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Todd Dulaney Returns with Anthems and Glory in His Heart

Todd Dulaney’s Anthems and Glory: New Album of Worship for the World

todd dulaney anthems and glory

Todd Dulaney returns with all-new music inspired spontaneously by the written word of God; this new body of music finds Dulaney leading listeners literally back to the scriptures for hope, comfort, answers, instructions, and everything to live life according to the Bible. Pre-pandemic his 2020 singles, “You’re Doing it all Again” and “Psalms 18” peaked #1 at Gospel Radio.

About Todd Dulaney

todd dulaney anthems and glory

Dynamic worship leader, husband, father, and prolific songwriter are all terms that embody who Todd Dulaney is. At the age of 18, Dulaney was drafted by the New York Mets, but to the surprise of many, left the sports world behind to pursue a career as a Gospel recording artist. Dulaney has delivered some of the biggest worship anthems of the past three years with his remake of the Planet Shakers’ CCM hit, “The Anthem,” and “Victory Belongs To Jesus,” which Dulaney penned, establishing a track record of success early on his musical journey. Throughout the past few years, he has been recognized for his dedication and musical prowess among his peers. A GRAMMY®, Stellar, and Dove Award-nominated artist, Dulaney stands out from other emerging artists in the genre and is revered as one of the influencers of the next generation of Gospel music.

Team Jesus Locker Room Chat with Todd Dulaney

Teammate Todd stopped by the Team Jesus Locker Room to share his thoughts – it’s all about worship, culture vs. Kingdom anointing, family, and giving back to support other artists. Take a listen to our candid interview above to learn more.

Hillsong Atlanta Launches Sunday Services

Hillsong Church, known for its popular worship music, sounds different in Atlanta. At the new location’s first day of Sunday services, rapper Da’ T.R.U.T.H. kicked off worship in the dimly lit Atlanta Event Center, formerly Club Opera in the heart of downtown.

Donning a sweatshirt, jeans, and a man bun, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., who was also featured in Hillsong Atlanta’s “Welcome Home” launch video, rapped the lyrics to his song “The Faith” in front of the congregation at three opening-day gatherings.

Attendees—few were masked, despite the church advertising mask-wearing and social distancing requirements—stood from black folding chairs and gold-seated booths to cheer for Sam Collier, who’s the first African American to serve as lead pastor of a Hillsong church.

The crowd was diverse, and the service felt like a pep rally. “I guess I need to know if anyone who loves Jesus is in the building?” Collier asked. “Lift him up! Welcome to our grand opening!”

Collier, who came to Hillsong from Andy Stanley’s North Point Ministries, has deep connections in the city. He previously ministered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the home church of Martin Luther King Jr., and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, another well-known Black church in the metro Atlanta area.

Hillsong, which formed its own denomination in 2018, has locations in about a dozen US cities and 28 countries, averaging a total global attendance of 150,000 a week, according to its website. The services drew prominent Atlanta figures and celebrities and featured Hillsong Church global senior pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston.

“It’s been a difficult year, but you’re the greatest …

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The Potency and Totality of Worship

prophetic

Worship and Today’s Scripture Lesson: Psalms Chapters 10-13

Growing up in a Christian family, being the son of a minister, attending services at various churches and different denominations, and moving to several different towns and cities, I’ve had numerous opportunities to see how people praise the Lord as a community of believers. I’ve been a regular attendee at churches that average about 55 people on Sunday morning as well as churches that average 200, 500, 800, and even 2600 in their attendance.

Some of those churches had choirs with 7 people being led by the organist. Some of those churches had a choir director, organist, and a very large choir. Other churches had a praise and worship band complete with guitarists with full pedalboards, bassists, synthesizers, drums, mic’d vocalists, and the occasional violin. I haven’t even touched the orchestra churches. You name it, I’ve probably seen it.

What I find interesting is that, regardless of the church, my attitude toward, and struggles with worship never seemed to change. Worship time was wildly inconsistent to me. I found myself completely immersed in my focus toward my Creator, ready to sing praises and celebrate victory in Christ one week. Then, the next week, I just couldn’t get into it. I was distracted by those around me, the people moving on stage, the singers who couldn’t find a note if it slapped them in the face, the construction of the music (I’m a musician), and simply life itself.

Like a lot of Christians, I allowed the quality of the music to dictate the potency of the worship time, and it was often how I perceived the presence or absence of the Holy Spirit. As I grew older and grew in my spiritual walk, I began to see the error of this understanding, BUT that didn’t change the simple fact that I still struggled.

Starting several years ago, God set me on a path where He began to reveal and redefine my understanding of worship. He started with His Word, the Bible.

Worship and the Word

As I was reading and studying the Bible, I found myself in moments of deep worship. The world was gone, it was just me and my Savior. As God revealed Himself and His truth, my heart was humbled and I rejoiced with a magnificent sense of satisfaction in Who He Is. I could feel His presence consume me.

It became easier to go worship and sing. It was easy to be drawn into worship and praise. Worship time was more consistent

And then, it wasn’t.

The same inconsistencies came back. Not only that, the inconsistency crept into my Bible reading time. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit was speaking loud and clear; other times He was silent.

My frustration mounted and one night I was working with my discipler and teacher, Adam. Adam was talking about how we separate things that were never meant to be separated, like husband and wife. He was making the point that the things we separate are not to be separated, they should not be treated as equal, instead – they are one. Furthermore, he asserted those parts of one whole are never satisfying in, and of, themselves.

It was then that I knew I needed to ask, “What is it that we separate from worship?” Before I give you an answer, let’s get into some Scripture.

The Heart of Worship in Psalms?

Today, we’re going to jump into the book of Psalms. As we explore worship, there is probably no greater place to go. Let’s zero in on Chapters 10 – 13. I encourage you to read these full Chapters on your own, but I’m going to pull out some excerpts which reveal the Psalmist, David, to be struggling a bit with his understanding of what it is that God is doing.

Psalm 10

  • Verse 1: Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
  • Verse 12: Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted.

Psalm 12

  • Verse 1: Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

Psalm 13

  • Verses 1-2: How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

Let’s face it, this just doesn’t sound like worship. I thought the Psalms were all about worship. Hmmm? Well, they are. Before I go on, I want you to know that it’s OK and it is worshipful to bring your struggles before God. It’s OK to let God know your attitude. You should do so in reverence, but there isn’t any sense putting on a face before Him. He knows your heart.

Despite God’s silence, David goes on in faith:

Psalm 10

  • Verses 16-17: The LORD is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land. O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear

Psalm 11

  • Verse 4: The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

Psalm 13

  • Verses 5-6: But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Only 1 time in these 4 chapters do we read the spoken Word of God.

Psalm 12

  • Verse 5: “Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he longs.”

The Totality of Worship

What do we separate from worship?”, I asked.

Life,” my teacher, Adam, responded. Then, he directed me to the book of Romans.

Romans 12:1 tells us, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Worship is a life of holy sacrifice. It is a life of gratitude. It is a life of recognition of God’s sovereignty even when He is silent. It is a life of testifying of His goodness, recognizing that He has dealt with us bountifully. It is the life that knows God hears our prayers even when nothing seems to be moving or changing.

Worship isn’t simply something we do each week when the praise band plays. Our worship isn’t simply something we do when we read Scripture. Worship isn’t simply something we do when we spend time in creation.

Worship is what we do with our own lives, and while praise is part of that life, a life of worship also includes expressions of gratitude, testimony, and faithfulness even when God is silent.

Latice Crawford’s New EP “The Cure”: For Whatever Ails Us

latice crawford the cureLatice Crawford Releases Transparent and Revealing EP “The Cure”

This EP is raw. It’s real. And, it transparently represents ALL of us.

BET “Sunday Best” alum Latice Crawford’s new EP, THE CURE, is available now. The transparent and motivational EP is concrete proof of Latice’s ability to deliver melodic and soulful messages to listeners and followers of Christ. THE CURE is available now on all major digital retail and streaming outlets.

This new music I’m releasing is all about our common symptoms (our temptations, struggles, stumbling blocks on our journey, those pills we use to maintain or fill our voids.) My hope is that my music will simply help us identify our stuff, see that we all have the same issues, and that we all use a variation of the same resources. I hope that we can judge less, and come together to see, and ultimately find our common source, the cure, Jesus Christ,” Latice Crawford shares.

Utilize “The Cure”: God is Available and Standing By

latice crawford the cureTHE CURE by Latice Crawford is a six-track confessional with transparent lyrics revealing her testimony over the last few years – diving deep into love, life, relationships, and religion. THE CURE features the ballad, “Amazing” – a beautiful ode of gratitude to God with Latice’s signature vocals; “Something, Something” with a throwback vibe, and “Your Fault” which is sure to get all believers to the dance floor.

The New York native and Stellar Award-nominated singer stole the hearts of believers on BET’s singing competition “Sunday Best,” using her three-octave, contralto vocal range, finishing third on the second season. Her self-titled debut album reached two Billboard charts, and the Top Gospel Albums chart. Her second album, “Diary of a Church Girl,” also appeared on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Many may already know the fabulous runway and editorial model, but Crawford is also a contributor to Essence and Huffington Post, writing on a range of topics to include mental wellness, parenting, race relations, and self-care.

Team Jesus Locker Room Chat with Latice Crawford

Teammate Latice stopped by the Team Jesus Locker Room to share her thoughts, testimony, and encouragement. Take a listen to our candid chat – it may be just what you need to hear on your road to healing, recovery, and wholeness.

Spiritual Surgery: 4 Ways to Cooperate with God

spiritual surgery

The Doctor Will See You Now

Life is filled with time spent in the Waiting Room, where we’re sick from disappointments, missed lessons, and waiting for our “time” for change. And, while many of us use this time to wait for circumstances and situations to change, it’s really about us! We are next in line for a transplant – a new mindset (Philippians 2:5), a new outlook, a clean heart (Psalm 51:10), and a new spirit.

When life announces, “The Doctor will see you now”, what do we do?

We start fumbling through our bag of mixed emotions.  We want the enlarged territory, we want good success, we want greatness – but we’re also sick with fear: “Will it hurt?” “How long will it take?” “I’m afraid of change.”

What Are You Here For?

waiting on godWe’ve all been there.  I’m sitting next to you in the Waiting Room right now. As teammates and co-workers for Christ, God wants His team to prosper physically, financially, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually – so the whole Body can be effective and efficient in bringing Him honor.

We’re in the best place we could be, in process for God to transform and heal some places in our lives that have been bumped, bruised, or flat out broken. The Great Physician is standing by to put us back together fresh and new.

But, there’s something we have to do in the process.

We’ve got to COOPERATE with the transformation and healing we so desire.

Take a look at Adam.

In Genesis 2:21, when God began to make woman, it says that God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and Adam slept. He didn’t fight the sleep. Adam didn’t peek. Adam graciously rested in God, and trusted God to provide what (who) he needed and how.

So, here’s a brief list of play calls to help you cooperate with your spiritual surgery. Ready?

Before You Hop on the Table for Spiritual Surgery, remember:

1. Lie there and be still; Stay in position.

Have you ever witnessed a mother give birth while sitting upright in a chair? Or, how about open heart surgery taking place while the patient lies on his stomach? Pretty hard for either procedure to be a success, right?

Positioning aligns your entire being to receive an expected outcome. Positioning is paramount to your purpose and can make or break your process [Tweet that]. When we are out of place, when we rebel against the posture that will bring us success, we sabotage the greatness that we’re destined for – all because we won’t get into position and stay there.

2. Go limp and trust the Doctor; Don’t resist the anesthesia.

Are you afraid you’re going to miss something (FOMO)? Do you have a spiritual medical degree and want to make sure the procedure goes well? Team, just fall asleep!

Truth is, you cannot know, control, or fix everything – but God can [Tweet that]. If you could, you wouldn’t be on the operating table in dire need of a new heart, mind, or attitude. When we take our hands off the situation and trust God at work, our masterpiece life will emerge.

3. Be quiet; Quit telling everybody everything you see, hear, and feel.

Our mouths can be our worse enemy, and an even worse enemy of transformation and healing. Constant negative talk, self-doubt, expressions of fear – our mouths can create or reinforce the very death traps that God is actually working to rescue us from.

You can be in perfect alignment and position on the operating table, but delay or never receive your transplant because you won’t stop talking – you’re disrupting the process, disturbing the peace, disrespecting the order that your process calls for. Get into a place of quiet – don’t say so much, and if you have to talk, talk to the Doctor.

4. Stop watching the clock; Trust that time works for the Team.

Am I done yet? Can I see it? Can I go now? We often spend so much time watching the clock and thinking about ourselves, we forget that God is watching everyone’s clock to benefit each other!

We are one Team, and there is no change, transformation, healing, or success planned for us in isolation. Perhaps your perceived delay is to allow the person who will give you the job time to be promoted themselves – so they are in the position to bless you. Perhaps “he” or “she” is not here yet because God is taking time to work some things out of you that would scare Mr. or Ms. Right away. The clock tick-tocks for us all – not just for one.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Team, it’s amazing how bad we want success, abundance, to win – but the consistent hold up to all of these super fabulous things is our unwillingness to surrender and cooperate with God.

Trust that you’re in good hands with the Great Physician (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Let’s sleep, shall we?

Your Greatness Takes Elbow Grease

purpose

Your Hard Work Toward Purpose is Worth the Weight

It was Saturday and I had my music going while I was cleaning my kitchen. You all know that’s officially how you clean, with the music blaring. Anyhoo, I’d washed the dishes, wiped off the stove, swept, and mopped. I turned off the music and the light and walked out of the kitchen when I decided to go back. You see, I have a glass top stove and after cooking on it so many times, it gets a build-up. Wiping the stove off with a soapy towel doesn’t fix it, you have to use a special cleaner and scrub it off.

Well, it typically takes me weeks to decide to do this because it takes me the longest. I pile the cleaner on, let it sit, then scrub it off. The issue is that I literally have to use “elbow grease” to get the stove to be clear of any burn residue and it irritates me. As I said, I usually opt to just wipe it off really well and ignore the brown scorch marks that stare back at me.

Why? My reason is simple – I just don’t feel like it. It takes too much extra effort and sometimes, it doesn’t get spotless the first time and I have to reapply and scrub again. It’s a little discouraging to scrub and scrub only to have it seem as if it’ll never come clean.

When I actually take the time and determine that I am going to get it clean, my hard work pays off. I’m typically a little extra tired and my arm is a little sore, but it’s worth it.

So, What’s the Play Call?

My thought today is simple, put in the work. Yes, it will take more time and effort and you will get tired, but if God called you to it, He will most definitely see you through until the end.

Giving up is an option, but you won’t see your hard work pay off. The work God has called you to will take more, it’s going to take “elbow grease”. I know it seems like the residue of your last loss or disappointment won’t wipe clean, but try again!

Here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to get to a spotless finish:

  1. Be patient with yourself. This process will, at times, feel tedious and we are often harder on ourselves when things do not go as smoothly as we plan. “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:4
  2. Rely on God for strength. Walking in your purpose is a lot like cleaning my stove, in that it takes additional energy that you may or may not have. Let God replenish you. “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”
  3. Don’t quit. If you would just see this thing through to its end, the results will be worth it. I mean, they have to be, this is God’s plan, not yours. “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9
  4. All you need to do is begin. Know that if God placed it within you to start, He will finish it. “Being confident in this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

Whatever you do, don’t walk away from that stove before cleaning it completely. The purpose you have over your life is to be seen through until the end.

The Equality Act and Religious Freedom: What Do Americans Actually Think?

Equality Act

Once every week or two, I get a press release about the Equality Act. The theme is consistent: This bill is popular. Americans love it. They want it passed yesterday.

That’s a big claim. If correct, it means American views on religious liberty, sexuality, and gender, and their intersection in nondiscrimination laws have undergone a swift and stark shift. It means Christians and members of other religions who hew to a more traditional view of sex are not merely in the cultural minority but facing massive legal changes to their worship, business, and educational lives. But if the reality is more complicated—and, spoiler alert, I think it is—we may have stumbled into a serious national misunderstanding about an important and contentious issue.

The Equality Act in its present form has been under congressional consideration for half a decade. It’s passed the House twice, never the Senate. President Biden called for its passage in his April speech to Congress, but since then the bill has stagnated while legislative attention goes to major spending packages instead. Still, this isn’t longshot legislation, and it will likely be reintroduced in the next Congress if it doesn’t pass this one.

What happens if this becomes law? The bill’s headline purpose is to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation,” and it mainly works by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Some of the Equality Act’s provisions would be welcomed across the political spectrum, but four parts have raised grave concern regarding religious liberty.

One is the bill’s expansion of the definition of “public accommodation.” The 1964 law defined this as hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and some entertainment venues. The Equality Act adds “any establishment that provides a good, service, or program,” a definition broad enough to potentially include houses of worship. Massachusetts passed a similar law several years ago, and …

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Church Closings Topped Church Openings in 2019. Then Came the Pandemic.

church closings

US Protestant churches endured a difficult 2020, including starting the year with fewer congregations.

In 2019, approximately 3,000 Protestant churches were started in the US, but 4,500 Protestant churches closed, according to estimates from Nashville-based Lifeway Research.

The evangelical research organization analyzed congregational information from 34 denominations and groups representing 60 percent of US Protestant churches to arrive at the church plant and closure numbers for 2019.

The current closure gap indicates a shift from Lifeway Research’s previous analysis. For 2014, an estimated 4,000 Protestant churches were planted, while 3,700 closed in a year.

“Over the last decade, most denominations have increased the attention they are giving to revive existing congregations that are struggling,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “This has been more than a fad. This has been a response to a real, growing need to revitalize unhealthy congregations.”

Church planting experts say the decline in new churches was expected but is still troubling.

“While planting a church is still one of the most exciting things a pastor can do, over the past few years, I’ve noticed a growing hesitancy to plant, which is why these numbers don’t surprise me,” said Daniel Im, co-author of Planting Missional Churches and lead pastor of Beulah Alliance Church in Edmonton, Alberta. “Starting a church from scratch is not as it used to be, especially with the rise in Boomer pastors retiring and needing to find a successor.”

For Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, the numbers provide a clarifying reminder …

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Discrimination or ‘Do No Harm’: Christian Doctors Gear Up for Transgender Debates

As cultural conflicts around transgender identity grow more intense, Christian doctors see a need to be more sensitive to the plights and preferences of people experiencing gender dysphoria while also holding firm to personal and professional convictions around biological sex.

That’s what the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) says in an updated statement on transgender identification that leaders hope will inform its 20,000 members as well as the general public.

That balance might be difficult to maintain, though, if federal health officials take the position that declining certain treatments for transgender patients can be considered a form of discrimination based on sex.

Last week, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that antidiscrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act include sexual orientation and gender identity. The current administration’s stance revives a contested interpretation under President Barack Obama.

Though the HHS announcement said the department would comply with religious freedom protections in its enforcement under this interpretation, the decision raises the stakes for two current lawsuits over conscience protections for religious hospitals and doctors who do not perform certain procedures for faith reasons—and it is expected to spur further legal challenges.

“We do know that this is happening. Our fear, as an organization, is we had a temporary reprieve under the Trump administration,” said Dr. Jeffrey Barrows, CMDA’s senior vice president of bioethics and public policy. “We are very concerned and expect that we’ll have an increase in lawsuits and threats against our members and other Christian health …

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Seasons Change: 4 Things to Do When You’ve Outgrown Them

seasons change

Seasons Change. It’s Time to Go.

You all had a good run – that season, job, person, place, or thing. Or, maybe it was a bad run. Either way, the weather has changed, tides have turned, and it’s time for you to move on.

Sometimes, we don’t want the seasons to change. We’re comfortable. We’ve got things all figured out – and here comes God shaking things up, right?

Well, whether you’re excited, sad, or nervous about the shift, here are 4 ways to prepare yourself for the end of a thing and welcome God’s new thing!

1. Welcome the change of seasons with thanksgiving and gratitude.

Teammate, you’re not ending this season the same way you entered it. Oh no, you’ve made some mistakes, learned some lessons, and grown a little wiser – and for that, let your heart be thankful and filled with gratitude.

Thank God for the mistakes you made – you’ll never have to make them again. Give thanks for the opportunity for God to use you and grow you through the season. Allow a grateful heart to keep away any feelings of fear, regret, and uncertainty – realizing that God reveals Himself from faith-to-faith (Romans 1:17).

2. Tie up any loose ends – with excellence.

Whenever you’re exiting a season, be it a job, relationship, relocation – make sure there are no “loose ends” that need to be tied. Deliver on every promise. Give back what needs to be returned, and in Jesus’ name – never take what’s not supposed to go with you.

Don’t fall into the “entitlement” trap of all the years you’ve spent, and take what does not belong to you. The last thing you want to do is defile your future journey by carrying old season stuff into your next promised land.

3. Walk away by faith, and not by sight.

If God brought you to the last season – person, place, or thing – He’ll bring you to the next season. Don’t go trying to force any situations or manipulate circumstances into what you think should be your “next”. Sure, you’re walking wiser and stronger, but you’re still walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) – even when you walk away. Keep God in the driver’s seat and follow His lead.

4. Stop playing. Let go, for real.

No play-play letting go, Teammates. If God is moving and shifting you from a place that no longer serves you – keeping your pinky finger on the pulse of what’s going on “back there” will stunt your progress forward. You can’t dwell on the past and effectively move forward (Philippians 3:13-14).

A lot of us claim we’ve “let go” or we’ve “moved on”, but we’ve carved out a secret place in our hearts and minds where that person, place, or season still has its claws dug deep in our spirits. Release it! Release them! Sometimes it takes deleting social media connections, browser bookmarks, old phone numbers, and contacts. Whatever and however God would have you to move on – do it, for real.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Congratulations, Team, on your graduation to the next level or season. The time is now to put away childish things and become the man or woman God has purposed you to be (1 Corinthians 13:11).

You’ve outgrown the milk bottle, now sink those teeth into some meat LOL! You won’t choke, God is faithful to lead and guide you now as He did back then.

Trust Him.

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