Integrity Worship is a huge worship music label with bands like Hillsong United, Lincoln Brewster, Paul Baloche and Kathryn Scott and Integrity is doing a Workshop at Calvary Church on April 5, 2008 from 8:30-3:30. Check out the info here. It’s called Build a Better Worship Team. It’s more about team building than music in some ways, but that’s probably one of the harder parts about worship leading.

The first set was Undignified and Oh Praise Him (Crowder). The kids just got back from camp and so they were pretty into it. They had fun with Undignified and then really started going.

Then after the message by Matt Doan about not letting their camp experience fade like the rush from an energy drink (which was great but filled with a lot of obvious “I didn’t really prepare” moments like asking everyone for one thing about camp that changed them, breaking into small huddle groups, and talking about the summer theme in general terms – sorry bro, I had to call you out) we played two more songs. But the bass player was leading worship in our Elevation service the next hour and had to leave. So it was just me and Peter playing drums for Enough which was good.

Then we started to play From The Inside Out (United) and one of the students comes up on stage and just starts playing the bass – perfectly with no charts or anything. It was awesome. Then we are singing the song and I hear the kids really singing out and the words were really speaking to my heart and I suddenly and surprisingly become overwhelmed with the Spirit of God and feel tears coming and my throat tighten up. I couldn’t sing and the kids just kept it going.

This was one of my most awesome worship moments ever and it was so unplanned and beautiful.

Great songs. I wished they played Salvation is Here, Point of Difference, and Lead Me to the Cross. Oh Well! I got pumped to play a bunch of United songs in Jr High on June 6.

The weird part of the night was when the pastor, Phil Dooley, came out to preach for a while. I felt like I was in the movie “Saved.” It was a very hyper-emotional cheer-for-Jesus feel. Then he did a “raise your hand” altar call and counted down 1-2-3 and about 90% of the room raised their hands and prayed out loud. Yeah, I’m sure all of these people at a worship concert were accepting Christ for the first time. I felt like these people would have drank the Jim Jones Kool-Aid if the band or the pastor asked them too. It was a bit sad to me.

The actual music and the worship part was awesome though. I loved it!

I believe in energetic worship songs for Jr High. I don’t think that the only form of true worship is mellow and reflective. I believe that there is a place in real worship for songs like “Take it All” even if it rocks out. God isn’t boring. I recognize that worship isn’t about a rock concert either. So it’s a careful balance.

Tonight the set list includes:
Set 1
What the World Will Never Take – Hillsong United
Take it All – Hillsong United
Here is Our King – Crowder
Set 2
Wonderful Maker – Redman/Tomlin
#5/Holy Fear/Please – Something Like Silas (the song with many names)
Majesty – Delirious
How Great is Our God – Tomlin

I’m looking forward to it after we finally solidified our drummer last night at about 7:00pm. We are seriously short on drummers right now.

C Joe Mauer
1B David Ortiz
2B Julio Lugo
P3B Garrett Atkins
SS Miguel Tejada
OF Alfonso Soriano
OF Bobby Abreu
OF Adam Dunn
Util Barry Bonds
BN Richie Sexson
SP Jake Peavy
SP Ben Sheets
RP J.J. Putz
RP Bobby Jenks
P Eric Gagne
P Justin Verlander
P Jason Schmidt
BN Scot Shields
BN Jason Isringhausen
BN Joel Zumaya
BN Chien-Ming Wang

Now here is my Sporting News team from the main league with friends. It has 12 teams and it was a 26 round draft so there were a lot more players to choose.

P Millwood, Kevin (TEX)
P Zumaya, Joel (DET)
P Rivera, Mariano (NYA)
P Gagne, Eric (TEX)
P Moseley, Dustin (LAA)
P Escobar, Kelvim (LAA)
P Jones, Todd (DET)
P Harang, Aaron (CIN)
P Billingsley, Chad (LA)
C Hernandez, Ramon (BAL)
1B Sexson, Richie (SEA)
2B Utley, Chase (PHI)
3B Ramirez, Aramis (CHN)
SS Jeter, Derek (NYA)
OF Kearns, Austin (WAS)
OF Markakis, Nick (BAL)
OF Cameron, Mike (SD)
OF Figgins, Chone (LAA)
OF Matsui, Hideki (NYA)
Util Jackson, Conor (ARI)
Util Blalock, Hank (TEX)
Bn Weaver, Jered (LAA)
Bn Coffey, Todd (CIN)
Bn Lofton, Kenny (TEX)
Bn Edmonds, Jim (STL)
Bn Lowell, Mike (BOS)

So you can see that the top team would dominate the bottom one, but the one I really care about is the bottom one. Opening Day is this Sunday. Any thoughts from other baseball freaks?

P.S. I’m feeling mostly better. A little weak, but I’m going to work today. I’m leading worship tonight for College group. Hopefully I will feel strong still at 7:30pm.

I was listening to Mike Erre’s Preach It series that he gave me. It’s 10 hours of talking about preaching and teaching God’s Word. Awesome stuff. I’m really growing from it and feeling challenged to 1)do something like it with people at Calvary 2)continue to hone my teaching with some of the principles from it.

Now I’m going to relax and shower for another hour and a half and then go pick up Gracie.

Peace.

Then a great message by Josh Simpson beginning a sexual purity series on how only the agape love of God can fill the void in our lives that we try to fill with relationships with guys/girls.

4. You are My King (Amazing Love)
5. From the Inside Out – United
6. Marvelous Light – Charlie Hall
7. What the World Will Never Take – United

The people in the band were really good and the kids were totally into it. I love nights like that. High energy and high response from the students and having fun playing the songs at the same time. During the first set I was dressed up like Yosemite Sam with this HUGE cowboy hat and ridiculous long moustache made out of red yarn. It was a Cartoon theme night. I had to take it off for the second set because I couldn’t even take myself seriously.