'...I have walked in...integrity...' Psalm 26:1
It was so high nobody could climb over it and so thick nobody could break through it,
While those who built it were relying on their wall of stone, they neglected to teach integrity to their children. As a result they grew up without moral and spiritual principles to guide them.
When it comes to building integrity, here are some questions you should ask yourself regularly:
Life is like a vice: at times it will squeeze you. In those moments whatever is inside will come out. Image-building and self-interest promise much but produce little, but integrity never disappoints. So, work on your integrity.
An useful article for the Worship Leaders. I don't know who has sent this to me. But, really useful.
If you’ve ever seen a group of children perform a song for a gathering of parents and spectators, you’ve seen the teacher or leader who places his or herself directly in their line of vision and proceeds to mouth (very clearly and expressively) every word and indicate every gesture at the appropriate time so that the children can follow along and all look like they know what their doing.
That is exactly our “job” as worship leaders! We’re the coaches, the cue card holders, the kind gentleman in Pretty Woman who discreetly aids a befuddled Julia Roberts’ character in choosing the right fork for the dinner course at a fancy restaurant.
As worship leaders (or lead worshippers, if you prefer), our purpose is not to model a personal worship experience on stage. It’s not even most importantly to perform well. It is to facilitate corporate worship—to enable all present to participate and engage in what is going on and to point them to the truth of the Gospel. When we remember that our role on stage is primarily one of servant leadership, that it is not about us and what we do but about the people of God gathered, we are freed to serve and lead well.
So, here are some general tips for those of us who serve and lead from the stage:
1) Watch what you do. Be (or become) aware of your body language and gestures. If you can, have someone take a video of you leading worship so that you can observe yourself and see what you might be doing, consciously or unconsciously, that is awkward, distracting or helpful. Our body language and gestures should be natural, relaxed and appropriate. Remember that you are seeking to invite and enable the congregation as a whole to engage and participate in what is going on, not to be the poster child for how a person “should” look when worshipping. Carefully consider whether what you would normally do in private worship or as a participant in the congregation–or even what you do naturally when you hear music–will be more helpful or distracting when leading from the stage.
2) Keep your eyes open. Watch the congregation. Shocking, I know. In order to lead well, however, you need to know what’s going on around you. You may notice that people aren’t singing along, but rather look confused or perplexed (or bored). Hmm…maybe they don’t know the song? Maybe they don’t know they’re supposed to be singing? You can invite them to sing with a statement like, “Now that you know it, let’s sing that again together,” or simply ”Let’s sing that truth/prayer together again.” You have not only let them know that participation is encouraged and expected, but you’ve pointed them to the content and substance of what is going on.
3) Sing it like you mean it. Sing clearly and in such a way that people can easily sing along with you. We’re not being good leaders if people can’t follow! Reflect on and give an appropriate facial or bodily response to the words we sing. The intent is not that we “act out” each song we sing, but rather show, by our expressions and actions, that we understand and agree with what we’re singing. If a song is joyful, smile! When singing a true statement about God, I will often affirm and agree with the statement by nodding my head as I sing that line. When singing a truth about our hearts, I often indicate that by placing my hand over my heart. When we lead songs, we are proclaiming that truth (telling that “story”) to everyone there gathered, inviting them in to sing it and realize what we’re saying with us. You can do this well without being overly emotional, dramatic or distracting.
4) Cut down on “down time”. There are two things that commonly happen to a congregant or a vocalist during an instrumental solo or extended instrumental break in a song: either they disconnect (because there’s nothing for them to do) and stand awkwardly waiting for their next cue to sing, or they start noticing and admiring the skill of the instrumentalist. Is this always the case? No. Is it often the case? Probably. This is not to say that arrangements should be so simplified as to cut out all intricacy and beauty, or to deprive instrumentalists of using their skills to offer their sacrifice of praise. But it is a call to worship leaders and arrangers to consider what is going on for the congregation and the singers during those times. Are all the interludes, solos, instrumental transitions necessary? An overly showy arrangement with extended instrumentals and/or solos can be just as distracting and awkward as a song sung off-key.
5) Use readings and transitions wisely. Be reverent, conversational and sincere, but use appropriate expressiveness and emphasis when you read or speak. Slow down a bit: don’t drag, but remember that not everyone in the congregation is a fast or good reader. With regards to readings, a seminary professor once pointed out that verbs are actually the most important part of any given text. Practice emphasizing verbs instead of pronouns, adjectives or adverbs. You’ll be amazed at how this highlights the truths of Scripture.
6) Show and tell. Show or tell people how the song we’ve just sung relates to what we’ve just done or are about to do. Mention the Scriptural truth that gives us the basis for this action, song, or activity. Be honest about how our feelings may not seem to line up with what we’ve just sung or what we are about to sing, pointing out that truth is not so subjective.
7) Get engaged. As I’ve mentioned, our primary role is to facilitate and enable people to engage and participate in what is going on in the corporate worship service. We’ve talked about a few ways to do (and not do) this when leading songs and readings. One big factor in on-stage presence is what we’re doing when the focus is not on us. People can still see you, and they are watching you if you’re on stage. At our church, we often have a liturgist do the readings in between songs. During those times, it’s crucial that those who are on stage, even if they’re not talking or playing, model what it means to be engaged in what is going on. If someone else on stage is talking or reading, turn your body and your head towards them. Listen to what they are saying. React appropriately. You are leading even in those moments.
8) Listen to your mom. And what did she always say? “Practice, practice, practice,” right? Yep. One of the best ways to look and feel comfortable and relaxed and engaging on stage is to know what you’re doing. Learn the words and music to the songs so you can look up from the page and establish eye contact with the congregation. Practice your readings out loud several times so that you are familiar with all the words before the service. Run through the order of the set and service as a team before going up on stage so that everyone knows what’s happening when and where.
9) Embrace imperfection. Whoa! That caught your attention, huh? What I mean is that, when it comes to worship leadership and serving the Church–much like anything else we attempt to do–perfection is rarely possible and certainly not our ultimate goal. The unexpected and unfortunate will happen. No matter how much we practice, we will forget lyrics. We will stumble over phrases. We will feel and look awkward. But, you know what? More often than not, those imperfections can serve as a gentle reminder to us and everyone else that what we’re doing is not a performance to entertain and wow, but rather the people of the Lord living and worshipping together as family. Our congregations are not crowds and audiences to be impressed. Be humbled by that. Be freed by that!
10) Pray. If it’s a day ending in “y”, then it’s a day in which you’ve experienced the pervasive power of sin in your own heart and mind. We customarily and easily fall into thinking more about ourselves than those we serve. We want to be admired and respected and affirmed and praised for what we do and how we do it. We want to shine. We want things to go smoothly, to feel in control, to avoid conflict and evade embarrassment. We are obsessive and fearful and insecure and prideful. So we must pray. Grow ever quicker to acknowledge and confess your sin before the Lord and those who hold you accountable. Ask the Lord to make you useful to Him in ministry. Ask Him for wisdom and guidance in how to love and lead His people well. Pray for and cultivate a humble, teachable heart to learn from those who give you feedback and serve as mentors. Pray for those you serve, and those with whom you lead. Pray together faithfully as a team.
Different Parts of Our Body Age at Different Times
We all accept that getting older is inevitable, and now leading clinicians have revealed the exact age when different body parts start to decline, most alarming being the brain and lungs.
French doctors have found that the quality of men's' sperm starts to deteriorate by 35, so that by the time a man is 45, a third of pregnancies end up in miscarriage. Here, with the help of leading clinicians, Angela Epstein tells the Daily Mail the ages when different parts of the body start to lose their battle with time.
At 20
BRAIN
As we get older, the number of nerve cells or neurons in the brain, decrease.
We start with around 100 billion, but in our 20s this number starts to decline.
By 40, we could be losing up to 10,000 per day, affecting memory, co-ordination and brain function.
LUNGS
Lung capacity slowly starts to decrease from the age of 20.
By the age of 40, some people are already experiencing breathlessness.
This is partly because the muscles and the rib cage which control breathing stiffen up.
mid-20s
SKIN -
The skin starts to age naturally in your mid-20s.
At 30
HAIR
Male hair loss usually begins in the 30s. Hair is made in tiny pouches just under the skin's surface, known as follicles. A hair normally grows from each follicle for about three years, is then shed, and a new hair grows. Most people will have some grey hair by the age of 35. When we are young, our hair is colored by the pigments produced by cells in the hair follicle known as melanocytes.
MUSCLES
Muscle is constantly being built up and broken down, a process which is well balanced in young adults. However, by the time we're 30, breakdown is greater than buildup, explains Professor Robert Moots. Once adults reach 40, they start to lose between 0.5 and 2 per cent of their muscle each year. Regular exercise can help prevent this.
At 35
FERTILITY
Female fertility begins to decline after 35, as the number and quality of eggs in the ovaries start to fall. The lining of the womb may become thinner, making it less likely for a fertilised egg to take, and also creating an environment hostile to sperm.
BREASTS
By their mid-30s, women's breasts start losing tissue and fat, reducing size and fullness.
Sagging starts properly at 40 and the areola (the area surrounding the nipple) can shrink considerably.
BONES
'Throughout our life, old bones are broken down by cells called osteoclasts and replaced by bone-building cells called osteoblasts -- a process called ‘bone turnover'. Children's bone growth is rapid - the skeleton takes just two years to renew itself completely. In adults, this can take 10 years. Until our mid-20s, bone density is still increasing. But at 35, bone loss begins as part of the natural ageing process.
At 40
EYES
Glasses are the norm for many over-40s as failing eyesight kicks in -- usually long-sightedness, affecting our ability to see objects up close.
HEART
The heart pumps blood less effectively around the body as we get older. This is because blood vessels become less elastic, while arteries can harden or become blocked because of fatty deposits forming on the coronary arteries -- caused by eating too much saturated fat.
The blood supply to the heart is then reduced, resulting in painful angina.
Men over 45 and women over 55 are at greater risk of a heart attack.
TEETH
As we age, we produce less saliva, which washes away bacteria, so teeth and gums are more vulnerable to decay. Receding gums - when tissue is lost from gums around the teeth - is common in adults over 40.
At 50
KIDNEYS
With kidneys, the number of filtering units (nephrons) that remove waste from the bloodstream starts to reduce in middle age.
PROSTATE
The prostate often becomes enlarged with age, leading to problems such as increased need to urinate. This is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia and affects half of men over 50, but rarely those under 40. It occurs when the prostate absorbs large amounts of the male sex hormone testosterone, which increases the growth of cells in the prostate. A normal prostate is the size of a walnut, but the condition can increase this to the size of a tangerine.
Mid-50s
HEARING
More than half of people over 60 lose hearing because of their age, according to the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.
At 55
GUT
A healthy gut has a good balance between harmful and 'friendly' bacteria. But levels of friendly bacteria in the gut drop significantly after 55, particularly in the large intestine.
As a result, we suffer from poor digestion and an increased risk of gut disease.
Constipation is more likely as we age, as the flow of digestive juices from the stomach, liver, pancreas and small intestine slows down.
At 60
TASTE AND SMELL
We start out in life with about 10,000 taste buds scattered on the tongue.
This number can halve later in life. After we turn 60, taste and smell gradually decline, partly as a result of the normal ageing process.
At 65
BLADDER
Loss of bladder control is more likely when you hit 65. Women are more vulnerable to bladder problems as, after the menopause, declining estrogen levels make tissues in the urethra -- the tube through which urine passes -- thinner and weaker, reducing bladder support.
Bladder capacity in an older adult is generally half that of a younger person -- about two cups in a 30-year-old and one cup in a 70-year-old.
VOICE
Our voices become quieter and hoarser with age. The soft tissues in the voice box (larynx) weaken, affecting the pitch, loudness and quality of the voice.
A woman's voice may become huskier and lower in pitch, whereas a man's might become thinner and higher.
At 70
LIVER
மனைவி: ஏங்க உங்க நண்பர்கிட்ட பொண்ணு நல்லாருக்குன்னு பொய் சொன்னீங்க?
கணவன்: எனக்கு பொண்ணுபார்க்கும்போது மட்டும் உண்மையா சொன்னான்!!
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மனைவி: ஏங்க என்கிட்ட உங்களுக்கு பிடிச்சது என் சிரிப்பா,கூந்தலா, என் கண்களா?? எதுங்க?
கணவன்: இப்படி சிரிக்காமலேயே சூப்பரா காமெடி பண்ணுறியே அதான் புடிச்சுருக்கு
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மனைவி: நம்ம பையன் வளர்ந்து என்னவாக ஆசைப்படுறீங்க?
கணவன்: அவன் என்ன வேணும்னாலும் ஆகட்டும்...ஆனா யாருக்கும் புருஷனா மட்டும் ஆகக்கூடாது... நான் பட்ட கஷ்டம் என்னோட போகட்டும்...
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மனைவி: ஏங்க.. சமையல்காரியை நிறுத்திட்டு இனி நானே சமைக்கிறேன்...எனக்கு மாச எவ்வளவு சம்பளம் கொடுப்பீங்க?
கணவன்: உனக்கு எதுக்குடா சம்பளம்... நீ சமைக்க ஆரம்பிச்சுட்டேனா என் இன்சுரன்ஸ் பணம் மொத்தமும் உனக்குத்தானே...!
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மனைவி: என்னங்க அதோ அங்க உக்காந்து தண்ணியடிக்கிறாரே அவரு என்னை பொண்ணு பார்க்க வந்தாரு, நான் அவரை கல்யாணம் பண்ணமாட்டேன்னு சொல்லிட்டேன். அதை நினைச்சே அவரு இத்தனை வருஷமா தண்ணியடிக்கிறாரு.
கணவன்: அவன் கொடுத்து வச்சவன்... அந்த சந்தோஷத்தை இத்தனை வருஷமா கொண்டாடிட்டிருக்கானேன்னு தான் ஆச்சர்யமா இருக்கு.
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மனைவி: என்னங்க நான் செத்துப்போயிட்டா... என்ன பண்ணுவீங்க?
கணவன்: எனக்கு பைத்தியமே புடிச்சுரும்.
மனைவி: நான் செத்தா இன்னொரு கல்யாணம் பண்ணுவீங்களா?
கணவன்: பைத்தியம் என்ன வேணும்னாலும் பண்ணும்.
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கணவன் மனைவிக்கு கார் கதவை திறந்து கொடுத்தால் அதற்கு மூன்று காரணங்களே இருக்க முடியும்.
1. புது மனைவியாக இருக்கும்
2. புது காராக இருக்கும்
3. அந்த பெண் மனைவியாக இருக்க முடியாது.
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டாக்டர் : உங்க கணவருக்கு இப்ப ஓய்வு ரொம்ப முக்கியம்... இந்தாங்க தூக்க மாத்திரை
மனைவி: இதை எத்தனை தடவை கொடுக்கனும் அவருக்கு
டாக்டர்: இது அவருக்கு இல்லை...உங்களுக்கு
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புயல் மழையில் ஒருவன் பிஸ்ஸா வாங்க கடைக்கு செல்கிறான்
கடைக்காரர் : சார் உங்களுக்கு கல்யாணம் ஆயிடுச்சா...
வந்தவர்: பின்ன இந்த புயல் மழைல எங்க அம்மாவா என்னை பிஸ்ஸா வாங்க அனுப்புவாங்க...!??
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லாஸ்ட் பட் நாட் லீஸ்ட்:
கடவுள்: மனிதா உனக்கு என்ன வரம் வேண்டும் கேள்?
மனிதன்: இந்தியாவுலேர்ந்து அமெரிக்காவிற்கு ரோடு போட்டு கொடுங்க சாமி!!
கடவுள்: அது கஷ்டமாச்சே...வேறு ஏதாவது கேள்.
மனிதன்: அப்ப என் மனைவி பேச்சை குறைக்கணும், நான் சொல்றதை கேட்கனும், எதையும் வாங்கித்தா என்று கேட்ககூடாது...
கடவுள்: அமெரிக்காவுக்கு ரோடு சிங்கிளா, டபுளா...?
