The Major Shift in Worship and Children’s Ministry that No One Is Talking About

David RayFamily, Kids, Ministry, Multigenerational, Preschool, Worship6 Comments

A cosmic paradigm shift has occurred in the worship and children’s ministries of many churches. And though somehow this shift seems to have occurred under the radar, church leaders are awakening to its true significance. For a large and vital segment of our congregations, the role of worship leader has been transferred out of the worship ministry and given to … Read More

Wonderfully Made: Choosing Life

David RayFamily, Kids, Ministry, Music, Musings, Preschool, Worship4 Comments

I watched this video for the first time with tears streaming down my cheeks in the lobby of an Orlando hotel. We have been so blessed over the years to have our songs travel all over the nation and even occasionally around the world. (I’m not exactly sure how it happens, I just know that my ASCAP statement includes royalties from Norway.) … Read More

Advent Week 3: All Things New

David RayAdvent, Christmas, Family, Kids, Preschool, WorshipLeave a Comment

The Creator The darkness must have been impossible to comprehend. It wasn’t a darkness like we experience, a temporary veil that hides imperfectly objects which we know will reappear with the sunrise. It was the darkness of a world that had never known light. It was the deep darkness of nothing. And then, in the beginning, a single word was … Read More

Advent Week 2: No Small Thing

David RayAdvent, Christmas, Family, Kids, Preschool, WorshipLeave a Comment

A Head Above This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. God had rescued his people from slavery in Egypt. He had parted the sea and destroyed the pursuing Egyptian army. He had endured their idol-making and their incessant complaining, though he had provided for their needs at every step of the way. He had fulfilled his promise though they … Read More

ARE CHILDREN INVOLVED IN YOUR WORSHIP MINISTRY?

David RayKids, Multigenerational, Music, Musings, Preschool, WorshipLeave a Comment

I grew up in church on a steady diet of children’s musicals. My favorite was Fat, Fat Jehoshaphat! I recall singing a solo as one of the priests in the aforementioned musical which, while it displayed a callous insensitivity to the morbidly obese despite the complete lack of textual evidence that poor Jehoshaphat was actually fat, also contained some killer … Read More

BYE, DADDY!

David RayFamily, Kids, MusingsLeave a Comment

Kids have needs. Lots of needs. Constant, mind-numbing, are-you-serious, can-mommy-and-daddy-get-a-break kinds of needs. Evan, our oldest, just started kindergarten this year, and at first it was a bit of adjustment. (This adjustment may have involved a few tears, some blood-curdling screams, and gym-full of kindergarten parents thinking, “Awww, poor guy. Well, at least that’s not my kid…”) Fortunately, he adjusted … Read More