Just before the final rehearsal for this year’s Christmas Concerts in Wexford, we all gather together for a quick review and prayer. It’s not about providing entertainment for the community. It’s about creating opportunities for lives to be changed. Every encounter you have with another person can change the trajectory of their life. Nearly six thousand people are going to encounter this group of people this week.
Are you looking for some great new music to add to your collection or broaden your set list possibilities at church? Adam Farrell’s new album, To Know You More, is well worth more than the $8.91 it costs on iTunes. You can find it on Amazon too if you want a physical CD. The track list flows from the pop sounds of “Faithful One” through the intimate worship attitude of “Breathe Life” and “Sing Into My Heart” into an updated folk version of Doxology. Farrell takes it up a notch with “Find Me” before going into “King of All” (which can also be found on North Way’s worship album, Follow After You) and “The Light That Shines”. Continue Reading…
It’s another installment of #MusicMonday! I led worship for our high school student ministry last night and afterwards felt like I didn’t do a very good job. I had a hard time engaging the students and I couldn’t find the melody of the last song for the whole first half of it. There’s not much that feels more awkward to a worship leader than singing a weird harmony to the first half of a song without anyone singing the melody. As I reflect on the whole experience this morning, I am drawn back to another song that we sang last night and I’m reminded of the love of God in spite of my shortcomings. Continue Reading…
Ratatat
Sometimes you just want some instrumental music to work to. For me it’s stuff like Ratatat. Put put their entire catalog on shuffle-repeat and a day of productivity ensues. I linked to their self-titled album, but they’ve got a lot more to offer. Click the picture to find them in iTunes.
Every time I lead worship, I feel more and more like it’s something I should continue to do as often as possible. I may not have the best voice in the world, or the trendiest clothes, but I do have a heart for helping people engage in worship. I long for God to reveal Himself to people, and I get to see that happen through worship.
I led an acoustic worship set for Blitz (our high school ministry at church) last night, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard students pour themselves out through song quite like that. I think worship leaders sometimes want to go over the top, using every instrument possible, making it as loud as comfortably possible, and really just perform some songs that they like rather than help people engage. There’s nothing wrong with these things, but none of them necessarily cause people to focus on their Creator in worship. None of these things are necessary for people to recognize the presence of The Holy Spirit in and around them.
It’s #MusicMonday again, and I thought I’d dive back into the hymns this week. Like many hymns that we know today, the version of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing that we sing today is the result of multiple adaptations from the original text by Robert Robinson found below. Continue Reading…
The discusion this week on the Journeymen Podcast is about hearing from God and whether or not He still speaks to His people today. To me the question isn’t whether He still speaks, but whether we are listening. Sometimes it’s hard to get through the distractions in life to hear what He is saying, so it is important to specifically seek out His voice in your life. To do that, the Journeymen have made a commitment to seek out the voice of God. Continue Reading…
The Only Way To Play Christian Music...
Is there such a thing as Christian music? This is one of the questions that was posed on the Journeymen Podcast this week.
I personally don’t think that music should be labeled Christian. People are Christians. Christians make up the church. Christians play music and worship God. The music itself does not have the power to follow Christ, but it is the writers and singers of that music that follow Him. As I mention on the podcast, there are a lot of people who would listen to Christian music if it didn’t have the label “Christian music”. The point of being a Christian is to make disciples. The point of making music as a band is to have as many people as possible listen to your music. As a Christian in a band, wouldn’t your goal be to make as many disciples through your music? I get it that there are Christian bands out there doing this, but just imagine how many more people would hear their message if there wasn’t this Christian music stigma that is ingrained in the minds of so many.
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Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)
Music is not just about a euphoric feeling stemming from the connection you make with the beat, melody, or lyrics. Music is a connecting point for community and lends an opportunity to connect with God from the heart. Music concerts and festivals are some of the most highly attended events in the world. When certain songs are played at sporting events, the crowd joins in an sings along. Church services are usually started with a time of worship through music. Music can pump you up for the big game or calm a crying baby when it’s time to sleep. There is power in music.
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