Jesus Culture Music
I’m highly impressed with the worship music of Jesus Culture, the youth/young adult ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, CA. It has high production quality, great voices, anointed songwriting, and a unique edge. Passionate artists such as Kim Walker, Ian Mcintosh, Chris Quilala, & Kristene Mueller. This has a freshness to it that is different than United, Desperation Band, Lakewood, and others.
I think you should like it too.
Young Adult Study Week 4 – “The Heart of the Story”
We continue our study of Nehemiah this week in the LifeMatters Bible Study:
How do I meet others’ needs when I’m distracted by my own?
- Hear the Hurt (Nehemiah 5:1-5) – We need to slow down and notice the needs of the people around us.
- Confront the Wrong (Nehemiah 5:6-13) – Taking time to process and pray through an act of compassion is essential if you want it to have a lasting effect.
- Set the Example (Nehemiah 5:14-16) – Show people what a young leader can do with Godly character like Timothy and a relational mindset like Nehemiah. Set an example that others will follow.
The Atmosphere of Worship?
What is an atmosphere of worship? Is it a sweet keyboard pad? Is it dim lighting with candles, coffee, and couches? Is it the third key change of ‘Shout to the Lord’?
Last night at our worship team Refresh Night, I shared a little tidbit out of the book of Acts, relating to a particular ‘atmosphere’ of worship. Check this out:
“Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:1-3).
I notice three things about this ‘atmosphere’ that was cultivated through their worship:
- The Holy Spirit spoke
- The will of God was revealed
- People were commissioned
What if this happened more often when we gathered to worship God? As we single-mindedly set our hearts upon glorifying Christ, He speaks to us, reveals His will, and sends us out with His boldness.
Brian Doerksen – “Focusing Your Worship Ministry on God”
Beautiful, pastoral, and wise advice from Brian Doerksen. I particularly loved his advice to songwriters. We need to see ourselves as theologians, writing prophetically about what God is doing and going to do.
Worship Team – 40 Days of Consistency
As a church, our monthly focus for March is “40 Days of Consistency”. We are focusing on maintaining a consistent, daily devotional life. The goal is that this 40 day focus will continue into healthy life patterns of spiritual discipline.
Tonight at our annual Worship Team “Refresh” Night, I’m excited to launch a similar focus for all our worship team members. For those of you involved in worship ministry, you understand the rigors of weekly programming, band rehearsal, song selection, late nights, early mornings, etc. Matters of the heart take a back seat role to the seemingly more urgent responsibilities.
Over these next 40 days, we want to focus on the inner life of the worshiper. We want to increase our unified, focused, spiritual vision. How are we personally growing as worshipers of Jesus Christ? How are we preparing for weekend ministry? Here’s what the next 40 days will look like:
- Weekly Scripture passage focus
- Weekly “why we sing” a certain song
- Weekly personal prayer preparation for ministry
- Focusing on inwardly/outwardly engaging in the weekend worship
Looking forward to what God is going to do in and through us this month!
“Dark Was the Night” compilation album
This looks like a really great album by a really great, all-star cast. It was created to benefit the Red Hot Organization, which raises money and awareness for HIV & AIDS through pop culture. I love many of these artists, and some of them I don’t know. Looking forward to hearing it. Check out the their myspace page.
Interview with Louie Giglio
Christianity Today interviewed Louie Giglio, founder of the Passion movement. He recently planted a new church in Atlanta, alongside Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin.
Enjoy.
New Delirious CD/DVD Trailer
Looking forward to this. Though none of their current music is quite as special as the early days, there’s no doubting the worldwide influence of this band.
Young Adult Study Week 3 – “The Plot Thickens”
How should I respond when I face opposition?
- Maintain Confidence in God (Nehemiah 2:19-20) – “Being nine feet tall is nothing if you aren’t a child of God.”
- Ask God for Help (Nehemiah 4:1-6) – “Pray boldly. Pray often. Pray privately. Pray publicly. As you pray, know that God wants his mission to succeed in you more than you do.”
- Take Reasonable Precautions (Nehemiah 4:7-14) – “When facing opposition, do everything you can to protect both yourself and the mission God has entrusted to you.”
The Offense of the Gospel
“The gospel, by telling us Jesus died for us, is also really insulting. It tells us that we are so wicked that only the death of the Son of God could save us. This offends the modern cult of self-expression and the popular belief in the innate goodness of humanity.”
- Timothy Keller, The Message of Romans (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003), 2.
About
Thanks for stopping by the world of David Santistevan. I am a musician and worship leader in Pittsburgh, PA. I pray that what you find here will be a source of encouragement to you as a follower of Christ, a worship leader, a music guru, or anyone else. I’ve written some songs that I pray are an inspiration to you, leading you to love God’s Word and do great things for His kingdom. Let me know how I can best serve you, my faithful reader – DS.
