Worship That Changes the Atmosphere

I was at the Influencers Conference 2012 and really liked what Benny Perez shared about John 12:1-3 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with […]

The Team that Jams Together, Stays Together

During the years that I was in the leadership of a worship ministry, we used to put jam sessions on our yearly program, but most of the time, no one ever seemed interested and the whole idea of jamming, driven by the mandate of leadership, just seemed a little contrived. This afternoon, a few of […]

Space

Martin Smith: Space is as important as content, and silence as important as singing.

Worship and Performance

When I was learning to lead worship, one of the things that I was taught early on was that worship is very different to performance. The two things don’t mix and in fact, I was told that performance made worship impure, for “no flesh should glory in God’s presence”. I think a lot of that […]

Epochal Song 3: I Love You Lord (Laurie Klein, 1978)

This song has became a worship standard around the world and a trigger song because of its simplicity and its intimacy. I remember a powerful moment in 2002 at a Planetshakers conference in Adelaide when Sam Evans was trying to encourage the delegates to worship on their own. After a very brief sharing, she left […]

Epochal Song 2: Give Thanks (Henry Smith,1978)

Give Thanks remains one of the most enduring songs of the praise and worship movement and is still regularly sung today in church services all over the world. The song would also introduce the church to a young worship leader by the name of Don Moen, who would later become one of the fathers and […]

Epochal Song 1: All Hail King Jesus (Dave Moody, 1977)

The story goes that Dave Moody, as he was preparing to lead a worship service, sat at his piano and began to worship. A prophetic song came to him and the words and melody began to flow. “All Hail King Jesus” was birthed in that moment. Moody was then prompted to sing it in the […]

Being a Son, Not a Son-in-Law

I was at church yesterday and the preacher was teaching about Praying with Power. She taught that one of the main keys to effective prayer is to know our identity in Christ. John 1:12 says: To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children […]

Epochal Songs of the Praise and Worship Movement

I have been leading worship for the last 19 years within the Charismatic Renewal and I have seen the style (and to some extent) the content of our worship evolve. Rewind 20 years back and it would have been unimaginable for the church back then that we would sing the types of songs we sing […]

The Year of Unceasing Fruitfulness – Part 2

Today, I want to continue with the thought of 2012 being the year of Unceasing Fruitfulness. It is certainly a word which has resonated with me and it is one, which, it seems, has resonated with many Christians as well. In his New Year’s message, Joseph Prince shared the key to unceasing fruitfulness by cross-referencing […]