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Yesterday I blogged about how I changed a lyric in Jonathan Stockstill’s (Deluge) “Open Up the Sky”.  I only changed one word but it was enough to make the song singable in corporate worship for me.  Jonathan even sanctioned the change!

Today I’d like to as you …

“What worship song lyrics really bother you”?

Do me a favor – comment, and then share this link on Facebook, Retweet on Twitter, etc.  Let’s get the community rolling here again!

The song “Open Up The Sky” (iTunes) by Jonathan Stockstill has been around a while now.  I remember one of my best friends and mentors telling me about this song … I dunno … maybe 1-2 years ago.  It was recorded on Deluge’s “Live From Bethany World Prayer Center” and released by Integrity Music.

I heard it a few times and was never blown away until I took part in leading it with Joel Klampert, Conner Byrd, Mike Mahoney, and some great friends at a mens’ retreat in New Hampshire earlier this year.  It was during that retreat that the song hooked me.

I finally decided to introduce this song to our congregation here at SSCC and we started practicing away.  Over and over, one lyric kept bothering me.  I couldn’t shake it.

“We don’t want blessings, we want You”.

I believed that I understood the “essence” of what the writer, Jonathan Stockstill, was saying, but still … did it need further explanation?  And was that truly the cry of MY heart?

The more I struggled with the lyric, the more I accepted that I couldn’t honestly sing it to God.  The truth is, I *DO* want His blessings.  I *NEED* his blessings.  And wanting His blessings doesn’t automatically mean that I don’t also want the Giver of the Blessings.

I decided to change the lyric so that we sing this:

“Open up the sky.  Fall down like rain.  More than Your blessings, we want You”.

What’s that?  The sound of the copyright police?  No worries.  I had an incredible email exchange with Jonathan and he was gracious enough to bless our new version with his approval.  Even better, he offered his explanation of the lyric, which I’ll share with you below.  His explanation is exactly what I’d anticipated and I totally ‘get’ what he is saying, and support it as well.

Here’s a portion of the exchange from Jonathan Stockstill:

… “What’s up man! I have no issue with you changing up the words.. I actually considered saying that line instead, but really wanted to say what I said. I was in a season that God was really pouring out blessing after blessing, but my walk with Him lacked intimacy. I felt like there were all these traces of God’s favor that manifested in blessings, but I didn’t feel close to him. I would have traded every blessing for a deeper walk with him. I wasn’t saying that I don’t appreciate the blessing or even want them for that matter.. I was simply saying “I am not pursuing you FOR blessings… It’s you that I want“. I can understand how that would be a tough line to sing, especially if you don’t know the heart behind it, but it is what I wanted to say, so I said it … “

———————

So there you have it … and a kazillion kudos to Jonathan Stockstill for being transparent and actually taking the time to reply.  I appreciate your humility and the spirit you share with us!

So what about you … do you know this song?  Ever struggled with that lyric?  Other lyrics?

When you say “praise Him in the dance” and think of incorporating “dance” as an act of praise … what comes to mind?

How about this?  1300+ people from a church in Budapest Hungary rehearsed this dance and came together and “danced” to celebrate Easter Sunday.  What’s even cooler?  They are organizing the same thing for Easter 2011 … worldwide.  For more info, visit www.uptofaith.com

Yesterday I blogged about two incredible football quarterbacks and how the strengths of their entire TEAM impact their performance.  No matter how talented the leader may be, the need for a solid team is obvious.

The same rings true in worship ministry, business development, and visioneering.

Today, a group of us from SSCC met at my favorite off-campus-office, WakeUp Coffee Company.  This is a group comprised of our main worship leaders and one of our church elders (who also participates and leads with our team).  I’ve dubbed this group of people the “Worship Synergy” team.

Synergy, in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently.
The term synergy comes from the ancient Greek word syn-ergos, συνεργός, meaning ‘working together’. [1] .
In the context of organizational behaviour is the view that a cohesive group is more than sum of its parts. Synergy is the ability of group to outperform even its best individual member.

Our purpose is to discuss:

• our philosophy of worship
• how we practically “walk out” our philosophy
• conflict resolution and prevention
• creative input, ideas, and feedback on crafting encounters where we worship in spirit and truth

It’s important to bring some diversity to this table.  You’ll get some perspective from a female that won’t even be considered by a male (and vice versa).  You’ll miss some great insights when you try to do this by yourself.  By creating a space where people have the liberty to express their ideas, creative input, and their concerns or grievances, you head off potential conflicts.

One thing that is often overlooked in a situation like this is the protection that comes from a unified team.  As the Worship Pastor, I no longer have to fear that people will hold me accountable for every situation.  If you have some conflict about song choice … you can say, “well, I appreciate your input, but I don’t make those decisions on my own – we have a group that prayerfully discusses and considers this”.  Maybe there is an element missing in your worship services that is recognized by every person of the team … you have a lot more leverage when you approach your leadership with a request.

Do you have anything like this in place?  Ideas?  Thoughts?
Let me hear back from you!

We’ve all heard it … time after time …

“There is no ‘I’ in the word T-E-A-M”.  This applies to life .. in church ministry, business, family, and yes … sports.  The story of these two quarterbacks says it all.  I caught a story in Monday’s USAToday about the Detroit Lions’ QB, Matthew Stafford.  Since he hails from the Promised Land, good ole’ UGA (University of Georgia – GO DAWGS) … I took interest in the article.

The article talked about both Matthew Stafford, and former USC Quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who was drafted to the Jets. Both of these QB’s had their rookie season in 2009 – Stafford with the Detroit Lions, and Sanchez with the New York Jets.

Now I’m not one to pick on a losing team … but the Detroit Lions have had a tough time lately.  Stafford goes to a team that is seriously struggling.  Sanchez goes to a team that is working well together and has exceptional talent.

Stafford’s Team – 2 wins all year … which is better than NO WINS the year before.
Sanchez’s Team – a trip to the AFC playoffs.

Can these guys take the credit?  See below:

Although their final numbers were similar, with Stafford throwing for 2,267 yards and 13 touchdowns with 20 interceptions, and Sanchez throwing for 2,444 yards and 12 touchdowns with 20 interceptions, the latter player received considerably more buzz.  (source:  USAToday)

Stafford:  2267 yards thrown
Sanchez:  2444 yards thrown

Stafford:  13 touchdowns
Sanchez:  12 touchdowns

Stafford:  20 interceptions
Sanchez:  20 interceptions

Do you see it?  There is no “i” in TEAM.  It wasn’t all about a star QB.  It was about a TEAM.

Whether you are a worship leader, a pastor, a business owner, or a star athlete …. in most situations, it’s not all about you.  It’s about the team you are surrounded with.  It’s about putting the “right people in the right seats on the bus”.

If you have all the talent in the world, but don’t have yourself aligned with the right team, your overall wins may be marginal.  Granted, everybody’s definition of a “win” is different, based on your situation.

But think about this … when was the last time you checked on your team.  When was the last time things were re-aligned.  When was the last time you took inventory of your gifts and where they are best “at play”.

Comments/Thoughts?  Let’em rip.