We have been going through The Heart of the Artist for three months now. As a group we have learned a great deal about each other, ourselves, and God's purpose for our gifts. Sometimes sharing with each other has been hard, reading the posts have seemed too time consuming, attending church when we are not 'on' a chore, and reading the bible non-existent. Yet, there have been other times where we have felt reborn in our convictions, touched to the core by other's faith, and pushed to become excellent for God's work. Regardless where we are in our walk of faith, one concept remains at the forefront. In order to provide authentic worship, we need to be authentically walking with God.
Noland decides to wrap up the chapter on Excellence vs. Perfectionism by reiterating the absolute necessity of spiritual preparation. He states, "I've discovered over the years how crucial it is for Christian artists to prepare their hearts and minds spiritually before they create or perform" (Noland, 144). While elementary in word form, this is something that is required for excellent worship. Even the apostle Paul spent 14 years developing his spirit before truly taking on the ministry! If Paul needed 14 years, how much more time do we need to provide?
Many of us have not been taking our spiritual preparation seriously and it shows. It is very difficult to lead an authentic worship when we have not taken the time to work on our own walk with God. This means that all of us need to contribute to our growth as a team (read and respond to the blog, book, and/or group discussions) and to ourselves individually.
So, what kind of things can we do to prepare spiritually? Noland gives several suggestions. One of his suggestions is to engage in group reflection and study. Another suggestion he makes is to have a "discussion of the lyrics" of our songs. He explains that we may even want to "pray over the lyrics or pray for the congregation to receive those lyrics with open hearts" (Noland, 145). In this way, we can "own what the song is saying... and communicate the song in the most effective way. If the song doesn't first minister to the one singing it, it won't minister to anyone else" (Noland, 145). In addition, those of us touched by certain songs can share our experiences. Shared insights can develop sincerity. Many songs, when the lyrics are lived out, can have a huge impact on our worship.
All of the points that Noland has made in this chapter can be summed up in the points below:
1. Develop our spirituality as a team
2. Take ownership for our individual spirituality
3. Always strive for excellence in our worship
It is very important that you have accountability for maintaining your spirituality and excellence. This means that you need to take on the knee-knocking task of owning up to your contributions and failures as a leader in worship. For this reflection post answer ALL the questions:
1. What are you doing to develop our team's spirituality in a positive way?
2. What are you doing to develop your own spirituality?
3. What do you do to make sure that you are excelling at your worship craft?
