The search is over

...and I've found a new team mate! We hired Eric Abney today to join my Worship Arts Staff  @ LCC. Eric currently lives in Kennesaw, GA (my old hometown) and has served as a Worship Leader at Eagle Point Church and at NorthStar Church (where I served for almost nine years). He has worked with some of my favorite Worship people in the world (you know who you are!) He brings such a passion for worship and a genuine love for developing younger musicians at LCC. Eric is engaged to Kaylie (pictured above). They are getting married in late May.

Eric will be leading worship a couple of times this month here at LCC and then permanately moving here the first of March. Eric and I will rotate leading worship at both campuses starting in March.

I cannot express the excitement and joy that I feel tonight! It has been a very difficult year managing both campuses alone and I am overjoyed about the fact that I now have a great teammate to serve with here on a full-time basis at LCC.  The time was right for all of us to make this step forward and I am very thankful for our Lead Pastor, Jeff, our Exec Pastor, Jason, and our Board of Elders for their support with this new addition to my team.

I'm beaming...oh, yes, I am.... :)

The Big Suprise

  I'm about the worst person when it comes to surprises. I'm great at doing them, but horrible at receiving them...I ALWAYS find out!

My Worship Arts Ministry at LCC gave me the suprise of my life last night at our monthly Worship Gathering...they presented me with a Fender Telecaster and amp. I had NO idea. I was completely BLOWN away at their generosity and kindness...it was messy - I couldn't stop crying (which is not like me!)

It has been quite a year...a lot of transition, hard work, new opportunities, and just flat out CHANGE. As I sat there and the tears just flowed, Toni, one of our vocalists, shared some really kind words with me on behalf of the team. I can honestly say I have never felt so loved and appreciated by my church and my team as I did in that moment. 

To my WAM friends at LCC, I've already e-mailed you all a thank you from me, but I want you to also know it is MY PRIVILEGE to do this journey with you at LCC. It is my honor to serve with you every week. You have been amazing servants through a tough year of transition and you have showered me with such love and support through it all.  God has some BIG things ahead for us and I can't wait to see what He wants to do in us and through us in the days to come...I love you all...

Now, to try out my new axe...neighbors, beware...

It's not about us

I'm reading "Teaching Kids Authentic Worship" by Kathleen Chapman and I couldn't wait to do a book review on this.  There are WAY too many nuggets as I am reading that I have to share!

She talks in the first couple of chapters about how the post modern world is "indoctrinating our children into believing everything is about them." As a parent, I confess that there are times that I contribute to this problem. In my attempt as a parent to "connect" to my children with their unique personalities and passions, I go overboard at times. It's very important to be in tune with our kids, but at the same time, we have to help them understand that the entire world does not revolve around their happiness, life being fair, or getting everything they desire.

In context to worship, we have to teach our kids that worship is about God and not about them. "Worship is one-directional. Worship is focusing on God and giving all glory to Him only, alone, singulary, totally - just Him," she writes. Even as an adult, there are time that I forget that when I worship, I am focusing my heart and mind on God and Him alone...not what I need or want...just Him. To really teach our kids to worship God, it has to start with them understanding it is not about them.

Kathleen quotes Ken Hughes, Senior Pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois saying...

"The unspoken but increasingly common assumption of today's Christendom is that worship is primarily for us - to meet our needs. Such worship services are entertainment-focused, and the worshipers are uncommitted spectators who silently grade the performance...Taken to the nth degree,this instills a tragic self-centerdness."

Wow. That hit me. How many times do we do this? We rate our corporate worship experience on how much WE liked the worship leader, the song choices, the message...the stuff. Our kids are listening and learning what worship is by the way we talk about it. Are we teaching them that we worship because worship is really about them? or about God?

More to come...

Sunday Recap - Back in the saddle!

This past Sunday was my first time leading worship since Christmas Eve 2010...the longest break I have had in about three and a half years! I introduced a new song "I Will Follow" by Tomlin to our HHI Campus this week and they responded well. I know them so well and when they start bobbing their heads to the beat and smiling, I knew they were thinking "Ok, this is alright!"

I felt so refreshed and ready to facilitate worship! We are in the middle of a series on finances and Todd shared a lot of his personal struggle with finances over the years. You can hear it here.

I added a new vocalist to our HHI team - Katie. She is the wife of Luke who has already been singing and playing acoustic the last 18 months.  They both have such unique voices and I loved having the ability to trade off leading between the three of us. Luke led "Beautiful Lord" by Leeland during our Time of Response. I just can't get enough of that song and Luke does it so well. As it happens so often, the words so connected to Todd's take away from his message and I didn't know it would before I chose the song. I love it when that happens! "Center" has become a mantra of the Island Campus. I have led that song since we started as a church campus. I love hearing our people sing it out with all their hearts!

Here was our setlist:

"Come Now is the Time to Worship" - Vineyard

Welcome/Announcements

"Awesome is the Lord Most High" - Tomlin

"I Will Follow"  - Tomlin

Video: Message Bumper

Time of Response: Giving stations, Communion Stations, Prayer Station

"Beautiful Lord" - Leeland

"Center" - Hall

Check out more Sunday recaps at the Worship Community!

Sunday Recap

  I attended the Bluffton Campus yesterday as we were led in worship by Eric Abney from Atlanta, GA. Eric did a wonderful job! He is a very talented guitar player and really has a heart for mentoring and developing musicians. He worked so well with our band in rehearsal and it was a tremendous joy for me to have another opportunity to participate in worship as an attendee in services. Eric served at Eagle Point Church and has also been a part of NorthStar Church where I served as the Worship Pastor for five years. He gets the great privilege of working with some of my favorite people in the world - former worship staff colleagues at NorthStar. Todd and I enjoyed spending time with him and his fiance Kaylie the past few days. God is doing some great things in their lives and we were encouraged so much by them being a part of LCC this weekend.

We kicked off a new series called "Rate of Return." It's a three-week series on finances and our responsibility as Christ-followers to live our financial lives with a God-centered foundation. When we stop and realize that all we have is God's anyway, doesn't it put everything into perspective on how we spend our financial resources?

How was your worship experience this weekend? Join me at Sunday Setlists for more recaps.

My view from the pew

We don't have pews at either campus of LCC, but it was a catchy title...

I had the opportunity to attend worship services at both campuses of LCC this past Sunday. I sat in the service "like a normal person!" I was so encouraged by our Worship Leaders at both campuses. They brought such an authenticity to the worship experience. I'm one of those (like most of you Worship Leaders) that struggle with not hearing or seeing things that need to be "tweaked" while you are sitting. I was so grateful for their preparation and execution of the musical elements of the worship experience.  The way they led us drew me right in so I was not distracted. Thank you, Johnny, Debbie, Brandon, and Kim for allowing me to worship so freely in corporate worship! Band guys - you brought such a musical tapestry to the worship experience. Thank you for sharing your amazing giftedness through worship.

This also means I heard two messages yesterday. My hubby Todd did a fabulous job of kicking off the New Year with a personal message for Islanders as we embark on a New Year as a campus. CLICK HERE to listen. I'm so excited about what God has laid on his heart for the future of the Island Campus. It' s a tall order, but as Nehemiah learned - God is faithful! It was also a privilege to receive commuion and pray with him during the Time of Response at the end of the service.

Pastor Jeff shared with us the importance of the time we have been given on earth and not waisting it. I was so convicted about the things I waste my time doing that have no eternal value. I want to do a better job making the most of my time in 2011 and making better choices every day.

I'm so thankful for my church. As I headed to lunch, my heart was so full with overwhelming gratitude that I have the privilege to lead musically, create artistically, and participate corporately at LCC. I encourage ALL worship leaders out there to spend the money and give yourself the opportunity to partcipate in corporate worship at the churches you are serving as worship leader. It is an experience that I need more often, but was definitely a spiritual highlight of my Christmas season.

This post is a part of the Worship Community Sunday Recaps!

Book Review - The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville

Deborah Norville tackles a huge issue in our society that she believe is disapearing from our fabric as people - respect. She uses humor, fact, and great stories to help us understand how respect is one of the most valuable character qualities that we can exhibit as people.

I started this book awhile back and I was so impressed with how well she communicated such simple truths through storytelling. When you read example of people who used the Power of Respect to change their circumstances for good, change their communities for the better - these were wonderful examples for me.

Deborah says that "The Power of Respect begins at home." I could not agree more with this statement. My favorite part was her top five things to do to raise respectful kids. I highly recommend putting these up somewhere. I think I am goign to put them on my refrigerator!

This is a must read. If you lead people, interact with people, have children, or in anyway have to deal with the human race, you need to read this book!