As a fledgling musician, how can I fully worship and not be so into the mechanics of the music?

I have probably been asked this question dozens of times and my answer is always the same: practice. The more familiar you are with the music prior to the “performance” of the music, the easier it will be for you. If you have gone over a difficult chord change or an unusual progression many times in practice, it will come much more naturally when you do it on Sunday morning.

People often appear disappointed after I answer this question. It appears that they were looking for an easy answer. They want the solution that won’t cause them work. There is a lady on the music team at my home church who is a fabulous sight-reader. She can sight-read practically anything, either singing or playing. I once commented that I would give my right arm to be able to do that. She responded, “Will you give me a couple hours a week?” I wanted the easy solution. Hers was much more realistic.

Most things that are worth having are worth working for. Work at your music. Practice the songs at home. Be diligent. Then, during the times of leading worship, you will have much less of a struggle with the mechanics and will be able to focus more on worshiping God.