Michael Foley

Leading Worship at Grace Church: Part II

OK... the first time that I lead worship at Grace Church I was very nervous. I showed up to practice on that Thursday and, well, lets just say that it didn't go very well. Actually is was a train wreck. But, the team got together on that Sunday morning and the practice went well and we got through the worship service without any glaring errors. (Except for the fact that Gina baled me out when I forgot to sing the last Chorus of a song.... yes, I still remember that. Thanks for saving me on that  one Gina.... I appreciate it!)

Fast forward to this week. I walked into Thursdays practice with the expectation that it would not go well but, actually is went smoothly. But, what happens, on Sunday we start to go though "Here Is Our King" and the wheels fall off.. ... well at least a wheel fell off. You know how your in the car singing a song only to find out later that you were singing it wrong. Well, that happened Sunday morning. Every time we tried to sing the pre-chorus, I kept messing it up. Can I tell you that it's frustrating/scary when that happens 1 hour before the service starts.  But, we got it worked out (two counts in the first pre-chorus, 1 count on the second) and worship went well.

It's really interesting to see what happens during worship when there are hiccups during the week. Those are the times when you really feel God's Spirit move. I pretty sure this happens because we come before God and tell Him.."We can't do this with our ability alone. We need you this morning and  we worship you." This is my personal prayer when I lead worship. At the end of the day, I really feel that I'm the least talented person on the stage but somehow God uses my talent for His glory. I've always found that God is there when we need him.... even if it's getting though the pre-chorus.

Quick shout out to Ben. Thanks for the opportunity. You totally blew me away yesterday. I loved the fact that the incense represented prayer to God and continual prayer at that. I'm going strait to the store and buy me some of that Fabreeze you talked about. :-)

Check out the set:

Awesome Is The Lord Most High, Chris Tomlin

Here Is Our King, David Crowder

How Great Is Our God, Chris Tomlin

King Of Glory: Chris Tomlin

Face Down: Matt Redman

PS... Thanks to everyone on the worship team. You guys are so talented but at the same time you love God and WANT to honor him with your talents. I think that's awesome. Grace is very lucky to have you all!

My First Time Leading As A Gracer

urYou know, it never fails that when you get excited about what God is doing in your life, Satan throws a wrench in the works and tries to derail everything. This week was no exception for me. Ben, the lead Worship Pastor at Grace Church (and a super cool guy), asked me to lead this past weekend. I had received the invitation about two months ago and was excited about the opportunity ever since. After much anticipation, the week finally arrives and what happens? Satan sees what's going on and does everything in his power to prevent it from happening. The funny thing is, the God I serve is so much more powerful than Satan and God gives me what I need, when I need it. That's just one of the the many reasons that I love to worship God; He's always there, He always cares, and He never leave us nor forsake us.

This week was crazy to say the least. I had an absolute horrible week at work. It seemed that all the wheels were falling off and there was not much I could do about it.  Then, on Thursday, I arrived to practice with the team for Sunday. This was the first time mind you that I was able to play with the team, the first time that I have ever worn an in ear monitor, and it was the first time that I walked off the stage after practice and wondered if I had made a mistake in volunteering to lead worship.  To put it mildly...... it was just one of those weeks. (If it weren't too embarrassing...a good cry would have came in handy...lol)

But you know, in my life, those are the times that God truly shows up. Those are the times that I throw up my hands and tell God that I have nothing left in the tank, your in control, and I'm giving you my best. It seems that when I go through difficult times like these that I rely on a scripture like Colossians 3:23-24 where it tells us to do everything unto the Lord and our reward is our inheritance. If you love Christ, if you know and believe in him, those are powerful words. What it mean to me is easy.... When I feel I have nothing left to offer Him, when I feel that I've failed, when I feel that I'm not adequate for the task....I refocus my attention on the one thing that gives me strength during those times... and that is God. And believe it or not, it's true, he give you strength because, after all, all He wants is the praises of His people. So that's what I did this past weekend.

I must say that the team was wonderful to me. Especially being the new guy, they embraced me and made me feel welcome. It's very overwhelming playing with the team. On a scale of 1-10, I'd say all of them are a 10 and I feel like I'm about a 6. I received a couple of encouraging messages after the practice, which meant the world to me. Again, God working through people to give us what we need, when we need it. As for Sunday, all I can say is that God does what God does. I felt like I offered the best I could to him. I felt like the team offered their best. And when we offer our best....it a beautiful thing.

I'd just like to say thanks to the team. You guys are so talented. I find it amazing how gracious you all were to me. I appreciate it and I thank you for that.

New Trends In Music

I thought that this was an interesting abstract with discussions taking place around modern worship and it's appropriateness. Needless to say...this chatter has been around a while. I can't imagine worshiping God without Tomlin, Redman, Baloche, or Watts for that matter.

Below is an extract from an American Newspaper objecting to new trends in church music.

“There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous. The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Because there are so many new songs, you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it. It’s a money making scam and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.”

Who were they attacking? It wasn't Delirious? or Matt Redman. They were attacking the hymn writer Isaac Watts, famous for writing ‘When I survey,’ in 1723! The old hymns once upon a time were radical and cutting edge. Our music and our songs must also always be pushing new ground. Let's go for it.

A Few Thoughts On Worship.....

This morning, as I was walking the streets of downtown San Francisco, I listened to many of my worship favorites on the Ipod. God and I had our moments together and I worshiped him as I gazed at the marvel that is downtown San Francisco. As I was looking at those buildings, the thought came to me; the way that each of us worship God is as different as the architecture of these buildings. Some of the building in China Town are very different that the Upscale shopping structures built right beside it. The beautiful aspect of the observation is that God honors our praises no matter what it looks like. As long as we glorify Him, He honors it.So honor God in YOUR own way and sing to an audience of one. It's a wonderful feeling to know that Gods Spirit is with you even as you walk downtown.

Another thought that came to me is that some songs are meant to be sang in quiet reverence to God; like "This Is Our God". Other songs are anthems of praise; like "Let God Arise". These are meant to  be loud and sang with boldness. But this is MY interpretation. There's a lot of controversy as to how we worship and much of that controversy stems from the interpretation on how we are to sing a song. But the fact remains that God honors those who honor Him. With this in mind, don't look at the folks leading you in worship this week, focus on the words that you are singing, visualize those words, and finally raise your voices to Him and honor Him. He's worthy of all our praise, no matter how it's played.

Check out this article written by Paul Baloche, he is one of my favorite song writers and really hits home the point of how songs are written and what it mean to honor God.