Quote

"A man's portfolio is almost always measured by all the wrong things." —Unknown

Scripture

"My son, if you accept my words
       and store up my commands within you,

 turning your ear to wisdom
       and applying your heart to understanding,

 and if you call out for insight
       and cry aloud for understanding,

 and if you look for it as for silver
       and search for it as for hidden treasure,

 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
       and find the knowledge of God."  —Proverbs 2:1-5

Prayer

Lord, you know me. I say I love you, but I am fascinated with things that draw me away from you. I say I want to treasure you above all things, but I spend my money and time on things that keep me at arms length from your blessings. What's with me? Heal the part of me that doesn't seek you daily, that doesn't utilize the gifts of your love and grace in my life. Make me a worshipper in the real sense—bowed before you in everything—my relationships, my possessions, and my work. Gather me up in your arms and make me fresh today, just as you did in my mother's womb. Oh, and start over with me again tomorrow! Amen 

Leadership

Building a Worship Portfolio

 
Chris Moncus.com

Everybody knows...
you have to save for the future. You have to believe there is a future and that you're going to be living in it! That's why church musicians (and folks who work in churches in general) need to start building their portfolios before it's too late. Church communities rarely make provisions for employee's retirements. Oh, we know, God will provide, but that doesn't mean we're not responsible for planning, disciplining ourselves, and managing our resources.

A Plan for your money (...worship is coming):

1. Find a trusted adviser.

You can't know everything, so don't pretend you do. Find a really strong financial advisor to help you make the decisions that will secure your future. Making money while you sleep is a good strategy for...well...getting more sleep!

2. Pay attention to your money. Visit it often.

You can't just park your money and go sight-seeing. If you're really interested in growth, you should keep your eye on the game. Money appreciates being watched. If you don't watch it, it will sneak away!

3. Diversify your investments.

There's nothing better than knowing that if one area of money growth takes a nose-dive, there are others that will continue to help your portfolio stay strong and viable. Dividing up your resources into a variety of financial instruments helps orchestrate the viability of your future.

4. Set goals that are realistic.

Knowing what you will need when your financial picture changes—and it will—is the best way to figure out what to do today! Set goals for your investments that take advantage of compound interest.

Here’s what the Motley Fool website adviser has to say:

"Say you start with a thousand dollars, but instead of your money earning 5 percent per year, it earns 15 percent. That's only 10 percent different, so after 25 years we figure that would only be about 10 percent more than $3,481.29 -- around $3,800, right? (Ha! Trick question!) The money will grow to $41,544.12. And if you hang on another 10 years, your money has grown to $184,464.75. Because the total amount of your money grows each year, the amount that is added on each year grows right along with it."

Compounding your interest means you don't have to personally work for every penny you ever put in your financial pocket. Yes, your future is in YOUR hands!
 
A plan for your "worship portfolio":

1. Go to a trusted advisor to figure out the value of your worship investment. The Bible continues to be the best resource for understanding how you you should strategize you worship portfolio.

The Bible teaches us that God alone is to be worshipped (Matthew 4:10)

"Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" It's not like we have a choice as Christians to worship something or someone else. God is the choice and the only choice. That's why Jesus came, to point us back in the right direction when we are "prone to wander."

Essentially all of life is to be an act of worship (Psalm 96:9, 99:5; Revelation 14:7, 15:4).

Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.

Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain,
for the LORD our God is holy.

He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

Who will not fear you, O Lord,
      and bring glory to your name?
   For you alone are holy.
   All nations will come
      and worship before you,
   for your righteous acts have been revealed."

We are to come before our God, bow down and worship Him. We are to sing for joy and shout aloud His salvation. We are to extol Him with music, song and life (Psalm 95:1-7).

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
       let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving
       and extol him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God,
       the great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth,
       and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it,
       and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship,
       let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

for he is our God
       and we are the people of his pasture,
       the flock under his care.

In addition to Scripture, we need to surround ourselves with people who help our understanding of God and our mandate to worship Him in truth. It's not always a clergyman who offers the best advice. Sometimes it's a trusted friend or a stranger through whom God offers us His best advice. Our responsibility is to be tuned in to the messages that God wants to send us.

Bonus Quote: It is the responsibility of every Christian to carve out a soul-satisfying life under the loving rule of God so that sin will not look good." —Dallas Willard. 

2. Pay attention to your worship practices—don't take worship for granted!

If you've been worshipping all your life, you may be in trouble. Parts of what you do have become automatic and passive. No, it's true, familiarity does, in fact, breed worship apathy.

Savor worship activities that stimulate your senses and engage your heart and mind. If there is a worship "exercise" that has lost it's meaning—stop doing it for awhile. Worship should be a lot of things, but never boring.

3. Diversify your worship portfolio.

There are a lot of ways to worship, but only a couple of those ways occur in church! Our lives, from morning until evening provide thousands of ways to praise, petition, and present ourselves to God in dialogue. How great is that? You can mix confession with brushing your teeth, thanksgiving with making and eating breakfast, petition with planning your day, and so it goes—every beat of your heart is another opportunity to be with God!

4. Set worship goals that are realistic.

When I was in college I often beat myself up when failing to meet the minimum requirements of my Inter-Varsity© Quiet Times. No kidding, by the time I got over my guilt for one day's worth of failure, I had already missed 2 more days. If worship is supposed to be a dialogue with God, then talk with Him first chance you get! Make the goal the dialogue, not the ritual!

Conclusions drawn...

Wouldn't it be nice if we had been born with an involuntary, fast-acting, knee-jerk need to just give God his due? Some would argue that that is exactly how God created us! I agree, we will worship something! God intended that it be Him, but we have to actually do it! Build a portfolio of worship that sustains you on the days when you find it difficult to worship, let alone brush your teeth!

"...and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

A very personal note:

Two and a half years ago we lost our oldest daughter, Julie, to Ovarian Cancer just two days short of her 36th birthday. As you might imagine, it was a painful and growing time for our family. To lose someone so precious, whose life was defined by her service to God and her two beautiful children and wonderful husband was unthinkable.

One of the things we discovered in that difficult time was that our "worship portfolio" sustained us beyond anything we could have imagined. The "practice" of worship became the reality of God's grace and love working in us to sustain us when other assets failed to do so. We rested on that portfolio while we healed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Doug Lawrence

© 2008 Creator Magazine All Rights Reserved

Take a look...
My son, Steven, recorded a fabulous CD dedicated to his sister featuring some of the best jazz artists in Los Angeles. This is a wonderful product for pre-roll worship music in your church, or just to enjoy! A portion of the proceeds goes to cancer support groups. Go to his website and listen to some of your favorite hymns, praise songs, and a couple of unexpected surprises!

http://www.4julesrecords.com/

 

 

Doug has been a consultant to church leaders for 35 years and is anxious to be helpful to you in leadership, musical, and staffing considerations. Please click on his name above and email him. He's available to consult on the phone as well.

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