The God of Hope Fills You | Before the Doors Open

The Question That Changes How You Receive Help | Philippians 4:14

Philippians 4:14 is the verse before Paul says he can do all things through Christ. It is the verse most readers skip. Paul thanks the Philippians for sharing in his distress. He is not above receiving. He is not too strong to be carried. He names what they did. For worship leaders, worship pastors, musicians, and church techs who have been carrying the room for everyone else. The question this verse asks: who is allowed to carry you? Verse-by-verse Philippians 4 from Formation to Transformation. Read the written version at ryanloche.substack.com. Mentioned in this episode: If you've enjoyed this devotional, would you please leave a rating and a review? You can keep up with everything at ryanloche.substack.com

The Verse You've Been Misusing | Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13 is the most-quoted verse on coffee mugs and the most-misused verse in the New Testament. Paul is not saying you can win at anything you want. He is saying you can be content in any state, abundance or want, through Christ who strengthens you. The strength here is the strength to be steady when the circumstances are not steady. Paul learned this in prison, not on a stage. This episode of Formation to Transformation walks Philippians 4:13 verse by verse for worship leaders, worship pastors, musicians, audio engineers, lighting directors, and the whole worship team. Read the written version and get extra notes at ryanloche.substack.com. Mentioned in this episode: If you've enjoyed this devotional, would you please leave a rating and a review? You can keep up with everything at ryanloche.substack.com

You Are Mid-Formation While You Lead Worship | Before the Doors Open

For the worship leader doing vocal warm-ups in the car on the drive in. For the audio engineer powering up the rig before the coffee is hot. For the lighting director walking the room while it is still empty. Anchored in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. The God of peace himself sanctifies you completely while you serve. Spirit, soul, and body. The voice you are warming up, the body that has been carrying the week, the soul that is tired, the spirit that has been distracted. All of it. The same God who calls you to lead today is the one who is forming you while you lead. The sanctifying does not stop when the lights go up. You are not on a break from formation while you lead worship. You are mid-formation, in front of people, with hands full and the Spirit at work. He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it. New podcast episodes every weekday. Sunday mornings, Before the Doors Open. Read the written version and get extra notes at ryanloche.substack.com. Mentioned in this episode: If you've enjoyed this devotional, would you please leave a rating and a review? You can keep up with everything at ryanloche.substack.com

Both Abound and Be Abased | Philippians 4:12

Most spiritual writing on contentment focuses on lack. Paul wrote those things too. But in this verse he says something almost nobody says out loud about the other side. He had to learn contentment in abundance too. And the abundance is the harder lesson. Paul calls it a secret. Both seasons are tests. Both seasons are teachers. Both seasons want to lie to you about what is actually holding you up. In lack, the lie is that God has abandoned you. In plenty, the lie is that you no longer need him as much as you did. For the worship leader in a hard season: your job is not to wait for the season to change. For the worship leader in abundance: your job is not to enjoy it without noticing what it is doing to you. Both are formation. Anchored in Philippians 4:12. Episode 10 of the Philippians season. Formation to Transformation is a daily worship devotional for worship leaders, worship pastors, musicians, audio engineers, lighting directors, ProPresenter operators, camera ops, and the whole worship team. #WorshipLeader #ChurchTech #Philippians4 #Contentment #FormationToTransformation Mentioned in this episode: If you've enjoyed this devotional, would you please leave a rating and a review? You can keep up with everything at ryanloche.substack.com

I Have Learned | Philippians 4:11

The most famous verse in Philippians 4 is about to come. Verse 13. The one on the coffee mugs. But verse 11 contains a word that gives verse 13 its meaning. That word is learned. Paul did not have contentment from the beginning. He did not receive it as a download. He learned it. The Greek is manthano, the same root as disciple. Contentment is not a personality trait. It is a learned discipline, formed in you over years, taught by the actual circumstances of your life. You are not behind. You are mid-curriculum. The classroom is your actual life. The state you are in right now is doing the teaching. Anchored in Philippians 4:11. Episode 9 of the Philippians season. Formation to Transformation is a daily worship devotional for worship leaders, worship pastors, musicians, audio engineers, lighting directors, ProPresenter operators, camera ops, and the whole worship team. #WorshipLeader #ChurchTech #Philippians4 #Contentment #FormationToTransformation Mentioned in this episode: If you've enjoyed this devotional, would you please leave a rating and a review? You can keep up with everything at ryanloche.substack.com