Worshipping Through the Week

We often think that worship is the two or three songs that we sing on Sunday at church. But for worship pastors and staff, they are often thinking how they can help others worship God outside the walls of the church and how worship is a lifestyle. For the staff at Higher Vision Church, they recently put together an album, For Your Kingdom to inspire others.

The 13-track album features lighter moments with energetic worship such as the high-energy title track, the electronica-flavored “Trust in You,” dance-tinged tunes like “Freedom of Your Love” and “Hands Held High,” and then dives back in with heartfelt ballads such as “He Is Here” – which paints a sound picture of God’s presence and our response to it.

Higher Vision staff, Sean Loche who produced the album explains how their staff views worship.

“When we design worship experiences at Higher Vision, with every light that moves and every video, our focus is on Christ. And we’re always asking, ‘How are people engaging? How do we help people feel safe and loved in the power and presence of God?’ We try be a place for people to ‘jump in the pool.’ Sometimes they want to jump full-on in — and sometimes they just want to get their toes wet…There’s just so much darkness going on in the world. Every day you read the worst, most horrific news you can imagine. We want to just be a blip of good, a blip of light in a dark world, to atheists and to Christians.”
Higher Vision worship pastor, April Ashburn shares her take on the album.

“The album feels like a miracle. It feels like there’s something for almost everyone. Different styles and yet a well-rounded whole…We can get stuck in a cycle of grasping for God’s presence only to realize that God is here all around us. Sometimes we just need to become aware of his presence — and then our response is worship.”

There are songs on For Your Kingdom that tug at the heart, and then there are others like “Broken the Chains” that squeeze and don’t let go. Higher Vision not only wants For Your Kingdom to be an experience the congregation can carry with them wherever they go, but they want it to speak to those who may not yet have Christ in their lives.
Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings^[a]; honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. Psalm 29:1-3

Risen Reflections

Worship! Worship doesn’t have to be limited to the songs we sing at church on Sunday. God wants us to live our lives in worship. Start your day in worship. Whether it is listening to your favorite worship songs while you get ready for your day or praying for friends and family during your commute, take time this week to add worship into your daily routine. Instead of watching a television show or spending time online, sneak away to a quiet spot and worship God. It could be reading through the Psalms and praising God for who He is and what He has done in your life or singing some of your favorite worship songs while enjoying His creation.

Gather. Grab your friends, small group or some families from church and have a time of worship together. It can be something that you plan out or an impromptu get together. Check with your church or other local churches, often times they will host worship events. These can be nice because they are led by a worship team. If someone in the group can play the guitar, it can be inspiring to go to a scenic overlook and worship God as you take in His creation.

Encourage others to worship. Whether it is your children, someone you mentor or a friend that is a new believer or going through a difficult time, we all need someone to encourage us to worship. It might be teaching them what it means to worship or buying them some worship music like, For Your Kingdom. It can be helpful to share with others how we worship God even when we are going through difficult seasons in our lives.

For more information, visit www.highervisionworship.com.

Watch the “For Your Kingdom (Live)” music video: 
https://youtu.be/FTUIh01ZP2s

We were given a copy of For Your Kingdom by Frontgate Media, but all thoughts and opinions are our own.