ROCKHARBOR Worship

Southlands, The Garden, and Rockharbor worship leaders sharing with our Academy students today. =]

Exodus 15 The first worship song was sung by the Israelites as chariots and soldiers were swallowed behind them. In view of God’s glorious power and mercy, they burst into a song that boasted in His majesty and strength. With heaving lungs, furiously beating hearts, and sweat on their brow from making their way across the red sea as their pursuers were on their heels, they sang praises to the one who protected them and made a way for them.... This was a celebration like none before. God had decimated the Egyptian army. The Lord made a mockery of the power of Pharaoh. The people cheered and danced for the Lord God was on their side and saved them. Now, we stand on the other side of the story. Thousands of years later, worship songs are now sung by the prisoners who are set free by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In view of God’s glorious power and mercy, we burst into songs that boast in His majesty and strength. With heaving lungs, furiously beating hearts, and water on our brow as we rise from the waters of baptism, leaving the old life behind and walking into new, glorious life, we sing praises to the one who rescues us and makes a way for us! This is a celebration like never before! God has decimated sin! The Lord has made a mockery of the power of death! We cheer and we dance for the Lord God is on our side and saves us! This is what we are celebrating at Easter. This is what we celebrate every week as we gather with the believers. This is what we celebrate every moment of every day as we follow after Jesus. Can we worship and celebrate this way? In the light of god’s mercy and goodness? When people see us worship, do they see a people who have been raised from death to life rejoicing in the one who has saved them? Resurrection people, this Easter, this weekend, today, let’s worship our God in light of his mercy and goodness and shine for the world to see!

We want to share a song that we wrote out of our Colossians series! We hope it can remind you of the truths of who we are and who our God is. =] https://soundcloud.com/kfox-3/in-christ

Our Academy students are learning their way around a soundboard this afternoon with our amazing Production Director, Alex Magaro =]

One of our jobs as worship leaders is to pastor our people into worship. We need to gather our people together and take them with us into worship. We need to remind them of why our God is worthy of our worship. We need to remind them that our songs push back darkness and change the world around us. We need to remind them that our songs not only bless God but help us to bless and encourage each other. ... We need to remind them that in worship, as we broadcast the goodness of God, people can be saved. We need to remind them that our songs are training grounds for the times of darkness. We need to remind them that our worship is us warring and fighting back against despair and suffering. As worshippers, so often we forget what worship really means. So often we distracted. So often there are a million things darting around in our heads as we enter into the gathering of believers. We need reminding. I wish I could always remember what worship means when I gather with my brothers and sisters. I wish I could always remember what worship means when I leave the walls of our church building. This is why we, as worshippers, need to fight to remember. This is why, we as worship leaders, need to equip and remind our people how to fight to remember. This is why the call to worship is important. It’s not to warm people up for singing songs. It’s to call the people of God to remember. It’s to equip the saints for battle. It’s to encourage the believers and help them to fight then and there and in the week to come. It’s to gather the people of God to go somewhere together. This is why we call our people to worship.

Alan Frow sharing with our Academy students today on leading worship and pastoring the believers. =]

This past week, our Academy students had a vocal workshop. It's so important to learn how to warm up and practice singing healthily! They might look a little silly but they're learning some pretty fundamental exercises to help them sing from their diaphragms for strong and clear vocals. =]

Cancer. There are not many words that can churn the stomach the way that one does. I watched my mother fight breast cancer for years. The woman whose eternal youth seemed to illuminate her entire face, almost ashamedly looked at me with glassy, fearful eyes. My father helped shave what was left of her once-flowing raven-black hair as she sat wilting in a robe that was now far too big for her. She once was a legendary green thumb, but my mom clasped my arm in the drooping gard...Continue reading

The Worship Academy students spent some time in a keyboard workshop today with one of our keys players on the team, Amanda Johnson. As a worship leader, whether or not you will lead on keys, it’s always great to know the basics to be able to let your team know what you’re looking for and give them direction. Not only that, being able to play keys opens up different phrasing and melodies for songwriting that we normally wouldn’t be able to hear when just playing on guitar and vice versa!

Three years ago I was given the opportunity to serve as a worship pastor in a church in Waterford, Ireland. Three beautiful, incredibly life changing months serving in Waterford went by before my application for a missionary status visa was denied. I was to vacate the country and return to Costa Mesa, CA. This reality shattered me. I was certain of the call God had placed on my life to pastor people, and I was certain of the call to serve in Ireland. I was asking myself after...Continue reading

We love being able to share stories about how God has been moving in the lives of our worship team! We believe that we don't just lead worship from on stage but off the stage as well. We get to model what it looks like to follow and stumble and depend on Jesus in our own lives. Here is how God is moving in one of our amazing drummers' lives. This past year has been an incredible journey with God. As my wife and I discussed our future, we prayed and asked God how he wants to u...Continue reading

Hey guys, we're excited to have a special event on January 30 called Loveology as we explore the theology of sex, love and God. Come out and invite friends. We're expectant that God will show up in powerful ways! http://www.rockharbor.org/events/loveology/

The third part of our vision statement is to INVEST in the church and her worshippers. The passion for this piece of our calling as worshippers comes from a passage in Colossians that reads, "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,... giving thanks to God the Father through him." This passage says that one of the ways that we teach and admonish one another is THROUGH psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. We recognize that there is a lot going on when we engage in a time of worship - Yes, first we intend to bless God and honor His name through our sung worship, but there are also other things happening simultaneously. We are also encouraging one another as we sing. Singing truths about God can be a way of dissolving the lies that entangle us and drag us down, and can lift us up in an incredibly encouraging way. We also recognize that we are teaching during these times of worship. The lyrics of worship songs are incredibly important: they can be very powerful, can communicate doctrines, and are even more memorable than simply hearing a verse or a message. Music commits ideas and phrases to memory unlike anything else. Particularly in an age where many people are not accustomed to regular bible study, many people’s theology is deeply shaped by what they sing on Sundays. As a worship ministry, we take this aspect of worship leading very seriously. We view the songs that we choose, the songs that we write, and the lyrics we ask a community to sing with us as an investment in their spiritual growth. The setlists and times of worship that we prepare for and plan should not only honor God, but should also serve as an investment into the lives of those attending church that weekend. Are we teaching biblical truths when we sing? Are we admonishing and encouraging during these times? We are given the massive privilege to invest in the church each time we take stage: to help her learn, stand tall, encounter God, and to remember who He is and what He does. This is more than a set of songs - these things can be life changing. And as the last verse above states: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Our hope is that these investments - learning truths about God, being encouraged, memorizing the words of Scripture would flow out way beyond our times of singing into whatever you do - that these would prove to be training times for an entire life of worship.