At One Life our stage design typically consists of the graphics we put on the GIGANTIC screen behind the pastor.  Since our screen takes up most of the back of the stage, we try to find series graphics that serve as a stage design.  But every once in the while, I like to throw in an extra element.

So what’s up with the idea of “stage design”?  I like it because it pulls the art off of the screen and drops it into the room.  It adds an element of reality to the art–almost makes you feel a part of the design.  I love stage designs that allow light to reflect and play off of the elements on stage.  It makes them come alive and adds even more dimension to the set.

Additionally, and really the most important part of it for me, is that it allows us to bring more creativity into the service.  God is an amazing creator, and as His creation (created in His image) we should reflect that characteristic back to Him, particularly in worship of Him.  I don’t believe church should be a place that exists in stark contrast to the world in which we were created.  God gave us a wildly creative, artistic world to live in.  Why would our place of worshipping Him be devoid of creativity?  Being creative is another way of entering into worship of Him.

For the Winning the Game series we have a stage design our planning team has come up with and our light techs are implementing.  It’s been a lot of work but I think it is totally worth it.  Come this Sunday and check it out.

“God, if you are really real, I need to feel something from You right now!!”

How many times have you silently cried out those words from a desperate spirit during a Sunday worship service?  I know I have a handful of times!  One Sunday morning in particular I had nearly killed myself to get my 2 year old daughter and I out the door in an attempt to make it to church on time.  After yelling that morning to no avail and fighting a temper tantrum on the way into church, I finally got Madison to the nursery.  I slipped in the back just in time for the latter part of worship during the slower songs, (which was fine with me because I was in no mood to jump around), but I didn’t really feel like worshiping at all.  As I listened to the words of the song my tears broke the same way my heart was.  Why me?  What did I do to deserve this life?  In those moments I mourned an unfaithful ex-husband, a premature baby, feelings of loneliness and displacement…where had I gone wrong?  Why was I being punished?!

So I cried out on the inside—God, if what I’ve lived for and believed my entire life is really real, then I need to feel something from you right now!!  And at that very moment I felt a peace and calmness from the holy spirit, and it was as if God whispered directly to me, “Tami, I know exactly where you are and I understand your hurts.  But you have to trust in me because I will provide for you in every area of life if you just walk this out with me.”  I continued to cry as I visualized my hand grabbing onto His, and promised I would not let go.

I don’t know about you, but in my Christian walk there have been times either because of life circumstances, busyness, or sheer laziness that I’ve felt distant from God…and the few times I’ve gotten too distant, it’s like I’d forgotten how much I needed Him until life felt out of control.  In any case, as soon as I call out to Jesus, He doesn’t ignore me, nor does He make me earn back the privilege to ask for His presence; He comes back suddenly—in an instant!  Once I feel Him again I know this is exactly where I belong, with Him…close to Him.  This is the background of the original song, Suddenly I Feel, that Undeserved will be playing on Sunday. I challenge you to ask yourself the following questions before Sunday, and then come ready to feel Him again.

• Have I genuinely opened myself up to feel God lately?
• What situations, problems, sins, resentments, or relationships do I need to give to God so I can allow Him His rightful place in my life?
• When can I carve out time each day to worship in order to cultivate a closeness with God?

Tami Tenbarge, One Life Worship Leader

In November 2002, I was involved in the service planning in the Edge at Bethel Temple.  We were doing a service about “Gearing up for Missions” and some of us thought it would be a great idea to have some people rappel from the catwalk during the service. This was not approved by either the leadership at Bethel or my parents.  I am sure if I had run it by anyone they would have put a stop to it.  As I was practicing for this the night before, my hair (which should have been pulled back in a rubber band with a helmet on as well) got caught in the figure eight.  I was billeting myself (another bad idea) and my genius instincts told me to put more slack in the rope to get my hair loose.  This worked to free my hair but I also fell the remainder of the way down. The estimate was about 15 ft. I hit the stage and rolled on to the main floor.

I was knocked unconscious for a minute and couldn’t really believe that I fell all that way.  I was rushed to the emergency room by an EMT who I kept inviting to church because I knew my parents were going to kill me so I thought I would try to redeem the situation somehow.  The doctors weren’t sure what my outcome would be because 50% of people who fall over 10ft or more on their heads don’t live to tell about it.  I was diagnosed with a basal line skull fracture and I couldn’t hear at all in my right ear.  After about 2 days I started experiencing some facial palsy on the right side of my face. My right eye wouldn’t close and my mouth was deformed as well.

It was funny–through that experience I had such a peace that, since God allowed me to live, I would fully recover.  I knew that I was called to lead worship and he would restore my face and hearing so I could continue to do so without being inhibited.

There was a story in the Bible that really ministered to me during this time. Its found in Genesis 32:22-32.  Jacob is wrestling with God and his hip is pushed out of place so he would forever have to lean on God.  I felt like the Lord was urging me to lean on Him more than I ever had before. I had gotten comfortable in my relationship with Him before the fall and out of that event He made me rely on His strength.

There was one other event during that time that increased my faith that God would heal me.  On Wednesday nights Bethel would have a time of prayer that people could go forward to be prayed over by the pastors.  My mom and I went forward and Pastor Bret prayed for me. He felt like the Lord wanted him to anoint me with oil (lots of scriptures on reasons why:  1 Sam 16:13 Ps 23:5, Ps 45:7, Heb 1:9).  He also felt like he should pour the whole bottle over my head.  It was the weirdest thing, but I felt this immense joy and again such a peace that God would heal me.  It was a true signpost in my life that I was anointed to lead people into His presence and He would not only restore me but equip me for it.  God has a plan and purpose for every single person.  He will equip us and supply the strength to do what he has called us to do.

So here I am, minding my own little church world business, and someone drops by the office and shows me this video.  Many of you have seen this.  If you haven’t, consider yourself warned:  if you are an emcee, worship leader or pastor, you may find this slightly irreverent:

Click here to watch video

At first, I laughed.  But then I started thinking…are we this predictable?  Sure, we have sound reasons behind everything we do.  There have been entire teams of people debating over exact terminology used during the emcee spot, the right words to use over offering, when to introduce a new song, etc.  We agonize over it.  All in the pursuit of excellence, right?

But somehow, along the way, we may have gotten a little predictable.  We may have slid into a rut.  We may be, dare I say it?  Contemporvant and Growtivational!

I love the services at One Life.  I love the worship, I really dig the bright, moving lights and the sound (yep, we know it’s LOUD and we like it!).  But at what point does even the cool, new, loud worship become old hat?  Check out these verses:

“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”  Isaiah 43: 19

“Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;…”  Psalm 98: 1

I think God is into doing new things.  And I think maybe He wants us to do new things, too.  So I am just thinking…if a parody of a church service hits so close to home, then maybe it’s time to do a new thing.  I have some insider info that this week’s set is going to bust out of the mold.  I can’t wait.

If you are a One Life leader, what can you do to mix it up on your team?

They saw it. It was there. Perhaps at first just a glimmer, but then as it grew brighter, they knew, a brand new shining star. Nothing like this had ever before happened in the night sky. This wasn’t just any star. This star pointed to a promise about to be fulfilled.

They were called Magi, astrologers, star gazers, some of royal birth, the wisest men in the realm. They were used to interpret dreams and reveal the secrets in the stars. But this new star couldn’t just be read, it had to be followed.

The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly where these Magi came from. It says the east. A likely guess is Babylon. It doesn’t tell us how they knew to come seeking the King of the Jews. Daniel had lived as a wiseman in Babylon. Perhaps it was his legacy of faith in God and His word. The scripture says in Numbers 24:17:

“I see Him, but not now;

I behold Him, but not near.

A star will come out of Jacob;

A scepter will rise out of Israel.”

Maybe it was this scripture that guided them. Matthew 2 only records that they came and asked “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?” They saw His star in the east and they came for one reason… to worship this King.

They went to Herod. Surely a King would know where to find a new-born King. Herod called for the Chief Priest and Teachers of the Law. “Where was the Messiah to be born?” The scripture had the answer. Micah 5:2 foretold His birth in Bethlehem. Herod sent them off to search for the child saying he also wanted to worship the Messiah. And so the Magi went and this star led them to Jesus. They were overjoyed!

Have you noticed that when confronted with greatness, we humans react. At sports events during a great play people respond with yells and screams and cheers. When someone famous or renown walks into a room the crowd stands to their feet. When beautiful, inspiring music is played the audience erupts with an outburst of applause. Why? Because it is in us, we were made to express our awe and amazement.

When the wisemen saw Jesus, they were overjoyed. They were overcome with a desire to express their exuberant gladness.

They didn’t rise to their feet; they knelt at His.

They didn’t yell and scream; they worshipped.

They came looking for the King of the Jews; they met the King of Kings.

They opened up their gifts, but they received a greater gift.

The Bible says God warned them to return home by a different route because Herod did not want to worship Jesus, he wanted to kill him. So the Magi obeyed and went home a different way. What is interesting is that phrase “a different route” can also mean “ a different manner of life.”  In other words they went home changed men. They had worshipped at the feet of Immanuel God with us and they would never be the same again. When we respond to the greatness of men, it’s pleasant and fun. But when we respond to the Greatness of God we are changed. True worship changes us. We go home in a different manner of life.

-Karen Kizlin

Prayer Team Leader

For those of you who love Christmas time like I do, you know one of the best days of the year is when you break out the first Christmas song  in the car or at your house. It’s becoming a tradition for my family that when we put up the Christmas tree (usually right after Halloween and after a few days of my wife begging me to help) we’ll fire up the computer and Christmas music fills the hallways of our house.

This year, more than any other, as our worship team has prepared to lead the Christmas service at One Life on December 18th, I challenged myself and the team to dive deep into the lyrics of some of the most common Christmas songs.  What I uncovered was eye-opening.  Let me be the first to admit, after I’ve heard a song several times or several hundred times, I tend to forget the meaning and just sing along….especially seasonal songs like we hear this time of the year.  I mean, let’s face it, who hasn’t tried to make up alternate verses to Jingle Bells after you’ve heard it a MILLION times. “Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg”…you know the rest.

Every now and again it’s important for us all to review, revisit and reclaim the meaning and purpose of the music in our lives, especially when it comes to songs we use for worship.  Music is art and the writer or author had a message that they wanted convey at the time the first word was penned, but sometimes (unfortunately) that message gets lost once you’ve heard the song many times.

For example, let’s take a look at a few lines of some of the songs we’ll be leading on Sunday. Instead of singing the lines, just read them aloud and let’s see what happens. These lines have become such common place for us to sing along with during this time of the year, but if you really think about the meaning of the song and what the writer was trying to accomplish it can be so profound.
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Joy to the World
-Isaac Watts published 1719

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth Receive her King.
Let every heart, Prepare Him room”

How much more profound can this message be proclaimed?
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Go tell it on the Mountain
-John Wesley Work Jr. compiled in 1907

“Go tell it on the Mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born!”

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Here’s one of my personal favorites:

O Holy Night
-John Sullivan Dwight created the song as we know today in 1855

“Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night Divine
Oh night when Christ was born”

What powerful lyrics these writers chose!

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See what I mean?  These songs are so profound!

Did you happen to notice what year these songs were written?  Crazy isn’t it? Today in modern worship (at least at One Life), we typically sing a lot of newer worship songs–at least ones that were written within the last decade or so.  Every now and then, one of the teams will throw in a hymn or song that may have been written many years ago.  But think about it:  when was the last time you heard a new Christmas song that has stood the test of time?  These songs have carried the message for years and years and now it’s our turn to use them in worship together on Sunday.

Come prepared, and ready to sing some of your favorite Christmas tunes One Life style, in a new light.

Let’s dive deeper….
What are some of your favorite Christmas songs, new or old, that you can’t live without hearing at least once this time of year?  Now that you’ve had a chance to think about the depth of some of our favorite Christmas songs, is there a song that now has a new meaning for you?

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the lord.” Psalm 134:2

Why do we lift up our hands in church?  If you’ve attended One Life for any length of time at all, I’m sure you’ve seen people raising their hands up in the air while the worship music is playing.  Depending upon your church background, this environment might cause some people a little anxiety or at the very least a need for an explanation.  Why do people do this?  Are they a bunch of fruitcakes?  Are they waving down a taxi in the middle of a song?  It’s always our desire to bring clarity to some of these questions.  This is especially true if you’re new to the whole church thing.

It is my belief that the answer is anchored in the foundation of relationship.  Let’s first think about our interaction with the people around us.  If someone I love were to walk into the room, it would be natural and even expected for me to respond to their presence with an expression of what I feel for them. Furthermore, the degree to which I love someone is the degree to which that affection is expressed.  This is because God has purposefully designed the body to be an extension of the heart. The heart feels, the body responds.  There are examples of this truth all around us.  I feel sad, my eyes respond by shedding tears. I experience humor, my body laughs.  I’m frightened, by body startles.  The same is true with love.

Now take the emotion of love and add to it the desire to communicate that emotion.  Although a stranger might get a handshake or a pat on the arm, a dear friend would be embraced because a mutual admiration and familiarity has already been established.  A depth exists and my arms want to communicate that very love to the object of my affection.  Children even instinctively know this and walk up to their parents with outstretched arms because they desire the connection of being held by the parent.  Relationship = expression.  Why do we think it would be such a stretch for the same to be true of our love for Jesus?  If He’s real and if we want to get to know Him better, then a relationship begins to develop.  He becomes more and more important to us.  Love grows.  We respond.

I have walked with God for enough years now that I know his goodness is real.  I have experienced times of unspeakable tenderness when He revealed his heart to me and opened my eyes to His presence in my life.  I have a relationship with Him.  I’m the object of His affection and I know it.  Likewise, He is the object of my affection and I want Him to know it.  So during those moments when I’m singing worship songs about the strength and beauty of that very love, I’m instinctively compelled to reach out to Him in expression of what is welling up inside of me. Up go the arms!  Hands go outstretched to reach toward the one I love.  To suppress the need to communicate through expression would be counterintuitive to how He has created me to be. My heart feels, my body responds.

We invite you to consider responding.  We invite you to not be fearful to express!  We invite you to be demonstrative of your love for God just as much as we would naturally encourage you to show love to the people around you.

With Project Identity happening this Sunday, I went back on Bret’s Leadership Blog and snagged this post.  Please take a moment to read.

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