Wow! This chapter has done a bit of bashing to me! Much of what Kauflin says in this chapter I already have known in my head and have even attempted and practiced at times, but it has made me realize how remiss I have been in my duty as the worship leader to bring direct Scripture and Scripture informed prayer to the music portion of our worship time.One of the things that was a bit of a wake up call to me was when Kauflin was talking about reading Scripture between songs and says, "People should be aware that the words they hear aren't ours, but God's." (p. 95) The first thought that went through my mind after reading this was, "Why have I been depriving people from hearing the very words of God during our worship time?" I know that Jim always teaches out of God's Word and I know that many of our songs are direct reflections of God's Word (I always make an effort to choose songs that are Biblically accurate and true), but shouldn't there be a greater emphasis directly on His Word intermingled with the music portion of our worship? "True worship is always a response to God's Word." (p. 91) When we incorporate Scripture into our singing time it gives us something to respond to (and certainly songs can do this on their own by proclaiming Biblical truths, but sometimes it is good and necessary to include direct Scripture in order to make the connections between God's Word and the words that we are singing).
So to conclude this little confession time of mine I ask that you would help to remind me of our need to keep God's Word included in our worship times. I'm sure I'll keep it in the forefront of my mind for a while, but I know that as the weeks go by I'll have a tendency to forget and get distracted by other things. Also I would encourage each of you to let me know if there is a particular Scripture that has been speaking to you during any given week that you might be willing to share or have me share on a Saturday and Sunday that might help lead us into a song that week.
This is just a small bit of what God used to speak to me in this chapter. How has God moved your heart in this week's reading?
I really liked what he said on page 89 that our churches can't be Spirit-led unless they are Word-led. I think we all need to be reminded to incorporate His Word not only in music, but in our prayers as well. This chapter has reminded me how powerful my worship and prayer life can be if it's led by the power of His Word.
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