Music & Worship

When Jesus said the time is here to worship in spirit and truth, he wasn’t talking about music. He wasn’t talking about raised hands or even church services at all. He was talking about a Way of life, the experience of bringing the presence of God consciously into every moment of our lives. Paul called this praying continuously.

Theeffect BandA 17th century French monk, Brother Lawrence called it the “practice of the presence of God.” Brother Lawrence found God just as present among the pots and pans of his kitchen as he did in any formal worship at chapel. This is worshipping in spirit and in truth–a way of living in which work, play, prayer, fellowship, formal worship, liturgy all become one seamless flow of connection from our heart to God’s, sanctifying everything in its path and making every moment a prayer. Not a spoken prayer, but a living one. In the church today, worship has been given a more specific and much narrower definition. We now relate worship almost solely to church services and more specifically to the singing and playing of worship music.

But even though our formal times of worship are only a part of the whole, we believe they are vitally important as long as they lead to and call to mind the fuller meaning of worshipping in spirit and truth. The Music Our lives have become so noisy and busy that it is often only in the context of music that we can turn off or drown out the noise and distraction that makes God seem so remote. In essence, the music becomes a carrier wave on which our spirits can rest and be carried away into God’s presence. Our musical worship time can then become the touchstone for what true worship is supposed to be, and the vehicle for bringing it out of the sanctuary and into the pots and pans of our moment by moment lives. Musical worship is a huge part of the experience of God’s presence at theeffect.

Theeffect BandWe believe the most effective worship leaders are those who simply get lost in worship themselves and let others follow. In effect, they present the musical vehicle for worship and then get out of the way–trying not to call attention to themselves and allowing the Spirit to do the heavy lifting. It’s all about allowing everyone present to quiet mind and heart enough to become conscious of God’s presence. And if these times of musical worship are then linked to our every waking moment, we’re all well on the Way. the band theeffect band has been playing at churches and other venues throughout Orange County, CA for over ten years playing both original worship music and contemporary and traditional favorites, and is widely regarded one of the best worship bands in the area. The band has recorded two albums available on CD or download:

 

Never Run DryYou Never Run Dry, a studio recording of ten original songs is available at theeffect or CDBaby for download or physical CD sales.

 

 

Alive WorshipAlive Worship is a live recording of ten songs, a mix of original and worship covers. This recording is only available as physical CD at theeffect.

More CD information at our resources page.

Latest News

Upcoming events, announcements, ministry updates, blogs.

Message Archive

Watch us live online, watch and listen to archived messages and gatherings.

Personal Stories

Stories from people who’ve experienced the effect of theeffect in their lives.

Everyone is recovering from something… Admitting this is the first step in spiritual life, because any unfinished business in our lives–trauma, unforgiveness, fear-based perceptions–fosters compulsive behavior and keeps us from connecting spiritually and emotionally.

Since we’re all recovering, we accept everyone right as they are—no expiration dates or deadlines. We don’t tell anyone what to believe or do. We present points of view that we hope will engage seekers in their own journey; help them unlearn limiting perceptions, beliefs, and compulsions; give opportunities to get involved in community, building the trust we all need to find real identity, meaning, and purpose. In other words, to engage the transforming Way of living life that Jesus called Kingdom…non-religiously understood from a first century Hebrew point of view.

 

SEE MORE

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Embedded in the fun and laughter of each of our gatherings and events is the connection and accountability as well as the structure, discipline, and opportunity for service that authentic community is all about. We help create programs for physical support, emotional recovery, and spiritual formation that can meet any person’s needs. Such programs work at two levels: first to address a person’s physical and emotional stability—clinical, financial, relational,professional—anything that distracts from working on the second level: true spiritual formation centered around the contemplative way of life defined by an original Hebrew understanding of the message of Jesus.

Rather than telling people what to believe or think, we model and encourage engagement in a personal and communal spiritual journey that allows people to experience their own worthiness of connection and acceptance, to find the freedom from underlying fears that brings real meaning and purpose into focus.

 

Effect in Action

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Seeing ourselves as a learning and recovery community that worships together, the focus isn’t on Sunday morning alone, but on every day of the week as we gather for worship, healing and support workshops, studies, 12 step meetings, counseling and mentoring sessions, referral services, and social events. We maintain a food pantry for those needing more support, a recovery worship gathering, and child care for those with little ones.

Our Sunday gathering starts at 10AM and our Recovery gathering on Tuesdays at 6:30PM. Both gatherings include worship with one of the best worship bands in the area. See our monthly calendar and our Facebook page to stay in touch with what is happening each week. You can also sign up on our elist for email enews updates.

 

Join Us

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Share This