PraiseCharts Live - Blogs

Worshiping as a True Team

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

I put together a ladies only praise team this week at my church in Chicago. We had a great service tonight and I was excited about how well they worked together. They are all fine singers, but I saw in them tonight the spark of leadership that can go beyond singing a song. Singing a song is far removed from authentic worship leading. I have spent a fair amount of time trying to get them to embrace their personalities and be free to be who God made them to be. They have embraced that concept to varying degrees.

It is counter-intuitive to think that the more we use our personalities the more we draw people's attention to God in worship leading, but it is true - God gave us our personalities to use them to attract people through us to Him. If we stand there self-conscious and lacking confidence in ourselves we actually distract people and hinder them from entering into worship because they're wondering if we're going to have a coronary before we finish the song. Think about your favorite artist. They are unique, confident, light years ahead of most of us in their ability to capture the attention and imagination of their audience. Then it is up to them whether or not they direct the praise and glory to God. We must learn to use our God-given personalities, including humor, to capture people's attention and imagination in worship leading and then focus them completely on God's redeeming love.

Shalom. Live. Love. Lead.

Worship As Refuge

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 CST

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. 2nd Samuel 22: 31 - 37

Is it just me, or are things kind of difficult right now? I mean, global Jihad is enough to mess up your day, but what about all the other things you have to deal with right here at home? Kids, work, health issues, money, marriage, keeping the yard looking better than the neighbors – the list is endless of things that have to be managed every day. And then, there’s ministry! If you’re like me, you can feel pretty overwhelmed sometimes just doing what has to be done and preparing to minister to other busy people often takes a back seat. Well, when life starts to swallow us whole and we feel that all-too-familiar sinking feeling - you know, the one that is accompanied by a loud gasping noise as you go down for the third time - it’s time to remember that God has provided an answer for us in worship.

Jack Hayford wrote in his book Worship His Majesty (Regal Books) that “Worship is to God, but for man.” God deserves and demands the worship because He alone is worthy, but we’re the ones who benefit from worship – it doesn’t alter His worthiness in the least for us to worship Him or not. That singular phrase has helped me to understand worship, and its personal benefits, like no other phrase I have ever read.

Worship Is

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Whatever else our worship is, it is essentially a response to God's endless self-giving. Alan P. Ross wrote that worship “refers to the appropriate response to the revelation of the holy God of glory.”1 While we most often think of worship as something that man alone initiates, the perspective of Scripture is clearly that God has placed man in an atmosphere of constant worship, constant response to Himself as the Creator, an entire galaxy of worship that evermore responds to Him in praise.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands,” says Psalm 19, and man can do no less – we are literally geared from the Manufacturer to give forth His praises by our very existence on the planet, whether we understand it or not. Even those who despise, reject, or deny God cannot help but show forth His glory as human beings.

Irenaeus, as early as the 2nd Century A.D., said, “the glory of God is the living human being,”2 an echo of John, writing in his ecstasy, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11). God, by His very being and by His choice to reveal Himself through His creation, is the one who has initiated all that is worship in this closed eco-system.

Ask just about anyone what worship is and you’ll probably hear back the words "songs" or "singing." For many, this worship means proclamation only, singing of God’s glorious love or nature or power. Often it appears that we forget to whom we are proclaiming such wonderful things. Are we reminding God just who He is, in case He’s forgotten and we’re left down here on earth to fend for ourselves? Actually, the proclamation, the rehearsing again and again of God’s person and attributes, is for our sake – we are the ones who are affected by authentic worship – we are the ones who are being transformed “from glory to glory”3 as we behold Him in His exaltation. We are the beneficiaries of worship as our proclamation draws us into adoration, awe, and the sheer delight of God.

Never Say Die(t)

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Could it be that diets would be rendered useless if I lived a balanced, Spirit-controlled life? Could it be that the excess weight would never appear on my hips and thighs in the first place if I exercised a little more discipline on a daily basis instead of waiting for the mirror to break into hysterical laughter at the sight of my hideous jelly rolls? Undoubtedly, yes, but I'm not entirely there yet. I'm a struggling human, a mere mortal, and I have yet to ascend to the mountain of dietary perfection (though I am determined to never stop trying).

I think we use worship like we use food, hoping to medicate ourselves with it at times. For some of us, worship is an opportunity to hide in the crowd. For others it is chance to forget all about the world and our problems and to get caught up in the exuberance and excitement of the crowd, only to exit the building and fall right back into the same sewer we crawled out of. For a select few, it seems, worship is exercised in its proper perspective as one of several major spiritual disciplines and as a reflection of how we usually conduct our lives.

If we don't watch ourselves, the trend toward performance-driven "worship" in the church is going to catch up with us like too many doughnuts. We'll look in the Biblical mirror one day and realize that we've become fat on empty carbs and sugar. When we try to flex some spiritual muscle it will all have atrophied and the enemy will trample us with silly worship wars or immorality. When we choose to use worship music as a church growth tool we're inching ever closer to the dessert bar with bowls for pudding in both hands.

The root word for discipline is disciple and a disciple is one who is disciplined. I don't know about you, but I want to fit back into my "skinny pants" not to just look good but to feel good. I want to live the kind of disciplined life in and for Jesus that makes diets an unnecessary thing of the past. I want to be ready to follow Him wherever He leads and not be so gorged on fluffy Christianity and religion that I lack the stamina and outright holy health to complete the assignments He gives me. I don't want a doughnut to divert my destiny.

Finding the Perfect Song

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Have you ever wished you could find THE song that would make everyone sing along? If you're like me you've actually thought that you had found it a time or two in songs like SHOUT TO THE LORD, or HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. Then one day a well-meaning soul in your church comes up after service and asks, "Do we HAVE to sing that song again?" One person actually told me once that they would scream if they had to sing a certain song again. So is there a perfect song out there to be had? The song to end all songs? The answer is YES.

Revelation 5 gives us a glimpse into the worship of heaven. Great beasts, elders, angels, and the throne of God gather up in an apocalyptic explosion of worship! We get to see the hosts of heaven and the redeemed saints surrounded the eternal throne of Almighty God and sing a song in three stanzas - we actually KNOW the lyrics to this perfect song!

Revelation 5

6Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits^[a] of God sent out into all the earth. 7He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song:

   "You are worthy to take the scroll
      and to open its seals,
   because you were slain,
      and with your blood you purchased men for God
      from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
      and they will reign on the earth."

11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang:
   "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
   to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
   and honor and glory and praise!"

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
   "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
   be praise and honor and glory and power,
         for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The melodies of heaven will be very different from our own. The music will be beyond anything we've ever experienced here on earth but I am convinced that we have tasted it many times here already even if we aren't aware of it. I think there will be something familiar in it because it will flow from the Spirit of God in, around, and through us. Ephesians 1 says that we have the seal of the Spirit now. I believe the song of heaven, that perfect song, will be more natural than breathing. We will inhale and exhale the very worship of God.

God Hears Our Complaints and Loves Us The Same

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CDT

In Psalm 69:1-4 David writes out of his anguish (and I'm sure stinky bad breath because he had to hide in caves a lot):

"Save me, O God,

for the waters have come up to

my neck.

I sink in the miry depths,

where there is no foothold.

I have come into the deep waters;

the floods engulf me.

I am worn out calling for help;

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail

looking for my God.

Those who hate me without reason

outnumber the hairs of my head;

many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal."

David had some very real enemies. His own son, Absolom, wanted to cut his head off. He was a warrior-king who felt things at a very deep emotional level, like me, and he wasn't afraid to wear a tunic and play a harp. He kicked butt and wrote songs. So far my worst enemies are in my head and my teen-aged daughter still wants me to drive her to the mall. I don't own a tunic or an ephod but I do have some baggy jeans. I'm just learning that it's okay to sing a lament or two along with the happy-clappy praise stuff that can momentarily lift any of us out of the doldrums.

Maybe that's the real lesson here. God is big enough to hear the praise and take the complaints. He doesn't love us more when we're happy than when we're sad. He is with us in the good and the bad, when we want to love Him and when we can't understand why He doesn't seem to be listening. He sees us when we're on the mountaintop and when we're hiding in a cave somewhere fearing for our lives. Maybe it's just okay to feel what we feel and remember that Jesus was well acquainted with our weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without sin."

When The Music Fades

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Today is my daughter's last performance as ANNIE (check out my Facebook page for some pics). She's done thirteen shows and has had an absolute blast doing them, but it all comes to an end after today's matinee. You'd have to know her to know that she was born for the part (everyone says so) and that she even came out of the womb with red hair. This was her first lead and she has done a marvelous job, says the proud Papa! It has been her dream to play this part and we've stocked up on anti-depressants now that the show is ending!

Sometimes, as church-going Christians, we can get hooked on the adrenalin of the praise music, preaching, and fellowship we experience on Sundays. The writer of the Book of Hebrews (most scholars think it was Paul) said "let us not stop meeting together" (Hebrews 10:25) so, of course, we shouldn't but I wonder sometimes if we're not looking for the wrong kind of stimulus from it. Considering how performance driven we've become in our churches these days it seems easy to me that we would all begin to be conditioned to being "pumped up" by the music and excited by the exhortations and forget the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

We'll pray our daughter through her "post-adrenalin" let-down over the next week. She'll miss being Annie, but there will eventually be new roles for her to conquer. But what about the rest of us? Can we worship effectively at home or in the car with no music, no preaching, and no one else around?

In my workshops I help believers go deeper in their personal worship lives and to look at corporate worship as a time to contribute instead of to receive only. When the lights go down and the stage is bare, what song is playing in our hearts?