Imagine your worship team on a retreat. On a missional retreat in Costa Rica.

Steve, my brother-in-law, is a farmer.

What am I taking to heart?

Serving in worship can be grueling.

Do you have a Sound Janitor at your church?

What has been getting me out of bed on these cold, dark winter mornings?

I was leading Sunday morning worship at this church. I greeted the assembled worshipers and… got back a very wimpy response. I felt like I was looking at a room of corpses.

So I had this experience where I realized that I had been lulled to sleep. Maybe you can relate to this, because I had forgotten that God is actually steadfast. He’s actually good. He’s actually all-powerful. He’s actually able to do what He said He would do.

The other night, I was tucking my son into bed and noticed some trash on his bunk bed shelf. It was the remains of an old, burned-up plastic Coke bottle.

Doesn’t this just have a great ring to it? Campfire. Eating together. Relaxed worship. Late-night talks. Teaching tailored to your team. Friendships deepened. A break from your routine. God speaking...

As we approach the end of the year, I encourage you to take a moment between sips of 'nog (stay tuned for a killer recipe) to reflect on the state of your team's relationships.

Do you know which Sunday marks the end of the Church calendar year? (Did you know the church had its own calendar?!)

My pastor was a college professor who had just finished the semester.

What’s your worship team like? And by “worship team,” I mean the musicians and techs together.

Are you like a Worship Family? A Worship Indie Band? A Worship Elevator? Let me describe each one.

Praising by only singing is like golfing with only a putter, baking using only a ¼ cup measuring cup, drawing a rainbow with only a blue crayon, or fixing a car with only a ½” wrench.

The worship leader stands on the stage, right?

In the middle of your day. When you’re too busy to stop. When the pressure of the moment is all you can feel. When your dryness defines you. When you lack in zeal in serving the Lord.

• “I guess we’ll go ahead and get started.”

• “Please rise to your feet.”

• “Good morning…um, good MORNing! ...That’s better.”

I was preparing for a session in the studio and was planning out my microphone selection.

Every leader disciple needs to learn how to work with people.