Email Updates

The Young and Old Church.

Posted on: February 20th, 2012 by David

Last week I had the opportunity to lead at Westminster Presbyterian Church in my home town of Spartanburg SC. The majority of people who came up to me at the conclusion of the evening were folks that my grandfather pastored while he was on staff at a church here in town. They quickly reminded me of all their memories of me as a small boy I once was in my home town.

As I was leading I was awakened to the beauty of people young and old worshipping the Lord together. I must say the week was filled with songs the band and I typically do week in and week out, so needless to say some older people were probably a bit startled at the style of music it was.

What I found to be really interesting was when everyone knew why they were there, there didn’t seem to be any needless offense in the room at all. People seemed to know they were there to do more than just enjoy music…..they were there to engage God. The expressions of worship that filled the room where various at times. While some people sat others stood and while some people extended their hands others kneeled and so on.

Another observation I made was how a familiar older song would gather people in unity and accord while a newer song would seem to propel people further in their journey of worship. I saw how open everyone was to receive and hear from the Lord.

Whether your old, young, charismatic, presbyterian, baptist, whatever…..I’m convinced when it comes to worshipping the Lord, the destination is the same for all of us…..His manifest presence. While the journey may seem a little different for some, everyone wants and needs a touch from the Living God.

I saw twenty year olds and eighty year olds lift up their hands confessing that they struggle with receiving the Father’s love; feeling as though they have to earn something before they can receive something. The Father wants everyone to know……we are his beloved children, in whom He’s well pleased. If Jesus needed to hear this before He produced one piece of fruit in His ministry how much more do we regardless of our age?

Many people received, praise be to God!

 

What happens when worship leaders learn to engineer authenticity?

Posted on: February 16th, 2012 by David

There seems to be an ever-growing amount of worship leaders in our churches today, most of which who came to the conclusion that they wanted to become a worship leader because they were proficient on an instrument, they could sing fairly well or perhaps the ease of access to a stage in the Church seemed to be an attractive thing. I think for the most part, the Western Church has boiled the definition of “worship leader” down to this very thing: someone who can skillfully play an instrument and sing songs. Sadly, I think some worship leaders, including myself, have become aware of this definition within the Church, and so they begin to engineer their lives around this particular reality as if it were true.

Most congregants who sit in church services and listen to the worship leader may assume that the depth of the worship leader’s intimacy with Lord is somehow connected to how well his or her voice sounds, how good the instrument is played, or whether or not they get goose-bumps in response. Worship leaders who have been leading for a while recognize this is the case, and perhaps they will close their eyes when they sing and maybe even lift a hand up conveying some kind of spiritual maturity to communicate to the people, “you should do the same.” I’m not saying we shouldn’t be passionate or convey any sense of expression in what we’re doing. However, do we not seem to default to certain stances and actions when we feel a bit vulnerable or when we recognize we’ve stepped a little outside the bounds of the program for the day?

Do we hide behind the fabrication of our own authenticity, wondering if something may be different next time we get on stage? We know we can hide behind the stage. We know we can hide behind skill and our own competency. But what happens when the stage is no longer the measurement of success for the worship leader? What will we do when the people who have made an idol out of our voices and competency disappear? What will we do when we realize that leading worship isn’t just about skillfully singing songs anymore?

The external pressure that a worship leader feels from those he or she leads typically revolves around what happens on the public platform for a few hours on Sunday. When a worship leader begins to grab hold of this perception, sometimes the public life he or she is living becomes way more important that what’s going on with his or her private life.

Honestly, I don’t think anyone who’s a worship leader wants to fake authenticity. Most of us carry sincerity in our hearts for what we do. I do, however, think we deceive ourselves when the value system we carry as worship leaders doesn’t line up with the value system Jesus carried. As I look throughout the Gospels, I see this continuum of Jesus moving from the large crowds down to the twelve He really discipled. In other words, the exposition of His time and investment was prioritized toward the few. For most of us, we get in this place where we begin to think that the crowd we’re leading is the main priority because we spend so much time preparing for it week after week. We want to engineer these spaces for large amounts of people to authentically have an encounter. When this becomes the measurement of success, you get a crowd who enjoys what’s happening on stage and can really gather around words on a screen and sing them together. This isn’t a negative thing unless this is the conclusive place you find yourself in corporate worship. I’m becoming more and more convinced that people need to understand and have a framework for what should be happening in corporate worship.

For a moment, let’s imagine that the Holy Spirit working through you is like the breeze that blows across the ocean. All the people you lead in worship are in the ocean playing and enjoying the breeze blowing.  They are together in community having a blast. But what if you were to give them the framework on how to construct a sailboat, so when the breeze begins to blow again they could know to raise their sails and begin to move with the Spirit? The big question we should be asking…..are the people you’re leading simply enjoying the breeze or moving with the breeze?

The only way you can give them this framework is to move your priority from the public stage and the crowd into the private place of your life that begins with a few you are discipling. Start with the few and watch the movement begin to happen.

Do we as worship leaders want to continue engineering authenticity simply for the sake of people’s enjoyment or do we want to offer something real and accessible for people to raise their sails to?

 

Hurry up and take your time.

Posted on: February 8th, 2012 by David

Over the last few months I’ve been turning over a few new places of my heart. One of which has much to do with this idea of learning to abide. I’m much better at doing than being. I see this play out in a lot of areas of my life but one area in particular I want to share, is that of a leader who is learning to be a disciple.

Over the last few months I’ve been intentionally spending time with a few guys whom I’ve invited into my life. We spend a lot of time just hanging out and having community together. We also spend a portion of our time in what is called a “huddle.” This time is structured and specific to how God is breaking into their lives, and what they’re beginning to believe God is saying to them.

In our last huddle, I had a building frustration that the guys felt they had to give me a specific answer; that somehow there is a specific “right or wrong” answer to each question I ask. However, I realized my frustrations were misplaced. That in fact, the question I needed to ask was to myself. If discipling is about living a life worth imitating, then, when it comes to abiding; what in my life am I modeling for them to imitate? Perhaps this is because I’m a way better leader when it comes to producing fruit, and really struggling when it comes to abiding.

If I can just be honest, I despise being hidden and I despise remaining in anything; there is this fabricated lie in me saying, “if you’re not seen you’re not producing, and if you’re not producing, then you’re failing.” I think I am a victim of the culture I live in. To be completely vulnerable, I’m not just a victim, but I have been contributing to that culture as a leader for a really long time.  We live in a culture created to value fruitfulness over abiding in the vine. (John 15)

This is the place in my heart I’m now turning over….

-I don’t have to be a victim of my culture.

-I don’t have to be defined by what I do.

-I don’t have to always be producing in a culture that demands production.

Most importantly Jesus actually said it is undeniably necessary for times, daily, weekly and monthly where fruit isn’t intentionally produced. I am learning to be a “human being” before a “human doing.” I am learning to remain, hang on, and abide in the vine.

The 1st Karaoke.

Posted on: February 2nd, 2012 by David

Once a month I’ll be posting a new karaoke video of a song. One of the biggest things I get embarrassed about for people is awkward environments where they’re in front of people…..they can either make it epic or epically fail. This all makes me really nervous and is one of those moments where I decided to put myself in their shoes and expose my own insecurity on multiple levels. The first being karaoke at a mexican restaurant in town but the second being that I really like Wham and George Michael songs. Enjoy my insecurity and this George Michael classic. Any thoughts on the next song?

 

 

New Song :: Beautiful Rescuer

Posted on: January 19th, 2012 by David

Just wanted to share a new song I’m working on. The band and I have been doing it live quite a bit and it’s been really powerful. The vibe of the song is sort of “hymn” like which is a bit out of the box for me. All that to say I really hope you enjoy a rough version of “Beautiful Rescuer.”

Oh great love of heaven for us

Ransomed children we are His

Made alive now walking with Him

Evermore His Kingdom lives

——–

The great beautiful rescuer, Jesus Christ

overcame on a tree all our sin

Death no longer maintains any hold on Him

We as well resurrected with Him

——–

Promised ghost of love so Holy

guide in power all our days

Never leaving or forsaking

Constant in the trial always

——–

Oh my soul rejoice, my soul rejoice

The magic formula for getting what you want out of a worship service

Posted on: January 16th, 2012 by David

I am a proud father of two beautiful children, Levi and Zoe. My daughter Zoe is 18 months old and has the personality of her father big time. She has produced this high pitch scream when she now wants a certain toy, a certain piece of food or simply attention. Zoe now thinks the more she screams in her daddy or mommy’s fragile little ears the more she gets her way. This is Zoe’s little formula in what she thinks will produce results. I’m going be honest…sometimes this works (well…depending on the pitch of scream).

We all have these tendencies in our life right? We want to control the results so we default to a formula we know. We become comfortable with the actions we think will produce a certain response or gratifying reaction. It’s as if we think there might be a magic formula.

Maybe one week it looks like this:

Great opening set + teaching that stirs the heartstrings + invitation with acoustic/piano or pad in the background = people come to the front in response.

In the context of corporate worship within church today, I really believe we’ve developed lots of these formulas that generate baked up responses we as leaders look for in our congregants.

For me, from time to time I notice it is hard not to default into the formula of always playing certain songs, building up the music at the right time then saying a little word or prayer at just the right place in the set, already knowing what this will probably evoke from the people I’m leading. Being a worship leader, I used to think this is what the church expected of me. This is what I’m on the payroll to do…to use my pocket-full of formulas to generate a response through musical worship, then get off the stage.

Now I’m not saying that formulas are “evil,” per se, but it does feel a bit like manipulation, right? Rather than relying on the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of his people and creating space for response, we shape the response we have already dictated we want them to give.

You see, a formula will always stage manage the Holy Spirit’s leadership. I’m beginning to rid myself of this formulaic approach to leading worship. I don’t want that kind of control anymore. I don’t want to be the person generating the response anymore.

Here’s what I’ve found as a worship leader: A framework will always empower the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

I remember growing up as a kid playing in the backyard watching my dad pull out the tools to start another summer garden. We would plant tomato vines, squash and a variety of other vegetables. For each tomato vine he would place a circular trellis around the base. The trellis would do the following.

-It would give the vine a path of freedom to grow and produce more fruit at an exponential rate.

-It would keep the fruit away from potential weeds/bugs.

-It would give the vine more of an opportunity to receive nutrients from the sun.

The trellis, as you can see, provides the framework for the vine to produce fruit in. It empowers the vine to do what it was intended to do…produce fruit.

The framework for corporate worship looks very much the same. The framework of our worship preparation and design should be very much submissive to the Holy Spirit. When it’s not, it becomes a formula. The general framework I work with looks a bit like this when creating a set list for the order of worship. (a more detailed post will come later for further explanation)

-Songs of Thankfulness and Praise

-Songs of Prayer and Confession

-Songs of His Character and Holiness

-Songs of Intimacy

Of course all of this is submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We could be led to move right into the Holy of Holies corporately if there is a revelation of that in the room. It’s allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us through our identity time and time again.

Here are my questions for you if you’re a church and/or worship leader:

-Where have you decided what you want people’s response to be in advance?

-Are there ways in which you’re manipulating people to get this response?

-What might it look like to leave this kind of leading behind?

 

New Songwriting Tuesday

Posted on: January 10th, 2012 by David

So this is “New Songwriting Tuesday” on the blog. Below you’ll find me playing a portion of a song that I’ve been working on. Typically when I write I can’t finish the song in one sitting. So here’s what I’d love….YOUR HELP. There’s a few songs over the next year that I’d like to openly share for those wanting to brainstorm their writing ideas with me.

The first song I’d like to share is about God’s faithfulness.

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” (Deut. 7:9)

I’ve got verse 1 and a pre-chorus. I’m looking for some chorus ideas. The song is in G. Email your chorus ideas to davidwalkeronline@gmail.com.

On your mark…

Get set…

Go…

 

What You Know or Who You Are.

Posted on: December 29th, 2011 by David

I’m a worship pastor.
It’s what I do,
what I know,
who I’ve been created to be.

But as of late, some things have been stirring inside of me that leave me unsettled.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you are. “

Over the last 4 months this has been the phrase resonating in my life. What does it mean to invite and then give someone access to your life? I was raised to think in order to have someone enter your life you had to be this engineered version of yourself.

This concept transfers even to dating relationships. Being on your “best” behavior was something you’d do to potentially win over the one. If they were impressed enough with this well-mannered perfect version of yourself you would begin the dating process. Once you got engaged then married, slowly but surely you discover who the person really is. You discover the routines or the lack of routines in his or her life. You begin to discover where this person’s time and energy goes outside of living from event to event. You’re enlightened to the small states of being that actually define who the person is.

I’m beginning to let people see who I really am. It’s not that I’ve yet to do this, but it has now become me making the decision to do it intentionally. It’s easier to simply pass on information and never let people see behind the curtain of where the information is coming from.

The true calling of discipleship leads to someone actually wanting to imitate the patterns of Jesus in your life. Paul puts it this way: “Imitate me as I imitate Jesus.” Some of the big questions I’ve been asking myself are the following:

-Is my life worth imitating?

-Would it benefit the world to have people imitating my life?

-Would the Kingdom of God advance (people saved, healed, delivered, loved?)

-And in the same vein…”Who do I have in my life that I’m imitating?”

The goal of discipleship isn’t to have an army of robots like me walking to and fro on the earth. The goal is for people to begin to do what Jesus did through their own unique personalities. He did the works of His Father.

My good friend Elizabeth Paul put it like this: “I want to invite you into my life. Follow the patterns in my life that look like Jesus and the ones that don’t look like Him, don’t follow those. I may not be a perfect example of Jesus but I am a living example of Jesus.”

I’ve been leading worship for almost ten years. It is a gifting that I have. I have developed this over the years because it’s something that I place immense value in. I want to continue to lead and write incredible songs in and for the Church. I want to see people saved and made new through God using what I do. These are all incredible things to desire and I believe it’s the heart of God.

But it can’t just be about leading worship on a stage a couple of times a week.

When I read the scriptures, I believe at the end of this life when I’m old and grey, I want to look back most of all and identify the small amount of people that had intimate access to my life and because they did, they did the same, and disciples were made and the Kingdom of God advanced. And then those people made disciples…and the Kingdom of God advanced. And then those people…well…you get the picture…

If I’m honest, really honest, I’d have to say if I stay on the current trajectory I’m on, I’m not sure I’ll be able to say that with the assurance I’d like to.

But I want to.

And I’m cashing in all my chips to make it happen…to ensure that discipleship is the primary thing my life revolves around. That I’m making sure someone who is further along in this journey is investing into me, but, likewise, that I am doing the same thing in discipling others.

Over the next year, I will be chronicling this journey here on my blog.

I’d love if you joined me.

Many Blessings,

David

my little sound off on worship today…..It’s more than.

Posted on: December 21st, 2011 by David

It’s time for a generation to be awakened to their purpose. It’s time for untainted love to permeate deep into the human heart and find it’s home. Wake up oh those of you who sleep, slumber and toil in monotony. Be awakened to the Lover of your soul. His name is Jesus.

I am constantly contending that the context for corporate worship is more than a list of songs we do in a service. It’s more than a band on a stage with cute clothes on singing and playing songs while the congregation spectates from their seats. It’s more than a performance. It’s more than a one-way conversation.

It’s more than being concerned with the few people who actually posture themselves expressively bringing unwanted offense from others around them. It’s more than wondering why this person has his arms crossed or why that person isn’t singing. It’s more than coming up with a set list.

It’s more than playing all the old songs that everyone can sing too. It’s more than playing all the new songs that no one has heard except the people on stage. It’s more than playing the secular song you can potentially “redeem” because the teaching that particular morning revolves around its content. It’s more than spontaneous songs. It’s more than written songs. It’s simply more than a song.

It’s more than technology can enhance. It’s more than art can express. It’s more than media can display.

It’s more than everything I do described above as a worship leader.

There is a dimension of corporate worship untapped within the Church today, because we are underwhelmed. We are overwhelmed. We are unconcerned. We are comfortable. We are uncomfortable. We are offended. We are confused. We are sick. We are scared. We are ashamed. We are hurting. We are desperate and don’t know how to express it. We need a clarifier. We need a savior beyond what we can earn. We need to change the way we think, then believe it. We need a Lover. We need to be loved and then audaciously love back. We need to be one body and love one another.

Jesus is the Savior, the Mighty Intercessor, the great High Priest. He is the One who has given us unwarranted access into the Father’s presence. It is in this place that we live, move and have our being. It’s the heavenly place, the intimate secret place where the whispers of a good Father sink deep into the heart of a child. Truly, this is where we are marked and carry our identity from each and everyday. Oh how great Abba’s love that He has lavished upon us so we might be called his children.

There is a “Grace given” expression in every son and daughter of the King. This is a unique, definitive expression that no one else in the world has. Unless we release it, it will never be seen, heard, or felt. The Spirit of the Lord is upon this unique expression, not for the benefit of the person but for everyone else in their sphere of influence. The fact is, no one else can fully express their love quite like you in communion with Father. This is the definitive mark of a worshipper.

A Story When There Are No Lyrics

Posted on: November 21st, 2011 by David

One of the of the most beautiful characteristics about music is it’s ability to open up and expose your heart. Music is the vehicle that soars down the highway of your soul. It paints a picture in your imagination like nothing else can. I find it does this more for me when the music is instrumental and has no written words to it.

My life-long friend, Robby Davis just released an instrumental piano album called “A Love So Divine.” The album is an expressive piece of Robby’s heart that he’s been sharing with the world. Here is Robby’s story of the album….

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Tirana, Albania to play piano with Campus Crusade for Christ. It was truly an amazing trip! After my first concert in Albania, a friend came to me and shared how my music actually tells the story of her coming to faith in Jesus!

 The following is an account of how the Lord used the songs from my album, A Love So Divine, to tell her personal story.

Lux Mundi- Before knowing Jesus and the love of God, my friend felt alone and often times disconnected from any peace or joy in her life. She had Hope that there was something more to life, but had no idea what that was, or where to find it.  She was lost and searching for True Love.

Daybreak- She knew that she was being drawn from darkness into light! From sin into grace! God was going to meet her right where she was, and extend to her an unconditional Love like she had never known.

Awakening- This was her moment of true understanding! She now had Hope alive in her heart. She understood Jesus to be the Way, the Truth, and the Light.

A Love So Divine- The love she had been searching for, for so many years, she now found in Jesus! A Divine Love straight from heaven. (1 Timothy 1:14)

Trusted- She trusted her Life to Jesus. After living a life separated from God for so long, she now understood and found peace in the knowledge that God can be trusted.

Soaring- The life she previously knew had been turned upside-down! She had found True Love in Jesus, and was beaming with this joy. In this new life, she would now soar on wings like eagles! (Isaiah 40:31)

It’s an honor to retell this true story for all who may read it.  

See how these songs speak to you… let your heart write the lyrics.

-Robby Davis

——Click here to check out Robby’s album——

site by ipinkerton.com