Trio live album better.

Leeland - Sound of Melodies - Great new worship album.

Mindy Smith - Long Island Shores - Hauntingly beautiful singer.

Cat Power -  The Greatest - A truly original voice.

Joseph Arthur - Nuclear Daydream - Just because he's Joseph Arthur and he's awesome!

Charlotte Martin - Stromata - Another terrific singer songwriter.

Brazilian Girls - Talk to La Bomb - Talk about genre bending! Yikes.

The Crystal Method - Drive: Nike+ Original Run - A 45 minute continuous recording meant to mimic the workout curve of a good run. Surprisingly easy and fun to listen to. Probably the best voice in electronic music today.

Lessons from Toyota

How would Toyota, one of the top car manufacturers, run a church? Church Relevance has put together a very interesting juxtoposition of core values from the auto making behemoth.

"While we will probably never have a definite answer, we can look at five principles that have shaped their success in the automobile industry and learn how those same principles can be applied to create a better church. These five principles published by Business 2.0 are: click here."

A Few of My Favorite Things '06 - Movies

OK, so here is the obligatory list of end of the year favorites. Unoriginal but fun.

Let's start with movies. Being a Dad of two toddler boys and having an excessively full time job, there are a lot of good films I didn't see (Flags of Our Fathers) and a couple I shouldn't have seen (Superman Returns). But for whatever it's worth, here are a few I liked in no order.

United 93 - Wow, powerful and provocative. FIlmed with no name actors or directing pedigree, but what a wonderful film that pays respect to the heroic folks of flight "93. You have to ask yourself if you would have been as brave in that situation.

An Inconvenient Truth - Yeah, that's right! I'm a tree hugging pinko democrat! Or at least one would think so for liking this film. Why does one have to be considered "liberal" for caring about the environment? Anyway, one of the better documentaries in a while. Sorry, the penguin movie put me to sleep.

 

Over the Hedge - Clever and fun. Steve Carrel steals the show as a hyper-kinetic squirrel. For some reason for me more satisfying than Cars. And YES, I AM an expert on toddler entertainment.

The Fountain - Provocative and intelligent if not overly ambitious. Blockbuster ideas on an art house budget it wrestles with the eternal questions in us all. Abstract, wierd, hard to follow and I loved it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Mission Impossible 3 - So sue me. I like the excessive blockbuster once in a while. Who am  kidding, I like them all the time!!! This one is just done really well. Fun with the expected cheesy-easy ending

The Prestige - The Illusionist was good as much as I like Edward Norton, but this so overshadows it for the magician movie of the year prize. Wrought with twists and "wait a minute did I catch that?" moments.

Twin Towers - So, Oliver Stone CAN make a movie without the prerequesite political agenda. He did the country a service with this film.

I haven't seen "Children of Men" although that sounds right up my alley. I did see Apocalypto and it is just too gory to recommend albeit interesting. Saw "The Lady in the Water" and wow was that bad for M. Night (even though I secretly liked it.) Haven't seen "The Nativity Story." Does that make me an unsupportive Christian media junky? Liked "V for Vendetta" but not enough to say "Yeah, you should see this." Could the Davinci Code be more boring? Great director and actor gone really bad. Forget the material. Can anyone say "pacing"? Yikes!

So, there it is. My woefully, incomplete, uneducated, and highly pedestrian list for '06. Wait till you see my TV fav's. You discover what a geek I really am.

 

 

Barna Lists the 12 Most SIgnificant Religious Findings from 2006 Survey

Poller extraordinaire, George Barna, has come up with sopme more interesting data regarding trends in the church. One of the more interesting ones to me is the move towards house churches and ecumenism as emerging generations have less and less interest in traditional streams of Christian faith.

"Barna released his list of the twelve most noteworthy results of 2006, and described a few themes that ran through this year’s surveys.Noteworthy OutcomesBarna selected the following dozen outcomes as the most significant findings of 2006."

Click Here for More

Welcome to The Barna Group!