From Anxious & Annoyed to Courageous & Compassionate
At the risk of oversimplifying what the World Health Organization is calling a pandemic, I would guess that we, our families, our neighbors, our country and our world isn’t ultimately afraid of a virus. We, in all of our strategic wisdom, don’t ultimately fear...
Why Sing Christmas Songs?
Christmas is coming! Many churches around the globe are singing new and old Christmas songs and hymns this time of year. Some sing more than others, some scrooges toss out the melodies of Christmas altogether (just kidding...kinda). Is this all just based on the...
Share the Platform – 10 Years Series
This is the second post in my blog series entitled, “10 Lessons From 10 Years of Worship Ministry.” If you didn’t catch the last post, you might want to check it out as it sets the stage for this one. Without further ado, let’s dive in. 2. Share the platform. My buddy...
Lead People – 10 Year Series
Over the next couple of months, I am planning to do a blog series that expands on a blog post I wrote entitled “10 Lessons From 10 Years of Worship Leading.” Here’s the first of ten, if God allows (and if my Enneagram 7-ADHD-self doesn’t get bored or distracted and...
10 lessons from 10 years of worship leading
As I prepare to wrap up my 10th year in worship ministry, I’ve decided to share 10 different lessons that I have learned. There have probably been a thousand, but I don’t know anyone besides my mom who would read that. Maybe you are an aspiring worship leader, or you...
Garage Sales & Identities
This past weekend my wife and I, put on a garage sale (well, it was more of a driveway sale, but that’s beside the point). Lauren worked her tail off all week to sort, price, and organize everything that we would sell and I basically was her work horse moving what...
Confession
Confession: I am reading through the Bible and have been in Leviticus for a week or two. This has been, as you might suspect, the hardest book of the Bible for me to walk through. It's so easy for me to just say, "This doesn't even matter anymore. Jesus paid it all....
Two Core Needs
Sheila Heen, Lecturer at Harvard Law School says that humanity has two core needs. The need to feel accepted or respected or loved the way we are. The need to learn and grow. Christ obliterated need number one. Get this: In Christ, we are fully known and yet fully...
The Whole Story
I set out to write and convey the entire Biblical Metanarrative, tracing the storyline of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation showing Christ as the center. I feel like Christians often miss the “whole story” of the gospel, and we all, myself included, easily...
It Matters
Worship pastors, leaders, and team members. If you play even the slightest part in selecting songs, praying prayers, or leading the people of God in worship, please understand the weightiness of your role. You are not there to entertain. You are not there to put on...
He alone will satisfy
“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22) “So also you have sorrow now…” Our sorrows in this world build up because the things that we see all around us are ultimately...
Tell a Better Story
We all love a good story. Good story-tellers captivate their audience and keep them on the edge of their seats. Why? Because we all want redemption. We long for authenticity and beauty. A story is good because it is believable. A story is good because it's...
Wait. What Did We Just Sing?
At our church’s gathering this past Sunday, we sang a famous hymn from the 1700’s, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” The melody and tune of this song are incredibly beautiful, memorable, and singable (just as the best corporate worship songs should be). On the...
New-Fashioned Hymns
My good friend, Shauna Henry, has been gracious to take some of the hymns that I love and write lyrics in contemporary language to help these rich lyrics come to life in our hearts and minds. Without further ado, Here's "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me." This hymn, called...
Surrender Summit Songs
I had several requests about what songs I led with at the Surrender Summit in Grapevine, TX this past weekend. So here ya go! O Come to the Altar - Elevation Worship In Christ Alone - Keith and Kristyn Getty Sing Sing Sing - Chris Tomlin Stronger - Hillsong United...
Christmas is Over. Now What?
Another Christmas has come and gone. The happiness has inevitably ended, as exchanging material gifts were never meant to sustain happiness. What now? Go to the gym. Get into shape. That will make you feel better, right? You were made for more. You were made for God....
That Which is Not Bread
This morning I got to spend some one-on-one time with Nolan, my 9-month-old. Lauren left the house with Hudson to go serve some people with a few of the ladies from our small group, and it was my responsibility to take care of Nolan and make sure he got his morning...
Is God really good or do Christians just feel obligated to say so?
I don’t think that the sin of unbelief is like jumping from mountain top to valley low. No. Little by little, unbelief digs its roots deep into our hearts, eroding our faith in the sovereign goodness of God. “Unbelief, Jason? I believe in God. This is not a...
I Can Do all things
I’ve been trying to follow Jesus since I was 16, and am 26 now, which means I’ve been reading God’s Word fairly consistently over the past 10 years. I’m grateful that I have been consistently taught since I first came to faith that to follow after Christ means...
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
The longer I walk with Jesus, the more aware I am of my fears, and how constant my thoughts are turned toward my own needs, wants, and desires. We live in a instant society with millions of momentary pleasures accessible through a few touches on our smartphones,...
Christian = Leader
There are several marks of a Christ follower that unveil what it means to be a Christian. One of these marks is being a leader. As a children of God, we are to be imitators of God. Ephesians 5:1 says it plainly, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Getting...
With Everything
Hudson, my 14 month old, has already experienced a plethora of emotions. Trust me. There have been times where he wants nothing but to be held by his mom. So much so that he just whimpers at her feet with both of his little hands extended toward her. As of lately,...
not lofty words of wisdom, just the plain and simple gospel
I'm in the middle of a YouVersion Bible reading plan in the book of Galatians. It's a six day devotional taken from Timothy Keller's book, "Galatians for You." Everything I have read/listened to from Keller is dynamite -I highly recommend his ministry to you. On...
The Encore of Creation
I read this quote today out of Stephen Miller's book, "Worship Leaders We Are Not Rockstars," and just had to share it. Here Miller quotes G.K. Chesterton who speaks to the creative nature of God. It might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets...
The Main Intent of the Bible
For as long as I can remember, I thought being obedient to God and seeking to find happiness and joy were two different roads. I knew that God loved me and sent Jesus to die for me, but that was just to pay for my sin, right? I thought that the cross of Christ was...