How does the habit of “scripture first” play into the life of a worship leader?
Scripture Should Be The First Of The Day
Building into your life the habit of reading God’s word in the morning is a life-changer. It’s not another to-do list item (although, I include it on all my “to-do” lists), but it’s a life-giving freedom as you begin the day. It’s a focus and clarity that comes from no other source outside of Jesus and his word. It’s a communion with Jesus right off the bat each and every day.
Scripture Should Be First In Planning
Engage with scripture before planning music, worship, flow, and components. The scripture will give you a foundation. It will call to mind the thing that will work to help people hear God’s voice. It will help the church be inspired. Don’t throw out production notes, cues, flow, and creative components, but don’t begin there. Begin with God’s word in the planning of worship and then use all available tools at your disposal to invite people there — and most often in my case, do your best not to distract from it.
Scripture Should Be First In Our Response
You get a tough question. You receive some bad news. You hear about some drama. Or maybe things are soaring and you’re on a high. It could be a conversation you just had, an awesome or terrible Sunday of leadership, etc. Always turn to or recall scripture for your response. Build a habit of beginning there. A couple of examples might include the times when you’re not sure which fork in the road to take, remind yourself of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”. Or maybe you’re faced with something outside of your control and it’s not good. I often calm my stress by recalling Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” There are a million little ways that scripture can inform our next steps, our conversations, and our responses.
Build into your life the habit of “scripture first.” Make sure you have the YouVersion Bible app on your phone, get into some reading plans, post scriptures on your desk, and be a part of a small group/bible study group of some kind and keep faith alive through constant connection to Jesus and his living and active word.
COACHING
Sometimes ministry leaders hit up against issues, roadblocks, and other plateaus in their life and ministry. That’s where a coaching call or two can really come into play. Often, a different perspective and encouragement from someone – especially someone out of your typical circles – can be exactly what you need to take the next step. I would love to talk with you! Let’s set up a time here.
