One of our favorite things is coming together to celebrate what God is doing in and through our team. Team Night has become a sacred time where we can...
One of our favorite things is coming together to celebrate what God is doing in and through our team. Team Night has become a sacred time where we can...
Where are you from and what’s your family like?
My family is great! I love them to death. I have an older brother who is a CSI officer for the Santa Barbara PD, and both my father and my mother are retired and enjoying life.
Coke or Pepsi?
It is clear to me that all people who have been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel as God's children know Coke is vastly superior to Pepsi.
What is your favorite book?
The Chronicles of Narnia! I still read it to this day.
Where would you go on vacation if you could leave today?
The Maldives – beautiful sunsets, ocean, scenery. God's art is by far the best.
Describe your journey to Saddleback.
At the beginning of 2016, the Lord told me it would be a year of faith; I knew I would be tested. For eight months I felt God telling me to leave the church I was serving at and step out into the open road, not knowing where it may lead. The natural next question was, "Can you tell me where we're going?" With no clear answer to the question, the only thing I could do was pray. Without a single contact, job offer, potential position, or anything in sight, I left. I knew that it would be disobedient to stay. Soon after, I saw that Saddleback was looking for worship pastors. Saddleback is the church that I was baptized at, the church where I found my faith again about seven years ago, and the church that has always had a dear place in my heart. I loved the culture and the church, but it wasn’t until Pastor Rick announced the opening of Saddleback San Diego that I knew for certain this was the place for me. Through patient waiting, prayer, faith, and a surrendered life before God who is worthy of it all, my waiting period had ended.
What is your job title?
I am the worship pastor at Saddleback San Diego.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
As every pastor knows, my day-to-day work changes daily. Days are filled with various meetings, fellowships, trainings, rehearsing, vocal exercises, music directing, practicing, conferences, phone calls to discuss individual needs with the team, emails, lots of prayer, Ableton files, auditioning, spending time with church family… the list goes on. I have an awesome tech director who is such a huge help to me. I can’t leave him out! We speak with each other four times a week, and I connect with my lead pastor 2-3 times a week. Since the San Diego campus is new, I’m also connecting with various schools in the area to find more people who have a heart to serve and use their talents for an eternal purpose. Most importantly, I would not be able to do any of these things without the team of volunteers and staff behind me. They are the true heroes and builders of this church!
What do you love most about what you do?
My favorite part of what I do is the assurance that I am at the center of God’s will. I like to remember that what I’m doing is for Him and that I’m going to see Him in all of this. If He told me to go elsewhere, I would pack my bags and go because my favorite part of what I do is I get to be with Jesus. I would never opt to be here if the Lord did not want me here.
What is God teaching you through this role?
A lot! He’s been teaching me patience with my team. He’s been teaching me to continually encourage. He’s been teaching me to love, to love, and… to love. If love is greater than faith and hope (1 Cor. 13:13), I imagine it will be the most difficult thing to learn. Love is a constant learning process in order to truly love like Christ loves.
While leading worship is certainly life-giving and rewarding, it also demands that we pour ourselves out spiritually, emotionally, and physically. There’s no doubt that a day will come when you just...
How we use, store, maintain, and repair our equipment and backstage space is a direct reflection of our commitment to our stewardship of the assets we have been given...
BY: SHELLEY SCARR
As a vocal director, it is my goal each week to provide clear and organized materials that our singers can easily follow. These resources help our singers become confident in their parts so that they are free of distractions, allowing them to...
Stewardship is something we see regularly exercised throughout the Bible. There are countless stories of ordinary people recognizing the extraordinary importance of being found trustworthy with the gifts God has given them. Though we most often associate stewardship...
It is both an honor and a responsibility that we are given to invest in these children now and not 10 years from now. They are today’s leaders, but they are too often...
In today’s world, it can be all too easy to put things on the same level as God. Pop culture always pushes for more applause, ordinary people fight for a spot on man-made pedestals, and even our most trusted...
Heading into the new year, our team was encouraged to write down some thoughts on our renewed focus for the year ahead. What is God putting on or planting in our heart in 2017? After thinking and praying, I felt like God was...
The day this song first fell on our ears, our team was moved by the honesty and profound truth that every lyric held. May the words to this song be our prayer in every season.
My journey to Saddleback Worship began over a decade ago. I was studying songwriting, recording, and singing at a local performing arts high school; interning at a recording studio near LA; and on top of it all...
Over the last year, this song has become an anthem at our church. It's a song where we can boldly declare our gratitude to God for his provision in our lives. The simple words make it...
As our team’s production leader, I know how easy it is to become consumed with the tasks we do and forget the bigger picture of why we do them. In a fast-paced environment like production, tunnel vision quickly sets in and...
God labels us as His “masterpiece.” We have been intentionally created in the image of our Creator and we are called to create. For many of us, this creativity reveals itself...
Here we are in the middle of another week. The last weekend is behind us and we have our sights set on the Planning Center plan for the week ahead. There are many meetings and countless cups of coffee between now and our next weekend service. Whatever ministry burdens you are carrying...
We’re thrilled to ring in this new season by bringing Christmas to the Saddleback stage. Our goal with this design is to highlight the beauty of His creation while bringing...
BY: DANIEL SCOTTI
If you have ever been a part of a rehearsal or soundcheck, you have most likely experienced some level of stress. Whether you are the worship leader waiting on the sound guy to finish up or you're the technician sprinting from the stage and back, there’s plenty of opportunities for frustration and miscommunication to creep in.
Seven values provide the foundation for our team. These values flow from a culture where we have deliberately made love our highest goal. It is not our only goal—but it is...
BY: SOCRATES PEREZ
These are nights when we get to lift our eyes beyond the fog that builds up in our daily grit and grind, and see clearly the truths...
The days leading up to weekend services are full of preparation – my heart, body, and mind must be ready to fulfill my call. I orient my weekly schedule around three key factors...