Ignite Conference

A couple weeks ago, I went to a music conference called "Ignite" and learned so many things about worship there! For those who don't know, I play on the worship team at my church (I do keyboard, shakers, and. . . use to do singing. But then someone told me that I sang off key so. . . they took me off! =P =D) and so going to a conference like this was pretty neat!

They "skyped" with some other worship leaders, including: Travis Cottrell, Bob Kauflin, and Kristian Stanfill. Their main point/question was "how can we have a gospel centered life in order to have a gospel centered worship?" and "how can we glorify God in our worship?".

I wanted to share some of my notes I got from there with you--

From Bob Kauflin:

• Practice so much, you can focus and glorify God on Sunday
• Have a "undistracted excellence"
• Performance- Worrying about what man thinks
• Worship- Worrying about what God thinks

3 Labor Points from Bob K.-

• Labor to understand the gospel. Never assume you know it (because even though you've heard the gospel when you got saved, there's always something new to learn about it).
• Labor to be effected by the gospel
• Labor to live the gospel

From Travis Cottrell:

• We have to have a "happy- to- do- it" attitude because most likely God has called us to do what we do
• How high can we lift God; how low can we go?
• The gospel has to be alive in us (for others to see it and know that what we got is genuine and real)
• Own your "walk" (with Christ)
  

From Kristian Stanfill:

• Our job (on stage) is to disappear and make Jesus appear (I love this one!)
• You have to be a great follower of Jesus in order to be a great leader to the people
• They want to be led by "real" people. (In other words, if you're the one who talks to the people; don't be afraid to tell them you have struggles and Kristian says to actually confess it to them. . .)
  
• Be prepared
• Know who God is or else you can't lead

Here are some other good quotes I heard while I was there--

"Don't let the busyness of worship; take the heart out of worship"- Eva Carr

"Bible: not the suggestion book; it's the direction book"

"Good is the enemy of Great"-Daniel Doss
What he was saying here is if you do worship or anything else in your life that you really aren't paid or obligated to do, and you just say you're "good" at it. . . don't, because there's always room to improve in whatever it is that you do. One of the instruments I play is piano so if someone came and said about themselves, "Oh, I'm good. I've been playing since I was 5 and now I play in a band [or for church or whatever]...I'm good.", that's great! But don't just be good; be great. Work towards excellence in whatever you do. I know that sometimes we just can't (full-time job, school, family, other responsibility's) but also don't let "excuses" get in the way either. Okay, enough of my sermon... =)

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him"- John Piper