Idaho Worship Workshop Update

Okay...here is what we have to date. We'll be getting a link up to a site with registration and payment options at the beginning of next week.

DATES: May 1st and 2nd
LOCATION: King Fine Arts Center in Burley, Idaho
FEATURED ARTISTS: Carl Albrecht, Leann Albrecht, Ed Kerr
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Worship Leaders, Vocalists, Keyboard players, drums/percussionist
COST: Early registration - $45. At the door $60
SCHEDULE: Friday, Concert/General Session 7 to 9 pm. Saturday, 9 to 3 clinics.

The link will have the workshop information on it as well as directions, lodging info, etc.
MAKE PLANS TO BRING YOUR ENTIRE TEAM! Seriously, this is something that you get when you go to a Christian Musician Summit or an event at Saddleback, Granger, Willow, etc. These folks are tops in their fields and have a heart for helping the local artist be all that God created us to be - all without the ego!

You can email me at karl@fbcpoky.com with questions/comments or post it here. I'll get to you as soon as I read it.

See ya in Burley...

Bitterness and Worship

In case you haven't figured it out yet, these two things cannot coexist and still bring glory to God.

And yet, week in and week out I watch some of our own people struggle with this very issue. We've all been hurt before, but scripture is VERY CLEAR on what we are to do with those who sin against us - let's face it, that's what it really is!

I'm preaching with our youth director, Chris B, this weekend and the topic is bitterness. As I did the research, study, word study and so on, one thing kept coming back to me. It was the words of that long haired hippee dude we follow...you know, J.C.

He was teaching this huge crowd about prayer and gave a sample of what prayer should be like. He could have said anything fluffy, spiritual, or whatever. But His words were very simple and direct, especially in one particular area. Look at what he had to say in Matthew 6:12, and tell me that Jesus doesn't give us clear direction on one of the main causes of bitterness. Forgiveness is not an optional practice in our lives. If we are going to call ourselves Christians and let God use our lives as examples to point others to Jesus, then we have no choice but obedience.

• I'm sorry they hurt you so bad. You don't get the choice to hold onto that hurt anymore if you're a Christ follower. "Forgive as Christ forgave" means we LET IT GO and LOVE.
• I've been seriously, seriously hurt by many people - both outside and INSIDE the church. You know what I've found? The ones inside hurt me the MOST! LET IT GO and LOVE.
• Stop making excuses as to why you should be allowed to hold on to the pain. You have no excuses if you are truly a Christ follower.
• You can't TRULY WORSHIP God and still hold bitterness in your heart.
• You CANNOT TRULY WORSHIP God and still HOLD BITTERNESS in your heart. You are a hypocrite and God will NOT accept your worship.

Truly worship God with ALL your heart, mind, soul and strength. That all has to come from a place of COMPLETE SURRENDER. Have you done that yet? Have you forgiven others, just as Christ forgave you? (Remember - he throws our sins into the deepest part of the sea, never to be seen or heard from again.)

See ya in church...

Regional Worship Workshop Coming May 1st and 2nd

I am just a little jacked up this morning in a good way! We are in the finalization phases of bringing some much needed training to the northwest region for worship teams.

If you follow Integrity music much, you've heard of Carl Albrecht, LeAnn Albrecht and Ed Kerr. These are some of the top musicians in their field, who have incredible hearts for God. We are putting together a day and half of workshops and clinics to get the churches in our region some much needed help and encouragement.

Here are some of the tentative offerings:

• Carl will be leading workshops on drums and worship band technique.
• Ed will be leading workshops on keyboards in worship, as well as (perhaps) some arranging ideas.
• LeAnn will be leading workshops on vocals and the worship team element.
• In addition, I will be leading a workshop on the Pastor-Worship Leader relationship and the impact that it has on the team, worshp and the church.

Keep watching here for a link to more information. We will be hosting this event in either Pocatello or Burley, Idaho. We have access to an incredible performing arts facility (2nd largest in the state) in Burley that will make this more centrally located for many churches.

Talk to your teams - get them to reserve that date. Cost will be very nominal, so don't let that be an issue.

God is GOOD and God is AMAZING! Can't wait to see what He does with this...

Sunday Redux

So it got HOT in church today! Message was on anger and Pastor Bill brought it!

AND, we had some interesting and exciting physical expressions of worship going on. From clapping and even some 'light' dancing (whatever that is), to tears of joy and confession.

I know it may have seemed odd that there was a flash going off in worship, but we're trying to get some 'live' shots for our use in the future. Trust us!

Had a cool moment at the beginning where I got to welcome home one of our very own from Iraq - Ira Pray! Glad he's back safely with his family and with us. God kept him safe!

It was a powerful time of musical worship, as well as a powerful time of the word in worship:

• Anger is NOT a sin. Says so in scripture.
• We should be angry about some things - kids/women sold into slavery, poverty, etc.
• We need to be able to forgive as Jesus forgave. Tough - but not impossible with Him!

This is the beginning of our series called 'Toxic Emotions' which will run into mid-March. Pray for me this next week as I get to preach on bitterness. I will be team teaching with Chris Boblit, our Student Ministries Director. It'll be his first time preaching, so pray for him too!

This is a touchy and tough subject for all of us. We like to hold a grudge. We like to talk about 'the situation' with other people, hoping they will see our side and join us in our view. Bitterness is a nasty little booger that we just want to wipe out of our lives. With God's help and a change of heart, we can do just about anything. So we'll see where God takes us as we prepare.

See you in church...

Wanted: Real Worshipers

What kind of worshipers does God want? According to His Word, those who worship in spirit and in truth (John 4?23). So do we have any of those in our churches today? What about your church? Does the body of people that gather each Sunday worship from a real, honest and genuine place?

Worship Leaders - we have been called by God to lead His church into that place where together we can worship and honor God with our lives. If you are too caught up in pleasing people, or pleasing the past, you have failed God. You cannot and will never be able to make the church happy. And guess what - it's not your job to do so! So don't try!!!

What kind of worship allows you to be real, honest and genuine before God? Start there and let that be the catalyst for building your worship for next Sunday. YES - it will be risky. YES - it will be scary if you've never 'broken the mold' in your church. But here is the promise - that's the kind of worship that GOD is looking for. If you piss some people off, okay. Find out what they didn't get and turn that into a teaching moment. Your 'job' is to teach about worship to the church, as well as to lead them in corporate worship on Sundays, so don't let them down.

Artists (of all kinds) - we have been called by God to help others see the creativity, beauty and grace of God through our art. SAME MESSAGE! If you are trying to please or impress people, do the church a favor and STEP DOWN until you figure out that it's not about you! Seriously!

God has given each of you a gift that is very unique - and He gave it to you so that you can bring glory to Him. Listen to His direction. Express what He has put into your heart - and don't be afraid of the outcome. If it is from Him, it will bring honor and glory to Him. And you get to teach the church about worship in its creative art form. How cool will that be?

Pastors - shepherd God's people from the heart, not the head. Don't get caught up in 'big church' stuff and let your head get big. How does glorifying YOU bring glory to HIM? Lead with humility, integrity, courage, tenacity and vision. When you do, your church will jump off the cliff with you. Not behind you - but beside you, hand in hand. When you lead the way He has called you, you too are leading from a place of spirit and truth - real worship. Share your journey with your staff and leaders as a way to encourage others. Share your failures as a way to encourage others. When you're real, it helps others to see that you are a real person (I know - shock!).

If the church in America would just be real and not worry about tradition, denominational 'rules', history (to the point it hurts the church), or simply trying to please a certain group of people - America would never be the same. So what will it take for your church to be real this Sunday?

Ask God to show you - and then do it!

Worship - Not (Just) About Emotion

We had a great rehearsal last night! We went over some stuff from this past weekend, sort of rehashing the service and the response (which we usually do). But this week was a little different for a couple of reasons:

1. We didn't have a drummer Sunday due to illness, so we didn't have the 'driving beat' in the room. Keep that thought in mind...
2. Pastor Bill brought the BOOM to church in his message.

So what does all this have to do with worship? Great question!

I think that we, as a church, sometimes get too used to having certain elements in our music. And if they're not there, then we just can't seem to 'worship' the way we normally do. Folks, that's a CROCK! You don't need any particular instrument to help you worship. Do the drums help? Yes. Does rockin' out on the guitar help? For most, yes. But let me ask you this - is that worship coming from the right place? If you don't have the drums, can you still worship from a very deep, personal place? The answer has to be yes.

Our worship needs to come from the place where we meet God and recognize just how BIG and AWESOME He is in our lives. THAT should motivate our worship. We talked in our team last night about how we CANNOT respond to how the congregation does NOT respond. It cannot ever be about how they are or are not getting the music we put out. We have to be worshipers ourselves FIRST, then we can lead. It's up to them to follow.


And when I said Pastor Bill brought the boom to worship, he did. (Check out a couple of his key points at his blog here.) The message was on tithing and it landed hard on a lot of people - all of us who were there. It came straight from God's Word and it wasn't sugar coated. Do you think that brought out any emotions? Oh yeah!


When we get our world 'rocked' by something in God's Word, it should take us back to that place where we remember how BIG and AWESOME God is. Instead, we sometimes curl up in the fetal position and wish the big bad pastor guy would just shut his pie hole. Why? Because his words are reminding us of how far away from God we have gotten in a particular area of our lives.

The Church in America has gotten so caught up in the wrong ideas of tithing that is has really hurt worship in the church. Remember, worship is not just music. It's all the elements that we use to point people to God, including the preaching/teaching of His Word. So when the Pastor nails a point home, it's going to impact their response to the rest of the service. We cannot, under any circumstances, 'judge' how worship is going by how the people in the crowd respond. Worship is a personal event, even in a corporate setting.
So don't let it be about anything but the relationship you have with your Creator. He is BIG and AWESOME, and He wants so much for you (it would make your head spin to know how much)! Celebrate Him. Celebrate His grace. Thank Him for your victories and your trials. Worship from THOSE places and see what God does. Emotions will come out of it - but your worship won't be about them!


See ya in church...

Arts and Worship

Does art, in its various forms, have a place in our worship services today? Should we 'allow' artists' to show their works of art as an 'expression of worship'? What kind of art should we allow? How can art help other people to worship the Creator and not the created work?

These questions have been and will always be buzzing around the church. And they will also be one of those points of contention that cause people to leave a church. (I won't share my thoughts on that on this post - I'll save that rant for another day.)

My question is this - why all the static? The gift of art, in all of it's various forms, is a GIFT from our Creator. And, these gifts are meant to be used to give honor and glory back to Him. Let's not forget that God, in His nature, is a giver. He gave so that we could give to others. Look at Ephesians 2:10, which is my life verse -

"For we are God's workmanship [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

WE are a work of art. We were created to do something with the life that we have been given, and with the gifts that we have received. Did you catch that in the verse - created TO DO...prepared in advance TO DO!

• If you have a gift, it's NOT FOR YOU! You are to share it, to give it away.
• If you have a gift, it's NOT FOR A SHELF or TROPHY ROOM! You are to share it, to give it away. (Hide it under a bushel? NO!)
  
• If you have a gift, and you're not sharing it, STOP BEING SELFISH!

Throughout scripture we read of art being used to honor and glorify God. From the building of the temple with artistic frames, to the pomegranate sculptor, to singing and dancing - all forms of art used for God's purpose in His house. Why would we not allow that in the 'house of God' today? (Sounds to me like some folks might be reading from a different Bible than I am. Just saying...)

Artists', hear me on this: share your gifts with your church as an act of worship. Study scripture to understand where and how art was used. Buy a copy of "The Heart of the Artist", by Rory Noland from Willow Creek Church. This is a great resource to help you understand, from a Biblical viewpoint, that your art is NOT a bad thing. It is in fact a gift, given to be shared for the glory of God.

Churches, do yourselves a favor - embrace art in all its various forms as an act of worship. Not everyone can sing - can I get an AMEN?! And not everyone can dance, paint, act, write, speak, etc. So we all have these different kinds of gifts that we use to honor God. Don't rob people of the opportunity to express themselves in the way that our Father has gifted them. Enjoy the many faces of art as worship - and see what God does as you open your hearts and doors to worship that truly will honor God!

See ya in church...

Spirit Driven!

Sunday was one of those days where you just had to put yourself 'on the shelf' and let God do whatever He had planned to do. If we don't pay attention to those moments and get out of the way, we have no idea what we are missing. I'm sure I've missed some in my ministry experiences. But not yesterday...God was up to something!

• The financial series is always a 'fun' one to find music for. Yet it all comes together in a beautiful, God honoring way each week. We did Chris Tomlin's "Enough" yesterday and it led to a very special moment at the end. If we really mean the words to the song - "All of you is more than enough for all of me..." - then we better start living that way.
  
• That led to a moment where I heard God say that we need to take a fresh, new look at Him. The words just came out - "Refresh my heart, Lord, renew my mind, pour your spirit into my life, change my heart, Lord, make me more like You, refresh my heart, Lord, and make me more like you."
  
• If God is not enough, then we need to ask Him to refresh our heart, renew our thinking, and change us from the inside out. When we let Him do that, it is simply amazing what God does! Give it a try!
• When Jon B. solos on his guitar - that's his worship voice - it is always a joy to hear and watch him play. He loves God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. If you know what to look for, you see it in him every time he plays.

Pastor Bill continued to remind us that money is not what it's all about in our lives. We put way too much emphasis and focus on money, which causes us to lose sight of what's really valuable in our lives: God, family, friends, LIFE!

Put Pastor Bill's words of advice to use - tithe, save, live on the rest. Make it a family affair, get the kids involved. Help them to understand that putting God first in our family is the most important thing we can do. Next to that we need to put God first in our money so that we can honor God with all that He has blessed us with. Take the time this week to step back and appreciate what you have. You may actually be surprised...

See ya in church.

Artists and Pastors

When you talk to most Pastors about artists (musicians, painters, sculptors, video techs, etc.) they get a little glassy-eyed. Not quite the deer in the headlights look, but really close. We artists' are in interesting and challenging breed.

• We don't operate within the same, 'normal' boundaries that most people do. Creativity should not have boundaries, so most of the time we don't give it any!
• When we get an idea to try something, or a direction we think we should go, it's difficult to change our minds. (Sometimes its downright impossible.)
• We're weird.
• We believe that art has a HUGE part of worship. When we don't get the opportunity to express ourselves through our form, we take it personally.
• We see and hear things in a different 'realm'. That isn't always the same as reality and that can really scare people.
• Have I mentioned that we're weird?

When you talk with artists about Pastors, you get the same kind of response with a twist: why are these guys/gals so uptight? (Don't take that personally! We're just weird!)

So here's what I would like to do. Finish the sentence from your perspective - Sr. Pastor or Artist -

• What I wish my Sr. Pastor/Artist understood about me is ...

You can respond to this blog, or you can email me at karl@fbcpoky.com with your answer. I know that most of the folks who read this blog are from the small to medium size church. And that is the group that really needs help with this. You're all in a transitional phase of sorts and are in some uncharted water.

What I want to do is gather the information and see if we can't put something together to help the church, small to large, get a better handle on this relationship in the church. Let's face it. If the relationship between the Sr. Pastor and the Lead Worshiper/Artist is NOT good, not much will be accomplished on Sunday's for the Kingdom of God. I don't like that scenario, do you?

Looking forward to hearing from you...

Sunday Thoughts

With the Super Bowl looming, we expected a bigger turn out in the 9 am service and possibly a smaller turn out in the 11 am service. Well, we were right and wrong.
Turns out we had a bigger turn out in the first service than normal and a normal to bigger turn out in the second service, resulting in a 35% increase in attendance this year over last year. Looks to me like you all are inviting people and they're coming! Go figure!

• Larger crowds don't always make for more expressive crowds. Not in this weekends case. FBC Pocatello came to WORSHIP on Sunday, both with the music and the message! It was AWESOME!
• "Everlasting God", by Lincoln Brewster, was a song we did on Thursday for ReNee's funeral. It was a huge moment of worship then, just as it was Sunday. He is THE Everlasting God and we can be thankful everyday that He is with us to guide, give us strength and comfort us.
• What you didn't know was our drummer, Kia, had a major cold thing going on and almost didn't make it. She brought it! Our keyboardist, Javan, was doing some songs he hadn't had the opportunity to really practice with due to his school schedule. He nailed it! COOL!

Pastor Bill EVENTUALLY shared his cookies in both services. What a great visual and great reminder for ALL of us. We have been blessed to be a blessing to others. We haven't been blessed to be greedy. And we don't call it that in the church, 'cause that would be offensive. What's really offensive is that we don't love each other and trust each other enough to say what needs to be said - "HEY! Stop being greedy!" Was that over the top? I can never tell...

If you're in ministry, what has God blessed you with? Are you sharing what you have with those who don't? In your own church, are you sharing what you have with your community, or are you just being greedy?
Face it, if we share with those 'outside' the church, then 'our church' won't be the same anymore and we'll have to 'accommodate' them.

I know, there I go being sarcastic again. Actually I'm not. I am tired of churches being selfish, greedy little stomping grounds where if you're not like us, you're not welcome. Satan loves those churches. Maybe we should all grow up - CHURCHES - and take a hard look at who we are. As Pastor Bill said on Sunday, "You can see the greed in my face. But what about yours?"

We, the church in America, have been greatly blessed. And we are supposed to be a blessing, at least that's how I read the Bible. So what about it? Will you be a blessing? Will you let God do an incredible, mighty work in your heart so that your church can be what He intended it to be? In your own life, will you be a blessing with all that God has blessed you with? Trust me on this - when you bless others with what God has blessed you with, your life will never be the same again. And you won't want it to be, either.

See ya in church.