I’ve always enjoyed Paul Baloche as a worship leader for many reasons. He writes good music that’s singable and full of great content. He creates fantastic resources for worship leaders and is a good teacher. I met him once and he took the time to talk to me and he’s just plain nice. But to me, this one clinches it.
Bob Kauflin is excitedly publishing a book called “Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God.” I’m very excited for the read. But what really caught my attention was this fantastic story from Bob’s blog:
I originally asked my dear friend C.J. Mahaney to write a foreword, because no one has influenced my life more in the area of leading worship. But C.J. thought I should ask someone who might be better known and not a part of Sovereign Grace. So I asked Matt Redman, a man I respect and appreciate deeply. Matt said he wasn’t able to do it. Then I asked John Piper, another man I respect and appreciate deeply. He couldn’t do it either. I went back and asked C.J. again and he again encouraged me to think of someone who might introduce the book to a wider audience. During that conversation I told him about some recent conversations with Paul Baloche that were encouraging. “What about Paul?” he asked.
I had thought of Paul previously, but decided against asking him because I critique one of his songs, ‘Above All,’ in the book. I can’t ask someone to write a foreword for my book when I say something critical about one of their songs. But I’ve known Paul for a few years, and thought I’d ask him anyway, after alerting him to the fact that I used his song as a negative example.
Surprisingly, Paul agreed to write the foreword. Or maybe I should say unsurprisingly, because Paul is a genuinely humble man. For as long as I’ve known him he has never stopped seeking to grow in his love for the Savior or his commitment to serving God’s people. So he wrote a very kind foreword. And I’m very grateful.
What a fantastic example of what a worship “leader” is suppose to be. Were you aware that in the Bible, the word “leader” is seldom used? Instead, the word that is used is “servant.” Praise God for a highly visible leader offering his life to be exactly what he should be, a servant.
