Too Much Fashion, Too Little Passion

Leonard Ravenhill once said: Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here in the place of prayer. We have many organizers, but few agonisers; many players and payers, but few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many […]

Imagine the Unknown

Shimon Perez once said: People prefer remembering to imagining. Memory deals with familiar things; imagination deals with the unknown. Imagination can be frightening – it requires risking a departure from the familiar. We love the safety of the familiar; the tried and true. It’s safe because it’s predictable. But growth, innovation and transformation comes from […]

Why We Need Young Musicians in Our Worship Teams

Here’s a quote which Ray Badham shared from Ric Charlesworth (a well-known hockey coach) during the last week at Arrows College as he taught on team building: Young talented players simultaneously threaten, inspire and awaken those who are too comfortable. They bring innocence and excitement and often possess skills different from those of established team […]

Put Your Hand into the Hand of God

During yesterday’s message by Faith Community Church’s Missions Coordinator, Bro Yew Beng, he shared an inspiring quote by King George VI from his 1939 annual Christmas address to the Commonwealth. The context was that Britain was on the brink of world war. In the midst of the uncertainty, fear and expectation of gloom, King George […]

Worship: Treasuring God Above All Else

Here is a great definition of worship I recently came across whilst reading John Piper’s Let the Nations Be Glad. Piper says (at 231): Worship is not a gathering. It is not essentially a song service or sitting under preaching. Worship is not essentially any form of outward act. Worship is essentially an inner stirring of […]

God Works Great Miracles When Things Seem the Most Hopeless

I don’t think God’s ever had a day when He thought “well, I never saw that one coming”. Even though we may have. Even though things seem messy. And uncertain. And hopeless. Andy Stanley writes: If we asked Jesus’ disciples months after he was crucified what their darkest moment had been following Jesus and when […]

Worship/Idolatory

St Augustine: Idolatry is worshipping anything that ought to be used, or using anything that ought to be worshipped. As worship ministers, this is something which we are especially prone to – worshipping the music and the musicianship rather than using the music to worship God. It’s a fine line which is easily crossed if […]

Heavenly Commission

David Livingstone said: If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honour, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice? That’s a profound thought, isn’t it? Sometimes, we serve God as if our sacrifice can somehow be held to the same light as His. Juanita Bynum once said something […]