TWLL #18: Commitment, Connection, And How To Keep Showing Up

If you’ve been leading worship for even a little while, you know there can be a weariness that sets in as you lead week after week, month after month, and year after year. 

Today I want to share something that has kept me showing up to consistently lead worship, as the years have gone by.

See The Sets As A Conversation- Not A Commitment

For a decade and a half I served at a church and prayer ministry, where I led worship multiple times throughout the week and weekend.

As I’ve processed the intensity of that season, I’ve asked myself “what kept me showing up day after day for all those years?”

And the one thing that consistently and clearly stands out- is that over time I began to see set as a chance to connect with Jesus.

When you lead worship several times a week, everything else wears out really fast.  The new songs become old songs after a week or two.  Your team members are frequently changing out, and the room size is always fluctuating. 

So really the nature and intensity of the environment I was in, pushed my heart to get past any exterior “perks” of leading worship- and into the heart of what I was actually doing when I would lead.  And when everything else was taken away, I was left with...Him. 

No matter what everything else looked like on any given day, I knew that the worship set was a chance to connect with Him.  That there was an opportunity to see Him, to hear Him, and to respond to Him in worship.

And connecting with Jesus is always a fresh experience, because He’s the Living God.  No matter how many sets I had already led that week, no matter what other worship team dynamics I was dealing with, the set itself always had the potential to be a new and life-giving moment. 

Years later now, I realize that this mindset was what enabled me to keep showing up, set after set, and lead worship not out of a sense of duty, but out of expectation.

What Do You See?

When you look at your worship sets, what do you see?  Do you see a list of songs?  Do you see a commitment that you need to follow through on?

Or do you see a living moment with the Living God?

If you find yourself lost in the routine of leading, or worn down from all that comes with it, ask yourself how you see your worship sets right now.

If we can start to see our sets as beautiful chances to behold and respond to Jesus- we’ll find the grace to keep showing up, and even look toward our sets with expectation.

That’s all for now.

See y’all next week 🙌🏼

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Whenever you’re ready, there are two ways I can help you…

1. Join The Fall Songwriter Zoom Group.  Starting in early October about 12 of us will meet weekly on Zoom for 12 weeks, to walk through the process of writing songs based out of our connection with Jesus.  It's a time-commitment and there is a financial cost.  If you're interested in joining us please email me at [email protected]

2. Join other subscribers who receive one actionable tip for leading connection-based worship each Wednesday morning through The Worship Leading Letter.