Celebrating Creativity in Worship

This post was written by Doug DeWitt

Check out this week's Bible passage: Psalm 150:1-6 

This week's core value is creativity.  Throughout the Psalms, King David very clearly lays out the desire and need for creativity and the arts in the worship experience.

Take a look at the video blog for this week and consider how creativity is and should be woven into everything we do in our worship ministry work.

There are a variety of other Psalms that emphasize creativity in the worship experience. What are some of your favorites?

Have a great week and we'll see you creating great new experiences at ORBC!

Worship & Giving

This post was written by Larry Davis, a pastor at Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Salisbury, MD.

On my way in to the church this morning I was pondering what to blog about. I have always believed that the situations at hand make for the best discussion. I think it is because it makes the discussion more real to life, it also helps me as a Christian to work out my faith, and it also assumes that others are working through similar thoughts and issues which I have found is true most of the time.

 













Since we are in a series involving Financial Fitness, I thought this would make for a great discussion this week in how much giving is a part of Worship. I would hope that everyone would agree that giving is a part of worship. Where we will find ourselves at different places will revolve around how much we think giving is a part or how important of a roll it plays? Does how we organize our finances affect other areas of worship? Should we give based on New Testament or Old Testament concept? What impact does giving have on my ability as a Worship Leader?

This week please ponder that these questions. Pray about them, talk about them with family, and even Google the topics and see what others have shared about these issues. As you ponder I have some scriptures that will help you wrap your heart and mind around the issue. 2 Corinthians 9:7; Genesis 28:22; Matthew 23:23; Malachi 3:6-12. There are many other scriptures that involve this topic, but these are a few to get the discussion started.

What Is My Best "Fit"?

This post was written by Steve Morrow, a pastor at Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Salisbury, MD.

 













When I look around ORBC, I see so many talented and passionate people and the ministries they pour themselves in to every week.  I have to say it is an exciting time and season for our church and it is a joy to take part in what God is doing. 

One thing that I have been thinking over as we came out of our big ministry push this past fall was, what is the best way to discover one’s own shape for ministry and then be able to find their place to best serve?  After all, we are the body of Christ and each part has a specific part in the whole so it should be obvious to just find that fit and see God work through them within that context and their unique shape.  Well, here’s what is apparent and what I see as the challenge: there are some to whom that fit is so clear, but then there are also those who need to take a more  in investigative look to find out where it is they need to serve. 

So, one of the best ways to find out where best to serve is Class 201 where you can find your SHAPE for ministry. But wait…you may ask, “What if I can see myself doing a number of things but I really want to do ‘this’ but I’m just not good enough yet or it’s all I really want to do?"  Singing or playing an instrument on stage every week is an easy example of this scenario, but there are many others.  I believe that looking to Scripture is a good place to start.  It is the best way to discover what your next step could be, while making sure you are in line with where God is working in your heart and within the context of being a member of the church body.

Look at 1 Corinthians 12:12-22: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.  If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.  And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.  The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable (crucial), and the parts that we think are less honorable WE treat with special honor.

It is interesting how scripture gives special honor to those parts that seem to be weaker in verse 22. 

Since we are all walking this path to better know our shape within ORBC I believe there is great wisdom in scripture to be found as you seek out what is the next step for you in serving or if you are still searching for that right "fit".  As we prep for this coming week ask yourself these two questions: “What does the body of Christ look like?” and “What is my best fit as it pertains to God’s definition of the body of Christ?” We will begin to unpack some of the great principles within these verses as a part of our discussion in Thursday’s devotion as a worship ministry.  See everyone Thursday evening!

Jesus' Worship vs. Mine

This post was written by Larry Davis, a pastor at Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Salisbury, MD.

At its most basic level discipleship is being a follower of a person, philosophy, or organization. Based on that definition, we all are a disciples of something or someone. If you are a professing Christian, we are to be a follower of Christ. Based on Romans 8: 28-30 our goal is to be made into His image.

Because I lead a worship arts ministry, I found myself this morning asking the question: What did Jesus’ worship look like? If we are to be His disciple, then I think having an understanding of what His worship looked liked both publicly and privately would better help us to follow after Him and to become more like Him.

The ironic thing is that I cannot find much written on the topic. I admit that I have not done an exhaustive search and that the Cowboys poor performance last night distracted me from giving the topic its needed focus (LOL). But in the cursory glance that I have afforded the topic there are some generalizations that have appeared that I would like to give some consideration to and share with you.

It is apparent to me that the Bible records more about Jesus private worship than His public worship. Over and over again we see Jesus withdrawing for private worship through prayer. I am reading through the Gospel of Luke at the moment in my devotional time and just in that book there are several accounts of His private worship through prayer (Luke 4:42, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:18). What stands out to me is that there is little recorded about Christ’s public worship.

While there may be more, there are two passages that came to mind immediately for me: John 4: 1-26 (the woman at the well) and Mark 14:26 (singing after the last supper). During my devotion with the Worship Ministry this Monday morning we really dug into this idea and I was struck by the comparison between Jesus private and public worship.

There were things about Christ’s private and public worship that were the same. His prayers had the same focus (the mission) and He worshiped for the most part among the people and their typical surroundings. However, there were also differences in His private and public worship. He drew personal strength from His private worship while His public worship tired Him at times. One obvious difference that really caught my attention was that He was more intimate in private than in public.

During the last blog post, I shared that worship at its heart is expressed love to God. With that definition a curious and interesting analogy occurred to me this morning: marriage. Within a marriage there are certain acts of affection that are appropriate in public and others that are not. But at the two extremes of this analogy there are truths to be discovered regarding the integrity of our own worship.

If a person is intimate with their spouse in private but not in public, their spouse will begin to become concerned that their love is not genuine and that they are embarrassed to express their affection. However, there are certain intimacies that are only meant only for our spouse in private. Those more intimate affections add value and a deeper connection to the very personal relationship with our spouse. I think these same principles are transferable to our public and private worship. How many times have you been a situation where you saw an affectionate couple in public and you thought “get a room”! There are also times when you see a husband and wife that you know and they hug, hold hands, or kiss and you think how sweet and endearing their public act of affection is was.

My relationship with Christ drives me to want to be more intimate with Him in private leading me to share a greater portion of who I am in that quite place. Where I allow only Him to know the deepest parts of me and want to know Him more deeply. There is also something to be said for me being genuine in my public worship of Him and showing affection that is appropriate and does not make others feel awkward. I do not want to have a lack of integrity in either my public worship or my private worship. But I must confess that at times I lack one or the other.

Take some time this week to consider if you lack genuineness in either your public or private worship. Allow God to expose your lack of integrity. Then share with those that you lead with how you want to improve your private worship. Consider what is appropriate, but be genuine. Then give consideration as to how being more intimate in private with God will affect your public worship and affection for Him; how your example may affect or encourage those around you to be more genuine and real in their worship?

Feel free to leave your ideas, questions, or comments on this blog or the ORBC Worship facebook so that we all can all grow and learn together!

Real Worship?

 This post was written by Larry Davis, a pastor at Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Salisbury, MD.

What helps someone worship God in a genuine way? Is it tied to form, a place, or a philosophy? Many people are confused about worship and I think it is because those of us that have the opportunity to lead confuse them.

We place our focus many times on the task ahead of us based on our weekend responsibilities and in so doing we focus our folks on the urgent and not the ultimate goal of worshiping our Creator.

No matter where you look in the Bible, worship always involves an offering of something to God that comes from the heart. In the book of Romans Paul gives a very succinct definition. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Rom 12:1 [NIV])

If we are honest with ourselves all of us from time to time are too self-absorbed to surrender our wants, desires, and dreams to God in worship. Our week is full of our agenda, our job, and our hobbies.

Rick Warren, author of "Purpose Driven Life", says that there are three barriers that typically keep us from this kind of worship: trusting God, a lack of self-awareness, and a lack of surrender. At different times as a person and as a leader I have found all three of these barriers to be real in my life and my ministry.

What barriers listed above have been hardest for you? If you are a leader have you shared those barriers with those that you lead? How did you overcome and push through to a place where you offered all of who you are to God as a genuine act of worship (ROM 12:1)?

Consider meditating, memorizing, and talking about the above passage with those you are doing life with this week.