The worship leader God is after is the one whose heart is captured by Him.

Jesus Messiah, name above all names, blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel, the rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven, Jesus Messiah, Lord of all.

I think that deep inside, all of humanity knows there's truth here, whether they want to admit it or not. There's a joy that comes in Christmas. There's a season of giving, so people feel this generosity.

Isn't it interesting that in Acts 11, at the end of verse 26, it says, "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." What I find interesting is the simple thought that the Christians didn't name themselves. But rather, they were called (or named) "Christians" by those watching their lives. I wonder if it would be the same today. Could someone look at your life or look at my life and name me a Christian? A humbling thought for sure.

True worship, worship in spirit and truth, has never been and will never be a trend. This style of music may be a trend, but that's because God's blowing a fresh Wind of His Spirit in so many people who are coming to realize that anything that just builds us up as people isn't worth much. What gives God the spotlight is important. And that's all we're about.

The band and I were leading at a Youth Specialties convention. We were asked to back up Matt Maher for one of the sessions. Matt handed us the chord charts and, with less than 5 minutes of practice, we were playing it live. I fell in love with this song immediately. You can't hear the message of God's sufficient grace too many times. Matt is a great lead worshiper and is a part of Life Teen, a growing worship movement in the Catholic Church.

Music connects with the soul. I think it's the quickest art form to the soul.