I’ve written some thoughts about worry on Facebook and Twitter so I thought I may as well write about it here. Consider this question: In the last 30 days have you worried about anything? Think about it. Most of us probably have to say yes but, the question is – what do we really gain by worrying? In Matthew 6:24-35 we read “do not worry” four times. It’s there for a reason.  When we worry we’re saying we aren’t sure if God will do what He says. Worry is simply lacking trust and faith. And, when we live with a lack of faith it keeps our worship on a tight leash. I don’t know about you but I don’t want my worship to be restrained because of worry.

One writer suggests “worry is a thin stream trickling through the mind and that when encouraged it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.” I can vouch for this statement from experience. I’ve experienced times of worry where my entire day or week was consumed. Morning, noon and evening. But I always notice how worry doesn’t help. All it does is further discourage. So, here’s an encouragement to you. If you’re worrying stop and if you haven’t started don’t start. The more you focus on your problem the bigger it becomes. And, it causes everything else including God to seem distant and blurry. But, when you look past or through your problem you will find that it becomes smaller and blurry and God becomes bigger and stronger. He is waiting for you so what are you going to do about it?

Until next time,

Regi

It’s been some time since I’ve posted. That seems to be the norm on many sites I’ve visited. We all start with a plan to write something every week which becomes every month and before we realize it two months have passed. Nonetheless, I’m here today to talk about Worship Weekends. In the upcoming months I have scheduled an interactive weekend with a number of church music ministries. We arrive on a Friday evening and share a meal. Afterall, food is an important part of the day right? Sometimes it’s pizza and sometimes it’s steak. I tend to like the steak best but regardless of the food, spending time with people who share a desire to become worshipers is a wonderful way to spend the evening. I don’t come to the weekend as the expert. In fact, I’m learning how to make worship an attitude as well. What I enjoy is the opportunity to talk openly with others and share songs and thoughts that seem to always benefit and encourage everyone involved. A couple weeks ago I flew to Baltimore, MD where I joined with a choir, worship team and band to discuss how we can make worship part of our everyday life. I should also mention that while I was in the Baltimore area I enjoyed several crab cakes that were worth the bad plane ride I endured to get there. Friday evening’s devotion and time of worship and reflection is always my favorite part of the weekend. Okay, so I enjoy the weekend service as well but there’s just something about the Friday time together that always makes me glad I made the trip. I’ll try to post something more on the structure of the weekends really soon. And, if you want to find out more about a Worship Weekend in your church please let me know.

Until next time,

Regi

Have you ever felt like you were spinning too many plates? I have and this past year I realized I had to stop spinning so many. When I looked at the important areas of responsibility, mine included a publishing business, a recording studio, my family, a new magazine at Experience Worship, songwriting, Worship Weekends and leading worship at Christ Church Nashville. And, each one has impacted my life in a positive way which made it difficult releasing any one of them. However, it felt like I was running from one thing to the next in order to keep plates from dropping to the floor and breaking. That’s really not the way I want to live. I believe God deserves the best we have to offer, and because much of my quality time was being spent between ‘too’ many things then something had to give. After deliberating with God, my wife and the 4 walls of my office, I decided to step back from my position at Christ Church. Wow, that was tough. Afterall, I spent more than 8 years leading the congregation in worship. And, with 3 services each week, that’s nearly nine-hundred total worship services. To take it a step further; that’s more than three thousand five hundred songs I’ve led from the same stage. While it wasn’t an easy decision, it became clearer as I walked, talked and prayed with the Lord. I think it’s much easier to keep doing what we do right? At least that’s the way I felt. Believe it or not, we can even become used to chaos. 

Today was the first day I didn’t have to attend a worship staff meeting. It felt odd but right. My mind suddenly feels like there’s more space, more time to think, more focus on the remaining list. A good friend recently suggested that as we age it’s important to narrow our path. In one word, simplify. That word found it’s way to my heart and mind and has now become an action verb for my life. I’m not quitting everything. I’m not giving up. I’m just thinking different, working smarter and planning time with things that mean the most in my life, like studying my kid’s faces, leaving work early to get home to my wife, taking a walk to reflect, writing a song underneath a shady tree, listening to the birds sing their lullaby, pausing after saying ‘how are you’ to take in what someone says, praying more and reading more. It’s more than a bucket list. I think it’s a life fully lived. Too often we spend much of our lives running in what becomes a big circle. Keeping up with everyone else and the image for what? Some may say Regi’s having a mid-life crisis but I say I’m not waiting until I’m 65 to enjoy my definition of a full life. I’m going to do it now while I have my kid’s around me to enjoy it with; before they are out of the house. Before I wake up and wish I would have done it sooner.  

This past December we took a much needed vacation. It wasn’t to visit New York (although it’s one of my favorite places) or Disney, but rather a small, quiet and reflective cabin near a stream. Okay, so the property was amazing and is surrounded by a stunning view but the main point is that there were no nightly fireworks, no tall skyscrapers, no Broadway musicals, no Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Just quiet. Outdoors. Snow. Animals. Mountains. More snow. When my wife asked our son, who is 8 what he liked most about our visit he said, ‘the quiet’. See, I think from an early age until the end there’s something important about quiet and peaceful moments. I’d like to suggest you find some place like that. Maybe it’s a long walk or a drive in the car. Unplug from the electronics and take a look at your life to see if there’s one plate or two you need to stop spinning. It may be just what you need to lessen the stress. Try it and let me know.

Until next time,

Regi

Over the past 6 months I’ve worked with a creative team to launch a new web site for church music & worship ministries. I’d like to invite you to visit us at www.discoverworship.com and let me know what you think. Over the last twelve years, we’ve been producing and mailing music all over the country, mostly to small to medium size churches. However, with this new web site we can now call ourselves an digital online service. We don’t ship anything anymore which makes the entire process so much faster and smoother. So you’ll get what we are about, here are some of our beliefs.

We believe you can praise God in choir robes and cargo pants. We believe that God listens to pop/rock and pipe organs. We believe worship happens in mega churches and country chapels. We believe that music is more than an operating expense. We believe that churches can enjoy hymns and choruses together. We believe that preparing for weekend worship shouldn’t be a stressful experience.

So, with these beliefs in mind, we created a music service designed to help churches of all sizes and budgets, where you pick the songs you want, make all the copies you want, whenever or wherever you want. Bruce Milleman, who  is one of our subscribers says, “Discover Worship makes my job so much easier. I love the new online service so much that I started an online group for our choir so I can link to songs that we’re working on. Now they can click the link to practice, or give me feedback on songs I’m considering. It’s great.”

One of the highlights of this ‘new’ service is a call I received last week from a lady letting me know she hadn’t paid her invoice because she was concerned over the new delivery format. In our discussion she told me after listening to some of the music she was missing out on that she decided to get DSL. I congratulated her. She said, “honey, I’m 75 years old”. That not only made my day but helped me realize that our decision to move everything online was the correct one.

If you think your church would benefit from this service you can subscribe today, download your choice of song/s and rehearse tonight. It’s never been easier.

Until next time,

Regi

My family just returned from Jackson Hole, WY where we experienced a ‘white’ Christmas. I’m not talking about a dusting, I’m talking about a couple feet or more. And my wife gets the credit. Afterall, she prayed that we would have lots of snow this year and snow it did. For most of the eight days we took it easy, braving the single digit weather and wildlife crossing the slick roads. Only once did I lose control of the Ford Excursion which quickly slammed me into a snow drift. Speaking of the Excursion; I have to say I enjoy driving such a huge vehicle. I’m not sure why, but I think it makes me feel like I’m living in the moment with all the other locals. Boots, jeans, fleece and a Ford.

I’m not sure if I should talk about skiing or not. My wife and I took lessons for two straight days and our kids chose snowboarding. It’s safe to say, Kimberlee took to the hill much better than I did and she hasn’t let me forget it. However, it’s not over. Sophia and Eli loved snowboarding and found their emergency brake (rearend) a little sore the next day. Although we took pictures of everything, there’s no way I can describe the beauty of where we lived and played these last few days. I have to say I’m slightly jealous of those that call Jackson Hole home. However, one thing I did learn, was how to follow through with my last post about taking time to rest. We slept late most days and breathed deeper than I can remember for some time. Every night we watched a ‘family’ movie and did without DirecTV which has us thinking seriously about cutting our service at home.

I’m planning a trip back soon if only for a few days and who knows, maybe I’ll one day call it home.

Until then,

Regi

So I’ll admit, I haven’t been heeding my own suggestions to you regarding taking a Sabbath. Sometimes the thought of taking a Sabbath makes me feel whiny. Almost spoiled. I mean why should I get to rest when other people are working two or three jobs to pay the bills? What about those emails in my inbox that have piled up? What about those nice people that invited us to dinner Friday night and the Pampered Chef party invitations that seem to frustratingly appear throughout the month? (sorry) Do I sound whiny yet? I’ll continue: What about the blog at Experience Worship that I want to be more consistent with? What about planning opportunities to connect Experience Worship to worshipers all around the country to talk about living a life of worship? What about _____? You fill in the blank. If it’s not one thing it’s another. And, it seems every opportunity is something we either enjoy or don’t mind doing. So why not try and do it all? Need me to play on that session? I’ll be there. Need me to drive across town to sing that song? I’ll be there. After-all I’m using my gift right? Let’s add another rehearsal Saturday and one next Tuesday night and why not squeeze dinner in Saturday evening with the Templetons. They are such nice people. We can rest when we’re dead. So, maybe I’ve answered my own question. What keeps us from taking the necessary times of Sabbath? Clearly us and our stuff.

I recently read an article in the NY Times about a guy we’ll call Mr. Campbell, who works with computers specializing in creating internet start-ups and then selling them to other companies. Here’s a guy who spends his day in front of two computer screens alive with emails, instant messages, chats, a Web browser and the computer code he is writing. You could say he is addicted to technology which is quickly coming to a mind near you. He forgets dinner plans, has trouble focusing on his family and goes to sleep with his iPhone on his chest. One statement that jumped out at me was when his wife suggests that he is “not fully present with his family,” even when he is not using his gadgets. In fact, his typical breakfast includes watching a T.V. news screen in the corner of his computer screen while using the rest of the screen for checking his email. Talk about the need for a Sabbath!

Just so you know the effects technology has on us…since I’ve been writing this article, I’ve checked my email and twitter account three or four times.

If we are to give God all he deserves then finding times of rest and unplugging is important. It’s quiet obvious that I haven’t been a very good example so my suggestions to you are also being written for me. The choice is yours (ours). Take a hike in the woods and leave the iPod at home. Find a bench along the way and stop to reflect on God’s goodness. Within the next month, do something that used to be considered a hobby. Take a nap on a Sunday afternoon and turn the phone and T.V. to off. Here’s one; don’t check email, Twitter, Facebook or voice messages for 24 hours straight. Whatever you choose as your Sabbath, know that rest is not only important for your health and well-being but it will allow you to do everything as unto the Lord. He deserves it and so do you.

Here’s to us making rest become a habit.

Regi

The Sabbath: Part 1

Have you ever felt like you were on a treadmill that wouldn’t stop? My last few weeks have felt that way. It starts with Monday at the office, lunch appointments, mid-week worship/choir rehearsal, an important dinner appointment, coffee, someone’s having another party, a writing session, rehearsal before two morning services, two morning services and it’s already Monday again. Where do we possibly find the time to experience a Sabbath? George MacDonald, in The Musician’s Quest says, “It is our best work that he wants, not the dregs of our exhaustion. So many seem ambitious to kill themselves in the service of the Savior – and as quickly as possible”. Have you been there done that? Are you there now? Read a little excerpt from Lea Collins’ entry in the Perspectives on Worship collection:

In western cultures we are fighting an epidemic called burnout which is caused by too much stress unalleviated for too long. Burnout causes emotional and mental problems (such as depression) as well as physical sickness. If left unchecked, burnout does more than just ruin the quality of life. It can actually kill you. In Japan they have a word for it: karoshi – death from overwork.

In the U.S., more than 1,500 pastors leave the ministry each month citing pastoral burnout as one of the major reasons. The primary reason burnout happens is the lack of its number one cure: REST.

The Bible mentions “rest” 469 times. In contrast, “worship” appears only 250 times and “praise” 326 times. Rest is extremely important to God. So important, in fact, that He made a law about it: remember (observe) the Sabbath.

The word “Sabbath” means “to cease,” “to end,” and “to rest.” When God instituted the Sabbath in Jewish culture, it was a completely unprecedented social concept. This weekly day off remained an exclusively Jewish “holiday” until the Reformation when Western Europe rebuilt itself with the Ten Commandments as the basis for society and law. Following this tradition, most of us now have two days off each week – Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is usually consumed with the errands and house work we don’t have time for during the week. And for those of us involved in any kind of ministry, whether full time or as a volunteer, Sunday is anything but a day of rest. If we’re lucky, rest is penciled in for a week of summer vacation each year. Seven days a year is a far cry from the fifty-two God intended. No wonder we’re all burned out!

Until next time, find time to rest.

Regi

Throughout the year, I visit 10-12 churches where we spend Friday evening through Sunday talking about worship. I call the weekends ‘Worship Weekends”. We also sing, laugh and eat good food. The last church I visited was in Huntsville, Alabama. I must say the food was amazing. Steak tips and chicken on a skewer along with grilled veggies, baked potatoes and cobbler. Need I say more? After our tasty meal we moved over to the student life room where I shared a devotion on “The Vocabulary of Worship” taken from our first issue of the Experience Worship Magazine. Basically, it’s a picture of two different Psalms and the differences of David’s speech as he approaches the Lord. One finds David in a place of joy and contentment and the other is filled with emotion from a soul confronted with sin and hungry for forgiveness. Read Psalm 8 and 51 to get the full story. After you read these scriptures, consider how you relate to David’s feelings. Think of a few times in your past or where you find yourself today that have similar comparisons. Now consider writing your own psalm. Pour out your thoughts, emotions, praise or concerns to the Lord from your heart. “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.” Psalm 51:15

In the Experience Worship book titled, “Perspectives on Worship”, there is an article that I’ve read many times called Where Worship Begins. It’s written by my friend Babbie Mason and is a reminder of how worship becomes a joy when we focus on making it an attitude and not an activity. That thought sticks out in my mind constantly connecting me back to the realization that worship is to be a heart issue and not just something I do once or twice a week. Babbie says, If we are truly aware of God’s presence, we can worhsip at any time. We are never out of His presence. He is always with us. He is constantly drawing us to Him. He pays attention when we call on Him. He delights in our efforts to communicate and commune with Him. God inhabits, He lives in or takes up residence in, our praise. Imagine that your heart is a house where God dwells. Picture Him pulling up an easy chair and making Himself at home in your worship. When we look at worship as an activity only, when this is our way of thinking, worship becomes a religious ritual, a mere exercise. True worshipers enjoy being in the presence of God at all times. We come to realize that it is not at all about what we can get from God, but being with him. It is a conscious attitude that seeks to find ways to express love for God in our daily living.

What is your driving passion? What is the one thing that keeps you up at night and consumes your thoughts during the day? Is it your work? Is it your money, or maybe your ministry? This is where your real attitude and your true motives will be revealed. Matthew 6:21 says “For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

God seeks those who will worship Him in spirit in truth. Ask God to develop in you a keen sense and awareness of His presence. Approach him with an attitude of humility and awe. Never forget that He is sovereign, holy, and has all authority. God is right there where you are. And, there is no better time than now to worship Him.

Babbie Mason
From Perspectives on Worship
www.experienceworship.com

One of the most exciting things I’ve been part of in a long time is creating  and launching a magazine. Well, I didn’t do it all alone. Nick Perreault is the designer and assistant editor and without him I wouldn’t be writing this entry. And without many donors it would just be two guys sitting in a office talking about how we’d like to start a magazine. It was several years ago when I had this crazy idea that the world needed another magazine. Before you roll your eyes, hear me out. I love magazines! Every time I visit the grocery, I find myself standing in the magazine aisle. Every trip to the airport includes the purchase of at least 2 magazines. On  my last trip to Alaska one of the magazines cost a whopping $18. WHAT? So, you get the point, I love magazines. It seemed that most magazines that have to do with worship all are pretty niched to the worship leader, pastor or some technical person. What about people who love worship? What about those that aren’t in a leadership position but want to learn more about worship? With that thought in mind we started the process of defining what the reader of a potential Experience Worship magazine would find in its pages. We searched for articles, photo’s and talked with many people about what they wish a worship magazine might include. I never knew there would be so much to do to create a magazine. But after many hours…did I say many hours? We have just launched the very first issue of Experience Worship magazine. I encourage you to visit our web site at www.experienceworship.com where you can actually download several pages of the first issue. 

By presenting original stories, interviews and articles that push beyond the limited view of worship held by many believers, each issue of Experience Worship magazine will challenge the typical understanding of worship and present examples of how worship can become an everyday experience with God that impacts our families and communities.

You may think you don’t need another magazine but I assure you, this magazine is different than any other magazine you currently subscribe to. For one; every other page isn’t an ad begging you to buy a piano, microphone or suggesting some weight loss program. It’s 32 fresh and engaging pages that communicates worship regardless of style. If you like traditional, contemporary, intellectual or consider yourself more emotional, the articles will invite you and provoke thoughts beyond any walls you are surrounded by regarding worship. So, what are you waiting on?

Worship Him,

Regi