Lead Like Jesus

The way Jesus led his disciples and influenced others throughout his life is the best example for us in leading today! The principles He demonstrated were powerful and relevant. A month ago, Scott Farmer, the pastor from Community Presbyterian Church, taught on Leading Like Jesus which really captured my attention. I learned Lead Like Jesus is a book by Ken Blanchard which is also available as a CD audiobook, so I picked one up from Amazon.com and just finished it. Rick Warren and Bill Hybels helped host it. The concepts of being a servant leader and using Jesus as our prime example of how to lead has been so encouraging. Look to Jesus as you follow Him and lead others!

.

Thank you for continuing to pray for me and Heartfelt Music Ministry! If God leads, join a special generous group of folks who support us financially.

.

Get involved and share your thoughts on the following social media sites:

BASS Conference Reflection

The BASS Church Workers Conference was a huge success. I held three workshops on Friday, Creative Songwriting, Worship Infusion, and Dynamic Guitar in Worship at Redwood Chapel Community Church in Castro Valley. On Saturday, I led a special workshop with one of the Valley Christian High School Worship Teams called Worship Band Interactive at First Baptist Church of Castro Valley. We had a great response with a lot of interaction and participation! Click on the picture above or HERE to see our opening song It Is Good.

March Ministry Update

The Santa Cruz lighthouse, pictured here last weekend with beautiful weather, is a superb example of what I want myself and Heartfelt Music to be: A guiding light to all we encounter! Besides The BASS Conference and guitar lessons, there’s been a ton of significant ministry happening at Valley Christian School. We just had the Visual and Performing Arts assembly which highlighted the Conservatory of the Arts there. It represented Jazz Band, Vocal Jazz, Strings Ensemble, Ceramics, Photography, Art, and more. Teaching 3 Worship Teams, the Music Technology class, and the Intro to Guitar and Electric Bass class has been so fulfilling.

Exciting Guitar Lessons

I just added two new guitar students (welcome Kenna in Los Altos and Josiah in Mount Hermon). This makes 27 guitar students. Some have lessons every week, some have lessons every other week, and some have lessons once a month.  Each lesson is tailored to each individual to get them excited about guitar in the timing and schedule they can handle. There are more openings in Los Altos and Mount Hermon if you know someone who wants to learn guitar.

Coming Events

April 12 & 13  Helping lead music and worship with Community Presbyterian Church in Danville for their Video Cafe, Palm Sunday. More events on the Heartfelt Music Calendar

Equipping Others

Most of what Heartfelt Music Ministry does is encourage others to draw near to God (Heb. 12:2), empower them to live life to the full (Jn. 10:10), and equip them for ministry (Eph. 4;12):  Lessons, workshops, worship leading, concerts, motivational speaking…all to encourage, empower, and equip.

.

BASS Conference March 7 & 8

The BASS Church Workers Conference is an affordable way to train all volunteer church workers for effective ministry. It will be at Redwood Chapel Community Church in Castro Valley with one workshop up the street at First Baptist Church of Castro Valley.  They have workshops and general sessions for all volunteers: greeters, children’s workers, youth workers, pastors, music & worship, etc. I’ll be leading three workshops on Friday, Creative Songwriting (9:00 AM), Worship Infusion (10:45 AM), and Dynamic Guitar in Worship [Intermediate – Advanced] (1:30 AM). On Saturday, I’ll be leading a special workshop with the Valley Christian High School Worship Team called Worship Band Interactive (12:45 PM). This one will be at First Baptist Church so we can use the whole stage. Come by yourself or bring your whole worship team. You will be truly enriched!

.

February Ministry Recap

I’ve been leading worship for 4 weekends at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville in their contemporary Video Cafe.  They have a service on Saturday afternoon and two services on Sunday morning. The people are so fun to work with. It is one of those churches where the musicians and technicians are so skillful, it takes no time at all to create outstanding arrangements to bless the Lord and the congregation. I’ll be helping again for Palm Sunday in April.

.

I have 25 private students who began a new season for the new year and we’re going strong. I love working with these guitarists and love watching them improve. It challenges me to have students want to learn particular popular or classic songs as well as learn my own songs which can be pretty challenging. I am keeping my own skill level fresh by learning new songs (Drifting by Andy McKee and Smiles and Smiles to Go by Larry Carlton) and writing new songs. I’m on my way to putting together a new instrumental album…Instrumental Guitar Volume 2!

.

Get Involved

Keep in touch and share your thoughts on:

Moving Forward in 2014!

Vacation was so relaxing, but now I’m back in the fast lane. I can’t complain because I’m doing what I love. I feel so blessed to be teaching, leading worship, and spending most of my days in music and ministry. I’m playing guitar at least an hour everyday. This year will hold more training, concerts, and worship leading.  Thank you for your interest in what God is doing through Heartfelt Music Ministry.
.
Concert-Worship Leading-VCS
Check out what’s happening in the columns below which are significant events for the next couple of weeks.  I’ll be performing a benefit concert at The King’s Academy this Friday night at 7:00pm. I’ve been leading worship at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville and will be leading for two more weekends in the Video Cafe. I’m training and leading three worship bands at Valley Christian School as well as teach a Guitar for Fun class at the elementary school. We will have a week long Spiritual Emphasis Week in a couple of weeks using all three worship bands.
.
Accelerate the Impact
The Accelerate the Impact support opportunity, over November and December, was a tremendous blessing. We received $4,100.00 which will help Heartfelt Music Ministry to do more ministry…sooner.  It will still take just over a year to pay off this debt we’re carrying.  Thank you for praying for us and for your generous donations. Please, CLICK HERE to make a donation or sign up to support us monthly.
.
Albums
Both of my latest albums, Here & Now and Instrumental Guitar Volume 1, are available on our website, CDbaby, iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, and others  The lyrics and the stories behind the songs on Here & Now are on the Heartfelt Music Blog HERE. The stories behind the songs on Instrumental Guitar Volume 1 are on the Heartfelt Music Blog HERE.

.

Benefit Concert at the King’s Academy

This Friday, I’ll will be performing a concert at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale as a fundraiser to benefit their Guadalajara Service Trip and Hope House in Ixtlahuacan, Mexico. The cost is $8.00 in The King’s Academy Theater. I’ll be sharing songs from my two latest albums and leading worship with familiar songs.  Come join us!

.

Worship at CPC in Danville

This weekend, February 1 & 2, I will be leading worship with Community Presbyterian Church in Danville making beautiful music joining with their excellent musicians. Come join the great worship and teaching for 5:00pm service for the Gathering in the Multi Purpose Room and on Sunday for the Video Cafe in the same place.

.

Chapels at VCS

I am leading three worship bands at Valley Christian Schools.  We just finished studying a book called Becoming a True Worshiper by Tom Kreauter. The bands lead the 2,000 students in worship during chapels every week. It’s a delight to work with the groups, learn new songs, and see significant spiritual growth in the lives of the student body.

.

Coming Events

Jan 31 (Friday)

Performing a concert for The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale as a fundraiser to benefit their Guadalajara Service Trip and Hope House in Ixtlahuacan, Mexico. The cost is $8.00 in The King’s Academy Theater. It will be from 7:00-8:30.

Feb 1 & 2 (Saturday & Sunday)

Leading Worship at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville on Saturday night for The Gathering (6:00pm) and on Sunday for the Video Cafe (9:00pm & 10:45pm).

Feb 7 & 8 (Saturday & Sunday)

Leading Worship at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville on Saturday night for The Gathering (6:00pm) and on Sunday for the Video Cafe (9:00pm & 10:45pm).

Mar 7 & 8 (Friday & Saturday)

Teaching Workshops at BASS (Church Workers Convention in Castro Valley: Teaching four workshops: Creative Songwriting, Worship Infusion, Dynamic Guitar in Worship, and Worship Band Interactive.

.

Get Involved
Keep in touch and share your thoughts on:

.

I hope this Christmas is filled with meaningful moments with family and a strong sense of “making room” for Jesus.  As the Christmas carol Joy to the World exhorts, “Let every heart prepare Him room!”  Though times are tough and we wish things could be different, let’s turn to the One who is in control and worship Him.  This Christmas, may you have a “Mary Christmas!”

.

.

Summer Is Here!

The weather is beautiful and summer is in the air.  Barbeques, beach days, family fun, movies with friends, time to catch up on things, summer is an exciting time we’ve been looking forward to.  I just finished up a year at Valley Christian School which was a tremendous ministry experience.  Leading the Worship Bands for Jr. High & High School, Coordinating the Chapels, and teaching Music Technology and Cadet Band kept me busy.  Now, it’s come to a screeching halt and I have some time to read, relax, record, and do things I’ve put off for some time.  I hope your summer is off to a good start and you get extra time to be refreshed and renewed.  For a personal update on my family, go to the Heartfelt Music Blog.

Check out what’s happening in the columns below which are significant events for June.  I’m working on a new album which I wasn’t sure whether to call Flame or So Wonderful.  I think I’ve settled on Here & Now which is a line in the song Wings to Fly:  “Here and now I need You to live out Your life in me…”  It refers to the new covenant lifestyle where Jesus empowers us to live life to the full as He lives through us.  I will be sharing these songs in concerts throughout the Bay Area this summer.  Let me know if you’d like me to set something up in your area.  I’ll be in Morgan Hill Sunday June 30th and Brentwood Sunday August 4.

The album called Instrumental Guitar Volume 1 is out on iTunes, our product page, as well as other venues (like Rhapsody).  It has a variety of styles with beautiful guitar techniques.  You can listen to excerpts of each song at iTunes.com or CDBaby.com and purchase individual songs if you’d like.  Or you can get the whole album at this link at a discount:  Click this link to purchase & download
Instrumental Guitar Volume 1.  The stories behind the songs are on the Heartfelt Music Blog.

Leading Worship at Redwood Chapel

This Sunday, I’ll be leading worship at Redwood Chapel Community Church in Castro Valley.  I was on staff with them for a year ago as the Worship & Arts Director until I took the full-time position at Valley Christian School.  It will be good to be back and see people again and encourage them in Christ.  They are in a four week teaching series on the Holy Spirit.  They are at 19300 Redwood Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94546 if you get a chance to come join me.

Music Training in Los Altos

On Saturday, June 22, I’ll be leading three intensive guitar workshops specifically developed for your skill level.  Each workshop will be 2 hours long.  You will receive the book The New Complete Guitarist and will be able to play “hands-on” for the whole time.  On Saturday, June 29, I’ll be leading four intensive music workshops specifically developed for your interest.  You are welcome to attend all of them.  Each workshop will be 1 and 1/2 hours long. Creative Songwriting, Worship Infusion, Improving Your Singing, and Leading Worship Effectively. For details and more information, registration and cost for each workshop, click HERE. All these workshops will take place in the choir room at Bridges Community Church in Los Altos.

New Album

I am working on a new album that has both vocal and guitar on it.  Songs that have not been recorded yet such as Worthy & So Wonderful (you can check it out on YouTube), Flame, Wings to Fly, You Are My God, and Sherri My Love.  I will also have some songs that have shaped my life such as Make My Life a Prayer, Water Grave, and He Is Alive.  Plus, there are two albums that will no longer be available Here to Worship and Confidence, so I will redo 4 of my songs from those albums.  Pray that the recording, mixing, and mastering process will go as fast as it did for my instrumental album.

Staying at it!

Life seems to be busier and more full than ever whether it’s family, friends, neighbors, work, church, hobbies, recreation, chores, or finances.  It’s easy to feel pulled in so many different directions.  How do we stay focused and not get scattered?  What’s important is that we keep the main things in the forefront of our mind and heart.  Having a Mission Statement for life is a big help.  For me, it is “to lead others toward intimacy with God.”  This puts God and people as the priorities in my life!  It’s not easy to keep priorities straight, but life flows better as we are tenacious, staying at it, daily reviewing and adjusting to be pleasing to God (2 Cor. 5:9).

I continue to give private music lessons in San Jose, Los Altos, and Mount Hermon; teach music and coordinate chapels at Valley Christian School; as well as lead worship with churches throughout the Bay Area. Digital products are available for instant download as well as physical products on our Product Page. Here is a list of digital downloads.

• Book A Special Report on Music & Worship in Churches throughout the Santa Clara County (Check it out)
• 25 song music book of Reggie’s songs called A Compilation of Compositions (Check it out)
• 20 song album called Intimacy (Check it out)
• 20 song album called Heartfelt Celebration (Check it out)

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.  Please pray we will follow God’s leading and, in months to come, be found staying at it.

.

Upcoming Events

Mar. 8-9 (Fr-Sa) Teaching Workshops at the BASS Convention, Castro Valley
Mar. 10 (Su) Leading Worship with Redwood Chapel, Castro Valley
Mar. 17 (Su), 24 (Palm Su), 30-31 (Easter Sa-Su) Leading Worship with Community Presbyterian Church, Danville
Mar. 23 (Sa) CD Release Concert at Bridges Community Church, Los Altos
Mar. 29 (Good Fr) Leading Worship with Peninsula Bible Church, Willow Glen

Details of these events and other events are at http://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/

.

Finished Recording!

This last weekend, I finished recording my first Instrumental album of 10 songs.  It was a a riot trying to do this in record time.  The first time I sat down to record two weeks ago, I broke a nail and was unable to get the consistent sound needed for the new song called Remember.  So, I went to Walmart and bought some fake temporary nails for my first three fingers on the right hand.  It worked great!  However, my students thought it was a little strange.  I didn’t feel too bad knowing Phil Keaggy uses them as well.  Now, I hope to mix and master each song and have the whole package ready by the Album Release Concert March 23rd.

.

BASS Convention

I will be teaching three workshops at the Bay Area Sunday School (BASS) Convention March 8 and 9.  This year is their 50th anniversary of training church volunteers to be effective in church ministry.  They have over 200 workshops.  I’ll be teaching two on Friday – Building a Worship Band and Effective Guitar in Worship. Then, one on Saturday called Band Interactive.  I’ll be using the Valley Christian High School Worship Band to assist in demonstrating worship band techniques.  I’ve been involved with them for 10 years and find it is an excellent conference to encourage and inspire volunteers to lead use their gifts for God’s glory.

.

Album Release Concert

I would like to invite you to my Album Release Concert at Bridges Community Church in Los Altos.  I will be sharing songs and stories from my new album Instrumental Guitar, Vol. 1.  This album release concert is a celebration of my first instrumental album and my 13th album overall.  There is mostly acoustic guitar with some electric guitar with fun techniques like alternate tunings, use of capos and e-bow, in many different styles (Rock, Irish, Hendrix style, jazz, classical, easy listening). Bring friends and family.  The concert is free!  You can view one of the songs, Freedom’s Challenge at Reggie’s YouTube Channel.

I led worship at Peninsula Bible Church in Willow Glen and it was like a mini-reunion seeing a number of folks I ministered with when I was the Worship Pastor at Peninsula Bible Church in Cupertino 20 years ago.  God has been so faithful in our lives.  It was a joy see how God’s blessings have been given throughout the years.

There’s only two weeks left for the first Quarter at Valley Christian School, but it seems like we just started.  Thank you for your prayers as I lead the students toward intimacy with God.  I am coordinating the chapels for both the Jr. High School and the High School and this is where 2,000 students are encouraged and nurtured toward a close relationship with Christ.  I took one of our worship teams to sing at a missions event which you can watch below.

You are invited to a new workshop I’ll be leading at Guitar Showcase called Playing Worship Songs at Various Skill Levels, Sunday, October 28, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm ($20.00)  This guitar workshop is for all who would like to find enjoyable and creative ways to play worship songs at different skill levels. Each song can be played with various chord voicings, strums, picking patterns, and tunings. Together we’ll sound like a guitar choir. Individually you can be comfortable or challenged in what you choose to play.  More information can be found at http://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/ .

May God’s life in you bring you such peace and joy unlike anything the world can offer.

Blessings,

Reggie

Hope you enjoyed the Fourth of July!  We can celebrate the freedom we have in Christ and be thankful for the freedom we experience in this nation.  Last Sunday’s concert in Los Altos was a fantastic start to the “Empower” summer concert tour.  I’ll be with full band this Sunday in Castro Valley doing an UpReach worship night combined with an acoustic concert.  If you can come, I guarantee you’ll be refreshed in your faith!  This Saturday morning will be the Adult Beginning Guitar Intensive at Mount Hermon.  So, if you know anyone who’d like to learn guitar quickly, tell them about this training workshop (details below).  Thank you for your prayers through these events and your encouraging notes and comments throughout the month.  I hope my music touches your heart as God has touched mine.

Concert/Worship Refreshment

I will be doing concerts this summer throughout the Bay Area.  They are entitled “Empower” which will inspire and encourage you to allow Jesus to empower you to live life to the full!  In each location, the concerts will begin at 6:00pm Sunday evenings.  I’ll be sharing songs that haven’t been recorded yet and some favorites.  The evening will also include worship songs you can sing along with.  More information can be found at

http://heartfeltmusic.org/calendar/ .

• July 8 (Sun) – Castro Valley Concert & Worship, Redwood Chapel Comm. Ch.
• July 22 (Sun) – Felton Concert, Felton Bible Church
• July 29 (Sun) – Morgan Hill Concert, Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church
• August 12 (Sun) – San Jose Concert, South Hills Community Church

Guitar Intensives

I will be holding six three-hour Guitar Intensives this summer.  Three are for youth grades 5-12 and three are for adults.  The youth ones are held on Fridays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Valley Christian High School in the Conservatory Bldg. (San Jose area).  The adult ones are held on Saturdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in the Fireside Room (Santa Cruz area).  The Advanced Guitar one has been changed to July 14 at my home from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Make sure you fill out an Application Form and get it in right away.  They include three hours of instruction, a challenging training/resource book (The Complete Guitar Manual, with DVD included), a notebook, and relevant handouts.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

• July 7 (Sat) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 13 (Fri) – Beginning Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 14 (Sat) – Intermediate Guitar Intensive (Adult), Mt. Hermon
• July 14 (Sat) – Advanced Guitar Intensive (Adult), 1:00pm, Reggie’s home
• July 20 (Fri) – Intermediate Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS
• July 27 (Fri) – Advanced Guitar Intensive (Grades 5-12), VCHS

Songwriting Intensive

August 11 (Sat) – Christian Songwriting Intensive (Adult)

I will be facilitating a one day Songwriting Intensive this summer at the Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center Fireside Room, limited to 10 participants.  It is more of an intimate setting with personal interaction and attention.  Because it’s limited, make sure you get in the Application Form right away.  It includes three hours of instruction, sharing songs, personal coaching, a challenging training/resource book (God Songs, by Paul Baloche with Jimmy & Carol Owens), a notebook, and relevant handouts for $85.00.  All the information is at our website under courses/camps.

Support

You can go to http://heartfeltmusic.org/about/support/ to either donate a one-time gift or begin a monthly contribution.  Any amount would propel us forward.  Your tax deductible gifts enable us to minister more broadly and effectively.

The book by Bob Kauflin called Worship Matters is very helpful for any ministry to gain clarity on the ultimate priority of God:  Worship.  I agree with Matt Redman’s comments, “Bob loves God, values theology, and cares about people.  This mix is found throughout this wonderful and helpful book.  Worship Matters will inspire you as a worshiper and spur you on as a leader of worship.” This blog post is a forum where you can comment and interact on the book.  Anyone can join in and add to the insights.  The book is divided into four sections which we’ll take some months to explore.

• Part I – The Leader
• Part II – The Task
• Part III – Healthy Tensions
• Part IV – Right Relationships

.
In this post, let’s dive into Part I on The Leader. A leader is anyone in front of others who is influencing them (singers, readers, drummers, etc.).  I like how Bob describes many of the little things that consume us as leaders:  what people think, attitudes, musicians not showing up, and even technical things going wrong.  However, the most important thing is giving worth to God.  Worship matters to God because He is the one ultimately worthy of all worship.  It matters to us because we are created to worship God.  It also matters to leaders because it is one of the greatest privileges to lead others to encounter the greatness of God.
.

The next four chapters identifies four important aspects of leaders:

• My Heart:  What Do I Love?
• My Mind:  What Do I Believe?
• My Hands:  What Do I Practice?
• My Life:  What Do I Model?

.
What are you doing with your heart? We live in a culture obsessed with idols.  Bob explains how he was seeking his own glory and went through a major depression because of it.  He discovered he could lead others in worshiping God while he was worshiping something else in his heart.  God has made it clear “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).  Bob states that “what we love most will determine what we genuinely worship (p. 25).”  As we value and love God more than anything else, we will respond in appropriate worship from our hearts.
.

What are you doing with your mind? If you truly know God, you will want to know more about Him.  What do we believe about God?  Have you taken time and energy to know Him and know about Him?  It’s important that we get our minds engaged by developing our theology and docrine through Scripture.  As a young Christian, I was encouraged to memorize Scripture which has helped me in my understanding and in my leading.  I can share the “thoughts of God,” which have eternal significance rather than my random thoughts.  Some think that studying about God shouldn’t be hard…they would rather spend more time on a cool “lick” than dig deeper into a topic like “glory.”  Some think they can know God better through music than through His Word…though music truly moves us, truth transforms us and gives music its meaning.  Some think theology and doctrine cause problems…instead, theology and doctrine rightly applied will solve problems.  Mind and heart belong together.  May we be as familiar with the Word of Truth as we are with our instruments (or more so).  “If we do so, there’s a strong possibility people are going to walk away from our meetings more amazed by our God than by our music” (p.32).
.

What are you doing with your hands? What you practice will develop who you are.  Skill is important as God has commanded in Psalm 33:3, “…play skillfully with a shout of joy.”  There’s a difference between trying and training.  If you are one who trys hard, you may get better, but it will be almost by accident.  If you are one who trains hard, you will get better faster as you intentionally work with disipline and initiative.  Skill is a gift of God for His glory.  It must be developed.  It is not an end in itself, but helps us focus on God and serve in many ways.  We not only need to be skilled in our craft (singing, media, sound engineering, etc.), but we should develop other important areas like leadership, communication, and technology.  Let us give ourselves to the diligent practice and careful attention necessary for biblical leadership.
.

What are you doing with your life? God wants us to be a good example to others, not only “up front,” but in our daily lives.  Paul told Timothy to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).  In speech, we must be very careful with what comes out of our mouths.  Last year, a young drummer on a worship team had to step down for a season because of some bitter and inappropriate words on his social media blog.  In our conduct, we must be above reproach.  What we do makes a difference as people are closely watching us.  We must build our reputation so people can trust us.  This trust is what gives us the connection to people to genuinely lead them.  In love, we demonstrate the greatest commandment of God:  loving God first and then others as ourselves.  In faith, we truly believe Jesus is alive, God is present, the Spirit is at work right now!  Lack of faith can hinder your ministry.  God promises to “reward those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  In purity, means our character makes a big difference.  Christ demonstrated on the cross how serious God is for us to be pure.  How are you handling your sexuality?  Your anger?  May we model the Christ changed life in how we live daily.
.

What do you think?  Your comments are welcomed and encouraged no matter how big or small.  Thanks.

We’ve been reading the second part of Bob Kauflin’s new book called Worship Matters.  Part 2 covers THE TASK of worship leading.  Bob beautifully gives a working definition of the purpose in worship leading with the following sentence:
.

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God’s Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God’s presence,
and to live for God’s glory.
.

There is a wealth of practical and helpful insights in this section.  Yet, it is a little intimidating to try and summarize it in a few paragraphs here.  I’ll give you ten points that I think are significant.  After reading them, add comments, questions, or other points you think are significant.
.

1. Leading people to praise God involves energy, intentionality, and thoughtfulness (page 59).
2. We want people to leave in awe that God would speak to us – encouraged by His promises, challenged by His commands, fearful of His warnings, and grateful for His blessings (page 63).
3. We need to remember that our access to God is not based on last week’s performance, today’s practices, or tomorrow’s potential.  Rather, we’re accepted “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6) and need have no fear of rejection as we come before God’s throne (page 74).
4. We need the Holy Spirit’s power when we worship God… Three attitudes are indispensable in this area – desperate dependence, eager expectation, and humble responsiveness (page 82).
5. A faithful worship leader combines the Word of God with music to magnify the greatness of God in Jesus Christ (page 96).
6. Throughout history, God has inspired music to be a primary expression of our hearts to His, yet it is so easy to argue about.  Music wars have been fueled by publishing houses, revivalism, charismatic outpourings, cultural shifts, sound amplification, electronic instruments, and of course, our own sinful hearts (page 98).
7. The selecting of music is of utmost importance.  If someone was born in our church and grew up singing our songs over the course of twenty years, how well would they know God, based on the song’s content (page 119)?
8. A worshiping community is made up of individuals whose lives are centered around the Savior they worship together each week.  A worshiping community expects to encounter God’s presence not only on Sunday morning but every day.  A worshiping community recognizes that passionate times of singing God’s praise flow from and lead to passionate lives lived for the glory of Jesus Christ (page 127).
9. As we help people understand the relationship between God’s love for us in Christ and our daily struggles and challenges, their love and appreciation for the gospel will grow.  The result will be a joyful, gospel-centered community that demonstrates and proclaims the good news of God’s grace to a lost and hopeless world:  God’s grace forgives!  God’s grace redeems!  God’s grace restores! (page 134).
10. Genuine worship changes lives and inspires us to live for God’s glory:  making us humble, secure, grateful, holy, loving, and mission-minded (page 144-149).