HOME

What does HOME have to do with a worship pastor. Many for this worship pastor. Home is where my heart is and I am thankful for my 18 years at 12407 Mount Olive Road. Here is my timline for home

April 5, 1981 - August 1, 1999 Coker, Alabama
August 1, 1999- October 2008 University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, Millry
October 2008- April 2010 Northport, AL Which for my readers is 10 minutes from Coker

At present my HOME is Mobile, Al and since leaving home back to Mobile have been on a learning journey, I have seen much how "life" effects worship, struggle, joy, pain, trouble, mess each situation adding to your personal worship. Personal worship time is very important, we as worship leaders become concerned, misguided, discouraged, ect, ect, about the worship enviroment on sunday, despite all that gathers itself to us during the week, we must model that daily worship time we have to the folks we lead, by simply facebooking or tweeting text message what a great personal worship, and rememeber you can't do on sunday what you are not doing through out the week. Engage in personal daily worship. What does this have to do with home? As cliche as it sounds I can always come home to the throne room of Christ, by His shed blood.

GO HOME,
Chris

Stress

Whatever it is...God has it all handled....and it hasn't caught Him by surprise.

Trust Him with everything!!

Jeremiah 29:11

I think many times we miss it

I love to play golf and I am terrible at it. Nothing excites me more than to be on the golf course at 6:30 in the morning, hit a few driving range balls, then tee up and start my round. Through out the 18 holes there are many missed or lost shots, and balls too. However, each time I play I want just one par a round and keep it under 100. Many times I miss those goals, more like doubles and under 125. The point is I miss it, I try, yet I miss yet and the reason...simply not enough time playing. Twice a month at best. I've missed many things or situations, got caught up in the momemt, I have many times merely gotten through the whatever, one thing I am seeing right now in my life, is grace. I feel I am on the edge of something, that will launch my life into what God fully desires, something unique. I am thankful for the patience of God and many people in my life. I am looking forward to better rounds not only on the green, but in life as well.

FOUR!
Chris

Welcome 2011

Welcome 2011. I am excited about what this new year brings for me and my family this year. This April I will turn 30, young to some, strange to me. Also, on May 17, I will celebrate my 15th year of ministy. Over the past months I have taken a hard look at ministry, lessons learned, trips, worship services and have deduced many wonderful insights. At present moment I have begun the process of what is next? Understanding that Christ desires the faithful and pure heart, and a willingness to go and do whatever He asks, I have committed myself to totally do whatever. I was distraught over the state of the amercian church, and I have found that I can take on Chris, make my impact, fullfill my destiny, everyone else has their destiny to fullfill. I am amazed at how perception has changed over the course of 15 years, from hymnal only, to all out worship, from suits, to jeans and cool shirts, from KJV to my NIV, I've grown, I've changed and although life is just weird right now, I'm satisfied with it. I desire in my heart just to be obedient, and do what I need to do and go where I go, drifiting I am not, sailing full sail in the sea of that which is my life with all the joy and messess. Finding out I am pretty normal with ups and downs, ebbs and flow, so my encouragement today is simply, stay the course, set your sails and fly.

Blessings on this Day,

Chris

Many Changes

Life has changed for my family and I. I am appreciative of God's vision and blessing. I plan to blog in the coming week on Hurt. Relationships and Ministry. No fish to fry. Just helpful insights to those involved in ministry. Keep checking back! Begins Monday!

From Bach to Northpoint

Glory be to Jesus Christ this morning. I am in the middle of two big projects. One is finishing up a dvd for our church LOHBC and the other is writing a Christmas Drama called The Shack, that is a post script of when Mack got home. Please read The Shack. It is a great book. Anyway, God's people are creative. It is in our "Christian Gene" as part of the family of the CREATOR, we can create as well, what if we as Christians tapped into our creative side. How would we worship God in what new ways would we impact worship. I am so tired of the same ol same ol, we give God often the same idea on Sunday just different songs, what would happen if the God CREATOR met up with His children and together they create. I am so excited about the possibility of seeing the worship at our church begin to shift to creativity and set a precedence for Creative worship. Thankfully our church is accepting to change and the rut of Religionism and Traditionalism have not rooted themselves within us. So my blog today is this "Create!!!" Worship leaders need to be creating. I think of J.S. Bach who each Sunday had a new chorale to sing and a banging solo for His organ. Fast forward to 2009 Lanny Donoho of Northpoint Community church, a creative genius, each Sunday using dominos, frisbees, just simply different cool stuff to engage worship and drive a theme home. The message is the same but how we present it can change. How can worship be more creative? You decide and let me know!!

Create,
Chris

Rehearsal Tips

1. Begin with prayer time. Ask your team how it is going.

2. Be Prepared for the rehearsal. Have all the music together. It would also be nice if you know the songs yourself.

3. Have a plan. Know where you are going and give your team your vision for that service!

4. Give your worship team the music in advanced. Do not spring a new song on them too early. Find out how long it takes for them to learn a new song. This is trial and error. I would not ask "So how long will it be before you learn this song." I usually give two to three weeks. Unless it is just totally easy and they all know it we just haven't done it yet. Depends on your team and the talent you have. I am blessed to have accomplished musicians and singers, but I have been in churches where it has been like two months to learn a new song. Again, just depends on the team.

5. Make rehearsal fun, however establish that it is a time to get the work done. Learning new music is tough, laugh with them. Make it a stress free environment.

6. If you use a screen with the words for your singers, make sure he words are right. And even spelled right.

7. Let your sound, lights, and multimedia team know where you are going.

8. I use planningcenteronline.com to communicate with my team. I can mass email and attach demo and chords sheets. They also have the opportunity to accept or decline. Your team should not ever come to rehearsal wondering what in the world they are doing Sunday!!

9. You should know every week who will be at practice and who will be singing Sunday. It is up to you to find out. Encourage your folks to email, text or call of they will be absent.

10. Be aware of time. Start on time and end on time. Be considerate of their time and remember many have worked all day, may have kids with homework and baths. We begin at 7:15 and end at 9:00. During the summer we end sooner.

11. If a song is not up to par in rehearsal. It probably will not be good to use it for worship. Change the song. It's OK. Your team will thank you for it. It all depends on the song they will tear it up when they love it, when they don't like it it takes time! Time is ok!

12. Be careful of mannerism and faces. Believe it or not they are watching you. Laugh more! Encourage. Just don't laugh at them. Not good.

13. Pray together at the end. Ask them to share what God is doing in their life.

14. Encourage them to read the Word daily and to worship daily.

15. Establish with your team that rehearsal time is rehearsal, not time to learn something brand new. If you as the worship leader has done your part they should have time to get the song under their belt and have it down for the most part, rehearsal time is a time to polish.

16. Encourage your team to practice, practice, practice.

17. Thank them for their time after rehearsal.

18. When it is good say it is good. When it is not good. Be careful, share all criticism in LOVE!!

19. If the band wants to go faster, try faster, it its just not working, stop the song and move on to another, if you have time come back to the song, however its usually best to put it away until next time.

20. Finally, identify with your team that there is a difference between worship and just singing a song. Encourage your team to identify the song to their spirit, meditate on it, relate to it. Ask the question what does this song mean to you and sing that. Too many worship bands just regurgitate. Allow God to take it over and make it unique to your team.

Reminder every team is in a different place. You as the worship leader needs to know where your team is. Constantly evaluating. Know what their limits are and never push them over unless you want to be job looking, even then don't. They are looking to you for vision and leadership and you need to give that to them.

Blessings,

Chris Kelley