5Questions with Julie Reid

Julie Reid
Female
Southern California
43

Julie Reid is an wife & mother, writer, and worshiper. She enjoys spending time with friends and family in the Southern California area, and is especially interested in Social Justice and International Adoption issues.

1.  What does worship mean to me?

The meaning of worship over the years has changed for me dramatically. And during different seasons it varies as well. Right now, in this season of my life, worship for me is turning back to God my praise no matter how tough life is, no matter how unfair things seem to be, no matter how rotten things get, I just keep praising and thanking Him for His unfailing ways.   When I do that, in thought or in deed – through loving others or through a song, or through celebrating as a community the Eucharist – well, then I’ve worshiped; and a transformation of my spirit takes place in this exchange.

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5Questions with Ben Abu Saada

Ben Abu Saada

Short Bio

Ben is the Worship Pastor & Communications Director at Grace Church in Overland Park, KS. He also co-hosts the All About Worship Podcast for worship leaders and songwriters.

Learn more about Ben on his blog at http://BabuLife.blogs.com and at http://www.AllAboutWorship.com.

1. What does worship mean to you?
Worship is the thing everyone does. My desire as a worship leader is to help people fill that “worship gap” with a relationship with God. I’ve learned in my walk that there are many things battling for my affections. My daily hope is that God continues to help me put what’s important on the throne of my heart.

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5Questions with Shua Allen

My name is Shua Allen and I lead worship in Asheville, NC.  I just purchased my first banjo and am anticipating a super evening of picking & grinning.

1. What does worship mean to you?

Worship is “our response, both personal, and corporate, to whatever or whomever I value most.” In the case of our worship…Jesus Christ. It isn’t something forceful, but a natural reaction to the goodness of God.

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5Questions with Mandy Thompson

Mandy Thompson

Mandy is a singer/songwriter/worship leader from Southeast Georgia. She grew up singing in church and has a strong background in leading the church in worship as well. She’s hammered out songs for over ten years, is an independent artist who loves the experience of creating, and is working on her third album this summer. If she’s not writing or learning new music, she’s spending time with her husband, working on her much-needed tan, or enjoying conversation over a cup of coffee.

www.mandythompson.com

1. What does worship mean to you?

Right off the bat, I’m going to steer this conversation away from just singing songs. If I can be completely honest, I’m not so crazy about the title “worship leader” in all its implications. I’d prefer to be called a music minister. I believe worshiping God means so much more than simply good music on a Sunday morning.

If 100 Christians get together in a building with the doors closed and the windows shut, how much will God’s glory be revealed? Who’s gonna “see and believe?” When I talk about worship, I talk about what it means to live a life that points to Christ – that points to the grace and glory of God. We are to be mirrors, reflecting what God is doing in our lives and in the world around us. I think this form of worship can best be applied outside of Sunday church services, in the world, where others can see it.

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5Questions with Ian Utile

Name: Ian Utile
Gender: Male
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Age: 27

Ian, along with his wife Johnna, founded the Take No Glory MUSICIANARY ministry.  It has been an exciting adventure for them during the last two years!  By God’s grace, Ian is a visionary and leader and loves to joyfully serve Jesus.  During the last year he has recruited, trained, and lead more than a dozen full-time volunteers through Asia, Europe, and The States on a 5-month “world tour.”  With the Holy Spirit’s help, he organized and promoted more than 100 evangelistic concerts on those three continents.  The Take No Glory website has been accessed by more than 135 countries with 250,000+ song downloads.

1. What does worship mean to you?

To worship in a general sense is to make little or nothing of oneself and make MUCH of the object of worship.  More specifically as a Christian, we worship Jesus by exalting Him and submitting to Him through our actions, thoughts and desires.  Like the great worshiper (John the Baptist) said, “More of Him and less of me.” 2. What do you think happens when you worship?

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5Questions with Bill Welsh

Bill Welsh is the Senior Pastor at Refuge (Calvary Chapel Huntington Beach) and has been a Worship leader for the better part of 38 years.  He has also planted churches in Desert Hot Springs as well as Melbourne, Australia.  Bill has been pastoring in Huntington Beach, California, for 11 years.  His heart is to see people come to Jesus and grow as true worshippers.
1. What does worship mean to you?

Worship is the surrender of our lives to God.  (John 4:22-24 – Rom. 12:1-2 – 2 Chron. 16:9 – Gen. 22:5).  We have redefined worship for our generation and made it primarily a musical activity, evidenced by the “worship section” in any Christian bookstore.  What we call “worship” the Bible calls “praise.”  Praise can be an expression of worship but worship is at its most fundamental level a surrender of the life.  In short: We worship whatever we have given our life and heart to.  Whatever we love with all of our heart, soul mind and strength, is what we worship.  The first mention of worship in the bible (at least the first use of the word in our Bibles) is Genesis 22:5 “The lad and I will go yonder and worship.”  Abraham was not carrying a guitar up the mountain.

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5Questions with Mark D. Roberts

Dr. Mark D. Roberts

Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence,Laity Lodge

Kerrville, TX

The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifacted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before then, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Prior to coming to Irvine, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education.

Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column “Lyrical Poetry.” Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide.

1. What does worship mean to you?

At its core, worship is offering myself fully to God in submission to him.

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5Questions with Joel Klampert

Joel Klampert

Middleton, RI

Joel Klampert is a Blog addict, Mac addict, Music director, Worship leader, youth pastor, as well as the marketing and design guy at Lifepath Church in Middletown, RI. He is married to the most beautiful woman ever and has 3 amazing boys. As a writer he contributes to klampert.com, the worshipcommunity.com, igniteservice.com.

1. What does worship mean to you?

I think that starts with where God truly became real to me. I was in high school and was full of anger toward life and going through some really difficult times emotionally and spiritually. During one of those dark and brooding times I was listening to Mozart’s brilliant masterpiece “Requiem.” I remembered something said in the movie about the work that as crazy as Mozart was, you could hear God in the music. This simple moment changed me and my outlook on worship forever.

I realized what being a living sacrifice meant. It was always Christian-eze to me as a kid, “Die to Self,” but that is what worship is all about. For me it is about realizing that all I have is God’s and everything around me is His creation. It is about finding God in everything I do and realizing that If I am actively seeking His face God can be seen through somebody as flawed as me.

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5Questions with Alastair Vance

Name: Alastair Vance
Gender: Male
Location: Durham, NC
Age: 33

Alastair moved to North Carolina from Ireland in 2007 with his family and became involved with New Horizon Church in Durham as part-time worship leader; he  works as a software developer.  He is married to Liz and together they have three wonderful children. Currently, he is focusing on developing as a worship leader and aligning himself with what God has planned while improving my song-writing skills.

1. What does worship mean to you?

Worship for me is intimate access to God my creator.  Worship must be a lifestyle – my life as a living sacrifice to God.  Music is just one expression of worship.  It’s all about surrender.  Jesus – take all of me!!

Read more here.

5Questions with Chris Nesbitt

Name: Chris Nesbitt
Gender: male
Location: Presently Arrington TN, Originally from San Clemente CA
Age: 42

I’m a disciple of Jesus. I also happen to be a worship leader and psalmist. For nearly twelve years, I led worship at Heritage Christian Fellowship in San Clemente until the Lord called me and my family to the Franklin TN area in the Fall of 2007.

To date, I have two worship albums: Silent Stones (“Your Song,” nominated 2006 CCM Song of the Year) and Liquid Worship (CMcentral.com’s “Ten Best Albums of 2007”). Liquid Worship, produced by Phillip LaRue, won national notoriety when I decided to give it away at my website shortly before its release last October. (The entire album is still available, completely free, at chrisnesbitt.com.) Through my record label, Silent Stones Records (silentstones.com), I recently partnered with Worship Leader Magazine and Just In Time Digital to create a digital distribution channel into retail stores for indie worship artists. I’m married to a Proverbs 31 woman (Tiffany), and we’ve been homeschooling our four children for over ten years.

1. What does worship mean to you?

Surrender and obedience:  surrender, in terms of who you are, and obedience as far as what you do. The more practical manifestations of “worshiping” or being a “worshiper” are simply the fruit of living obedient and surrendered lives.

Read more here.