Branon Dempsey is the Managing Editor for PraiseCharts Live as well as the Clinic Director and Founder of Worship Team Training: a ministry for local church worship ministries. He has studied and been trained by members of Maranatha! Music and Integrity Music for worship ministry and composition. Branon lives in Cypress, Texas where he is also a Worship Leader/Songwriter and has been in ministry for over 16 years. You can read more articles and blogs by Branon on PraiseCharts Live or visit him at www.worshipteamtraining.com.Along with God’s
call, what were the heart-impressions that led you into worship ministry?
I've been around music all my life. My parents sang
Southern Gospel professionally when I was born up until I was two. Some
of the greatest names in Southern Gospel music, like Vestal Goodman, would look
after me backstage while Mom and Dad were singing. From there, Dad went
on to be a Minister of Music in local churches until I was 10, when He went to
seminary and then into the pastorate. Singing and playing the piano (by
ear) was something that drove me as a child--along with football. It was
the way that I felt like I best worshiped my Lord. My Dad taught me how
to direct when I was young and by the time I was 11 or 12, I was leading hymns
in church. When Dad went into evangelism at my age of 14, the directing
took on larger roles as I started directing choirs of 200 at area-wide crusades
where he would be speaking. I took my first church as Minister of Music
at age 16 near my hometown of Commerce, GA. Now at 37, I am looking back
on 21 years of experience in local church music ministry. Football ended
in middle school. Time has flown!
In my years of ministry, I have seen some really big highs
and ridden the wind of blessing. But there is a difference between riding
the wind and chasing it. And at one time in my life, I quit riding the
wind and started chasing. I got caught up in me. A lot! I
started believing what everyone else said about me when they would tell me how
talented I was. And conceit took over. From there, God broke me as
only He can and in ways that I will never forget. I learned more about
grace over a three year period than I would've probably learned in a lifetime
otherwise. Sharing the unmerited favor - grace - of God is what fuels my
passion for church community. We have so many hurting people out there!
I once heard someone say, "Hurt people hurt people."
Imagine what damage it would do to the enemy if Christians rose to the
task of extending grace instead of kicking our wounded, as we often do.
The hurt could be taken away by the healing power of grace that flows
from our Father as it did in my life. I find that there is healing when I
worship as well. When I take the focus off of me and place it on Jesus,
He comes into the places He's invited, like my heart. And healing happens
when in the presence of Jesus.
I believe that worship in it's simplest definition is
"obedience." Remember what Samuel told Saul? He said
"To obey is better than sacrifice." Paul wrote that we are
"to present our bodies as living sacrifices, which is our reasonable form
of Spiritual worship." What Paul was saying was that we are to die
to our selves; we are to submit our will to the will of God on a daily, hourly
and by the minute basis. As "living" sacrifices, our biggest
flaw is that we have the habit of getting up off the altar. Worship isn't
music, though certainly music can be worship. Worship isn't an hour on
Sunday morning, though worship happens during that hour. Worship isn't
meeting with our small groups, or our youth groups. It isn't contained in
Vacation Bible Schools or in hymn books. Worship is a lifestyle. It
is how we live 24/7. It is putting God first and showing Him that He has
that priority by living a life of obedience. Songs come later. We
don't show up on Sundays just to worship. We come together to exhort one
another in the faith, to strengthen, to build up, to encourage, to love, and
yes, in some cases, even to rebuke or discipline. But when done in an
attitude of love and a heart of service where redemption is the goal, God is
honored. And when all of these things are done and the goodness of God is
seen and heard, worship breaks out among the redeemed! So what happens on
Sunday should be just an extension of our Mondays through Saturdays.
Read and listen to all of Kevin's articles and songs right here on PraiseCharts Live!