eZine 02.03.2009

Episode #22 (1/31/2009) “The Seven Sins of Leading Worship”

In this episode, Jonathan is on location with the popular worship band Dutton. This interview covers everything from funny experiences the band has had on the road, to great teaching on worship leading. This podcast includes the 7 Sins of Leading Worship. Anyone who is responsible for worship should pay attention to these guys. They do it right!

Jonathan: So, sin number one was being spiritually unprepared… definitely a sin. What is Sin number two?

Dutton-Logan: Being visible only on stage. So that would mean that you get up there, you do your thing on the stage, you walk off, you go out to Starbucks, or something, while the sermon is going on. Or you don’t invest any time in the students or the congregation outside of being on the stage. So the remedy to that, of course, is to stay to hear your speaker… Jonathan McKee!

Jonathan: That’s right!

Dutton-Logan: And also… to be at our table… talking to the kids. Or if we are at camp, if there’s a three-on-three tournament, most often three of us join the three-on-three tournament, and see how we can do against those seventh graders. You know what I mean? You know what I’m saying? So, just to be active more than just on the stage, off the stage, to invest in the kids’ lives. Or at our church it’s a very diverse demographic, so that might mean ministering to a senior adult in some way.

Jonathan: Sure. Sure.

Dutton-Shane: Yeah, and early on, we kinda said this thing to ourselves. We go to so many camps a year, we hear speaker after speaker after speaker, and it can get old. And some people will understand that, but a lot of times the director… They wanna see you there with the kids. They wanna see you setting an example…

Dutton-Logan: And for every sermon we’ve heard, how many of those speakers, how many times have they heard the song “Here I Am to Worship?”

Jonathan: Yeah! Oh trust me!

Dutton-Logan: And most of the time, the speakers are in there for the worship time.

Jonathan: We can’t leave; we’re next!

Dutton-Logan: Exactly.

Jonathan: We HAVE TO listen to you!

Dutton-Logan: So why should we leave for the speaker, right?

Jonathan: It’s funny, I always, one of my things I always laugh and I always tell my wife, my wife teases me because, now, it used to be, ten years ago you didn’t always have to necessarily stand the whole worship set, but now it’s just stand, the whole worship set, cause you worship guys want us to stand the whole time. So I’m like, ?Why can’t I sit?’ But no, anyway. I’ll stand the whole time, and I’ll be standing, and I’m like, ?Oh man, I would love to just sit for a little bit,’ because then, as soon as you guys are done, what do you guys do? Ya’ll go sit down, and I get up and stand for half an hour more, or whatever. So, sometimes I’m just like, ?I really wanna sit down but I can’t cause I gotta stand during your worship set!

Dutton-Logan: We give you permission to sit.

Jonathan: Special permission?

Dutton-Logan: Special permission. That’s for Jonathan McKee. If there’s any other speakers out there we’re gonna work with in the future, you must stand. Jonathan McKee, you’re allowed to sit.

Jonathan: Wow, I’m in!

Episode Highlights:

• Find out which one of Jonathan’s kids is in this podcast with him.
• Learn how one of the band members earned the nickname “Pee Pee Boy.”
• Discover how to not “play beyond yourself” while leading worship.
• Hear the band members sing Little Mermaid “a cappella.”
• Listen as the band shares how worship leaders can take various elements of worship and focus them together into one flowing service.

When it comes to music award shows, teenagers have the VMAs on MTV and The Teen Choice Awards on FOX. Adults have always had the more elegant Grammy’s. But lately, it appears as though the line between music for adults and teens is getting blurred.

A Regal History
In spite of a few artists’ criticism, the Grammy’s remain the highest honor in the music biz. It’s the “Academy Awards” of the record industry. And on Sunday, February 8, 2009, the Grammy’s will celebrate their 51st awards show in spectacular style through live performances, an A-List crowd, and the bestowing of the coveted golden gramophones in over 100 different “categories,” spanning 34 “fields.” Some of the fields, like “Spoken Word,” are a bit obscure, but several of them, like “R&B,” “Hip Hop,” and “Pop,” give definition to our crave for music.

The awards show has been televised since 1971, and each year, the network that’s hosted the show has dominated adult TV viewers for that evening. Even though viewership was down a bit in 2008, they still captured the 18-49 year old crowd, their chief demographic.

So, what does a prestigious awards show do to get the ratings back up?

Their secret may be in the artists they nominate for the awards.

And the Nominees Are…
…a lot like those from the MTV Video Music Awards and FOX’s Teen Choice Awards.

For instance, in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category, Katie Perry is nominated for a song. Wanna guess which one? The biggest obstacle standing between Perry and a Grammy is the edgy artist Pink with her hit song “So What,” also nominated in the same category.

Not only have Rihanna and Kid Rock been nominated for an award, but both will also be giving a live performance during the ceremony. De ja vu. (Both of them performed at the 2008 VMAs?)

“4 Minutes,” the joint effort of Madonna and Justin Timberlake, is also up for an award in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category. It’s safe to say that this song and video has a questionable message.

Lil Wayne, everybody’s favorite foul-mouthed, baggy pants ex-con… uh… I mean… rapper, is hoping to grab at least one Grammy, given that he’s received eight nominations for his recent “work.” You can catch a glimpse of Lil Wayne’s worldview in this interview with Katie Couric. (We devoted some time talking about him in a previous Youth Culture Window article a short while ago.)

The front page of our web site offers two great ideas… just pop on our web site www.TheSource4YM.com and scroll down to the Outreach Resource of the Week and the Spiritual Growth Resources of the Week. These weekly updated front page resources always bring you great new ideas at your fingertips.

This week you’ll find our Valentine’s Day Outreach Agenda, with an activity, drama/sketch, small group discussion questions, a Bible Passage and a Wrap Up. You’ll also see our “What I Wish the Opposite Sex Knew About Me,” a discussion opener preceding a talk on dating, purity, or relationships.

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