There's a specific feeling I've had more times than I can count.The service is over. The benediction is said — quickly, warmly, the way you say goodbye to a room full of people you love. And then the room clears. Not slowly. Fast. Conversations ignite in the aisles, people check...
For years, I picked the opening song the same way.I'd think about the congregation walking in — some still half-asleep, some carrying whatever the week had left on them — and I'd ask myself: what's going to get everyone in the same place, energetically speaking? Something accessible with a strong...
I have been a worship leader for more than twenty years. And I still find it strange that the role has a name.Not that the name is wrong. It describes something real — the person at the front of the gathered congregation, choosing the songs, holding the microphone. But when...
I grew up in a tradition that was deeply uncomfortable with the body.Not in a Victorian way, exactly. Nobody was telling us bodies were shameful. It was more — quieter than that. The assumption was simply that real worship happened from the neck up. You engaged your mind. You controlled...
Asher Cole
1. Is Bach’s music simply classical music?When we think of Johann Sebastian Bach today, we usually think of classical music at its highest level. We think of complex fugues, beautiful chorales, careful counterpoint, and musical structures that feel almost impossibly perfect.This is why Bach is often called the father of...
Asher Cole
1. When Did the Worship We Know Today Begin?If we think about the way we worship today, a certain image comes to mind. A band stands at the front, with guitars, drums, and keyboards blending together. The congregation sings along as they follow the lyrics, and the music gradually builds,...
Asher Cole
1. When One Instrument Quietly Changed EverythingThere was a time when the sound of worship was clearly defined. The organ filled the room, and the choir carried the melody. Worship followed a structured order, steady and familiar. For many, that was simply what worship was.Then, something unexpected began to appear.Not...
Asher Cole
1. The unexpected direction created by one songA pastor once said during his sermon that if he had the authority to get rid of all the beer in the world, he would pour it all into the river. Then he added that he would do the same with all the...
Asher Cole
1. Why Did We Love This Worship?When we think back to the first time we encountered the worship of Hillsong Church, many of us share a similar memory. The melodies felt unfamiliar at first, yet quickly became easy to follow. The lyrics were simple, but the more they were repeated,...
Asher Cole
1. At some point, we began to watch worshipToday, we step into worship and naturally follow along. We listen to the music, look at the screen, and move with the flow. High quality sound, thoughtful lighting, and well prepared musicians have become a familiar part of many churches. At times,...
His name was Daniel, and he had been singing that lyric for eleven years.He was a guitarist on our worship team — steady, faithful, the kind of player who shows up early and stays late without being asked. At some point during a rehearsal, I asked the team a question...
Asher Cole
A Nameless Song, Yet a Clear ConfessionToday, we sing naturally in worship. Familiar melodies flow from our lips, sometimes even without deep reflection. Among these is Were You There, a hymn that stands apart from many others. Unlike most hymns, its author and composer are unknown. It did not begin...
Asher Cole
1. A Time When We Could Not SingToday, we naturally sing together in worship. We close our eyes, sometimes raise our hands, and lift our voices to God. This has become so familiar that we rarely stop to question it. Yet this was not always the case. Before the Reformation,...
Asher Cole
1. Grace That Changed a LifeWe sing “Amazing Grace” so often that it can start to feel familiar, almost too familiar. But this hymn is far more than just a beautiful melody. It is the story of a life completely turned around, a testimony of grace experienced in a deeply...
I have led the same song probably three hundred times.I'm not exaggerating. There's a song we used at the church I served for almost a decade — a simple one, not particularly clever, nothing that would win a songwriting award. We sang it in the opening set. We sang it...
Worship That Makes Sense | Part 1 of 5Someone asked me once, after a Sunday service: "Was that worship?"She wasn't confused about the sermon. She wasn't questioning the pastor. What she was trying to name was something simpler — and harder to put into words. The singing had felt like...
Lisa Wesley As we celebrate Passover and the Resurrection of Jesus, let’s look at how these two are intimately linked; a portrait of what has already been fulfilled and a prophetic picture of what is yet to come.PESACH literally means to “pass over” and is a celebration of freedom and liberation from...
Lisa Wesley I am the Lord, the God of ALL mankind. Is there anything too hard for Me? Jer 32:27What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the FIRST of the signs through which He revealed HIS GLORY; and His disciples believed in Him. John 2:11Jesus replied "What is impossible with...
Carol McLeod
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom should I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom should I dread?” – Psalm 27:1Please Pray:Father, I thank You that You are a God I can trust. I know that You are working all things together for good...
A key difference between Jewish and Christian worship lies in fellowship. Orthodox Jews: • Meet to worship three times a day • Visit synagogues anytime to find people studying scriptures together • Begin each day with communal worship and scripture study at sunrise • Gather again for worship and community...