Sound Advice

I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine in Plano, TX, Mark Celoria. He has recently been called to a church there as Minister of Music and Worship, and is loving it. He recently had the opportunity to meet with a hero of mine, Todd Bell. Todd is the Minister of Music and Worship at Prestonwood Baptist in Plano, TX; one of the greatest churches in America. I say that because of the impact they are having on people's lives worldwide, and God is blessing them tremendously. I've had the privilege of meeting with Todd in the past and he is always full of wisdom and sound advice.

When you are in a position of leadership, one of the things that you are concerned with is always having something to offer your people. Whether that be musically, or a word of encouragement, or wisdom, you want to be a blessing and constantly help your people to grow. That means risking being repetitive. In order to help people believe something, they have to see it lived out. That means repetition. But, where do you draw the line between pouring into your people and sounding like a broken record?

Todd Bell relates it this way: Any football coach worth his salt will continually, week after week, preach the fundamentals to his players. That is the only way they will truly "get it", implementing the fundamentals in a real game-time situation. It's the same with worship. We have to hear the fundamentals consistently that:
(1)We were created for a relationship of worship(2) You must first be a worshiper before you can be a worship leader (3) Your ministry is impacting lives for the glory of God (4) The joy of His salvation must show on your face before people hear it from your mouth (5) You must be prepared spiritually or the musical preparation means nothing.

These fundamentals, and many others, have to be a part of who we are. We are continually growing as worshipers and as worship leaders. Continue to strive to be the very best you can be, and allow God to be glorified in every aspect of your life.