By Eva Phillips

Many times we wonder what it would take to go to a deeper level, whether it is at work, relationships, or with God. One of the ways we have been challenged as a staff, through Pastor Aaron’s leadership, is to read constantly. Read books. Read blogs. Read and grow.

I read a quote today and it says this, “Part of what makes a leader a great one is relentless learning. A great leader is never satisfied, never stagnant, but always pressing onto new things.” With that in mind, I thought I’d share with you three blogs that are good for people who love worship, who lead worship, or who just want grow in their worship experience.  

1) Elevation Worship  - They give you the stories behind their songs as well as link you to other resources. Make sure you check out their new worship album, if you haven’t already, “Kingdom Come.

2) Worship Matters - I read the book “Worship Matters” a few years ago and it is phenomenal. Definitely a great read. For those who just love worship and have a heart for worship, I recommend this book. This blog site is an extension of the book and is by the same author, Bob Kauflin. 

3) WorshipCentral.org/blogs – this is the collective blog of some incredible worship leaders. I love to find out how these leaders write songs and to hear how God inspires them.

Growth is essential for everyone.  If we don’t grow, we will become stagnant. I hope you are inspired today and challenged by these incredible worship leaders.

By Eva Lepa

Many people ask me about my favorite worship songs or worship bands. So I thought I’d give you my all-time favorites! This list changes all the time, but for now, here are my favorites (in no particular order).

TOP 5 WORSHIP LEADERS/BANDS

1. HILLSONG - Hillsong has been able to evolve and change it’s sound and worship style throughout the years and still produce songs that change people’s lives and views of worship. From “Shout to the Lord” in 1993 to “God is Able” in 2010, they continue to lead the way for great worship songs.

2. JESUS CULTURE - No matter what mood I’m in, Jesus Culture’s songs lead me to Jesus and evoke a spirit of worship and prayer.

3. CHRIS TOMLIN - One of the greatest songwriters, hands down.  I had the privilege of hearing Chris Tomlin share how he writes many of his songs, like “Our God” and “Holy is the Lord.”  His humility and love for the Lord is apparent when he speaks and in every song he writes.

4. BROOKE FRASER - Maybe it’s because she’s a female worship leader or maybe it’s because I adore her voice, but Brooke Fraser is one of my favorite people to watch and hear lead worship. And she, too, is an incredible songwriter.  

5. ISRAEL HOUGHTON - I like some good ol’ gospel music. I love the energy, the intricate music, and the passion behind each song. And the talent this guy has is ridiculous. If you can hear him live, DO IT! 

TOP 6  (BECAUSE I CAN’T PICK JUST 5!) WORSHIP SONGS

1. “Resting” by Rita Springer -The moment I hear the song, no matter what is going on, I feel God’s presence and I worship.

2. “You’ll Come” by Hillsong - The bridge gets me every time – “Chains be broken. Lives be healed. Eyes be open. Christ is revealed.”

3. “Tear Down the Walls” by Hillsong United - One of my favorites because it’s all about salvation for the lost. The lyrics are powerful. Read the lyrics while you listen to the song. Unreal.

4. “How He Loves” by Jesus Culture - Every time I hear this song, I am reminded, almost as if it’s for the first time, of the love of God. And each time I am blown away.  

5. “Healer” by Planetshakers - Every word of this song brings tears to my eyes. And each time we sing it at Life Church, I am convinced that God is healing someone in that room.  

6. “Healing is in Your Hands” by Christy Nockels - This song changed my life. I can’t put it into words exactly, just that God did a miracle through this song in my life.

Like I said, the lists change from time to time, but right now, these are my favorites, and I think you might enjoy them too. 

While we’re talking music, I can’t help sharing some cool songs and albums for you to check out. I’ve been impressed by each of these songs, and I love the artists. 

I also love “Awaken the Dawn” by Keith and Kristyn Getty; it’s a great album and very different. 

So there you have it! Hope you’ve discovered some new tunes that speak to your heart!

By Eva Lepa

Some of you may have already heard this story and some of you may not.  But recently, I was reminded of something God spoke to me about a couple years ago. I shared it during the worship weekend in 2009, but I want to share it again.  

At the time, I had just finished reading “The Shack” by William P. Young.  It was one of those books that received a lot of mixed reviews. Those who loved it LOVED the book. And those who didn’t love it, strongly disliked it.  So I decided to read it for myself and make my own judgment. And what ended up happening changed my life forever.  There was one sentence in the book that transformed my thinking, my view, my relationship with Christ.  I had a God-moment.

What I read was this: “Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved.” I read it again. And again.  And then I put the book down and I said out loud…  Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved.  

Then why don’t I always trust God? Is it because I am told that He loves me and I “know” that He does, but do I really truly know that? I was dumbfounded. I thought that I knew God loved me. God reminded me of previous relationships I’d been involved in where I had a hard time trusting the other person and it made sense all of a sudden. I didn’t “know” that they loved me.  So the trust was not there.

I was challenged, and still am to this day, to find a way to believe and receive the fact that God loves me. How can I make this trust grow?

I don’t have all the answers to this question, but here is what I do know. You allow God to love you in His own way. I’m not sure how this fleshes out for you and your life, but for me, it’s in the moments when I sit down in His presence and I just say, God I need you to love on me, right now, in Your way. I need to taste and see that You are good.  I am going to choose to let your love take over and in that process, my trust begins to grow. You see, it’s not hard for me to trust my parents or certain friends in my life, because I know beyond a shadow of doubt that they love me. And how do I know that they love me?  Because I have allowed them to.  I have spent time with them and shared my feelings and my joys and my pain with them. And they love me regardless. So I trust.   

Allow God to love you in His way and watch. Your trust in Him will grow.

Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved.

By Eva Lepa

Finally the weather is nice, the grass is green, the seemingly dead world of Wisconsin has come to life. It reminds me of how things were when I lived in Arizona.  Arizona is hot.  There are no seasonal changes, very few fluctuations in temperature, and very few thoughts of “When will it ever warm up?” Then five years ago I moved to Wisconsin.  And I finally understood why people anticipated springtime.  I wondered for many years why it was such a big deal when people said, “Spring is here!”  My thoughts were, “Yeah, it’s here. So what.”  But now I know. I find myself going outside just to see the sun, to feel the heat. I want to be outside as much as possible, even if it’s a bit humid.  I love the sun. I appreciate the change in the season. I never appreciated it like I do now.

I never appreciated the sun and warmth in Arizona because I always had it. Every single day. But when I moved to Wisconsin, the -10 wind chill hit me like a semi truck. I yearned for the sun. I craved it. I would schedule vacations in the winter to escape the frozen tundra.  

It’s like the saying goes - you can’t enjoy the sweet if you’ve never tasted the sour (not sure if that’s a real quote or if I just made it up). You wonder why you are going through a difficult time and question God’s sovereignty.  But the truth is you need to go through those difficult times, not only to build up your faith, but also to help you appreciate and recognize the good things when God brings them into your life.  So take a moment today and thank God.  If you are living in the sunshine and God has brought life into areas that were dead or He has answered some prayers that you’ve been praying for a while, thank Him.  Or if you are in a “winter-y” season and you can’t see the sunshine, life feels cold and hopeless, thank Him … because spring is coming!

MINI MIRACLES: Eva Lepa talks about a heart shaped waffle maker and how God shows His love even in the small things. “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless,” (Psalm 84:11).

When God answers prayer, how do you respond?