Dealing with Criticism

Being in the music ministry is such a blessing, isn’t it? I absolutely love it! As with any ministry, it has its ups and downs. But, what a joy to sing for the Lord! I want to talk to you about a subject that is very personal and can be so hurtful…

Getting Along with Sound Techs

It seems that friction easily develops between musicians and sound technicians in the church. Have you noticed that? The minute the sound system shows off, we begin pointing fingers at the poor sound tech. And, if he or she doesn’t own up to the sound problems and immediately fix them…

Chaos and Commitment

It’s Sunday morning and you’re scheduled to sing during the Sunday morning service at your church. You awaken refreshed and spend some time in prayer to ask the Lord to go before you and use you as you sing. You meet your family at the breakfast table. Peace and joy fill your home. Everyone is dressed and ready to go. You enjoy the ride to church, sing praise choruses together, and arrive in time to get a good sound check before the church service begins. You stand to sing feeling God’s presence surrounding you. Does this sound familiar to anyone? If it does, I’d love to know your name! Maybe you can relate more to this…

Uprooted and Planted

Are you ministering in the church you grew up in – or the town you were born in? I’d love to know how many answer “yes” to these questions. In our transit society, I think the numbers are few. For many of us God has called us to another place…

Mountain Climbing in Your Music Ministry

Are you standing at the foot of a mountain in your music ministry? Are you currently facing a huge obstacle in your life that seems impassable? Does the shadow of the mountain have you in the dark and you don’t know what to do? You want to run in the other direction…

Cliff Diving into New Ministry Opportunities

I have a friend who recently went skydiving. It was what she wanted to do for her birthday. I have another friend who went hang-gliding and loved it. I’m not a skydiver and I don’t feel compelled to strap in and jump – basically I don’t care for the idea of free-falling! But the Lord has put me on the edge of the cliff a few times in my journey with Him…

Did That Just Happen?

Have you ever been on stage singing a song when a sound comes out of your mouth that startles you? You’re not sure whether it was a hiccup, your voice just cracked or you may have just burped a little! You continue singing, thinking “maybe no one else heard it but me?” Or as you are singing, you get a terrible tickle in your throat that demands your attention. All you can do is stop…

Clash of Generations

If you’ve been in the music ministry for a while then you are likely now experiencing a mix of generations among the musicians you’re working with. The new musicians coming up in your church are probably much younger than you are. If you’re just stepping into the music ministry then you may be stepping into a ministry with musicians who are much older than you. Working together can lead to a clash of generations. For both the younger inexperienced musicians and the older experienced ones this can be a huge challenge…

Beware of the Performance Trap

Have you ever been on a mountain road and come up on a road sign that reads “Caution – dangerous curve” or “Caution – narrow pass?” You know that to proceed, you must be careful, be fully alert and drive slowly. Well, I want to talk to you about a topic and as we go “down this road”…