It’s been almost a year since I started blogging again on one platform or another. A couple nights ago, I was looking through some of the old iWeb posts I have on my computer and found this amusing little post that I had forgotten about. This was after the third Heart of Worship toward the end of last summer. I was amused remembering what happened and then again by me trying to make it into a funny story.
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Here’s a hypothetical situation for you, the 6 people that read this, to chew on:

Say there’s a worship leader, we’ll call him Steve, and he’s the worship leader of the college age group at his church. And lets say that his group was putting on a worship event at their church in which anyone and everyone was welcome to attend. It was a big two hour event with prayer and tons of music.

During the planning of said event Dus… I mean, Steve had this hymn that he really liked, which is something because he isn’t really a “hymn guy”. Anyway he put down the hymn in the set order, we’ll just call the hymn “How Deep.” He also added the hymn because he knew that it was one of the band member’s favorite song. And knowing that, he offered to let the band member lead How Deep.

Now the week before the event How Deep was played at the evening service at Steve’s church. This was during a time of communion so Steve was having a heart-to-heart with God at the time of the song. And during the song he realized that it wasn’t the song he thought it was and that he had added the song to the set list thinking that it was a different one. We’ll call the hymn he meant to put in “Before the Throne”.

So during communion and in the mass panic in Steve’s mind as he realized that he just inserted the wrong song into the set, but didn’t want to change the order because it was pretty set, he had a little dialogue with God. This is a rough account of what went down.

Steve: Oh crap.

God: What’s up?

Steve: I added this song for the worship night thinking it was a different one!

God: Uh oh…

Steve: You’re telling me! Is there anyway you can still work your stuff and make everything turn out good?

God: I’ll see what I can do.

Steve: What does that mean?

God: …..

Steve: Hello?

God: ….

Steve: Hey, you still there?

God’s Voicemail: Hey it’s the Alpha and Omega. I’m busy at the moment but if you leave your name, location, and reason for calling I’ll be sure to get back to you soon.

Steve: That was weird.

Communion Server: Communion is over, Steve. Go sit down.

Okay, okay, so that might not have been exactly how it went down, but that’s the spark notes version of it. Long story short, the hymn that Steve accidently put in to the set actually turned out to be probably the best song of the night and it really drew people in. Steve was grateful for what God did, and immediately added the correct song, Before the Throne, to the list of songs for the next worship night.

Steve sure lucked out on that one,
Dustin

p.s. This was all hypothetical of course.

p.s.s. No seriously, it was all hypothetical.

p.s.s.s. Okay fine. I admit it, I’m Steve, and I put How Deep the Father’s Love For Us in the set list for Heart of Worship III thinking that it was actually Before the Throne of God Above. So what? Who hasn’t had an incident in which they put the wrong song in a worship set? It happens all the time I bet.
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yeah….

d

I’ve been noticing that, in a worship team setting, it’s really nice to have someone that for the time being I’m going to call a “secondary leader” on the team. And what this person does is gives the rest of the team cues and reminders during the course of a set that the worship leader can’t do because he or she is singing and looking forward (or has their eyes closed or whatever).

If someone is a little lost as to where the song is going, the secondary leader can look back, see that the team member is unsure and give them a cue by mouthing or saying something like, “repeat” or “chorus” or “bridge”. This person can also help smoothen the ending of a song, or if the song starts to speed up or slow down, by making it more apparent with a motion that he or she makes to let the rest of the team know what’s up.

From my experience, it works best if the person is toward the front of the stage and plays a guitar or some other instrument where they have a bit more freedom to move and turn and whatnot. It’s also easier for the person to make eye contact with the other band members from the front of the stage.

Worship leaders, if you’re like me, you never had to appoint someone to do this, they just stepped up to the plate and it just comes naturally. Although sometimes you may need to ask someone to be your second in command and assist with leading the band. Either way, be thankful for these people. They share some of the weight that being the leader of a band and worship team brings and they really help in making sure the band stays together during the course of a song.

Those of you reading who have been in this role in bands that I have led, thank you. You really do make life a lot easier by not just your musical contribution, but your contributions as a leader too.

d

We’ve done five of these events now. Each one has looked different and each one has been special: from the Saturday night last April where 30 or so people gathered for an hour in the youth room of our church to worship and hear a message about entering the the most holy place; the next one where it became an hour and a half that involved worship and testimonies of two people who have been radically rocked by God in the past year; the third one where a lesson was learned that it’s not by our own strengths or gifts that these events are meaningful, but it’s by His strength and His strength alone; the fourth and final event of 2008 saw worshipers enter into a new depth with God; and the fifth one was last night.

There were a number of things that made this one different from the previous ones. We moved the event into the sanctuary, we moved it to a Sunday night following the 5:00 service, we collaborated with Jeff to incorporate prayer stations that would engage both young people as well as adults.

It’d be too hard for me to go through chronologically, song by song, as to what happened when, but from the responses we’ve been hearing from those who attended is that this might possibly have been the best event so far.

Some of the coolest moments of the night from my perspective was singing Healer; it’s a song that’s unfamiliar to most of the adults there but the level of participation and willingness to go for it with a new song was something cool to be a part of. It Is Well With My Soul was amazing. That song is possibly my favorite hymn and from what I could hear on stage, just about everyone was BELTING that song. And probably the most personal for me, the debut of Come to Us, the song that I wrote. I was super nervous going into that song because there’s something very vulnerable about taking words that you wrote down and a melody that you put over them and using it to lead others in worship of our Saviour. It got a very good response and I’ve heard comments that that was one of the best moments of the night. And those comments are more of a confirmation that the song really was God breathed and it was His intention for that song to be born.

Sunday was a great night of people encountering their Creator. It’s such an honor to do what we get to do and I look forward to the next time we gather together to worship like that and see more of God’s kingdom come.

Darkness is fading now in the light of His name

Dustin

My favorite things have nothing to do with raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens. But I was on Facebook tonight and came across a note I wrote back in June about my favorite things and I thought that it should be on here as well.

It reads:

Would you like to know what one of the things I like most about being a worship leader is? I will take the fact that you are still reading as a, “Yes, Dustin, please tell me.”

I love being able to look out and see people encounter and interact with Jesus. I love looking back seeing my band totally caught up in the moment playing and singing like it’s just them worshiping alone and giving it everything they have, holding back nothing of themselves. That is what I love.

It’s one of the best things I get to experience as a worship leader. To see God coming down and touching people and people responding with all-out abandon.

Earlier tonight at the second Heart of Worship night at our church I got to see this and it moves me deeply every time. So my words to everyone who attended tonight is this: Thank you for loving God like you do. Thank you for allowing me to lead you in worship. Thank you for jumping and dancing at the start and moving into arms raised adoration and praise. And thank you for being vulnerable in stepping out in worship like you never have.

And to my band: Thank you all for allowing me to be your band leader. For allowing me the opportunity to work along side you guys (and girl) and play music that touches the very heart of God and the very heart of us. You guys are amazing.

I love what I do.

I wrote this six months ago, and when I read this, I think of all the big moments that I’ve had as a worship leader so far and how those have impacted me as a leader, worshiper, and Christian. From Unite, where hundreds of youth from the Eagle River were gathered together and singing with one voice and one heart. From the Heart of Worship series and seeing people use the time there to really break free and worship like they’ve never worshiped before. From the opportunity to lead worship at all three of our church’s services one Sunday in October. From our Jr High retreat this spring where a lot of those young people had their first real encounter with God through worship. Looking back, those worship times were some of the best I had as a worship leader. Because it was broken people encountering a holy God and being washed clean.

And one of the best parts of leading worship and being on stage in times like this is that I get to see people’s faces as they encounter Jesus. I get to see the vulnerability they show as they let go of something they’ve been holding onto for years. I get to see the joy on their face as they experience God in a powerful and real way. I get to see the tears roll down the face as the Holy Spirit just loves on them. It’s one of the best parts of the job.

And I love what I do.

Dustin

Thanks to Amber who took these pictures. These are a couple pictures from the incredible youth event held tonight called Unite where the young people in Eagle River and Chugiak gathered together to join as one in all out worship of our God. I was fortunate enough to lead worship for this event and I’m speechless. It was cool to see the young people of The Church sing and worship like that. It truly an anointed night.

It was an amazing night that and time of worship, we even had an encore! I have never had that happen to me before! God is so good, and it was incredible to watch these young people encounter God tonight.

It was incredible

Dustin

Okay, okay, so that title may have been a little misleading, I love the leadership roles I’m in and I love what God has called and is calling me to do. But I also love occasions where I don’t have to lead. In a sense, I love situations where I’m not in charge. I’m playing in Big Church on Sunday for the first time since June… I think… The fact that I’m not sure when the last time I played is an indicator of how long it’s been.

To me, there’s a big difference between being the leader and just playing. Technically, you’re still a leader because everyone who’s on stage is leading the congregation. But to me, it’s more relaxing to be “just a band member” than the one in charge. There’s less weight on your shoulders and less that’s running through your mind during a song.

For example, as a leader, I’m listening to everything as a whole and hoping that we all remember our cues. I hear more mistakes and I (try to) give my band as many verbal and non-verbal cues as to where the song is going next, let them know we’re ending, etc.

As a guitarist/singer though, I’m more free to just be there, play, sing, and worship because there’s less that I have to be doing as far as the overall is concerned. I really like weeks where I can just do that.

Worship still happens when I’m leading, but it looks a little different. When I’m leading, worship comes from doing what God has called me to do, doing it to the best of my ability, constantly trying to grow and improve in it, as well as approaching it with a joyful and thankful heart.

I guess, when it boils down, I love not leading a band because it gives me a chance to worship in a different way.

Not better. Just different.

Dustin

Is right here…

la la la…

Dustin