Stephen Levi &amp; Kathy Anderson<br>&nbsp;
CELERATE MUSIC MINIST

WE CRY TEHILLAH  (Ordained Praise)

Lyrics by Stephen Levi Anderson

Music by Ronnie Lee Diller & Blair Masters

(C) 2022 Anderpsalms music Co. 

Paul & Silas, jailed & chained 

Offered up a midnight praise 

Freedom flowed from their refrain 

Their praise of God had been ordained

One last lap 'round Jericho 

Joshua cried out, "Let'er Blow" 

The trumpets raised a righteous sound &

With a shout of praise the city walls crashed down

Tehillah, We cry Tehillah,

Jesus be enthroned upon our praise

Tehillah, We cry Tehillah

Demonstrate Your power in our praise!

With chains to break & walls yet to fell 

The Church must storm the gates of hell 

Our Heads we bow, Our Hands we raise 

We lift Our voice in ordained praise! 

We lift ONE voice in ordained praise!

Tehillah, We cry Tehillah, 

Jesus be enthroned upon our praise 

Tehillah, We cry Tehillah 

Demonstrate Your Power in our Praise

Tehillah, We cry Tehillah, !!!! 

                                   **********Notes********** 

Tehillah (Tuh*He*Luh) is the praise that God inhabits (sits enthroned on!) 

(Psalm 22:3) God manifests Himself in the midst of Passionate Praise & singing! 

TEHILLAH is one of seven Hebrew words for Praise, from the word halal and means "the singing of halals, to sing or to laud; perceived to involve music, especially singing; hymns of the Spirit or praise.” Psalm 22:3 Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned upon the praises (tehillah) of Israel. Isaiah 61:3 To grant to those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise (tehillah) instead of the spirit of fainting, So they shall be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. OTHER REFERENCES:, Psalm 8:2 (NIV),Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 10:21; Nehemiah 9:5; Psalms 9:14, 22:25; Jeremiah!

Prevailing through Praise!!!

Psalm 8:2 

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. NIV 

One thing we notice in the psalms of David is that he says a great deal about his enemies. If ever a man had enemies, it was David. But he had learned the secret of dealing with his enemies. He had learned the secret of evoking God’s presence and God’s help and here he reveals the secret very simply. It’s to offer God praise. 

He says, “God has ordained from the lips of children and infants praise.” Children and infants are the weakest in the natural, but when praise comes from the lips of even the weakest; its effect is to silence the foe and the avenger!

WORSHIP LEADERS... Get a Mentor!!!

 (By Marty  McCall)

What’s the Big Deal About Worship Leading? 

Leading worship is a joy and a privilege. Period. But within a church community, it’s also a position with lots of moving parts. It can get complicated. 

For starters, to be a church worship leader is to be a singer, musician, arranger, band director, event planner, scheduling genius, walking song library, tech and leadership liaison, rehearsal manager, organizer, producer, stage hand, peacemaker, encourager, confronter, comforter, budget manager, administrator, employee and boss. Whew! Is that the job you thought it was? 

And there’s the spiritual side. It’s unlikely (thankfully) that you’ve chosen this path unless you’re a sold-out, committed follower of Jesus and everything that implies in your life and character. That’s a given. But as a worship leader, consistent, private and public integrity are especially essential for you (no, you don’t have to be perfect) because, besides your pastor, you may be the staff member most visible to your congregation. Oh, and it’s also your responsibility to listen to and hear God to discover and carry out His intentions for your worship team and congregation in coordination with your pastor and leadership as well as interceding for your team and the services. 

So worship leading … no big deal, right? – ha! 

Strengths and Weaknesses 

It seems most worship leaders are drawn (and called) to this field primarily because they’re good musicians and love God. That’s a great entrance, but you obviously need other skills. One area that seems particularly challenging for many is working with, caring for, and leading people. I’ve observed worship leaders who get the worship done, and done well, but shy away from some of the relational aspects of team-nurturing. It can be a slow-learn, requiring a certain type of growing up over time. It takes making mistakes, correcting them and learning from them. 

Of course, you enjoy the pleasure of worshiping together, but as the leader, you’re also required to navigate your team through the challenging situations which come along such as group discord, negative input from congregants, personnel changes in your team or church leadership, musical disagreements, seasons of personal discouragement, enemy attacks or any number of potential church and life difficulties. 

Some leaders may handle the relational and pastoral aspects of their job with ease but struggle with other essential skills such as musical growth or administration. No matter your strengths and weaknesses, it’s natural to want to avoid the uncomfortable parts. But a truly effective worship leader can’t get away with that. The job requires you to lead well in all areas – week after week after week. 

You’re Probably Gonna Need Some Help 

There’s no quick shortcut to becoming a great worship leader and you can’t receive experience through osmosis. But you can work smarter. An excellent way to get a handle on the most important aspects of your job is to get counsel from someone more experienced than you – someone who’s done it all and done it well. That’s the definition of mentoring, or “coaching” as many call it. 

No matter how many great “Top Ten Tips for Worship Leading” you find online (and they are very helpful), there’s no substitute for a personal mentor. It may be inconvenient for a busy worship leader to find a worship “elder,” but it’s a wise choice, following the Biblical tradition of teacher and student. And in the long run, working with mentors can accelerate the maturing process and minimize time consuming detours. 

If you find yourself being resistant to the idea of having a mentor or allowing someone to speak into your life, before you dismiss the idea, search your heart and ask God to show you why you feel that way. Don’t let fear, busyness or the enemy prevent you from the very thing that might catapult you forward in God’s plan for your life. 

Where Do I Start? 

First of all, realize that while the idea of having one life-long, wise, Yoda-type mentor might seem appealing, that’s not a likely or even desirable scenario. Realistically, you’ll work with someone for a limited season and you may work with several different people over time. Each mentor has unique gifts and perspectives to offer and you’ll have a variety of challenges within the seasons of your career. 

For one-on-one coaching, choose a mentor of your own gender, not only for the obvious pastoral wisdom and safety in that choice, but because men and women process life differently. However, a coed format for group coaching or workshops is a great option for getting a wider view of the issues of concern to all worship leaders. 

How Do I Find A Mentor? 

Like everything else, start by asking God to provide the person you need. Let Him lead you. Expect an answer. Look around your own Christian neighborhood: your own church or other area churches, your Bible study group or worship leader groups, etc. Talk to experienced worship leaders you find there. 

If you can find someone locally, that’s great. If not, as you know, online worship training has exploded, giving you access to great, varied, specific and comprehensive teaching. Some may offer one-on-one coaching or worship leader events or courses with opportunities for individual attention. Join social media groups for worship leaders where you’ll find community and possibly a suggestion for a mentor. 

Reach out to those with the experience you need and with whom you connect. Look for a mentor who cares about you as a person, worship leader and musician to walk with you through the process of learning how to be an authentic, effective worship leader within the roller-coaster-merry-go-round-ferris-wheel ride of service-driven church work. 

How Does Mentoring Work? 

Mentoring can be formal, similar to a counseling session, or as informal as meeting for coffee. It can be in person, by Skype, web or phone – anything that works. You may have a short term, time sensitive issue you need to talk about or you may have broader questions about yourself, your faith, your work or future. A mentor or coach may be a volunteer or some may charge fees for their services. 

Whether paid or volunteer, when you find a good fit, it’s important to establish mutually respectful guidelines, taking into account overall expectations, topic agendas, session length and the intended duration of the coaching relationship. You’ll want to determine location(s) for meeting, general availability,  a method for cancelling or rescheduling and various procedural or personal boundaries. 

While paid coaches may provide a contractual agreement which will spell out their policies on these issues, a volunteer mentor may not. A simple, honest conversation at the beginning of your relationship will make you and your mentor more comfortable and avoid unpleasant or time-stealing problems as you go along. 

Passing it On 

Of course, the Holy Spirit is our number one teacher and counselor. But it’s also the Holy Spirit’s nature and God’s design to empower His people to teach, to lead and encourage. We’re hard-wired to learn from each other. And as you learn and grow, remember – you’re always a few steps ahead of someone on this path. So the final, full-circle word: get a mentor and then…become a mentor. It works. 

Absolutely hilarious. If you are involved in worship teams or church leadership, you will get it. ;-) I got this (with permission) from a friend of a friend. I don't know if it was original or not.) 

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. 
“Well,” said the farmer. “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.” 
“Praise choruses?” asked the wife. “What are those?” 
“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer. 

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife. 
The farmer said, “Well it’s like this … If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you, ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, in the CORN, CORN, CORN, COOOOORRRRRNNNNN,’ then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus.” 

As luck would have it, the exact same Sunday a young, new Christian from the city church attended the small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. 
“Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.” 
“Hymns?” asked the wife. “What are those?” 
“They’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man. 

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife. 
The young man said, “Well it’s like this … If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you, 

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry 
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth. 
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by 
To the righteous, glorious truth. 
For the way of the animals who can explain 
There in their heads is no shadow of sense, 
Hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain 
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced. 
Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight, 
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed. 
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night 
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn chewed. 
So look to that bright shining day by and by, 
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn 
Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry 
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn, 

then, if I were to do only verses one, three and four, and change keys on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.”

FRETTBUZZ BLOG...700 Club Update...  Filming date set!!!

Good Morning everyone, 

We received the following email this morning in regards to our anticipated appearance on the 700 club...

"Good Morning Steve and Kathy! 

 I’m a producer with The 700 Club and will be in your area Friday, June 22nd.  Would you be available to work with us that day so we can produce your story? 

Looking forward to your response.  Have a great weekend! 

Shannon Woodland 

Senior Coordinating Producer 

The 700 Club"

 Stephen Levi Anderson & Celebrate ministries Inc 

. 

                FrettBuzz Blog Dec. 2017 

We are so excited to share with you that Stephen Levi & Kathy Anderson have been scheduled to be filmed & share their testimony of Steve’s miraculous stroke recovery to be broadcast on the Easter 2018 showing of the 700 Club, The flagship program of the CBN television network! 

  Plans at this time are that a production team from the 700 Club based in Virginia will arrive in Oregon in January or February, 2018 to film the interview!  The Easter 2018 showing will be on the 9th anniversary of Steve’s 2009 stroke which occurred as Steve & Kathy & the worship Team at Family Life Church in Newberg, Oregon were on stage preparing for that mornings Easter services!   We humbly share this with you all and simply ask for your prayer support as the plans and preparations for this exciting opportunity continue to develop!  We believe that this international broadcast of our story highlighting God’s loving and miraculous hand upon our lives will touch many and offer hope to those currently facing overwhelming life circumstances!   Thank You Jesus!!!  Please follow us on our website at www. celebrateministriesinc.com as we will be sharing more details as they are finalized!  

   FRETTBUZZ BLOG Steve & Kathy Ordained!!!

In April of 2017 Steve & Kathy officially received their ordination from  The Redeeming Love Church!  Of Portland, Oregon…  “We are excited to receive our ordination and do so joyfully in anticipation of where our ministry opportunities may find us next as the Lord leads, commented Steve!    It was particularly special for Kathy as she had completed her studies at Rhema Bible Institute, Broken Arrow, OK as a fellow student with the ordaining pastor Jeff  Whalen!

  FRETTBUZZ BLOG :   JAN. 21, 2015
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

Pastor Steve Anderson has been a friend of mine for the last 20 years.  Steve has served me as a Worship Leader in the past and was most recently a guest worship leader in our church in October of 2011.  Both Steve and Kathy have very sensitive hearts to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Steve has been a worship leader in both big and small churches and understands the different dynamics needed in both.  He has a very rare blend of gifts in leadership and music. 

It seems to me to be much easier to find gifted guest speakers than gifted, trusted, guest worship leaders.  I have witnessed a pattern of faithfulness and consistency through the years of both Steve and Kathy and I can give them a wholehearted recommendation as worship leaders for your church.  If you have any concerns or question please feel free to call me at 541.536.2183, or email me at greg@crescentcreek.org

Sincerely,

Greg Price
Lead Pastor  
Crescent Creek Foursquare Church

Comments....
1/21/14  He left out the fact: you are an awesome son of God who brings people to the throne of Jesus!

Pastor Frank Alioto
The River Covenant Church
Kenai, AK