Worship Bio - Pastor Ken

What is worship? It is ascribing to God all of the honor, praise, love and thanksgiving that is due him. It is acknowledging who he is, who I am, and how much I need him. It is living my life in obedience to his commands, spending daily time with him in his Word, prayer, meditation, and serving him. It is singing, shouting, lifting my hands, standing to my feet, kneeling, and lying prostrate before him. It is being silent and reverent in awe of him. It is all about my motives more than my methods. It is about my heart, head and soul given to glorify Jesus. It is a lifestyle.

How do you prepare for worship? I prepare for public worship by keeping current daily with my relationship with God. My goal is to spend enough time with Christ in my daily life as to make it a notable feature in my life. Before public worship on Sunday mornings, I try to make sure I have had enough rest so I am not too tired to worship well. I try to rise early enough to spend time in private worship in the morning. I lay out my clothes and prepare on Saturday so I won't be frantic on Sunday.

Why do you feel you are part of a worship team? In my case, it is partly because of my gifting and skill set and, frankly, partly because of my title. Hopefully it is also because in my leading others in worship, I inspire the right motives and mindset for them to enter into real praise and worship.

When did you start loving worship? From the first moment I recieved God's gift of salvation. There, at that altar, I lifted up worship for the first time in my life. I was ten years old.
What is your favorite worship song? Currently it is either "Famous One" or "He Knows My Name".

What is your favorite worship album? Brooklyn Tabernacle's Live We Come Rejoicing album

If you could tell the congregation something about worship what would it be? No matter what we are going through; good or bad, no matter what our day has been like, no matter how we feel emotionally or physically, God is good and he is worthy of our best efforts to praise and worship him. Having said that, our worship is not meaningful at all, to us ot to God, if we are deliberately ignoring him and/or sinning against him throughout the week.

Worship Bio: Lori

Worship is pouring ourselves out before our God. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us, speak and meet us. It is our opportunity to make our feelings known, outwardly to Jesus. Worship occurs not just in Sunday service, but each day as we live and work. Sunday is the time we as a corporate body get to do it together. You know it does not matter if you have a great voice, what matters is your heart. I believe God hears our worship as beautiful when our heart is right before him. It does not depend on the sound of our voice or the playing of our instruments.

As a worship leader, I am immersed in Christian music at all times. It is so important to have the flow of new and old music in your mind. Much prayer and quiet time go into the worship lists and then laying our team before the Lord to ask for his direction in all we do. Our goal is a pleasing sacrifice before the Lord. Personally, I try to find that special place each day to let the Lord speak. As you can imagine 2 small boys, Sam at 3½ and Jack, 2 can pose a problem for quiet time but, John is so helpful and allows me the time to do what I need to in order to lead.

My passion is praise and worship. I love the fact the God has allowed me, at such a time as this, to be apart of the team. I pray week after week that God would keep me in His will and presence and allow me to hear his voice. The team will tell you that I am the “Timex” and try to keep us on track, but there is plenty of time for fun, only if I schedule it in.J

My love of Worship started when I was a teen. I have always been a singer, but when I was filled with the Holy Spirit in Jr. High, church music took on a whole new meaning. I was attending Morning Star Fellowship In Bechtelsville Pennsylvania and learned the most about Worship from Rob Sterns, who is now an international speaker, worship leader and founder of Eagle’s Wings Ministries based in New York. I also had an incredible voice teacher in Marjorie Pierce, who still resides in Pennsylvania.

As a teen I found that I could hear God during praise and worship. He would actually speak to me and I was helped through so many of those adolescent experiences because I had a relationship with HIM. It remains my outlet and passion now that I am a thirty something.

It is so hard to pick a favorite! Right now my favorite worship song is the “Revelation Song ,” which is off of the current worship CD, “Living For You” from Gateway Worship. The best ever album is an old work from Petra called The Rock Cries Out. I think I wore this tape out as a teen.

Worship is an action. It is our duty, but also our privilege. There is freedom and hope in our worship to the Lord. It is not just about coming to sing a song, but pouring out the condition of our hearts. The best time to praise is when you don’t feel like it. At that moment God can move in a minister to you. Oh that you would just try it and see that He is faithful to his promises and longs to have a way to show you. The sweetest communion with the Lord can occur when you are quiet while music is playing and eyes are closed and He can speak into your silence. Allow the Holy One to lead you and you will know the greatest joy and comfort in his presence.

Taste and see that He is good.

Lori, servant

Worship Bio: Hope

Name: Hope

What is worship? Worship is, in its simplest form, praising God. Done in many ways - it can be in singing, in dancing, and in prayer - it's any venue by which we can show God how much we love adore and honor Him.

How do you prepare for worship? Worship starts in the heart. As your heart fills with love for Him, worship becomes almost an automatic thing.

Why do you feel you are part of the Worship team? I am just one small voice in a crowd of many - but if I can lift my voice with others in a Choir and even one person can see Gods love through me - thats what makes me a part of the praise team.

When did you start a love for worship? When I was very young. I can remember singing at an old country church down the road from us when I was like five or so. My grandfather would play the organ and I would sing all these old hymns.

What is your favorite worship song? hmmm .................. Come Holy Spirit or Fairest Lord Jesus

What is your favorite worship album? anything by Point of Grace

If you could tell the congregation something about worship, what would it be? Well - as I said above, it's something you have to feel in your heart - the more you worship the more you want to worship. It doesnt matter if you are blessed with a great or a not so great voice, a talent for dancing or with an instrument - God is going to love it no matter what because you are HIS child forever - and as all of us parents know - there is nothing like having your children sing to please you. Gods heart overflows with every note, every prayer of thanks, and every joyful step we take in honor of Him.

Loving God Back

Now worship has everything to do with love. Worship, you may remember we defined at the start of Forty Days of Purpose last winter, is Loving God back.

· I Must Worship with Extravagance

· I Worship in View of the Cross

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He… did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” –Romans 8:31-32

Friends, we don’t know for certain who this woman is… we have indicators that it is Mary, the sister of Lazarus, but whoever she is, she is overwhelmed with who Jesus is and what He has done for her, and her natural response is to give her all back.

Can I ask you a gut level honest question today? How do you respond right now to the understanding of how good God has been to you?

Do you hold back? Are you embarrassed?

The Heart of God

No worship- no life

No service- no impact

If you worship the Lord and learn more about him, but never serve, then you do not know the heart of God and you miss out on impact in our world

Loving God

People are designed by our Creator for worship. To draw near to God, you must worship God. It is a vital way to express our love for God. That worship includes worshipping with others. Worship and fellowship with God's family will strengthen your relationship with him.