Sitting in my office recently, a flash of light caught my eye and my computer speakers snapped. Immediately a huge clap of thunder rattled our entire church building. Lights went out, CPUs whined to a silence and computer screens went blank. Then came the unmistakable groans of disappointment from various offices. A transformer had been struck by lightning and took out one phase of our power. Some of our ministry aids were temporarily rendered useless—part of our sound system, air conditioning, bathroom lights and sewerage. We were forced to cancel Wednesday night service. The phones were out so we began spreading the news by cell phones. Our Senior Pastor used Facebook to tell as many as possible. However, to his amazement , some of his ministerial friends took advantage of the posting —concerned that First Assembly of God of Greater Lansing cancelled services because of…. you guessed it, lack of power? Many enjoyed the banter. I remember thinking, if only awareness for spiritual lack of power were so obvious. I wish we could hear a clap of thunder every time we were (in our leadership) ahead or lagging behind the Lord. One thing is certain. We’re very aware that running a good ministry race demands preparation and pacing. There are times when a patient steady course and energy conservation is exactly what the church needs. Then there are times when the Lord tells us to “Pick it up”. The Great Administrator brings awareness to every Senior Pastor. And as worship leaders we assist by bringing encouragement through worship as the church travels through those various stages of the journey. There’s a tool in the back of most hymnals that has worked for many years. In addition to the General Index, there is a Topical Index. By using this index you can see if your worship selections favor one part of the journey over others. Do you have a worship song with a theme of patience? Use an A/G hymnal, take the Topical Index headings and place your worship songs under one or more of the appropriate headings. These include: assurance, atonement, blood, Calvary, comfort, etc. If your repertoire falls under many different themes… great. If not, the next time you learn a new song, choose one that will fill in a thematic blank. Rarely do I create a worship list with only one theme. It isn’t expected. For me, the Topical Index is used mostly for altar music. However, the broader your theme selection, the greater chance worship will encourage more people and provide an opportunity to assist the church thematically as well if needed.
God is good,
Tim Covert
Tags: Christian Music, Devotional, Worship
