Holy Roar (Chris Tomlin)

Holy Roar (Chris Tomlin)

I would encourage anyone interested in leading worship to obtain this book for their library.

Holy Roar (Chris Tomlin)

This book takes the seven Hebrew words for ‘praise’ and expounds upon them, along with the author’s anecdotal stories and songs relating to those words.

Yadah: To revere or worship with extended hands.  To hold out the hands.  To throw a stone or arrow.

Yadah is one of the seven words translated in the Old Testament as ‘praise,’ and it’s found over 111 times in Scripture.  It is defined as a word meaning to ‘extend hands’ or ‘to throw out the hand,’ and it is used to describe the act of shooting an arrow (Jerimiah 50:14) or throwing a stone (Lamentations 3:53).  In the context of praise, yadah describes those moments when the Hebrew people were so overcome by the glory of the Lord that their hands shot upward in response.”

Halal: To boast.  To rave.  To shine.  To celebrate.  To be clamorously foolish.

Halal is the primary Hebrew word for praise.  It’s the word from which we drive the biblical word hallelujah.  It’s an exuberant expression of celebration, a word that connotes boasting, raving, or celebrating.  It carries with it the notion of acting in a way that is ‘clamorously foolish.’  True halal contemplates laying aside your inhibitions and killing your self-consciousness.”

Zamar: To make music.  To celebrate in song and music.  To touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument.

Zamar is used throughout the psalms to connote the making of music, celebrating in song and music, and plucking the strings of a musical instrument.”

“In the earliest days of leading worship, I read the story of the famous composer, Johann Sebastian Bach.  It’s said that as Bach composed and played music, it was as if he were praising God, even in his instrumental arrangements.  ‘I play the notes as they are written,’ Bach is oft quoted as saying, ‘but it is God who makes the music.’  Bach was so convinced of this truth, in fact, that he penned the initials S.D.G. on many of his pieces, his shorthand for Soli Deo Gloria- glory to God alone.”

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.  Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.  (Martin Luther)

Towdah: An extension of the hand.  Thanksgiving.  A confession.  A sacrifice of praise.  Thanksgiving for things not yet received.  A choir of worshippers.

Towdah is the Hebrew word that means an extension of the hand in thanksgiving for what God has done.  But it also means a sacrifice of praise for things not yet received.  It is praising God with expectation.  The psalmist used towdah as an expression of confession, a way to convey trust in the goodness of God.”

Barak: To kneel.  To bless God (as an act of adoration).  To praise.  To salute.  To thank.

“The word, barak, is a word of humility.  Barak embodies the notion of kneeling before God, of blessing and adoring him, of recognizing one’s position in relation to him…Scholars of the ancient Hebrew provide additional insights into the word barak.  They believe that in the original context, the term did not simply mean bowing down.  Instead, it carried the connotation of bending low while keeping one’s eyes fixed on the king.  To barak is to be transfixed.”

“When debriefing a church service over lunch, often we ask the question, ‘How was the worship?’  We encourage people to respond with ‘That’s the wrong question!’  The better questions are ‘How was your worship?’ and ‘How was my worship?’  It’s a question of self-examination, a reminder that when we come into the presence of God together, our sole focus should be on the King.”

Tehillah: Laudation.  A hymn.  A song of praise.  A new song.  A spontaneous song.

Tehillah is a Hebrew word meaning hymn, a song of praise, or a new, spontaneous song.  The book of Psalms is a collection of these kinds of songs, and in fact, in the Hebrew language, the book of Psalms is called the Tehillum.”

Shabach: To address in a loud tone.  To shout.  To commend, glory, and triumph.

“Every time we gather with God’s people to praise him, one voice unites with another.  Songs become anthems.  Anthems become declarations.  Declarations become a holy roar.  The notion of Shabach transcends geography; it’s a holy roar that reaches from one generation to the next.  In Psalm 145:4, the psalmist wrote:

One generation shall praise (shabach) Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.

It’s not praise for the purpose of pumping up the present crowd.  It’s for the purpose of passing on the faith from one generation to the next.”


Conclusion: I had mixed emotions reading this book because I remember hearing an older man, a pastor, at a conference I went to 20 or30 years ago give this teaching.  Back then, the message was his original one, and he was well-known for giving it.  It seems that Tomlin was the one to reap the dividends from this older teaching, with his popular book.  Nevertheless, it was written with sincerity and many applicable stories of the author’s personal experiences and songs.

LH 2019-10-11

 

 

Manifest Presence (Jack Hayford)

This is an excellent book, one I would recommend adding to the library of anyone who considers themselves called to lead worship.

Manifest Presence (Jack Hayford)

(bolded sections were added for my own study)

            The thesis of this book, as one would expect, is the pursuit of defining worship, revealing it’s value in the Christian experience, and the practical application of this discussion in contemporary settings,  evidenced by the book’s three primary sections: 1) The Call to Worship, 2) The Power of Worship, and 3) The Pursuit of Worship.

            In defining worship, Hayford initially sets forth that:

It isn’t about music.

It isn’t about becoming “contemporary.”

It isn’t about cultural awareness.

It isn’t about being “cool,” “hip or “with it.”

It isn’t about misty-eyed intimacy with God.

It isn’t about theological accuracy about God.  But…

It’s about the formation of hearts in the presence of God.

It’s about the shaping of disciples who know Him through being with Him.

It’s about the transforming work of the Holy Spirit achieves when pure worship occurs.

And it’s about preparation for the last battle.

Hayford states that: 1) God is waiting for a human invitation to manifest Himself, and 2) worship is the means for inviting Him to do so.  The Bible reveals at least three different dimensions by which God makes His presence known: 1) His Awesome Presence (in which He is omnipresent and all-seeing), 2) His Abiding Presence (“I will never leave you nor forsake you”- Heb. 13:5), and 3) His Amazing Presence (“Oh, that You would rend the Heavens!  That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at your presence…to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!” - Is. 64:1-2).

As to worship’s spiritual importance, Hayford states that worship “invades and drives back the darkness, making way for the advance of God’s Kingdom into the eventual triumph of redemption’s purposes…while satan will always confront you with the ferocity that only hell can muster- beyond it all, Jesus is Lord and He dwells in you.  In Him we have the ultimate victory and that victory may be applied here and now by our worship…from God’s viewpoint, worship is a means designed to unlock the human heart that He may answer to human need and serve His own heartfelt interest in the well-being of His most beloved creatures…but once the redemption provided through Jesus’ cross has been received by faith, I want to assert: that the worship God most welcomes is neither essentially nor primarily intellectual (through it is certainly not unintelligent); and that God’s primary focus in giving us access to worship Him is to provide an exposure and experience intended for our benefit, not His (though it is unquestionable He delights in our coming to Him).”

Hayford states that the worship God welcomes and honors is:

Worship that treasures his presence

Worship that humbles the heart

Worship that sacrifices and expects something from God

Worship that extends God’s love by every means.

            In asserting the theological importance of worship, Hayford states, “What took place at the Fall of man caused the loss of our relationship with our heavenly Father and our ordained ruler-ship…Worship is essential to God’s plan of redemption and provides a strategic avenue for His entry into an alienated world.  It is the means by which God generates the power for His rule to be extended- for evangelism, sacrificial giving, intercession and breaking up the strongholds of hell.  Where worship is released, God’s presence comes to dwell, and where God’s presence abides, there will be power…Human worship is man beginning; holiness of worship is man becoming.  Through our worship we are transformed from His sons and daughters into His kings and priest (see Revelation 1:6).  We become ministering agents of His Kingdom assigned to extend that Kingdom on earth.”

            As we grow in a lifestyle of worship, we learn to ‘build and altar’, “The Lord instructed Abraham to sacrifice…the pouring out of blood represents the pouring out of life before God (see Genesis 15:8-10).  Of course, central to this lesson is the picture every Old Testament sacrifice provides of Christ, our Savior.  In His death, Jesus perfected the Old Testament sacrificial system- His is the blood that was shed once for all on our behalf…In Him, we are summoned to pour out our lives in a bloodless sacrifice of worship- to offer our bodies, as well as our minds and spirits, as a living sacrifice (see Romans 12:1).  In that light, we capture the New Testament concept: Worshipping God ultimately calls us to the sacrifice of ourselves.”

            As we worship in spirit and truth, “We discover the full blend of our entire human person and being called before Him, enriched in His presence and transformed by our worship of God.  Full-orbed worship, then is not just spiritual and from the heart; neither is it just a cerebral pursuit, a mystical consciousness or an emotional binge.  But in the light of God’s Word, worship is about the presentation of our total being- that is, body, mind, emotions and spirit- ignited by the Holy Spirit as a living sacrifice.

            Hayford, enumerates the various physical expressions of worship seen in the Scriptures:

Kneeling in worship (Phil. 2:9-10)

Bowed heads (Micah 6:6-8)

Raised heads (Ps. 3:3-4; Hebrews 4:16)

Lifted hands (Lam. 3:3-4; Ps. 63:3-4)

Waved praise (Lev. 9:21)

Dancing with joy before the Lord (Ps. 30:11; 149:3; 150:4)

2 Chronicles 20 reveals eleven different verbs that call for our active participation in worship:

Hadad- to bend in deference to

Nafal- to prostrate before

Shakah- to fall before or do homage to royalty

Hallal- to boast in the Lord

Gadul- to call out in a loud voice

Yadah- to hold out the hand

Renah- to chirp of creak or sing

Tehelah- to sing a hymn

Carach- to kneel

Simkah- to be gleeful

Samach- to brighten up

            Hayford takes to opportunity to address the ‘clapping of hands’ issue.  “Apart from singing, it is likely that today’s second most frequent physical expression of worship in the global Church community is the clapping of hands.  Like the upraising of hands, the clapping of hands is an instrument of praise and of spiritual warfare, as well as an appropriate gesture for the welcome of royalty.  Psalm 47:1…exhorts us to employ applause to God…Our worship and praise are dynamic, not because of the energy of flesh, but because of the fruit they bear…All this clearly indicates more than the propriety of the clapping of hands among believers as we worship the Living God; it virtually suggests that to do otherwise is improper!  We see at least four biblical principles in action when we worship with the clapping of our hands: 1) the declaration of victory and joy, 2) the expression of approval or affirmation, 3) the establishment of covenant or the sealing of an agreement, and 4) the engaging of a powerful instrument of spiritual warfare.  I am not proposing formulas or magic exercises.  Never!  But these are biblically ordered forms of worship which, when applied with biblical wisdom and spiritual understanding, hold great potential as keys to the release of God’s power among and through His people.”

            Regarding worship planning, “Attracting larger numbers of people is not an unworthy objective.  Outreach calls for strategies designed to do that.  But sooner or later, I, as a leader, am called to decide whether I am willing to discern the difference between: a) an event planned for “celebrating God” (with quality music and upbeat praise), and b) a gathering intended for “encountering God” (with effective musical support, praise and worship as an exposure to His Person).  Thus, there is an atmosphere to be decided upon.  As a leader, I need to answer the question: What degree of worship, or full exposure to the presence and power of God do I want to plan toward leading those I serve?”

            “Whatever activity is undertaken in worship, I am always greatly disturbed if it becomes a private clique of the elite- the protected domain of a small group of gifted people who have little patience with less talented, of people other than  themselves.  True worship leaders- musicians and singers- will cultivate ministry in others as a means of sharing their gifts, not protecting them.”

            Regarding unity of worship among believers, Hayford shares, “Indeed the passage (Eph. 4:14-16) warns against deceitful men and tricky winds of doctrinal error.  The Scriptures are not neglectful to warn against both.  But at some point, honest and humble souls will come to acknowledge that Christ Himself is more important than any of our systems or circles of fellowship…We might be prodded by the wisdom of Elton Trueblood, the beloved Quaker theologian, “He who begins with loving his own view of truth more than the truth itself, will end in loving his own denomination more than Christ, and ultimately in loving himself most of all.”

Conclusion:  As always, Hayford has many well-substantiated arguments for his convictions, particularly in his acknowledged strength in teaching on the subject of worship.  It is always good to be exposed to varied understandings in this subject.  While many good arguments can be made for a variety of expressions, worship ultimately is an expression of community in response to God’s love.  A focus on the community and its expressions should, however, never be elevated or given more attention than the One being worshipped.  Therein is the difficulty of teaching on the subject of worship.

In this book, I believe Hayford does a good job of expositing the subject, while not allowing it to overshadow its primary goal.

2014-01-28 LH 

Sound Check (Kurtis Parks)

Sound Check (Kurtis Parks)

 

(I bolded certain sections that I found inspirational for my own studies. )

Written by a worship leader, son of a pastor, who admittedly in his earlier years wanted to become a ‘rock star,’ auditioning for national talent contests, the author discovered his true calling as a worshiper.  The thesis of the book is to check various aspects of our lives, so that we can effectively lead others in worship.

“Until we find complete affirmation in who God says we are in Christ Jesus, we’ll never truly walk in the identity He’s given us.”

Parks admits the difficulties of the times we live, regarding leading worship and training others to lead.

“…in an era when connecting is easier than ever, we’ve lost the face-to-face value of relationship, and that threatens the church.  A worship leader can’t learn how to lead worship on YouTube.  You can’t take a five-day course on ushering in God’s presence…It’s wild to me that it takes four years at a major university to earn a bachelor’s degree, and yet when it comes to the responsibility of leading worship, many out there take the stage just because they know how to play an acoustic guitar and sing on pitch.

A theme which comes up again and again throughout the book is that of authenticity.

“So how do you avoid the autopilot disease?  Simple: authenticity.  God doesn’t need the most-talented, best-looking musicians or songwriters leading worship.  He needs people who are authentically chasing after His heart.”

 

Check Yourself 

Under the chapter, ‘Check Yourself,’ Parks discussed the importance to: Check Your Timing (be willing to be tested); Check Your Actions (by preparing your heart); Check Your Motives (is it for man or for God?). 

“The moment leading worship, writing songs, and operating in ministry becomes about building my kingdom instead of building Thy kingdom, it’s time to pull back.”

 

Check Your Sight

Each year Parks has a ‘theme’ for his worship team.  One year it was “Play with a standard of excellence,” from Psalm 33:3.  Another year it was “Becoming a Community of Worshippers.”

“Deuteronomy 10:8 has a call that we can’t miss- to bless in His name.  This is where we bless and affirm others around us in the love, hope, and grace of Jesus Christ.  I believe worship is a gift to God, but for people.  We need to make sure there’s a healthy balance of songs that honor God and minister to Him as well as songs that declare to the church who we are in Christ.

“We often confuse a platform with a pedestal. God will give us a platform, but people will put us on a pedestal.  Pride is the very opposite nature of a servant.  One way to overcome the desire of the spotlight is by being unseen.  You might take a week and serve on the other side of the mixing board with the production team…We need to always point to Christ in everything we do. We must remember that, at the end of the day, we are all only servants.”

Regarding casting vision, Parks shows the importance of writing down the vision.

When you write something down, you can literally say ‘I have it in writing’ and hold yourself accountable to the things God has spoken to you.  Vision is a great filter to run all of your big decisions through.  It’s a lens to help you see clearer.  If there’s an idea that doesn’t line up with the vision, don’t do it.  Simple as that.”

 

Check Your Priorities

“When all of your comforts disappear and things that you set up to succeed wind up failing, whatever comes from what’s left, that’s who you are.  That’s the authentic representation of worship that I believe we sometimes miss out on when we’re more concerned with putting on a good show than experiencing God’s presence.”

“To be authentic worship leaders, we must desire more of the Holy Spirit in our lives instead of getting caught up in the latest fads, searching for the coolest songs, and chasing after the best musicians in our cities.  God has everything you’ll ever need to carry out your calling, and the Holy Spirit is the biggest helper you could ever have…God’s presence is the only thing that can satisfy your every need.  If we don’t run to God for our satisfaction, we start to experience an exhausting form of faith in which our output is greater than our input.  That leads to stress, anger, and making lots of mistakes, both on stage and off stage.” 

The author admonishes that we should know God’s Word and His Voice.

“A sound check is pointless if there’s no one tuned in, listening to make sure the levels are set right.  We have become a culture that is great at hearing but awful at listening.

“We need to make sure we’re hearing the right parts and muting the voices that aren’t bringing life.  We need to tune in to God’s voice and tune out the chaos that so often distract us from living devoted lives.  When we hear His voice, we’ll know how to speak, and sing, His truth.”

 

Check Your Attitude

“I know that if I always look for words of affirmation from people, I’ll never have enough.  However, I’ll never feel empty if I can find my strength and worth in the Lord and in who He says I am…We can’t live and lead authentic lives of worship until we step into the role that God has given us.  And we will find that only if we know who he says we are.”

Check Your Gratitude

“One authentic way to show thanksgiving is by discipling others.  When we take what we’ve learned and pour it out in others, it shows that we’re not hoarding the knowledge and direction that the Lord has revealed to us.  Every leader needs a mentor, and in turn we need someone to invest in.  We’re all called to be disciples and to make disciples…The tough thing about being a mentor is recognizing that your disciples see you in every situation- the highs, the lows, when worship sets go great, and when they crash.  Having a protégé is the constant reminder that you can’t fake a life of worship.”

 

Check Your Sauce

For Parks’ team, they created an acronym for their values which they called SAUCE, “which stands for service, authenticity, unity, creativity, and excellence.  It’s a bonus that as musicians, we often used the phrase ‘bring the sauce’ to mean ‘play your very best.’”

Service- “My good friend and mentor Simon Dixon likens worship leaders to waiters.  He says good waiters or hosts will serve you without drawing attention to themselves.  It takes skill, maturity, and humility.”

Authenticity- “We have an epidemic of fakeness in our generation, and we’ve allowed ourselves to muddy the lines so much that we sometimes struggle to identify what is true and what is false.”

Community equals chemistry.  Every band will tell you that what makes the music work is chemistry between the musicians.  You can’t manufacture it.  You just have it- or you don’t!  When you care for the people on your team and the people in your church, you start to see community forming.  And community offstage becomes chemistry onstage.  Get out of the green room and into the church pews, or theater seats, of folding chairs- whatever seating your church has.”

“Worship is warfare, and just like any soldier would say, you want to know that the people you’re going into battle with have your back.”

Unity- “Is your worship team united, is your church staff united, and finally, is your congregation united? ...I’ve heard many say that a pastor’s first church is his or her own family.  If you don’t lead your family well, your church will soon be in disarray.”

Creativity-One of the hardest disciplines with creativity is operating within limits.  That’s why I often say that creativity is ‘freedom within a framework.’…Spontaneous, improvisational worship can be a powerful and life-changing experience.  But it doesn’t happen by accident.  It’s the result of hard work on our part, coupled with trust in the Spirit’s moving.  Worship improvisation, or following the leading of the Spirit, is the crossroads of discipline and freedom.  The greatest freedom comes out of constraints.  Creativity is always best enjoyed and expressed within a proper framework; otherwise it is just chaos.”

Excellence- “We are a sight-based culture.  We love all things visual.  Think of the hundreds of movies released every year, the fashion industry, and pretty much everything this world says is attractive- it’s all centered on catching our eye.  I’m concerned that as Christ followers, we’ve neglected to keep ourselves from listening to 1 John 2:16, which says, ‘For everything in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- comes not from the Father but from the world.’  We get so preoccupied with reaching our culture that we adapt to it rather than influence itIn all of our attempts to reach people with the visual, let’s not miss our calling to connect people to the spiritual.  We can capture people’s eyes and still completely miss their hearts.  As worship leaders, we face a very present danger of getting caught up in the visual world.  We see the Instagram uploads every Sunday of churches across the globe with stunning stages…”

“Genuine worship leaders know that you don’t pursue excellence in music just to sound like a well-oiled machine.  You do it because the God of the universe, and King above all, deserves nothing less.”

 

Check Your Purpose

“We can minister to the people out of our own strength, or we can focus first on being in the presence of God and allow our ministry to the people to flow out of that…Authenticity happens when worship becomes a lifestyle and not just a set of songs that you lead for a half hour once a week  The world doesn’t need more great messages, more great bands, or even more great church services.  We need more of God’s presence.

“One of the earliest worship leader ‘job descriptions’ I heard as a teenager was ‘someone who ushers people into God’s presence.’  Think of that for a second.  Have you ever ushered at a wedding?  The usher isn’t the one sitting in on the wedding to enjoy the ceremony.  Rather, the usher takes people to where they are supposed to be seated.  The usher helps people find their place!”

“You can’t live off someone else’s authenticity, just like you can’t live off another’s faith.  As my drummer friend Rico Allen once told me, ‘God doesn’t have any grandchildren.’”

In many of our church services, music is the introductory piece.  For a person who is walking into church for the very first time, it could be his or her first idea of why the church exists and who God is.  If that doesn’t put a responsibility on us, I don’t know what will.  This demands that we show up with our best- our best abilities and our best selves- every time.  The songs we sing in a worship service become the soundtrack to our church’s conversation with the Father.”

Coming back to ‘authenticity’ Parks declares, “Love is at the core of authenticity.  Jesus was the epitome of love and authenticity.  He lived a life of sacrifice and service, leading and loving others in a way the world had never seen before.”

As worship leaders we must fight against becoming too busy.  “As Corrie ten Boom once said, ‘If the Devil can’t make us bad, he’ll make us busy.

“It’s not just about adding great disciplines to our routine- reading the Bible, going to church, attending small groups, singing worship songs.  It’s also about what we are subtracting.  Are we getting rid of those things that don’t add value to our relationship with Christ?  Authentic worship leaders know the things they must add to and subtract from their lives to be the genuine article.”

“Know your blind spots as a leader.  And if you find yourself continuously falling into the same traps, have other people you can trust tell you the truth when everyone else around you feeds you lies.  You need people who will tell you what you need to hear, which won’t always be what you want to hear.”

“The dictionary defines the word true as ‘real, genuine, or authentic.’  To be true worship leaders and real followers of Christ, we need to go after the truth.  As Jesus says, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6).

 

 

Conclusion: This was a sincerely written book, based on experience.  I appreciate the author’s transparency about his own life and his willingness to share his struggles together with his successes.  He had many good points.

LH 2019-07-30