A Note for Worship Leaders...We Are Shepherds

It’s amazing to me that this blog could mean something to anyone, especially someone possibly sitting hundreds of miles away. And more amazing that it might mean different things to different people.

It’s somewhat like our a worship leader's role. Looking out at 100 or 500 or 4,000 people and hoping that God somehow touches each person’s heart in a unique way, even though they experience the same thing. And realizing that each service plan, each word, each thought, is like a “personal note” God has given us to share.

I think we forget that sometimes. We sing our 3 1/2 songs and sit down. The thought of sharing where we’ve messed up, scheduling silence, interjecting our own thoughts, creating space, explaining the new song, passing along a Scripture…it’s just too much for us. The result? We miss our chance to pastor our people. To shepherd them.

Truth is…our calling is to shepherd our people. To be much more than song leaders, chord changers, harmony singers, string strummers, or crowd motivators. But we get stuck. Or scared. Or complacent. I know I do.

So what do we do? Honestly, we could talk about that answer forever. But for now, here’s two starter ideas for us:

First, plug in with people. It’s easy to play our songs and run. Instead, stand in the lobby and meet the people (even in big churches!). Learn the stories, the struggles, the victories. Be as personally connected as possible.

Second, block out the time in your schedule to think and pray. Think through each moment of your service plan. And pray that somehow, God would reach the poor, the rich, the lonely, the depressed, the recently unemployed, the new mom, the widow, the divorced father, the stripper, the hurting, the lost, the prodigal, the first-time-scared-out-of-his-mind-guest, the 50-yr-bored-church-veteran, the 85-year-old-fired-up-woman…all at the same time.

Hope this helps you. Or gives you something to think about. If you're looking to unpack this more than I did in this blog (WAY more), check out the Experience Conference. It would be well worth your time.

Hope to see you in September at Experience! But until then, let’s shepherd our people week in and week out.

Summer 2014: Listen more, talk less

I'm excited for this summer.

Going to the pool. Heading to Florida for a vacation. Enjoying time with my family and friends. Doing birthday parties, the 4th of July parade, two VBS weeks, and countless weekend services.

But what I'm most excited is living out the things God is teaching me.

One such thing: listen more, talk less.

Did you know I'm a talker? If you don't know me, I am :). As a talker, I must consciously work on listening, all the time. I've been working on this for years, so this isn't new. And I think I've gotten better. I hope so!

But summer is a good time to zoom out, see where you're at, and try to make a leap forward.

You see, there's always room to grow; in everything we do. I can become a better listener. I can work harder on speaking words that give life, encouragement, growth. I can think about what I'm going to say before I say it.

I don't think I'll talk less, or become an introvert, but maybe that's not what God needs (although I'm sure in some situations that will be true!).

Instead, I must continue to grow in the thing I've known for a long time...it's not just listening that matters, it's listening. Really hearing the other person. Listening for God's voice in the wisdom of others. Not just checking my "listen to someone today" box, but really hearing them.

That's my goal. I'm fired up. It gets me pumped for summer.

I hope you're looking forward to this summer too. Maybe God is teaching you about something besides listening. Figure out what it is and take a premeditated leap before September rolls around.

A Massive, Life-Changing Decision

I want to tell you about a massive, life-changing decision. I just made it on Sunday night.

This takes a minute to read. But it might change your life.

I've always struggled with a couple disciplines. Namely running and praying. You can throw Bible reading in there too.

Anybody with me?

Now before I give my solution, let me explain "struggle", because the level to which I have struggled is different in each one.


Running: Forget it. This is the one I just haven't done. Not recently at least. Funny thing is, I actually like running. But my plan is always to do it later in the day. That NEVER happens.


Praying: Actually not half bad. I love to pray. Talking to God about my day, my family, my job is an awesome thing. It's a conversation. But consistency is what is hard here. Sometimes it's 5 min, 20 min, 40 min. Sometimes early in the morning. Sometimes in the afternoon. Maybe at night too. I walk the neighborhood. Or sit in my car. BUT the inconsistency drives me crazy.

Plus I keep a list. Of people. Lives. Friends who need prayer. If I miss that list, I miss praying for them. And that stinks.

Again, anybody with me?


Reading: Not too bad either. I'm not a huge reader in general, but I don't dislike it. And I love reading the Bible. I can read a few verses. A Proverb. Or I can sit and read 15 chapters of Old Testament, or read a whole book in the New Testament. It's not a problem. With this one, it's just the slipping away. "Oops...it's midnight!" OR "Oops...I was supposed to read at breakfast".  Like prayer, it's a part of my life, but the inconsistency drives me crazy.


So...what's the SOLUTION?!?!?!  (I'm sure you're dying to know)

My personal solution is the following:

7:15 - Get Up
7:20 - Run on treadmill while praying
7:50 - Shower
8:00 - Breakfast/Hang with Kids
8:30 - Read "The Bridge Bible Reading Plan" (not at home!)


Is that earth shattering news?! No. Have you heard/seen this before? Probably.

So why did I write a blog about it? Why do I think you might care?

Because it finally all clicked. And I'm hoping it will click for you.

Here's the key. This is HUGE.

You MUST have a real, legitimate plan. A time that works every day, 7 days a week.


The same time. Every day. Every. Day.


That's it. And trust me...it is SO hard to find for some reason. But you can do it.

You might be thinking, "Is Brian going to stick to it?" Yes! Because it's not a crazy plan. It's a well thought out, works for my life, makes sense for me, plan.

But it IS a plan.

For years, I fought the every morning thing. I would say, "some days I pray/read early and some days I pray/read late." Or "I'm a night owl."  But here's the deal: that led to "some days I do nothing."

It took me 34 years to finally accept this other fact. Don't miss it...


You've got to do these things early. They must happen before life happens.


You catch that? They must happen before life happens. Get out in front of the random stuff that comes up every day.

You see, it's not just about 'what's important to you.' I'd hear people say that, but it wouldn't help me at all. It felt unfair.

Because if you asked me that, the list is so LONG!!!! My wife. My kids. My job. My church. My friends. My neighbors. My....

It's more about priorities. It's more about deciding what is most important. And then honestly assessing...what can I do in 24 hours/7 days? And then making sure that I'm not dreaming about days when nothing goes wrong at work or at home.

Instead, this new plan works for the real world.


It looks so simple, but it's not.


Even as I write this, I'm thinking, "It took you this long to come up with this?! Moron."

But if we're honest, most of us live where I have lived. In this inconsistent, frustrated place, where we just miss it.

To be clear, your plan doesn't have to be my plan. I believe early is better, but it might not work for everyone.

Just make sure you don't get defensive about what you're doing if you're not consistent. Again, the point of this blog is consistency. If you're inconsistent, you might need a new plan.


Time to finish this.


Maybe you are praying. You are running. You are reading.

But you're not quite there. You're not consistent.

Pause a second. Zoom out. Assess everything. Then make a plan.

Make a massive, life-changing decision.  

It's your turn now.




Appendix A: The Combo

My problem in past years about praying early was staying focused. My mind wanders bad as I start my day. But running keeps me focused. No music. No TV. I use the desperate feelings of gasping for air to create urgency in my prayers. And it totally works. God gets my full attention while my body gets healthier. Not bad eh?


Appendix B: Reading

I have to be quiet. So I get out of my home. Or at least move to a quiet room. And I read. If I want to read more later in bed, or on the couch, that's great. But this insures I read every day!

It's hard to know what to read, right? Some people don't like Bible reading plans, but usually those people don't read every day anyway. A great plan to follow is the one put out by my church, The Bridge. Just go to the FB page every day, and you can do it: www.facebook.com/thebridgedp.