Author Archives: Mark Cole

About Mark Cole

Jesus follower, Husband, Father, Worship Leader, Writer, Pastor, Church Consultant, Founding Arranger for Praisecharts.com, squash & tennis player, blogger & outdoor enthusiast.. (biking, hiking, skiing). Twitter: @MarkMCole Facebook: mmcole

The Secret Of Going From Good To Great

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Mark Cole

Have you ever seen a musician or an athlete and wonder how they got that good? Each of us are born with different talents. But none of us becomes an expert at something overnight. That is where diligence and personal … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Exercise, God, Leadership, Music, Wisdom | Tagged accomplishment, amazing, athletes, character, difficult, diligence, discipline, goals, hard work, master, metronome, musician, principle, regret, sacrifice, successful | Leave a comment

Worship Leader Stage Presence

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Mark Cole

by Katie Eckeberger… You might think it odd that I’m addressing stage presence in a worship leading context, but all too often I see worship leaders struggling to maintain a leading presence for their congregations. It might be a confidence … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Leadership, Music, Worship | Tagged authority, eye contact, personal connections, posture, stance, verbal cues, visual cues | 5 Comments

10 Great Worship Team Questions

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Mark Cole

Are you a Worship Leader or Music Ministry leader? Asking your team the right questions really sets the right tone for your leadership. Asking the right questions will give you insight into any blind spots you might have. And asking the right questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Leadership, Worship | Tagged advice, barriers, challenge, clear communication, feedback, improve, leader, learning, personal life, perspective, servant, successful, vision | Leave a comment

Four Behaviors of a Thriving Worship Ministry

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Mark Cole

Lessons From Churches from 50 and 5000. By Mike O’Brien Over the past 18 months, I have served fifty-plus churches as a worship team trainer and guest worship leader. I’ve noticed some interesting trends in worship ministries that are healthy, growing, and happy. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Leadership, Music, Worship | Tagged drum set, Facebook, organized, Planning Center, songs, system, thank you, vocal mics, Worship leaders | Leave a comment

How To Last In Ministry

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Mark Cole

By Pastor Rick Warren
Ministry is a marathon: it’s not how you start in ministry; it’s how you finish. Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged Christian, desires, honest, love, marathon, motivate, re-fuel, rejuvenation, servant, truthful | Leave a comment

Wise Advice For Everyday Life

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Mark Cole

Wise Advice For Everyday Life Have a firm handshake. Look people in the eye. Sing. Expressing yourself through music is therapeutic. Smile. A happy face brings joy. Respect and honour your parents. Learn to keep your friends secrets. Never give up … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, God, Healing, Music, Wisdom | Tagged attitude, blessings, brave, compliment, give, good loser, habit, honor, hope, hug, laughter, miracles, Music, no regrets, parents, positive, quite moment, relax, respect, romantic, smile, thankful, truth, winner | Leave a comment

Strong Congregational Singing: 12 Things To Avoid

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Mark Cole

I love it when congregations sing so loud that the soundman has trouble hearing the worship band over the people singing around him. Worship leaders – if the congregation is not singing, we are not doing what God has called us to do. Here are a few things that I’ve learned to avoid in order to encourage the congregation to sing.
Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Leadership, Music, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged actions, ad lib, attitude, CCLI, great songs, Holy Spirit, hymns, instrumental, lyrics, new songs, rehearsal, rhythms, rotation, Rule of D, solos, songs, spiritual songs | 8 Comments

The Real Saint Patrick

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Mark Cole

The real St. Patrick…. Wasn’t Irish, Born a Roman citizen in Britain Came from a wealthy aristocratic family Father was deacon, grandfather a priest Showed no interest in following Christ in early years Kidnapped by Irish pagans at age 16 … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, God, God Adventures, Jesus, Travel | Tagged Christian communities, cleric, converted, deacon, medieval, pray, Roman citizen, slave, vision | Leave a comment

Why I Didn’t Eat For 40 Days

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Mark Cole

In 1998, my wife, Anna and I were asked to accompany a group of students on a missions trip to the Philippines. We spent a few months helping prepare the group for the two-week trip. Anna was on staff at … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Exercise, God, God Adventures, Wisdom | Tagged challenge, coconut, faith, fast, fasting, food, hike, Impossible, jungle, next level, Philippines, preparation, reward, supernatural, tribe | Leave a comment

Wisdom

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Mark Cole

Many years ago, I took some advice from Billy Graham’s biography and started reading one chapter from the Book of Proverbs every day. There is so much wisdom in that book, that 30+ years later, I am still learning from it … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, God, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged advice, anger, competent, criticism, discipline, fear of the Lord, fire, foolishness, forgive, generous, give, good, heart, Holy One, honey, honor, humility, joyful, judgement, kind words, leadership, long life, Lord, love, mouth, patience, plans, praise, precautions, pressure, riches, strength, test, wealth, wife | 1 Comment