Out with a bang

Looks like the End Times Ministries praise team is ending the year on a good note. Sunday we had another rehearsal and are ready to re-introduce a song back into our P&W rotation. We also have our next rehearsal scheduled - the first one for 2015. I couldn't be happier. Well, I could, but baby steps.

Cheers!

How Can It Be - Lauren Daigle

I just found out about this artist a few months ago as a result to listening to K-Love 94.3fm Chicago - big shout out to them! I love, love, love her voice. She's like the Adele of Christian music. So much soul. Her sound is raw yet beautiful and the words of this song are perfect. Everything about this song is perfect. Somebody should buy me her CD for Christmas. (And yes, I still prefer a CD because I spend most of my time in the car and don't like fidgeting with my phone when I'm driving. And because I'm old school like that. :) Enjoy!

Lauren Daigle - Light Of The World (Lyric Video)

Just in time for Christmas... I heard this for the first time yesterday and really like it. Enjoy!

Getting my life in 2015

As the year comes to an end, I like to reflect on how the year went for me. In short, 2014 was not hot!

This year I felt like an old, young church lady. (Huge oxymoron, but I know you feel me on this.) Even though I'm the head worship leader, I also serve as the lead for children's church. Besides the activities we do in our church, I also report to our district and participate in the district activities. This year, I believe we had 2 district youth fellowship days and an over night youth retreat. I attended them all. Now maybe it's just me, but I feel like my entire life centers around church and I don't mean this in a good way. Church activities cannot be my entire life. It shouldn't be my source of "entertainment" or what I do for fun. (At least it's not what I want to do for fun even if it is fun sometimes.) Does this make sense?

I've decided that I am going to find some real hobbies in 2015; hobbies that have nothing to do with church. I'm leaning toward cooking classes, tap dancing lessons (which I've done before), bowling lessons, or singing lessons. I'm interested in learning jazz. Maybe I'll even start back working out. Hence, I already informed the district youth leader that I'm out in 2015.

I've also decided that for 2015, my sole church priority will be, wait for it, being a better P&W leader. I am personally tired of my mom (aka the pastor) pestering nagging encouraging me/us to step it up. So I'm thinking we should take her request seriously and step it up. Hence, my aforementioned goal of adding 12 songs to our repertoire. I'm happy to say we're on our way.


Part of my boring life has to do with having a 2-year-old and no real babysitter. That's gonna change next year. "Momma gotta have a life too!" (In my Baby Boy voice.)

When we get to the end of 2015, I hope to be able to say that the praise team is in much better shape because I made it a priority. And I hope that I'll be leading a more balanced life by carving out time for the things I enjoy and not over-committing to church activities. I am only thirty-ish after all!

Blessings

Martha Munizzi - Come Holy Spirit - LIVE (@marthamunizzi)

I love this simple worship song. Enjoy!

1 down, 11 to go

Praise be to God, we finally sang a new song for P&W this Sunday!

We are now on our way to introducing 12 new/archived songs back into our Sunday song list.

My top 14

I love to make lists at the end of the year.

Here are my 14 favorite P&W songs. (I know as soon as I press the publish button, I'll want to change some of these.)

14. Every Praise - Hezekiah Walker

13. Holiness Take My Life - Micah Stampley

12. It Is To You - Byron Cage

11. As the Deer

10. Give Me a Clean Heart - Fred Hammond

9.  Lift Him Up - Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago

8.  Smile - Tasha Cobbs

7.  Great and Mighty - Byron Cage

6.  Rain On Us - Earnest Pugh

5. Agnus Dei (Hallelujah For the Lord God Almighty Reigns) - Michael Smith

4.  Free - Kierra Sheard

3.  To Worship You I Live - Israel

2.  Lord I Love You - Youthful Praise feat. JJ Hairston

1.  I Love You Lord and I Lift My Voice

 

What I'm thankful for

It's a miracle: we had 2 rehearsals over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Everyone was on time. Everyone was on one accord.

We rehearsed 3 of our "archived" songs. 1 of which we'll sing for the first time this Sunday. (Total Praise by Richard Smallwood). I Won't Go Back by William McDowell will need one more rehearsal to make sure we've memorized verse 2. The third song (Hosannah by Kirk Franklin) needs about 2 more rehearsals and a small miracle.

One of the things I'm learning is that we need to just do what works for us. There are some places where 3 part harmony exactly like the original artists is too difficult for us. I'm learning to accept it and just keep going. No need to ditch the entire song because we couldn't get one or 2 lines just right.

Well boys and girls, I'm simply elated that we're on the right track. In the words of my mom when she was younger "Hallelujah pound the glory" (what she was singing instead of the real words hallelujah thine the glory). Or in the words of India Arie, there's hope!

Blessings

P.S. - Where is India Arie?

Recap of tonight's iLead escape with Pastor William Murphy

I am too pumped up that I remembered the iLead escape frontliners call 2 months in a row!

Tonight, Pastor William Murphy was the guest speaker and dropped so much knowledge it was crazy. Here's a recap of what was discussed in case you missed it.

P.S. - Pastor Tasha, you really need to record these calls so people can listen after the initial run. Please and thank you! :)

Acts 3:19

• God is sending a refreshing! (Glorayyyy! - my words, not his.)
• God wants us to update or refresh our old "pages." He wants to do something new, but we need to be open to the new and not continue in the old thing that he established for a previous time or season.
• I have the grace on me to create a tangible, living, abiding presence of God. (#putapraiseonit right there! - my words again.)

Exodus 25:10-22 (the meat of the call)
If you're going to create a tangible, living, abiding presence of God...

• you must be pure inside and out (v. 11)
• this doesn't mean sinless, but rather your spirit has to be pure
• everyone in leadership has great struggles or challenges, but that doesn't mean your spirit subcumbs to every sin.
• you cannot be one-sided (v. 12)
• your worship has to be well rounded, multicultural - not just gospel, not just top 40
• you cannot get in front of God (v.14)
• you going to have to carry it (v. 14)
• Don't be lazy! You have to invest time. (spend time researching new songs, artists, etc.)
• It's going to be inconvenient, it will challenge you.
• you have to be tested because you have to have a real testimony (v. 16)
• you need a personal experience
• you're going to have to be shaped by God (v.18)
• shaped meaning hammered or beaten by God to form you
• you have to guard your ministry relationship (v.19)
• you cannot separate the worshipers from the mercy seat
• you have to be able to face one another
• you have to make the mercy seat a priority (v.21)
• being "right" or "wrong" isn't what's most important
• the visuals or the uniforms are not what's most important
• you have to have God's mind (v.22)

OMGoodness y'all this really encouraged me tonight! Even the Q&A was good!

The points that resonated with me were about having a multicultural sound, investing time to better our P&W, and having a personal testimony. More posts about the latter to come.

I'm truly looking forward to the iLead escape in 2015!

Blessings