Worship Leader Magazine Vol 28|No. 4

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THE G IF T AND CALLING OF WORS HI LE ADE R

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Department of

Worship Arts True Worship is More than Music Worship leaders set the tone at every service, inviting people into a spirit of worship. It’s a calling that challenges you to hone your skills as a musician, deepen your theological understanding and seek to trust the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you’re called to lead worship, our Center for Worship programs will help you prepare to live out that calling through dedicated study and hands-on experiences.

Our Promise to You: Our goal is to prepare you both practically and intellectually for the diverse roles you will occupy as a worship leader.

Majors

"We want to create a new generation of worship leaders who are theologically informed and possess the skills to lead with excellence."

BACHELORS OF WORSHIP

The worship major focuses on six distinct areas including theological development, spiritual formation, musicianship, leadership, pastoral ministry, and technology. This holistic approach prepares our graduates for positions in either full-time or part-time roles.

BACHELORS OF WORSHIP & CHURCH MINISTRY

The worship and church ministry major includes all courses required for the worship degree and includes a religion minor, which fulfills the educational requirements for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene.

This is an excellent program for students answering a call to full-time worship ministry.

MASTER OF ARTS IN WORSHIP & LEADERSHIP

The Master of Arts in worship and leadership program is designed to equip the student with robust theological training and leadership skills that will allow them to shepherd a congregation with organizational excellence and spiritual maturity. The degree is a great asset for those seeking to grow in their full-time role as a worship pastor or become an executive pastor. The program is also a great fit for those desiring to teach at an undergraduate level.

SAM GREEN Program Director sgreen@trevecca.edu 615.248.1341

Minors WORSHIP

The worship minor focuses on the core courses found in the worship major including spiritual formation, musicianship, and leadership. The minor is a great fit for students desiring to learn more about biblical and historical worship and how to lead a worship experience.

615.248.1288 | trevecca.edu |@trevecca

Coming January 2020: Master's in Worship and Leadership Master of Arts in Worship & Leadership 100% Online trevecca.edu/MWL

Bachelor Degree Options

Associate Degree Options

Worship | Worship and Church Ministry Commercial Music | Music Education Theory and Composition Music Performance

Recording Technology Songwriting | Music

For more information: www.trevecca.edu/music | 615.248.1536 | @TreveccaMusic

32 FE AT UR E S

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he Call to Help T People See: Cultivating Sacramental Imagination Glenn Packiam

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Called to Soul Care:

Jesus Style Nancy Nethercott

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alled to Create: C Inhabiting Inspiration, Imagination, & Limitation Rich Kirkpatrick

COLUM NS

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Letter from the Editor Caroline Lusk

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Back to Basics

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Worship Leader Profile

Chuck Fromm with Andrea Hunter

Becky Nordquist

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Download the 2019 Song Discovery collection today at SONGDISCOVERY.COM

COLU M N S

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Devotional

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Worship Leader Forum

WORSHIP LEADER MAGAZINE VOL. 28, NO.4

Broken Things

by Kim Hill

R.J. Dyson

CONTENT/DESIGN/PRODUCTION

18 Song Discovery Greg LaFollette

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Multicultural Worship Considerations, Not Quotas

by Nikki Lerner

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EDITORIAL/ADVISORY BOARD

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Worship Leader Classics

Steve Berger, David Bunker, Constance Cherry, Scott & Vonda Dyer, Stan Endicott, Craig Gilbert, Zac Hicks, Jim Van Hook, Andrea Hunter, Monique Ingalls, Ray Jones, Stefanie Kelly, Reggie Kidd, Roberta King, Rich Kirkpatrick, Chuck Kraft, Greg Laurie, Nikki Lerner, Rick Muchow, Rory Noland, Robb Redman, Tanya Riches, Mark Roberts, John Schreiner, Laura Story, Chuck Smith Jr., Scotty Smith, Leonard Sweet, Dave Travis, Vernon Whaley, C. Dennis Williams

by Darlene Zschech and Ross Parsley

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Children's Worship Rend Co. Kids

MAIN OFFICE WL Partnership P.O. Box 1539 | SJC, Ca 92693 855.875.2977

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Songwriting Masterclass with Matt Redman

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R E VI E W

FEEDBACK/INQUIRIES

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See our submission guidelines at worshipleader.com For duplication requests, we grant permission for up to 100 copies of any original article to use in a local church.

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Technically Speaking Kent Morris

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JOB BOARD

48 Gear Reviews

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Steve Reed

Worship Leader® (ISSN 1066-1247) is published five times a year by Worship Leader Partnership (P.O. Box 1539, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693). Copyright: Worship Leader magazine © 2019 by Worship Leader, Inc. Worship Leader® is a registered trademark.

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52 Featured Review Hillsong Worship

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Featured Review David Leonard

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SENIOR ADVISOR, FOUNDER Charles E. Fromm, Ph,D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Alexandra Fromm, M.Ed. EDITOR Caroline Lusk, M.Ed. CONSULTING EDITOR Andrea Hunter SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Alissa Smith SONG DISCOVERY CURATOR Greg LaFollette ADMIN/EVENTS DIRECTOR Stephanie Fromm GRAPHIC DESIGN Flow Design Co. CUSTOMER CARE 855.875.2977

Album Reviews

Editorial Staff

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a letter from the

E DITOR Hello Friends, I recently heard a sermon on God’s economy. Essentially, it operates upside down. Whereas instinct and humanity might prompt us to hold on to our possessions, to acquire and never let go for the sake of accumulation, God’s system works a little differently. Humanity teaches us to hoard; divinity teaches us that the more we give, the more we receive. This principle is not restricted to the arena of finance, though tithing is a fundamental Spiritual discipline that dramatically benefits all areas of life.

It’s frighteningly easy to live life halfway. It’s not difficult to ascertain the amount of income you need to get by, the social networks you should maintain for the sake of not standing out, and the amount of effort you need to apply to make it through to tomorrow. Once you know the minimal thresholds, you can give up to that, coast along, and live a life of relative obscurity and complacency. Everything will be fine.

God didn’t call us to be fine. He created us in His image and formed within the fabric of our being gifts, talents, interests, and dreams so that we may live life to the full. What’s more, what He has given, He expects us to use. You’re probably familiar with the story of the talents and the servant who buried his portion, kept it safe, returned the amount exactly as he had received it, and was subsequently dismissed.

I’ve been that guy. More than once. Way too often, for way too long. I’ve allowed self-consciousness, fatigue, anger, and fear to dig holes in which to hide. And when I’m down deep, it’s hard to hear anything. Even the call of God. Not that His voice has grown softer or He has drifted further. Rather, my self-preservation techniques have muffled my capacity to hear.

Every time I hide away, keeping my gifts to myself, away

C A R O L I N E LU S K , M . E D .

EDITOR

from potential criticism, I may break even, but I am guaranteed to experience zero growth. And if I don’t grow, my life becomes insular and incapable of serving or showing God’s love to others.

God has called me and you and everyone to greatness, although God's kind of greatness as we see in the life of Christ and the men and women of the Bible often looks different than what the world aims for. He has instilled within us something special that requires our individual touch. We can’t pass it along to someone else. We are called to develop and then share His grace that is alive and moving within and through us.

It’s going to be risky. Any investment is. It might be uncomfortable and, at times, it may seem like you’re failing. You might be. You will likely be tempted to hold back and not entirely throw yourself into your calling. But the more you hold back, the less fruit you will see.

As you read through the articles within this issue, I hope you will find inspiration and feel encouraged by stories of God’s faithfulness, and most importantly, feel equipped to dive deeper into your gifts, heeding the call on your life. With each story you read, or idea you come across that stands out, I encourage you to stay there a while. Pray over it, let it roll around in your mind, ask God to reveal His message to you, and then, be still and quiet. You’ll never hear your call if the noise of your every day surrounds you.

Listen for your call, dare to throw your whole being into His call and then trust God to bless the return as He completes the good works He began in you.

Sincerely,

Caroline

Caroline Lusk is the editor of Worship Leader magazine, a storyteller for Baptist Global Response, and a freelance writer and author. Formerly the editor of CCM Magazine, she has hundreds of published articles to her credit and has ghost-written numerous books. With a Masters degree in Human, Organizational and Community Development from Vanderbilt University, Caroline lives outside of Nashville, TN with her husband and their two children.

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Back to Basics A

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I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.

ISAIAH 56:7

R

ecently, I had an impactful personal experience. I was in Vancouver, Canada, with a group of associates, dining at a fine restaurant that was a two-hour drive from our original meeting place. We left the welcoming warmth of the upscale eatery and headed down the freeway, basking in the afterglow of fellowship. We took a turnoff that would lead us to a border point so we could return to the United States, where we were staying in our host's lovely guesthouse.

As we funneled into the major downtown street in the comfy supersized SUV, from nowhere yet everywhere, we were suddenly surrounded. A hoard of 400+ (or so it seemed) rag-tag men and women, all ages and races, sunken eyes, mismatched clothes, unwashed, with a haunting look of unreachable need came lumbering toward, around, and behind us. I was shocked, and I was afraid. It was as if I'd been suddenly dropped into Night of the Living Dead. I felt vulnerable and confused like there was a bullseye on us. The disparity between us and the people was shocking. We wanted to get past the crowds for so many reasons, but most importantly, we were approaching the curfew of the border checkpoint, which closed at midnight. I was afraid we might not make it at all.

BY

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C H U C K

scribed by Andrea Hunter

F R O M M

US AND THEM Here I was with a PhD in Intercultural Studies and Missions. You wouldn't think I'd be so shocked. Yet, you who have been on mission trips to inner cities and Third-World countries, know my experience in some form. We could be in any town, anywhere, at any time and see a view of God's human creation that is majorly upsetting. Children living on garbage dumps, people being trafficked, homeless people seeking some form of shelter (more than half a million in the US on any given night).

Usually, we sit in the comfort of our homes (or as we did that night, in our car); we get a quick clip of the nightly story on the six o'clock news, comfortably separated from raw reality.

Something very authentic occurs when the barrier is even partially removed—authentic and disturbing at the same time.

It caused me to wonder, "How is this possible? What is this?"

We know that God is here at work, yet what does the writing, sharing, playing songs, or the celebration of our life in Christ have to do with this reality? How does it intersect with what we see surrounding us? What I'm flashing on is the Tower of Babel. How do we eliminate the Babel-like confusion between cultures, when words no longer carry meaning?

At that moment, there was a visceral "us" and "them" divide.

We've all felt it at some time, and we could be on different sides of it at different times in our life. Sometimes we're the pastor in a flourishing church with a comfortable salary, and sometimes we're the impoverished volunteer who can barely buy gas to get to rehearsals. Sometimes we feel included and valued; other times, rejected and avoided. Sometimes we're part of the healthy and empowered, those with a bright future, and sometimes we are those who are battling illness or addiction (to substances, work, consumption, or material things), and for the life of us can't see anything bright in our future.

A ZIG In the '60s and '70s, when the long-haired, bare-footed, acid-dropping kids showed up at Calvary Chapel (my Uncle Chuck's church), believe me, not everyone was happy about the "them" who were joining "us." The board was concerned that the lavender carpet would get dirty with the unwashed hippies streaming in, my uncle and his wife, Aunt Kay, said, "Then we'll pull up the carpet. But we want them to come."

It seems every time I turned around, there was another cross-cultural encounter. The next one was with my roommates in college. One was chairman of the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society, a radical political group at colleges that flourished during the Vietnam War). The other two were atheists, which sort of prepared me for the next counter-cultural experience—when I stepped into city government.

As Mark Labberton observed in his book The Dangerous Act of Worship, "We don't really want to cope with the different, the

stranger, the alien. Never mind that God is Other [his ways are not our ways] or that the stranger or the alien are among those Jesus calls friends." Or as Scripture holds up a mirror for us to see ourselves a little clearer, we are "them." "You claim to be rich and successful and to have everything you need. But you don't know how bad off you really are. You are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked"(Rev. 3:17).

A ZAG It turns out that in the section of East Vancouver we had driven into at a not so timely manner, free new clean needles were being exchanged for old ones and passed out to drug addicts in an attempt to stave off HIV/AIDS, and other bloodborne diseases and infections. Clinics were open round the clock. And at the beginning of the month when the government assistance came, it got busier and more crowded than ever, addicts flooding the streets, too many of them overdosing on amphetamines laced with fentanyl, heroin, and an assorted mixture of drugs.

THE WORSHIP CALL The great divide, the "us and them" of things, wasn't designed by God; in fact, the very opposite is true. This is a long drive to get to the heart of this week's "Back to Basics," but that scary night strangely reminded me of the Garden of Eden where there was no "us and them." In the beginning, we were created for beauty and fellowship and relationship with God... and each other. As creation began, we joined God in one of our first acts of worship: delighting in His handiwork, naming the animals. How do we communicate with that loving, kind God we know is waiting to walk with His children in the garden, in the cool of the day, and on the streets in the midnight hour?

How do we mediate Christ to those who don't know Him or only know Him marginally? How do we respond?

Part of our call as worship leaders is to draw or bring in "whosoever will," or go out to meet them where they live. We don't just hunker down in our church, a fortress or castle, with a moat around it to keep out anyone or anything remotely threatening. Our ability to go beyond our walls with outstretched arms begins with a church that is a house of worship and a house of prayer. You can't be one without the other.

REMEMBERING THE MIDNIGHT WALKERS Prayer comes in many forms. Lester Ruth, in researching current worship songs, has found that in our sung prayer, there are more proclamation than intercession songs, and more selforiented than others-directed.

In our spoken and sung prayers, we need to remember who God is and who we are, recognizing there is a gap that can only be mediated through Jesus Christ. Prayer is fundamental, and VO L . 28, N O. 4 | W O R S H I P L E A D E R .C O M | W O R S H I P L E A D E R

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this kind of prayer (sung, spoken, personified) takes its cues from Jesus, our great intercessor. We have plenty of other examples of intercessors in Scripture (to name a few): Moses, Abraham, Esther, Abigail, Nehemiah, Daniel. In the New Testament, Paul repeatedly prayed for others in "spirit and truth," prayer that far surpasses the authenticity and reality of the world around us. This is a significant way to embody the Word in prayer.

Those who were children in the '60s can remember diving under our desks for fear of being annihilated by a bomb from Russia. The distance between utter catastrophe and the hoards of midnight walkers has become much closer. How do we shine the light of hope in Jesus for those in our churches and those outside? We can begin by praying to a loving, kind God to open our eyes to see all who He loves and cares about—those wandering the streets, the modern dumpster divers, those with one foot towards Eden and one foot in a distribution system that promises to fix pain, but only temporarily.

Media has produced a worldwide stage for singing the song of the redeemed, those who have hope for the future because our life is in Jesus; but, what about the here and now?

It seems we are captive more than ever to the present death and despair of drugs and nomadic tribes of wandering lost souls.

And those tasked with running the world could certainly use our prayers. In kindergarten, our children learned the five fingers of prayer:

Dear Father: We pray that the midnight walkers and our friends and family become more immediate than a clip on the news. We ask that you help us see them as you do and offer spoken, sung, and personified prayers out of the righteousness we have in you—spirit and truth prayers that avail much. Hosannah!

Amen

THE THUMB/CLOSEST TO YOUR HEART: pray for my family.

THE INDEX/POINTING FINGER: pray for those who instruct me.

THE MIDDLE/TALLEST FINGER: pray for the leaders of my country.

THE RING/WEAKEST FINGER: pray for those that are sick and needy.

AND FINALLY, THE PINKY/LITTLEST FINGER: pray for myself.

As leaders, we have to make sure we're not just engineering a temporary high until next Sunday's fix. We must be sewing truth and facilitating an encounter and engagement with God that leads to transformation, not just ongoing attendance and return for a clean needle. We must ever be becoming a House of Prayer.

There is no "us" and "them." Or perhaps better yet, there is no "us" without "them." Let us learn to truly remember, repent, rejoice, and connect our prayers with ultimate power and reality on behalf of those in the pews next to us and the streets around us. Then give those prayers wings and feet and hands by listening to God when He answers. And He will.

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D R . C H U C K F R O M M SENIOR ADVISOR & FOUNDER OF WORSHIP LEADER MAGAZINE

Write

FO R WORS HIP LEA D ER. MI N E

B I B L I CA L

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T R E AS U R ES

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BECKY NORDQUIST WO R S H I P

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rom childhood, Becky Nordquist lived a life that revolved around music and ministry. She began traveling and singing with her father at age three, started writing music at age 11, and currently travels throughout her home state of Michigan, speaking and leading worship. However, with the release of a poignant new project in conjunction with an organization called Music for the Soul, Becky's sphere of influence is growing as her territory keeps expanding.

In October 2019, Becky released a devotional, Before We Said Hello, in addition to two songs: "Before We Said Hello" and "Heaven's Playground." The release coincided with National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, which includes, but is not limited to, miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, and the death of a newborn.

The book and the songs are an extension of Becky's journey towards healing. She lost her father when she was young, and her first marriage ended in divorce. Following a season of single motherhood, Becky remarried, and soon after, became pregnant.

Only three months into the pregnancy, however, she lost the baby. Despite their sorrow, she and her husband continued to try, and before long, Becky was pregnant again. Isabella Grace was born with no complications. Given how well her pregnancy experience had gone that time, Becky and her husband tried again. After two more miscarriages, they finally got pregnant with Niklas. They were overjoyed.

At six months, their joy was shattered. Niklas was stillborn.

On her blog, Becky shared what the experience was like for her.

"It was like being shredded in a way I'd never been ripped apart before. It was like torture. Being forced to participate in confirming a life ended that you wanted to continue. Pain.

Physical, emotional, and spiritual pain and confusion. I wanted no drugs. I wanted to feel every ounce of physical pain. I needed something to push against in the middle of my emotional pain."

As she and her husband coped with their grief, God continued to open doors and opportunities for Becky in the realm of music and worship, one of which led her to Steve Siler, founder and executive director of Music for the Soul. A Dove-award winning songwriter, Siler has been creating music and other creative resources to help those coping with several issues from suicide to eating disorders to natural disasters.

With a new project in the works, oriented around miscarriage and infancy loss, Steve knew that Becky would be the voice for this message. They recorded two songs and released them with Becky's devotional.

While Becky feels the pain of her many losses every day, she is also grateful for her family and for the opportunity to help others walk through a seemingly impossible journey.

"People often don't know how to comfort friends or family members who are going through the loss of an infant or pregnancy," says Nordquist. "Some people think if you never saw your baby, there is no need to talk about your loss. You might not even feel you have the right to grieve. I'm here to assure you—your baby's life matters. And you are not alone."

Below, is an excerpt from Becky's touching devotional, Before We Said Hello.

From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help.

Hear my cry, O Lord.

Pay attention to my prayer.

Psalm 130:1–2 NLT When you least expect it, another trigger sends you spiraling downward. You wonder if life will ever return to the way it was before you were forced to say goodbye.

No parent should outlive his or her child, yet here you are, trying not to feel the pain. You have never before sunk into a hole as deep as this one. The darkness threatens to overtake you and chokes breath from your already exhausted soul.

Barely able to form the name, you whisper again, "Jesus...help." We long for Him to remove the inconsolable ache within us. We long for Him to remove the flashes of gore that remind us of the end of our babies. We long for deliverance from the pain.

Instead, Jesus comes with His presence. He comes bearing strength. He comes bearing peace that we simply cannot understand. He fills us as we inhale and strengthens us as we exhale. When we think we cannot take one more step or raise our head one more time, He holds us together, and we survive.

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

(Psalm 3:3 ESV)

Do you need to cry out in despair? Write out your lament. Jesus hears your prayers and catches your tears. There is nothing wasted when we hand things over to Him— nothing. He comes in the most uncommon ways, but He is always faithful to show up.

BY C A R O L I N E LU S K , M . E D .

EDITOR

For more information on Becky, visit beckynordquist.com.

To learn more about the project and Music for the Soul, visit musicforthesoul.org.

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DEVOTIONAL

BROKEN THINGS

W R I T T E N BY K I M H I L L

BY

K I M

H I L L

Grammy nominated and Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter

My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

O R I G I N A L LY

P U B L I S H E D

I N

T H E

WO R S H I P P E R

PSALM 34:2, NIV

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f you’ve lived a little, you’re probably well-acquainted with the inevitable pain and suffering that comes with being human—with living in a broken world. As a young girl, I thought that if God was going to use me, I had to be “really good” so that He “could.” I heard testimonies of how God saved “really big sinners” and used them in ministry. But I thought if you were a Christian kid you needed to stay as perfect as possible so that the Lord could use you. Maybe God had a three-strikes-and-you’re-out system, and if I messed up too much, He wouldn’t use me.

Little did I know that, later, the most painful season of my life would be the path for me to be a more effective worship leader. I had no idea that the deepest ministry I’d ever get to be involved in would be the result of my heartbreak.

In the midst of that hard season, there was a tiny bit of my heart that clung to the words in Scripture about a “bruised reed not being broken, or a smoldering wick snuffed out” (Isaiah 42:3). They were verses that said “the calls and gifts of God are irrevocable,” that He doesn’t take them back, that God is faithful even when we are faithless.

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BROKEN COMFORT The past several years, as I’ve become more comfortable in my brokenness. I’m freer than ever to love others, because God has loved me. Behind the Christian grins, cropped pants and fish bumper stickers is a world of broken people, desperate for hope. And sometimes—when we’re honest about our own pain—God allows us to be conduits of the living hope we have in Him. As the forgiven, hopefully, we become more forgiving; as the healed, we become wounded healers and remind others that God is truly the redeemer of all mankind. As we bless Him and praise Him, even in the midst of our pain and disappointment, we are truly made whole and made into the men and women He wants us to be in this very broken world.

Recently, I recorded a song by Mark Lee and Marc Byrd that sums up my life better than I could have ever written.

This is the chorus: Lover of my soul

Turning me from dust to gold

Amazed by the wonder of Your grace Lover of My Soul

My shattered life has been made whole My heart forever sings Your praise

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ears ago I stumbled across a book on the writing habits of Finding headspace is about clearing a path to our creativity. authors. That discovery unlocked a number of mysteries It’s finding flesh and spirit habits that help release us from daily that eluded me in the creative process. While not a distractions. Prayer, jogging, feet in a bin of ice water, whatever particularly spiritual book, it connected some key dots regarding the process don’t hesitate to lean into the “Counselor... the Spirit values, schedule and faith-filled creative pursuits. Since then of truth,” (John 14:16-17) to help discover and engage this new I’ve come to recognize four areas of impact that, now as a life habit. After all, if Peter is right and, “The end of all things is coach for creatives, help others wrestling with some of the near,” then we should take his challenge to heart and, “be clear same mysteries. minded and self-controlled so that [we] can pray,” (1 Peter 4:7) Is it possible to schedule creativity into my weekly rhythm? and live out our values, and act on our creative pursuits with divine purpose before our time is done.

If I schedule my creative pursuits, could I actually sit down and create within that window? Does the Holy Spirit really Our rhythm matters, too. Not simply time and location, but foster inspiration on my time and at my studio? how often and for how long we create. I’ve discovered two overWell, for most of us the answer is, “Yes.” Period. Intentionlapping rhythms. The first is on the calendar. Like so many with ally creating set-apart space for the Creator to work through is narrow windows of creative space, I write early in the morning both a humble position of receipt, as well as a bold act of worship. for no less than 30 minutes, five days a week. The second is an That said, it often takes some seriously playful discovery time, unscheduled rhythm for weekends. If I’m inspired then I write personal motivation before family advenand prayer as each one tures, house projects of us wind through and worship services 1. What context/environment fuels my best work? these four areas to begin. If I miss out 2. What headspace habits spark creativity? create a creative habit. on this second, openLet’s start with ended rhy thm, I 3. How can I schedule and inhabit the rhythms of creativity? haven’t lost a thing our environment. Our 4. How do I manage my output? surroundings play a because I’m dedicated huge role not only in to my five-day-a-week the meaning, message rhythm. and muse of our creativity, but in our ability to create. As we Is your rhythm on your calendar? Or do you wait weeks build, let’s not disregard our context, but instead develop our and maybe months for inspiration before diving in, missing habits with the resources we have. So let’s dig in by observing. out on all the grit and fruit in between? Maybe it’s time to Do you work best in a studio, an office full of clutter or outdoors engage your schedule with fresh eyes. After all, we spend time with a travel bag? I prefer my dining room, even with kids shufon what we value, right? fling around. Food and drink? I’m a coffee guy and food is too The final habitual element is output. How much we create, distracting with a beard, crumbs getting lost in there. Which what quality it bears and how often we’re producing, sharing begs the question, do you create at night while the world is fast and/or selling our creation is totally up to us and the vision we’re asleep or surrounded by sun-filled windows? holding fast to. Many creators have personal micro-quotas that And of course the seasons play a role. I get jazzed to write motivate them to maintain their daily rhythms. Authors might during blizzards: coat, chromebook and a warm cup of Highproduce self-imposed page and word counts. Songwriters might lander Grogg coffee. Do you sketch ideas with pencil and paper consider lyric sections or song parts on a daily basis. However your craft can be measured and dissected, consider breaking or record notes onto your phone? Do you fiddle around with an it down into bitesize, achievable daily goals. acoustic or demand a full electric stack with pedals and power?

Incense or rotten apples? Comfort or struggle?

That said, we also need clear macro-goals that pull us While there’s so much more to cover in our environment, through the grind and toward a deadline. With agents and it’s a victory to begin practicing those healthy habits that help managers and pastors and communities pressing in on agendas, pave the way for a creative daily rhythm. If you’re serious about creatives often need that internal vision of what will be. your craft and your call, it’s worth shaping your surroundings.

What is your output? Do you have a daily micro-quota? How Headspace, the next element, taps into the process of about a macro-goal for your project? Don’t worry about how much your neighbor is producing, grab ahold of your environpreparing our mindset for creativity. Famous artists from all ment, create headspace, settle into your rhythm and produce walks of life have developed a myriad of habits in order to clear their minds. From long wooded walks before strumming a the fruit that only you are designed to produce. Eventually, chord to reading the works of other authors they admire. From these creative habits will become a natural part of your spiritual journey, ebbing and flowing in concert with the Spirit’s a quiet time in the Word to long bouts of prayer before putting work in progress your life. pen to paper. Some journal, working out their self-doubts, while others exercise, sweating out their anxieties.

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2019

DOWNLOAD ALL SONG RESOURCES FOR FREE!

SELECTIONS

Still You Are Good Calvary Music WRITTEN BY JENNIE MAHOOD

Hope Has A Name River Valley Worship WRITTEN BY AARON JOHNSON, BENJAMIN CRUSE, EVAN JOHN, RYAN WILLIAMS

We have no such lengths to go, Nor wander far abroad; Where'er thy saints assemble now, there is a house for God.

Abide With Me Sara Groves WRITTEN BY HENRY FRANCIS LYTE, JUSTIN SMITH

He Wears A Crown Bryan McCleery WRITTEN BY BRYAN MCCLEERY, JOSH LAVENDER

My Prayer Frankie and Jen Krasinski WRITTEN BY FRANKIE KRASINSKI, JEN KRASINSKI

Stay Close Awaken Worship Collective WRITTEN BY JOSH LAVENDER AND TAYLOR WILDING

PSALM 132 (A CHURCH ESTABLISHED) CARDIPHONIA MUSIC

Set Free Valley Worship WRITTEN BY MATTHEW FERRER, BEN LOUNSBURY, JOEL CEBALLOS, CHRISTOPHER FINK

Psalm 132 (A Church Established) Cardiphonia Music WRITTEN BY ISAAC WATTS, JOEL LIMPIC

Light After Darkness Advent Birmingham WRITTEN BY FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL, ZAC HICKS

The lyrics of this song were primarily taken from a poem written in the 17th century by Isaac Watts. It speaks of a truth that I have been slow to comprehend: Church is not the building in which we congregate or a place we go, but rather a thing that we are. I’ve heard this countless times in my life, but it is continuously challenging to grasp. We are the place in which God now dwells: His abode.

Our bodies are temples; our congregations are altars; the global, catholic Church, of which Jesus is the head, is a home for God. The Catechism explains that the Church “lives from Him, in Him, and for Him; He lives with Her and in Her.” May we sing this song to remind one another of the honor and responsibility we have as saints and learn together that as we share ourselves with the world, we are sharing Christ.

Hallelujah, Christ Our King The New Collective WRITTEN BY SCOTT DYER, MICHAEL ROSSBACK, CORBIN PIERCE, MICHAEL NEALE, CYNTHIA JEHL

Welcome Here The Journey Collective WRITTEN BY RUSS MOHR

Behold Jess Ray, Taylor Leonhardt and Trey WRITTEN BY TAYLOR LEONHARDT

Mystery of Faith Greg LaFollette WRITTEN BY GREG LAFOLLETTE

Remember and Proclaim Christopher Williams WRITTEN BY CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS, ROB BLACKLEDGE, JUSTIN MCROBERTS

W R I T T E N BY G R E G L A FO L L E T T E SONG DISCOVERY DIRECTOR OF CURATION

Greg is a musician and producer in Nashville,TN. He is the resident artist at a local church plant, Grace Story Church, and serves as their director of arts and liturgy.

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In the Fields of the Lord The Porter's Gate WRITTEN BY AUDREY ASSAD, ISAAC WARDELL

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t's almost 2020. Wow. And more faith leaders and Jesuspeople than ever are beginning to have conversations about how a multicultural worshiping community could look. It is a beautiful thing rising from the ashes of the not so beautiful happenings in our country and around the world. There is something about the division along cultural lines that we experience so often that makes the heart of a believer feel as if something should be done. Someone needs to respond.

These cultural divisions are pricking the hearts of many believers. At the same time, genuine fears are rising alongside. I call them weeds—like those that grew along the path in Jesus' parable in the book of Matthew. These weeds prompt many to ask questions like, "What if our church moves toward this change and people leave? What if they take their offering money with them? Is it worth the risk?" I have my answer, but God leaves it up to us to decide.

Before doing so, I want you to know that you have permission to take back your vision and mission, which you may have given away at some point. Outside influences, the Christian music industry, the church down the street, or the people who give generously every week can all command your attention to the point of paralysis. If your church is to expand its multicultural efficacy, you must lean in purposely. You are responsible to Him to help your community of faith become all that Christ intended.

ASK SOMEONE—YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU NEVER KNOW

Considerations, Not Quotas M U LT I C U LT U R A L

Moving towards intentional diversity in ministry can be challenging, particularly if you have existed as a monocultural community for a long time. You may not be aware that you need training and competency in this area, which can lead to unintentional missteps. I often observe leaders compromise their multicultural effectiveness by applying monocultural practices and strategies. Even worse, some develop their own set of strategies that may, unwittingly, cause more harm than good.

A disturbing trend that I see is monocultural churches deciding that the first strategy is hiring someone from a different cultural background than most of the people in their church solely based on their ethnicity. While this may seem like an excellent first step in principle, I assure you that it is a dangerous one If your church or faith-based organization has not done the preliminary work. Preaching, teaching, and preparing the soil of your church community for a new way to experience worship and ministry life together is imperative if sustainable change is the goal.

T E A M - B U I L D I N G

PRINCIPLE: CONSIDERATION, NOT QUOTAS Quotas are dependent on numbers and analytics. They allow you to objectively evaluate a ministry year in terms of "how many" you have of any given thing, including people.

Quotas can dehumanize the counted and even the counters.

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They should never be a part of the beginning of a journey of multicultural ministry effectiveness.

When you encounter a potential team member of different ethnicity, be aware of the deeper story being written in front of you. If your current team is monocultural, the goal is not to find someone new because you need "more of them" (whoever "them" is at the moment). Your goal is to find someone you know loves the Body of Christ and is gifted, anointed, and humble before God. No one wants to be invited into anything because they satisfy a specific demographic. Here are some of the most un-inspiring phrases not to use when asking someone of a different culture to join the ministry: Hey James! Can you fill in on the worship team this week? We need a Black guy.

Hey Susan! Can you give the announcements this week from the platform? We need a woman.

Hey Fernando! Can you come to this meeting with me? I need a Latino person.

Hey Hannah! Can you play in the band this week? We need some young people.

Did you cringe, or did you laugh at those? I am hoping that you did a bit of both. What I am suggesting is a consideration. Consideration is based on relationships. Consideration sees people holistically and gives us a heart for the people that God brings our way. Consideration makes room for people and thinks about how they may be received.

The reality is that we are all too busy and love God too much to be anyone's "token-anything." You are too gifted, too called, and too filled by the Holy Spirit to be asked to serve because you help meet a quota. Your presence on their website should not be there for the sake of the church appearing multicultural when they may not even know what the term means. It's hard to become something that is undefined. One thing it most certainly is not, however, is a ministry built on quotas.

When you want to diversify your team, it is fine to think about ethnicity, but I beg you not to stop there. Remember that someone's ethnic origin is a deeper and more beautiful story.

A story of grace and forgiveness and redemption by Christ, the Messiah. A story of a called life committed to love the Body of Christ through the giftedness of the Spirit.

Remember that someone's ethno-cultural background, their gender, their age, their physical abilities, these are only aspects of a whole person. These attributes are not the sole defining qualities of the person that we see standing in front of us, nor are they what make them loved or valuable. As we do the work of multicultural ministry and take time to learn what it means to navigate the cultural waters of our day effectively, let us consider our sisters and brothers as whole people.

They are not a single dimension, be it ethnicity, their gifts, or whatever multicultural need they meet for us.

POKE YOUR WHY AT ALL TIMES How do you stay out of the quota-territory? Poke your "why" at all times. "Why do you need that person of Middle Eastern descent?"

"Why do you need a person who is Deaf?"

"Why do you need the person who is White?"

"Why do you need a person who is a young woman?"

People matter to God. When your church, your ministry teams, your sermon-givers are of one, majority culture group, people are missing! An expression of the life of Christ is missing.

Vivid interpretations of the Scriptures are missing. Vocal styles and physical expressions of worship are missing. The "why" is because God asked His people to be one. The "why" is because we are better when we are more culturally diverse, period. After over 20 years of building and existing in a diverse ministry, I can't imagine ever going back to a monocultural worshiping community because I know what I would be missing. A piece of Revelation 7 lived out here on the earth by people who love Jesus more than their cultural preferences and strive daily to be unified with other believers.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION This week, what are two ways that you can consider someone of a different ethnicity or cultural background in your ministry?

In what ways might you be able to help people see where their ethnic, cultural heritage adds value to the work that you are doing at your church?

BY N I K K I L E R N E R VOCALIST

Nikki Lerner is a cultural coach, teacher, and gifted vocalist with over 20 years as a practitioner of multicultural worship leadership in the local church. Along with three recording projects, Nikki is also the co-author of the book Worship Together: In Your Church As In Heaven.

Nikkilerner.com

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n every church leader’s ministry there must come a day where their job changes from hired preacher to pastor, or hired musician to worship pastor. What is the difference between a church musician and a worship pastor? One focuses on the skills of his or her instrument in order to do a good job on Sunday, the other becomes intimately connected with his or her congregation in order to clear distractions and help people find themselves in contact with the Redeemer. No matter what your title is, if you are the one who leads the prayers in your church, your role is much more. You are being asked to actually pastor others.

Of course, you likely already have a senior pastor, so your mode of operation will be unique, and the following pages are to help you find what being a worship pastor means in your context.

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PRIORITIES: LETTERS FROM SYDNEY

BY DARLENE ZSCHECH Hey lovely people. Wherever this issue finds you, I pray that you are doing great, whether in the valley or on the mountaintop, for our God is so faithful and is the very best at simply meeting with us wherever we are.

Today I want to speak to each of you about your priorities, and ask you how you are doing when it comes to keeping the main thing the main thing in your own list of priorities.

FIRST THINGS God Himself keeps the list fairly straightforward for each of us as He reminds us many times throughout the Word, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Mattew 6 says to seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.

Sounds easy, but how often have each of us gotten ourselves tied up in knots over simply being too busy, too preoccupied in mind and heart with trivial endeavors and in the struggle for keeping up with everyone else? In the cultures of success many of us live in, we can easily fail to meet the cry of God’s heart for our lives, and we settle again for the praises of man rather than the peace of God.

From the most remote places on earth to the most advanced and easily accessible, the name of Jesus is being declared.

Life in the 21st century, as magnificent and convenient as technology has allowed, is largely void of space in our everydays for meditating on God and waiting for His voice—unless you have made this a priority.

In Revelation chapter 2, the Lord commends the Ephesian leaders for their hard work, but challenges their reasoning by saying that in their eagerness to work for God, they had become so distracted that their hearts were not pointed toward God. Their hands full, but their hearts empty. Leaving your first love

for the Father doesn’t normally happen in an instant; it happens gradually as the value of the relationship with God begins to be squeezed out by well-meaning activity. Revelation 2:5 says to the leaders, “Now remember and repent, or I will return and remove your light.”

Very sobering. And remember, it is only because of His light and life in us that we have anything to sing or say, and more than that, a reason for every breath. In Him we live and move and have our being.

ENSURE YOUR PRIORITIES I’ve had to learn to put some boundaries around my life, my resources and my time to ensure that I have taken responsibility for the season I am in. Where I am now is where I have been placed to serve and love my family, my church family, my neighbor and my Lord. And rather than having a list of things that I have to do, and putting “read the Bible” and “pray” on the top of my list (sounds like religion to me!), over time, this relationship with Jesus has become the most critical connection I have as His Word has literally become food for my entire being. Thus the choice to worship becomes a necessary priority in your life, rather than another rule to follow.

Here’s a little checkup to do to discover what you really value in your world. Take a careful look at where you spend your time, your energy and your finance. This list is what you really value.

And if it shocks you or doesn’t truly represent your heart’s desire then its time to take action and make some changes.

GET STRAIGHT With much love I say, “Pay attention to the putting things right in your world that are out of balance, or simply wrong.”

As my husband says, sometimes to get truthful with yourself is the hardest things to do, but the fruit is well worth it. And God rewards fruit, not activity. As leaders, pastors and worship pastors in this incredible season in history, simply remember that as you are shepherding and loving others to Jesus, make sure you have prioritized loving Him and being fuelled in His presence, yourself. There is no substitute. Lets start a revolution of truth, of love, of grace, of family, of forgiveness and of worship that shakes nations and compels us to a closer walk with Jesus. Okay, and as I am female, and a songwriter, I will endeavor to write less words next time.

Love you and totally believe in you.

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WORSHIP LEADER OR WORSHIP PASTOR?

BY ROSS PARSLEY Just because we lead people in worship doesn’t mean that we are fulfilling the role of a worship pastor. Anybody with a guitar, a tour bus and a good song can lead people in worship, but when the bus pulls out of town all you’re left with is a great experience. God certainly uses these experiences, but the challenge of authentic transformation happens in the trenches of weekly coaching, encouraging, and serving the people in your own local church family. This is the value of a worship pastor.

HEART OR SKILL?

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Psalm 78:72 describes David as a man who led Israel with integrity of heart and with skillful hands. Heart and skill are two primary issues that every worship pastor wrestles with, not just for themselves but also for the people they lead. Both are biblical mandates that take a central role in the job description of a worship pastor (Ps. 33:3; Pr. 4:23; Mt. 6:21).

Unfortunately, many of our worship ministries are obsessed only with skill. We practice and practice, running the song list over and over at a Thursday night rehearsal and then play it again on Sunday hoping that something different will happen. Most worship leaders in America hold a part-time or volunteer position and lead a team of volunteer musicians, so it’s no wonder that we tend to overemphasize excellence and give more time to developing skills than to healing hearts.

But a worship pastor is one who is not willing to focus on skill at the expense of people’s hearts. Worship pastors know both must be addressed but also realize that worship is fundamentally a function of the heart, and when a heart is transformed in worship, everything else follows.

When I was a younger worship leader I felt as though I had multiple personalities as I led. I was totally consumed with directing the band, giving signals to the choir, making sure I was singing the right part and leading the congregation through the songs. But I also just wanted to worship. I wanted to genuinely connect with God, hear His voice and follow His leadership and direction within the service I was leading. For a while, you could visibly see the struggle as I led services. It was a very awkward thing for people to watch and for me to experience.

But the more experience I gained, the more I realized that my leadership became an act of worship that actually inspired others, and my worshiping heart resulted in skilled leadership that people wanted to follow. We become worship pastors when we blend these two functions into one, so that people cannot tell the difference.

DIRECTOR OR DISCIPLER? The duties of a worship pastor can be difficult to figure out because many of our responsibilities often reflect the job of a producer, music director, or a service programmer. But worship pastors find ways to go beyond the logistics to the love they have for people. The starting place is our worship team. If we can’t pastor our own team effectively, we’re not going to be able to pastor our congregation. People will smell the disconnect. They will sense that our team is not cared for or are spiritually immature, and they won’t respond to us. This is a difficult challenge in view of the fact that we are working with some of the most insecure, emotionally sensitive, performance-driven people on the planet. It requires intentionality and commitment. But once our teams are heart-healthy, trained and connected, we get the experience, momentum and credibility to encourage and coach our whole church family in worship.

HOW TO? Begin with building genuine relationships with your team outside of the rehearsal or Sunday morning schedule. We shouldn’t just use our team and their talents; we must disciple our team and empower their gifts. Pray for one another at every rehearsal and teach them from the Scriptures, not just on the subject of worship, but other important life topics. Try to model an appropriate level of vulnerability with your team. You don’t need to share every hurt or mistake, but you should let them see the human side of your journey. This example will draw that same honesty and love out of them, and you will create authentic fellowship and community. Make your team a safe place to ask questions and share problems. Don’t be a spiritual policeman. Take time when you get together as a team to do what you’re actually called to do—that is to worship. This will bond you together as a team while exercising your pastoral muscles and prepare you for the challenge of pastoring your entire congregation.

EVENT OR EVOLUTION? Worship leaders tend to fixate on the next big event rather than the evolution or process their people are experiencing. If the sacrament of worship is part of a larger discipleship plan to move people from casual followers of Christ to passionate, mature disciplers, then we must be willing to direct more of our energy into the journey of the individuals we lead. This means potentially less emphasis on event-driven ministry and more emphasis on how your family of believers is evolving and maturing in their faith.

A worship pastor should be prepared to identify the potential he or she sees in others. Their role should be to empower the gifts they spot in their teams, preparing, training and

challenging the people they work with to greater maturity.

They must be willing to confront issues and be secure enough to deal with conflict by speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

This isn’t a microwaveable process. It happens in small increments over a long period of time. It cannot happen in one great meeting. It must manifest itself in small exhortations between

If we can’t pastor our own team effectively, we’re not going to be able to pastor our congregation. songs, short Scriptural challenges and transparent worship moments Sunday after Sunday. And it can only happen when leaders involve themselves in the lives of the people they serve every week.

An event-driven paradigm is too pressurized and makes our services too stressful and potentially over-hyped. We shortcircuit the process God has for us when we embrace a quickfix mentality. But an evolutionary process paradigm creates an environment of accepting people where they are, patiently developing leaders while being confident that God is at work (Phil. 1:6; 2 Cor. 3:18).

LEADING BY LOVING! People always reflect the values of their leader. We all reproduce who we actually are. If you want your team to fall in love with their congregation and develop a heart for people rather than just an ear for music, then you’ve got to fall in love with them. Loving the people on your team as well as those in your congregation is what creates the fertile soil for God’s presence to flourish (1 Jn. 3:16-20). In fact, falling in love with your people will cause you to know God better (1 Jn. 4:7-8) and foster an environment where people will experience God’s love in greater measure (1 Jn. 4:12). This kind of love and service builds an authentic community where people can trust one another and grow together in stability and confidence. When we settle that this is what we’re called to—loving and serving others—we find that we have indeed transitioned from worship leaders to worship pastors.

Ross lives in Colorado Springs and gets to lead worship every week at New Life Church. Ross has led worship on several Integrity Music recordings including My Savior Lives, I Am Free, and his newest release, Counting on God.

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s a mother of two, I know just how important it is to spend time with my kids. I know that this is the time in their lives, developmentally, when they are absolute sponges. Everything in their environment is observed and absorbed, for better or worse—including everything that I do, say, listen to, or watch. While I desire to only expose them to things that are positive and age-appropriate, I can only listen to Baby Shark so many times. And I know that they can only listen to NPR no times.

The challenge remains when it comes to their spiritual development. I love that they love the Bible School songs, but I find it far too easy to disengage with the often sub-par production and watered-down lyrics. At the same time, many contemporary Christian songs or worship music is often too abstract for them to process or remember.

And so, I often find myself at an impasse, reaching for my headphones so they can do their thing and I can do mine. And even though we may be in the same room or the same vehicle, we’re not together.

That’s not how I want to parent. The time with my children is far too precious and fleeting to hand it over to a YouTube slime challenge. It should not be good enough to let our children be entertained by something just because it’s not “bad.”

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to their spiritual development. I want and need resources that my kids will love that I can genuinely love with them, resources that teach them truth, and illustrate the purity of God’s love and the glory of His plan for their lives.

So when Rend Collective decided to focus their immense talent and boundless creativity into a kids album, I was all in.

Sparkle. Pop. Rampage., is the first offering from the newly formed Rend Co. Kids. The 13-track project was specifically created for children ages 4-10, plus the parents.

“Kids are the most discerning audience out there—they feel the hollowness of the lackluster, uninspired content that so often is carelessly tossed their way. And they deserve something crafted, customized, and carefully considered,” says Gareth Gilkeson of Rend Collective and Rend Co. Kids.

The band spent 18 months writing and producing the album—more than they’ve ever spent on a previous project.

The effort didn’t go unnoticed.

“Someone told us that this project was too good for a kids record,” Gareth says with a laugh. “You should put it on a real record.”

One listen, and it’s apparent that this is, unquestionably, a real record—from the instrumentation and production quality to the content itself. Rend Co. Kids managed to do what many parents attempt—they told real stories from scripture in ways

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that weren’t just fresh; they were fun and honest.

“When you start telling your kids Bible stories, some of them are kind of weird,” says Gareth. “Explaining Noah and the ark or Jesus on the cross to kids can be tricky. We don’t have all the answers, but we did our best.”

The songs vary in terms of depth, but they have theological merit. The main idea that comes across is the joy found in Christ.”

“God is the fun and joy in our life,” says Gareth’s wife, Ali. “Most of us don’t feel alive enough. The main goal of this project was to create something the entire family will enjoy together.

Parents want to survive the road trips!”

Sparkle. Pop. Rampage., contains just as much energy and fun as the name suggests. It’s release coincided with the band’s first illustrated book, My Lighthouse, inspired by the Rend Collective song, “My Lighthouse.” The book was written over four years. The thoughtfulness poured into that creative process echoes that of which is evident on the album.

The intentionality of both of these products provides an invaluable tool for parents who want to teach their children truth in a way that’s fun and beneficial to the parent/child relationship as well. Moreover, the songs and accompanying resources (charts, downloads, videos, etc.) that are available at RendCoKids.com are incredibly effective tools which worship

leaders, Sunday School teachers, and other leaders can employ to reach kids effectively and meaningfully.

“We know that children and adults have different needs, but sometimes, we need to worship together in the presence of God. There’s a reason it’s called a family,” says Gareth.

Connecting with and teaching our children of God’s love is the most important thing we can do as parents and leaders.

Connecting with them in ways that are enjoyable for the young and the not so young is the best way to ensure that kids will remember the goodness of God, associate their time with God with fun, and help build a foundation of mutual trust, love, and respect that can last a lifetime.

R E N D C O L L E C T I V E WITH CAROLINE LUSK

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M A S T E R C L A S S //

SO N GWR ITI N G

T

he most effective leaders are those who commit to lifelong learning. They seize opportunities to gather new experiences, and they ask good questions. More specifically, they ask the right people good questions.

The heart of Worship Leader is to help you become the most effective leader you can be by providing resources from and access to the right people—seasoned leaders who have traversed roads you may be on at this very moment.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more seasoned, informed, and experienced leader than Matt Redman. With 16 albums and eight books to his credit, not to mention iconic songs like "10,000 Reasons" and "The Heart of Worship," and his most recent release, Glory Song, Matt has helped craft the era of modern worship music and ministry.

Accolades aside, Matt possesses a wealth of knowledge and insight, which is why Worship Leader is thrilled to partner with him by launching an interactive Q&A column to be featured inside the magazine and on WorshipLeader.com. Readers are encouraged to send their questions on anything about worship.

From musical to technical to spiritual topics, Matt is ready and waiting to offer you his expertise and perspective.

Stay tuned to worshipleader.com for more information and details of question submission. In the meantime, check out the video below from Matt to you. You’ve got good questions. He’s got answers!

with Matt Redman

WATC H

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N OW

Which is easier for you: Composing the melody or writing the lyrics for a song?

He’s one of the most well-known and respected songwriters and worship leaders in the world. And now, Matt Redman is sharing his hard-won wisdom with you!

Read below as Matt helps tackle the intricacies of compelling song-writing and shares insight on maximizing your effectiveness as a leader within smaller contexts.

For me, the lyrics, for sure. I can write some melody, but my strongest gifting and passion are more around the lyrical side of things. Early on, I noticed that it was the lyrics I was still contending for in my head when I went to bed at night—not the melody. That was a giveaway sign to me that I was more of a "words" person when it came to songwriting. I have to

My experience is that some of the most

beautiful co-writing creativity happens when we're in the room with people who think differently than we do.

recognize that I need to pay special attention to the formation of the tune/musicality of a song. Or perhaps even better still, lean into someone else's gifting in that area. Many of the co-writers I compose with are people who have a natural ability with melodic ideas. It's not just that I've gravitated towards that kind of co-writer, but I've actively sought them out, knowing that their gifting would work well with my songwriting approach and skillset.

These are the kind of people who are more likely to go to bed at night wrestling with and finetuning the melody in their head—not the lyric.

My advice for any songwriters out there would be to find others around you who will create an "iron sharpening iron" scenario. My experience is that some of the most beautiful co-writing creativity happens when we're in the room with people who think differently than we do.

How do you make sure a song is full of truth but remains uncomplicated?

I've thought about this a lot. On the one hand, I frequently speak to pastors, preachers, and theologians who care deeply about content and are wanting to see more of this in our worship songs. On the other hand, I hang out with lots of young worship leaders who I know aren't just choosing their songs based on content and depth. Their priority is that the song should feel relevant, accessible, and lead-able.

The songs can't feel like they're in a foreign language musically or use too many words and phrases not in the current vernacular, or people simply won't connect. That's just the reality.

It's like in the world of nutrition where there are nutrients locked up within a complex carbo-

The songs can't feel like they're in a

foreign language musically or use too many words and phrases not in the

current vernacular, or people simply

won't connect. That's just the reality. hydrate like grass, but if we as humans were to consume it, we wouldn't be able to access any of those nutrients. A cow, on the other hand, who has the right enzymes to be able to do that, can. There is no point wishing it will work for us as humans and to keep force-feeding ourselves grass. Instead, we need to think about finding something else to eat that is equally nutritious and digestible.

You’ve got questions.

He’s got answers.

ASK MATT

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BY G L E N N PAC K I A M

C U LTI VATI N G SAC R A M E NTA L

W

e lived on a row of terrace houses, houses that all shared a brick wall to the left and the right, and yet had iron gates at the entrance of each driveway. Our house had no backyard, just a patio of sorts with an outdoor kitchen to prepare fragrant Asian meals and a place to hang up laundry to dry. The patio looked down to an alleyway that few people chose to walk through.

We had a small front garden with a papaya tree, a little red palm tree, and a variety of vibrant tropical flowers. Across the street, beyond our iron gate, there was a half-uprooted tree stump that lay almost parallel to the ground. And there was a large stone nestled near it, which seemed to be a perfect seat.

The first time I took my place on the stump by the stone, I knew it was no ordinary spot. I was sitting in a spaceship, the Millennium Falcon, actually. Many afternoons in my boyhood were spent flying at warp speed through the galaxy, dodging enemy fighters, and rescuing fellow pilots.

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I M AG I N ATI O N

The imagination of a child is one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy. But something happens as we grow up.

Tree stumps and stones become just tree stumps and stones. The world is not as magical as it once was. Things become ordinary.

And the older we get, the more ordinary life seems. Where we once dreamed of changing the world, we find ourselves occupied with changing diapers and flat tires. Where our conversations used to be about the far distant future, we now plan our weekend around our yard work and errands or kids' soccer games and dance rehearsals. It's easy to think the problem is the choices we've made—we got the wrong job, the wrong house, or the wrong friends.

But it may just be that we've lost our ability to see. We no longer perceive the magic around us. The once-active imagination now sputters and stalls. The problem isn't the house or the job or the friends or our kids' activities. The problem is we've lost a holy imagination.

A worship leader's calling is to help people to see‌ Every note we strike, every visual we display, every prayer we raise is meant to evoke a new kind of sight.

DREAMING WITH YOUR EYES OPEN Over a thousand years ago, a herdsman named Jacob had a dream of the heavens opening up. He was on the run, embarrassed about his deception, and afraid for his life. He had just fooled his father into blessing him instead of his barely older twin brother, Esau, with a blessing reserved for the firstborn son. The blessing was a practice that had come to symbolize a life trajectory, a sense of destiny. And so here was Jacob, on the run with a hijacked destiny, wondering what lay before him.

With a stone as a pillow, Jacob lay his head down that night to what should have been troubled sleep. Instead, he dreamed that the heavens opened up, and angels were ascending and descending around him. He heard the Lord's voice speaking to him about his destiny and the promise that had been given

to his family. Jacob woke up and said what may be the truest words he had ever spoken: "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it" (Gen 28:10-22).

We are all Jacob. We scheme to enhance our futures and fortunes because we think no one out there is watching over us. We stretch the truth and manipulate the outcomes because who knows if there's a God or not? Even if there is one, He's too far away or too preoccupied to notice. If there is a heaven, it's way out there somewhere.

But then we glimpse something. It may not be a dream or a heavenly vision. It may merely be a spark, a surge of joy, or a flash of awe. We bump against the mystery and wonder of it all.

Our imaginations are awakened. And we see it: God is here.

God has been here the whole time. The heavens are open. The whole earth is full of His glory.

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SACRAMENTAL SEEING A worship leader's calling is to help people to see—to see the Lord high and lifted, as Isaiah did, and to see the whole earth full of His glory, as the angels sang. Every note we strike, every visual we display, every prayer we raise is meant to evoke a new kind of sight. Behold glory in the ordinary, grace amid our brokenness, and God at work within His world.

In Christian practice, the sacraments are meant to provoke this way of seeing the world. A sacrament, as the fifth-century theologian Saint Augustine explained it, is an "outward, visible sign of an inward, invisible grace." Through earthy and material things like bread and wine and water and oil, God makes Himself known. God fills ordinary things with His glory.

And sometimes our eyes are opened to catch a glimpse of His abounding grace.

We no longer perceive the magic around us.

The once-active imagination now sputters

and stalls. The problem isn't the house or the job or the friends or our kids' activities. The problem is we've lost a holy imagination.

The sacrament that has been at the center of Christian worship from the early days of the Church is the Lord's Table.

At the Table, we receive God's gifts of bread and wine, remembering Christ's death and resurrection, encountering the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit, and anticipating the return of Christ when we will feast forever. The practice of regular communion can awaken a sacramental imagination in us, helping us see the visible as a sign of the invisible and the common as a carrier of the holy.

Take bread, for example. Is there anything more ordinary than bread? That's what makes it the perfect metaphor for our lives. If we're honest, most of what we do is ordinary. The everyday sleeping, waking, teeth-brushing, clean-the-house activities are common to everyone. For the most part, nothing about our daily lives sets us apart from the people around us.

It's just life. Like bread.

Yet every time Jesus took bread in His hands, He did the same few things: He blessed it, broke it, and gave it. Blessed.

Broken. Given. Those three words reveal Jesus— His life given for us—for the life of the world. And yet, for all who are in Christ, those words also reshape the way we see our lives.

BLESSED. BROKEN. GIVEN. Your life, as common and ordinary as bread, in Jesus's hands, becomes something more.

In the hands of Jesus, your life becomes blessed. Blessedness is about having your true identity recovered, and your true calling revealed. It is to be given a new name. Once you were a sinner; now you are a saint. Once you were far off; now you are a cherished child of God. In the hands of Jesus, your life becomes broken in a new way. When you place the brokenness of your failure, frailty, and suffering in Jesus's hands, you become open to the grace of God and the people of God. After all, bread that is not broken cannot be shared.

In the hands of Jesus, your life becomes given. You realize you are not here for yourself. The openness that comes from being broken is meant to lead you outward. When your life becomes blessed and broken in Jesus's hands, He calls you out... for the life of the world.

The practice of coming to the Lord's Table becomes a paradigm for our life with Christ. When we call people to the Table, we are calling their imaginations awake. Like the downcast and disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus, it is at the Table with Jesus that our eyes are opened, and we begin to truly see. Take and eat; come and see.

BY G L E N N PAC K I A M ASSOCIATE SENIOR PASTOR, NEW LIFE CHURCH gpackiam glenn packiam

gpackiam

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Glenn is the Associate Senior Pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the Lead Pastor of New Life Downtown, a congregation of New Life Church.

He is the author of Blessed Broken Given: How Your Story Becomes Sacred in the Hands of Jesus, Discover the Mystery of Faith, LUCKY, Secondhand Jesus, and Butterfly in Brazil. Glenn was one of the founding leaders and songwriters for the Desperation Band and has written over 65 worship songs, including "Your Name" and "My Savior Lives." Glenn earned a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry from Durham University in the UK, and is a Visiting Fellow at St. John's College at Durham University.

CENTER for MUSIC & WORSHIP Earn your Bachelor of Music in Worship Leadership or a Bachelor of Science in Music & Worship WITH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING NINE CONCENTR ATIONS: L I B E R T Y

Biblical Studies | Business | Cinematic Arts | General (Open Electives) Pastoral Leadership | Theatre Ministries | Women’s Leadership Worship Technology (Audio) | Youth Ministries Worship students enjoy creative studies in our state-of-the-art Mac Lab, Songwriting Lab, and new recording studio.

For more information about Liberty University’s School of Music: Liberty.edu/Music | (434) 592-6568 | som@liberty.edu @LibertyUMusic VO L . 28, N O. 4 | W O|R S H I P L E A D E R .C OM | WORSHIP LE ADER 35

e l y t S s u s e J

BY NANCY NETHERCOTT

C

alled to Soul Care…? What kind of calling is that?

How does caring for my own soul help me as a worship leader? Aren't my giftings and callings supposed to assist me in things like planning and leading worship, being more competent as a musician or technician, or being able to better shepherd the congregation?

Undoubtedly, the giftings and callings of worship leaders are varied and numerous, and many of them are aptly focused on WHAT we DO. But, God also calls us to BE, as we are continually transformed into the likeness of Christ. Scriptures like Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, and Philippians 3:20-21 tell us that God is calling us to be conformed or transformed into the image of God's Son and that it is the Holy Spirit's work in us that accomplishes this. But, we don't just sit by idly and wait for this transformation to happen, we need to develop habits that take care of our souls so that the Holy Spirit can do that transforming work in us. The outcome is not only a more holistically healthy YOU, but a more holistically healthy church.

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WHAT DID JESUS DO? In Matthew 14:13-23, Jesus modeled Soul Care for us when He took time for silence, prayer, and solitude. Jesus stole away from the crowds and even from His disciples at important times, like before and after intense periods of ministry, before essential decisions needed to be made. He valued the time alone with His Father…needed that time to refresh, regroup, ask for wisdom and discernment, pray for His followers, and pray for enemies. We can learn from the model Christ lived out for us concerning Soul Care through intentional times of pulling away and entering into silence, solitude, and prayer…time to be still (Psalm 46:10) and able to hear the gentle whisper of God (1 Kings 19).

We can also learn from Jesus' use of Scripture in various contexts that He had spent time to understand and know the Word deeply as it applied to all of life. Yeh, sure, Jesus had a hand in writing those Scriptures, so He already knew them, but the model He gave is that they are important enough to

know well. Jesus quoted Old Testament Scripture in reply to Satan's temptations in the wilderness, and when He taught the crowds, often saying, "You have heard it said," knowing that His audience would surely have heard those words in the Synagogue. He read from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah in the Synagogue and quoted Isaiah when showing His displeasure with the moneychangers in the Temple. One way we can practice Soul Care as Jesus did is to intentionally memorize passages, chunks of Scripture.

DWELLING WITH GOD Besides memorizing Scripture, I recommend the spiritual exercise of Lectio Divina—prayerful, meditative reading of Scripture. We need to read and study to prepare for a sermon or for our personal times of Bible study, but it is essential to take time to read and reflect on shorter passages slowly—to dwell in the Word—and then let the Word dwell richly in us asking what God wants to say to us through those words. Lectio is a historical monastic practice of Scripture reading, meditation, and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word. It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied but as the living word. I encourage you to look up Lectio Divina and enter into Scripture Jesusstyle in a way that will care for your soul.

TO GAZE ON THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD Along with Lectio Divina, I practice Visio Divina…which is "godly gazing" or prayerfully gazing at an art piece related to a Scripture passage while the passage is read several times.

Psalm 27:4 invites us into the practice of gazing. "One thing I

I have learned the value of a meaningful rhythm of silence and solitude, prayer, and Scripture engagement... ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." Gazing takes time; it is not glancing or even viewing. It is intentional and focused.

It is restorative and a critical aspect of caring for your soul…not rushing through life but stopping to see and smell the roses.

J. Oswald Sanders wrote: "Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare." One of the main aspects to Visio Divina is learning to really "see," to perceive,to see the images of the Hand of God everywhere around us.

Because it engages our right brain, Visio Divina is suited to complement a study experience of Scripture by exercising a different side of the brain. The practice leads to different ways of thinking, doing, experiencing, perceiving, and, ultimately, listening to the Holy Spirit in our lives as we care for our souls.

Why not lean into Lectio or Visio Divina using the passage of Scripture that informs your pastor's message for the coming week (and therefore should inform the rest of the worship service!). See the painting by Filipino artist, Ophir Odal in the inset along with the Visio exercise that I have used with this painting and Psalm 23.

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"Consider the lilies…look at the birds. Open your eyes and look to the fields…" Jesus was always using the art form of the surrounding creation to call people to worship and to grow.

What a great model for us.

RHYTHM OF RELATIONSHIP I have learned the value of a meaningful rhythm of silence and solitude, prayer, and Scripture engagement—"quiet green pastures and peaceful streams," as the Psalmist says. One interesting thing about rhythm is that you tend not to think about it when the rhythm is "on." But, when the rhythm is "off," you and everyone around you notices it. I was pondering this a while ago and thought of music. When the band is in sync, the music is easy to listen to, and no one listening thinks about the rhythm.

But the minute the drummer or bass guitar player or vocalist gets off beat, everyone in the band AND the audience notices.

There is a famous example of how just a little adjustment in musical rhythm can change everything. Jazz pianist, Harry Connick, Jr. made a creative change of rhythm using rhythmic

N A N C Y N E T H E R C OT T, D .W. S CHAPLAIN, THE ROBERT E. WEBBER INSTITUTE FOR WORSHIP STUDIES

displacement to counter the off-beat clapping of the audience.

Rhythmic displacement is when you play the same melody or phrase but move it to another beat in the measure. In this case, Connick shifted the melody by ONE beat so the crowd would be clapping on the 2nd & 4th beats of the measure instead of the 1st & 3rd like they were. Watch the YouTube video here:

WAT C H N OW

You'll be amazed at the difference one small adjustment can make. The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we don't take time for Soul Care Jesus Style, we notice it, and the people around us do as well. What rhythmic displacement do you need to make in your life right now to get back in sync, to care for your soul?

What shifts need to take place in your life to allow time and space for the Holy Spirit to do that transforming work in you?

Nancy Nethercott was a missionary in Japan for 28 years and currently travels training leaders in foundations of biblical worship and spiritual formation globally. Nancy's doctorate is from The Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies (IWS), where she serves as Chaplain.

A R T I S T, O P H I R A . O DA L ( AC RY L I C ) Filipino artist Ophir uses his art (acrylic and chalk) to fulfill his calling as an evangelist and worship leader in the Philippines and other Asian countries. Ophir can be contacted through his Facebook page: DRAWING LIFE TO JESUS - creative arts ministries international

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Divin a

VISIO

(GODLY GAZING/SPIRITUAL SEEING)

SOUL CARE JESUS STYLE.

6

image that first caught your eyes and name it. Close your eyes, seeing that piece of the image in your mind.

7 1

Use the "Shepherd Boy and His Sheep" image by Ophir Odal.

2

Read and meditate on Psalm 23. Pray and ask God to enter

emotion. Close and rest your eyes.

8

• What emotions does this image evoke in you?

• What does the image stir up in you, bring forth in you?

• Does this image lead you into an attitude of prayer?

Look at the image and let your eyes stay with the very first thing that you see. Keep your attention on that one part of the

If so, let these prayers take form in you. Write them

image that first catches your eye. Try to keep your eyes from

down if you desire.

wandering to other parts of the picture. Breathe deeply and let yourself gaze at that part of the image for a minute or so.

9

Psalm? How will you respond? Spend time processing that with God. Pray or journal about it.

image for a minute or so.

Read Psalm 23 again, slowly.

Open your eyes and gaze at the whole image. What is God speaking to you today through this image and through the

Now, let your eyes gaze at the whole image. Take your time and look at every part of the painting. See it all. Reflect on the

5

Consider the following questions, then close and rest your eyes:

this creative work. Read the Psalm again.

4

Open your eyes and look again at the piece of the image that caught your eye. Allow it to bring forth a word, image, or

into this time of prayer with you and to speak to you through

3

Now go back to the picture and focus on just the part of the

10

Now, offer your prayers to God in a final time of silence.

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship

vital worship grants program Grants to

worshiping communities stimulate thoughtful and energetic work that will result in worship services that exhibit renewed creativity, theological integrity, and relevance. Designed for congregations, parishes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and other worshiping communities.

For more information and application materials visit worship.calvin.edu/grants

apply by january 10, 2020 VO L . 28, N O. 4 | W O R S H I P L E A D E R .C O M | W O R S H I P L E A D E R

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CALLED TO

CREATE R I C H

K I R K PAT R I C K

I N H A B I T I N G I N S P I R AT I O N , I M A G I N AT I O N & L I M I TAT I O N

BY RICH KIRKPATRICK 40 W O R S H I P L E A D E R | W O R S H I P L E A D E R .C O M | VO L . 28, N O. 4

Every night I lie in bed The brightest colors fill my head A million dreams are keeping me awake I think of what the world could be A vision of the one I see A million dreams is all it's gonna take A million dreams for the world we're gonna make "A MILLION DREAMS" LYRICS AND MUSIC BY BENJ PASEK & JUSTIN PAUL (FROM THE MOVIE THE GREATEST SHOWMAN)

L

eading worship requires a heavy dose of administrative strengths. There are team members to schedule, music to arrange and distribute, plans to execute, and budgets to keep. Just because you sing and hold a guitar doesn't mean you automatically get to create! Yes, you serve by making music and prayers work in service for your church. Yes, the desire for unique artistic expression worthy of a worship service rate high on the task list. But, imagination takes a back seat.

Even when the time is available, the lesson is that creativity is arduous work. Imagining a reality not currently present is a far-off pipe dream. There seems to be little time to be creative, even in a role that requires it.

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LIMITATIONS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY.

IMAGINATION IS A PRACTICE, NOT AN ACCIDENT.

Creativity solves problems. Necessity is called the mother of invention. Time is a construct that can either be discouragement or boundaries that allows your best work. Time, money, or space may not be your enemy. They may be the very thing that enables you to thrive! Think of the theological truth of Jesus being fully human and fully God, or the teaching of the Incarnation. Jesus lived as a man. He had 24 hours in every day.

He had to sleep. He had to eat. Miracles happened at specific times of day in particular locations. God's work and creativity seem to have little problem with time or space. The Day of Pentecost, the Church received the Holy Spirit, and we all anticipate the Second Coming of our Lord on a particular day.

Think of the limitations you have as the size and shape of your canvas. Some will own a larger canvas to paint their masterpiece. Humility means I accept the limitations God chooses to give me. I cannot grow any taller at this point in life, for instance. So, my choice is to embrace my height. (By the way, I happen actually to be shrinking with age!) A young mother or father with small children may have a smaller canvas.

Should you stop painting until you have the most massive canvas available, or should you create with what you have in front of you? Kids grow up, and seasons change—so will your limitations. Limitations will grow or shrink. This is no excuse to stop creating.

Imagination's greatest gift is to allow a world that does not yet exist to be lived in and studied. As a child, I often daydreamed. While it may seem an accident that I was able to vividly create everything from imaginary friends to stories, the practice of being one who imagined daily helped. My imagination muscle grew the more I used it. As we grow into adulthood, we, for some reason, believe that we cannot draw or create as we did as kids. The muscle of imagination atrophies to the point that we are led to think we're just not creative. But, what if you can still draw? What if imagination was a discipline of habit rather than the random thoughts of a child? What if God wants worship leaders to imagine the possibilities of what a service could be like for our church?

Leadership is about shaping reality. Imagination describes the world we wish for our people. Hope is about imagination.

You cannot see it, but it is a belief in a world not yet acquired.

Have you read something that transported you to a magical place? Inspiration is about breathing in something that fills you.

As worship leaders, time slips away with meetings and responsibilities. Being inspired is not given the weight it deserves. Drink in a sunset. Listen to music that challenges your ear. Read a book that enlightens your mind. Have coffee with a friend who leaves you charged. Imagination is not an accident. You have to dig for it, practice it, and anticipate that it will arrive just in time.

CREATIVITY REQUIRES HARD WORK. Do our best ideas come from random flashes or our daily efforts? The myth many of us creative types have is that the better ideas are the ones that just show up. What we often celebrate is the myth that this is a regular occurrence. A songwriter may, by chance, come up with a hit in a few minutes. But, I bet that songwriter had worked daily for many years before that song was written. So, did that song come in a flash, or was it part of her daily work? What we forget, even as creators, is that an iterative process lies underneath the most exciting creative works. In other words, showing up to work means your chances of a hit song in five minutes exponentially goes up.

You can do things daily to create. Gordon McKenzie mentions in his book that creativity is a lot like cows chewing the cud.* The boss in his suit is livid, seeing perfectly good cows in the pasture chewing and chewing instead of being in the barn being milked. What the boss forgets is that chewing the cud makes the milk! You cannot have creativity without fuel.

In most cases, this fuel is hard work. Instead of chewing grass, we can chew by mastering our skills in storytelling, playing our instrument, or flexing the muscle of imagination.

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TAKEAWAYS The people who lead worship 52 weekends a year can train daily for their best ideas yet to emerge.

Here are some steps we can take: Measure the limitations you have and embrace that reality. How much time or resources do you have to work with? What can you do to maximize them?

Shed envy about how others create. What can you learn from others? Who can help encourage you along the way?

Dream of the world God wants you to make. What do you see God doing in your church or ministry?

How open are you to seeing something you have never seen before?

Make inspiration a habit. How are you filling your creative tank? Do you take in more than you have to give?

Expect God to use you to create. Do you believe God made you to create? Are you open to God using you to do something new or in a new way in your church? *ORBITING THE GIANT HAIRBALL: A CORPORATE FOOL'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING WITH GRACE, 1998 BY VIKING ISBN: 0670879835

BY R I C H K I R K PAT R I C K AUTHOR, MUSICIAN

Rich is the author of The Six Hats of the Worship Leader, writer for several ministry publications, and leads worship with A Beautiful Liturgy.

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Technically Speaking— A

C R I T I C A L

L AT E S T TO O L S

L O O K

AT

T H E

N E E D -T O - K N OW O F

T H E

T R A D E

Kent Morris lends his insight to uncover and evaluate the latest technological products and developments you need to know.

K E N T M O R R I S 40-year veteran of the AVL arena driven by passion for excellence tempered by the knowledge digital is a temporary state.

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A Quarter-Million Cover Bands.

A

fter decades of mixing worship music in churches of all stripes, it finally dawned on me: we are cover bands.

With 330,000 churches in the United States, we have roughly a quarter-million praise teams playing and singing songs every week written by others. While the term “cover band” can elicit negative images, a good cover band is quite talented. U2 only has to sound like U2, but a cover band has to sound like U2 and twenty other groups. Much like any local band at a festival or community celebration, we cover the most popular songs of the day, but with a higher purpose. Instead of merely playing familiar tunes for people to enjoy, our goal is to create an environment conducive to worship through the implementation of chosen songs. Sacred and secular music have always intersected, but the trend accelerated with the introduction of contemporary worship in the 1980s. Back then, it was the Maranatha! Praise Band and later a host of artists on the Integrity label, all seeking to develop a musical palette recognizable to the community at large.

As we progressed through the turn of the 21st century, the thrust of worship music shifted from record labels to local church bodies. Hillsong, Gateway, Elevation, and other church teams created songs congregations small and large could embrace as their own, reflecting sentiment and value appropriate to the story of God at work in humanity on both a local and global level. Songs were no longer crafted as much as they were birthed, the difference being seminal. Today, churches share songs as recipes spread among a gathering of chefs, each contributing to and gleaning from the others. Just as each US region has its signature BBQ sauce and style, churches have distinctive musical bents that must be conveyed with authenticity when sung “in domum.”

For the musicians, this requires musical dexterity, much like a secular cover band playing everything from Cardi B to Journey. The local guitarist at church has to emulate Carl Johan Grimmark and then jump to Lincoln Brewster while the keyboardist is tasked with sounding authentic on Ed Kerr tunes as well as Tomlin songs. On the tech side, we must learn how to replicate the power of a Big Mick Hughes mix and the deft touch of Robert Scovill in back-to-back songs, no easy job given the depth and detail each of these mix giants brings to the console. So, how does a tech in a regular church with mid-range gear go about creating mixes that sound like they belong? Here are some ideas: Get the basics right. What does Jeff Sandstrom do to build a great mix for Chris Tomlin? He starts with mic selection,

placement, and gain structure. He listens to the instrument and voice, chooses an appropriate microphone for the role, and carefully places it where it sounds best. Then he dials it in with enough gain to keep the signal in the sweet spot of the mic pre-amp. Since we cannot change out the kick mic between songs, we need a mic that sounds enough like Carl Albrecht to authenticate a Paul Baloche song and then jump to cover Hillsong United as if Simon Kobler is on the drum throne. The goal here is to stay in the mainstream of mics and locations to best capture a broad range of tones at the source and then configure them on the console.

Keep it simple. While it is tempting to research and build the perfect Josh Alltop snare sound, non-Gateway tunes may not benefit from that choice. It is easier to achieve several snare sounds from a “generic” starting point than to struggle to move from one defined element to a radically different one. To this end, avoid numerous plug-ins and let the musicians create the appropriate tones.

Use quality where it matters. The sonic quality of a $300 mic is significantly greater than that of a $100 mic, so the $200 price premium is justified. On the other hand, a $60 mic cable isn’t much better than a $30 mic cable, so money can be saved in this instance.

Focus on the vocals. The distinguishing characteristic of a song is the vocal content. Your singer may not sound exactly like Kari Jobe, but she can learn to phrase like Kari if it benefits the song and the moment. Our job is to capture and reinforce the vocals, so they are clean and clear for the congregation to follow.

Broaden your listening experience. If you have never heard the guitar work of Rex Carroll from Whitecross and King James, spend some time doing so as it foreshadowed much of the guitar styling of the shredder decade and still influences players today. Grab a recording of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs to uncover the foundation of today’s bluegrass revival. Let jazz great Eric Dolphy’s 1964 Out to Lunch! album, his last, wash over you on repeat. Renowned Nashville recording engineer Lou Bradley famously stuck a cheap, old EV vocal mic inside an upright bass during a high-profile session and achieved a stunning recording. When the producer asked him how he managed to get such a tone from the low-rent set-up, Lou replied, “I know what an upright is supposed to sound like.”

Lou Bradley had spent years honing his hearing to reach his goal, making the statement, “the hammer is less important than the carpenter” ring true.

Use the ear candy sparingly. Effects are spices, and a little goes a long way. Don’t let the oregano ruin the dish.

Being a cover band in church is a badge of honor. It shows musical dexterity and a broad range of comprehension and execution. And, if things go well, you may even get to play an original song now and then. As techs, let’s support our musical teams with the most versatile sound we can produce.

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Neve 5045 W W W. R U P E R T N E V E .C O M

Labeled a “Primary Source Enhancer” the Rupert Neve 5045 is a single rack space hardware device sparsely populated with six knobs and four buttons, However, despite its obscure nomenclature and simple layout, the 5045 is a show saver for those who know how to use it. Every live event with open microphones is subject to feedback of the speaker output back through the microphone input. Proper mic-speaker orientation and gain structure can reduce feedback potential greatly, but there is a point where the gain-before-feedback dissipates. If that point is below the needed system gain, all is well, but if it is above, then there is a problem. Some situations require a defiance of the laws of physics, with typically poor results. For example, a pastor who insists on standing in front of the loudspeakers while preaching will experience feedback firsthand. The 5045 is not a panacea, but it can mitigate these types of problems through some clever techniques. Let’s explore how it works.

The 5045 came about due to the inadequacy of traditional noise gates to work seamlessly with the human voice. A noise gate simply looks at level and threshold and turns down in the absence of signal. The 5045 goes beyond this approach by

COST

$1 79 9

sensing the act of talking or singing and responding in context.

The Depth control can be set to attenuate modesty or dramatically depending on the situation. The Time Constant control is the reaction time and has six settings from fast to slow. The goal is to remove as much feedback potential as possible without chopping off sections of words. There is a complimentary peak and average selector button to choose between reaction to momentary values or sustained values in the processing.

One significant advantage of the 5045 is it handles processing in the analog domain, so there is no ADC and DAC induced latency. In use, the 5045 does make a significant contribution to improved gain-before-feedback with the spoken word with settings adjusted to nominal and can be handy for vocalists with poor mic technique who insist on loud stage monitors.

If you have tried other options and been disappointed, give the 5045 a test drive. It does what it claims to do without artifacts or issues and can be a lifesaver in many church environments.

Elation Pixel Bar 60IP W W W. E L AT I O N L I G H T I N G .C O M

COST

Elation Lighting has recently introduced an outdoor rated (IP65) series of LED bar lights. The one-meter Pixel Bar 60IP sits in the middle of the line between the smaller half-meter 30IP and larger two-meter 120IP models and represents a strong value for the worship market.

Strip lights are common on church stages because they provide a wide swath of consistent and adjustable lighting at a low price point. They are typically used in groups to cast color on rear stage walls and to highlight set design pieces in various hues. Strip lights began as RGB (Red, Green, Blue) with ¼ watt diodes, but have evolved to include stronger diodes in as many as six base tones. The Pixel Bar IP series adds outdoor capability for use at outreach ministries, festivals and anniversary celebrations. IP stands for Ingress Protection with the first number, 6 in this case relating to how well the light prevents 46 W O R S H I P L E A D E R | W O R S H I P L E A D E R .C O M | VO L . 28, N O. 4

$230

solids such as dirt from entering the enclosure. A 6 rating is more than adequate for any scenario outside a desert storm.

The 5 rating for liquids means the Pixel Bar can withstand a strong stream of water from any direction without damage to the internal components.

In addition to sealing the cast aluminum housing, Elation has bedecked the Pixel Bar with magnetic end caps so multiple lights form a cohesive structure. They also raised the refresh rate to 44KHz to allow the bars to be used with TV cameras in a flicker-free environment. The lights also include both square and rounded frosted lenses for situations needing soft, smooth illumination.

As a staple stage element, strip lights are an inexpensive, versatile luminaire churches should own and the Elation Pixel Bar 60IP makes a strong case for itself.

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GEAR REVIEWS

WATC H

V I D E O

MIXERFACE R4 AUDIO INTERFACE & FIELD RECORDER

BY CENTRANCE W W W. C E N T R A N C E . C O M

B AT T E RY P OW E R E D G E A R

AUDIO INTERFACE.

BY S T E V E R E E D MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, WRITER, PRODUCER WORSHIP TEAM TRAINER

PROS

H I G H Q UA L I T Y P R E - A M P S I N A N E L E G A N T LY C O M PAC T H O U S I N G . 7 H O U R S O F R E C H A R G E A B L E B AT T E RY

Steve along with his wife and children comprise the worship group Steve & Shawn. Steve is an avid learner and teacher by nature and his extensive travels as a guest minister, long history of local church service, and experience in the recording industry provide a fresh perspective on how equipment can help resource the church.

Steveandshawn.com musicandministry.com

L I F E , WO R K S W I T H P H O N E S O R TA B L E T S A S W E L L A S C O M P U T E R S .

H E A D P H O N E - S I Z E D O U T P U T JAC K F O R VIDEO CAMERAS.

CONS

NO SCRE E N OR METE R . LOTS OF OPTIONS MEANS THERE IS A SMALL L E A R N I N G C U RV E .

BOT TOM LINE

H I G H Q UA L I T Y P O R TA B L E AU D I O I N T E R FAC E U S E D A N D E N D O R S E D BY M A N Y T O P AU D I O P R O F E S S I O N A L S .

WATC H

V I D E O

WATC H

V I D E O

WATC H

V I D E O

LITTLE JANE TRAVEL GUITAR

MOUNTED SHOTGUN MICROPHONE

DANTE INTERFACE

BY FURCH

BY DEITY

BY RME

W W W. F U R C H G U I TA R S . C O M

W W W. D E I T Y M I C . C O M

W W W. R M E - U S A . C O M

C O L L A P S I B L E G U I TA R F O R

FOR COLLECTING SOUND

AUDIO INTERFACE FOR USE

WORSHIPERS ON THE MOVE.

O N C A M E R A S , TA B L E T S

WITH A DANTE NETWORK.

SHOTGUN MICROPHONE

& PHONES.

PROS

PROS

PROS

A M A Z I N G S O U N D A N D E XC E L L E N T

+2 0 D B ‘ S T E P L E S S ' G A I N K N O B O N

ROBUST DESIGN FOR THOSE PUSHING

P L AYA B I L I T Y. E A S I LY C O L L A P S E S

T H E B AC K O F T H E M I C F O R E A S Y

T H E L I M I T S O F T H E DA N T E N E T WO R K

D OW N I N T O A N A M A Z I N G LY S M A L L A N D

ADJUSTME NTS , MICROPROCESSOR

C A PA B I L I T I E S , O N B OA R D M I X E R G I V E S

L AV I S H C A R RY I N G C A S E . M O S T O F T H E

T U R N S M I C O N A N D T O S TA N D BY

SIMPLE CONTROL S FOR ROUTING ,

T I M E I T S TAYS I N T U N E E V E N W H E N

AU T O M AT I C A L LY, Q UA L I T Y

CONVE RTS MADI , AL SO CONNECTS TO

YO U R E A S S E M B L E .

C O N S T R U C T I O N , O N - B OA R D L OW-

WO R L D C L O C K .

C U T F I LT E R S , A N D H I G H Q UA L I T Y CONS

P I C K U P S C A N B E I N S TA L L E D B U T A R E N OT S TA N DA R D . H I G H Q UA L I T Y

S O U N D . 5 1+ H O U R S O F R E C H A R G E A B L E B AT T E RY L I F E .

O N B OA R D M I X E R I S D E S I G N E D S O L E LY F O R R O U T I N G A N D D O E S N O T H AV E E Q

CONS

EQUIPMENT OFTEN COMES WITH SOME E X T R A C O S T.

CONS

OR EFFECTS. USE OF THIS PRODUCT IN A C H A R G I N G C A B L E I S I N C LU D E D

S TA N D A L O N E O R S M A L L DA N T E S YS T E M

B U T N OT A P OW E R A DA P T E R .

SCE NARIO IS NOT RECOMME NDE D.

BOT TOM LINE

BOT TOM LINE

BOT TOM LINE

W E L OV E T H I S G U I TA R .

H I G H Q UA L I T Y P R O D U C T T H AT H A S P E R F O R M E D V E RY W E L L .

N O P R O D U C T I S R I G H T F O R E V E RYO N E B U T T H I S C O U L D B E T H E T O O L YO U A R E LOOKING FOR .

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Awoken

H I LL S O N G WO R S H I P I S R E FR E S H E D & R E A DY TO S P R E A D R E V I VA L

F

or over three decades, Hillsong Church has been creating worship music and pushing the envelope on congregational worship.

There resources have literally circled the globe. With campuses all around the world, their influence is palpable. The fall of 2019 marked a new project from Hillsong Worship compirising musicians and worship leaders who live and serve in various countries. Awake is the first studio album (as opposed to live) the group has released since 2003. In a Q&A with Brooke Ligertwood, Worship Leader's Caroline Lusk, plumbed the purpose and inspiration behind their latest release.

WORSHIP LEADER:

After a long history of live recordings, why did you decide to head back to the studio for this project?

WL: After such a long hiatus from the

BROOKE: Hillsong Worship has been

BROOKE: There were a lot of beautiful

making records for 30 years now. 2003 was the last studio album. We felt like this was the right time to re-examine who we are. Not in a way that would send us down rabbit trails, but that would define the sound of our church again and articulate that in a studio format. It was a moment to bring into the light who we are as a worship movement and community and explore how that could sound.

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studio, did anything surprising spring to the surface during production?

surprises that came about through the process. We were surprised by the Lord’s kindness. One thing we sought to do was not to get introspective, or look too far within ourselves, but to ask Him, “What do you hear, Lord? Show us!”

WL: What

were some of the speed bumps or difficulties you encountered while pulling the project together?

BROOKE: The geography is a huge chal-

lenge. We are a global church. Joel and I live in California, Reuben is in Liverpool, a huge bulk of the team is in Sydney, and some are in New York.

Getting us all in one room at the same time... is incredibly challenging!

WL: Where did the title “Awake” emerge from, and what is the significance of that word to you?

BROOKE: This was God’s story. In the

month before we were to kick off production, my husband and I were praying and fasting. I felt the Lord put on my heart Ephesians 5:13-14: “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’”

I shared that at the first prayer meeting for the project. We know that everything we do is visible, but we can’t be a light if it doesn’t start from within. We desire to see an awakening of sleepers.

When songs began to come in from the writers, we were f labbergasted.

They were different angles of similar themes—light, rising, waking.

A few days later, we had a vision Sunday, and there was a sense of revival in the air. It was a powerful idea. God was bringing us a story we couldn’t write on our own, and it was our responsibility to steward it correctly.

WL: Album aside, what do you perceive the role of revival to play in the life of Christian?

BROOKE: Revival is a constant theme in

the life of a Christian. Revelation is progressive. That’s not to say that revelations you’ve had in the past are incorrect; instead, over time, new things are revealed to you, making the Christian life one of a gradual becoming. None of us have it all together, but individually, as a church and a community, we are constantly growing and maturing.

HILLSONG WORSHIP

AWAKE www.hillsong.com/worship

When Hillsong was preparing to head back into the studio for the first time since 2003 (their other releases have been live), they prayed, fasted, and sought God's direction for themes, sonic direction, and His leading. The Lord impressed Ephesians 5:13-14 upon Brooke Ligertwood’s heart, and the rest of the team embraced that theme. When one listens to Awake with that Scripture in mind, there is a clear, consistent, continuity from song to song.

Without a congregation, there could be an absence of energy—yet, to the contrary, the album possesses a steady, driving presence that doesn't diminish between tracks, regardless of tempo or with vocal lead changes.

The album is polished, relevant, and masterfully woven together. If anything,the studio environment allowed meticulous attention to details that enhance the listening experience.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

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53

wait the

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore,

but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any

fish?" "No," they answered. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

JOHN 21:4-6

T

here's only so much heartache one can take. Humanity has its limits. Sooner or later, something has to give. Regardless of station, position, accomplishments, or lack thereof, at some point, the circumstances of life can overwhelm even the strongest of souls.

When Jesus calls to His disciples that morning on the beach, He is well aware that this is a group of broken men. The Messiah they had walked with for three years had been crucified. They had seen the empty tomb, and Jesus had even appeared to them twice since the resurrection (John 20). But things were not as they had been. After three years of ministry alongside Jesus, everything had changed, and they were existing in a state of ambiguity. They still believed in Jesus and the truth He had instilled in them throughout their ministry together; however, the path was no longer clear. So they headed back to the sea.

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DAV I D L E O N A R D WITH CAROLINE LUSK

their nets, just as they had done for years.

But this night, the nets remained empty.

David Leonard and his wife, formerly the duo All Sons and Daughters, know a thing or two about uncertainty. For four years, they struggled with infertility. Plagued by miscarriages, and unable to conceive, the despair they experienced threatened to consume them.

Just like the disciples, however, they never stopped believing. They knew God's promises and trusted His love for them. But, this couple who had committed their lives to ministry was staring into the darkness with no easy answers.

"It's the struggle of the wait," says David. "Every month for four years was a constant letdown and disappointment and probably the hardest thing my wife and I had ever walked through."

Their struggle, just like that of the disciples, wasn't lost on God. When Jesus called to the men from the beach, He knew that the past few weeks had been chaotic, frightening, and tremendously unsettling. Now, even when they had returned to their home turf, doing what they had done their entire lives— fishing—they were having no luck. And so, Jesus suggests a variation. He tells them to drop their nets on the other side.

These were not fishing novices. They knew how to bring in a catch. Yet, they were broken enough, humble enough, to heed the advice of a stranger from shore.

The catch was so big, the nets broke.

David Leonard has given 20 years of his life to music ministry. He has produced and written songs for others and enjoyed a successful season of touring and recording with All Sons and Daughters. Still, in this period of struggle, with anxiety and depression, his constant companions, he was feeling lost. His nets were empty.

And then, God called to Him. On a cross-country trip, in the middle of the desert, God made it clear to David that he was seen, known, and loved. "I felt like God just threw on this big flashlight and said, 'I see you,'" he says. "I immediately felt acknowledged and seen."

Filled with a sense of peace he had been long without, David entered a new period of creativity. Suddenly the songs he had written with others came to life as his songs. Before long, he had an entire album, aptly titled, The Wait.

Released in the spring of 2019, the album was followed with an acoustic version in the fall called The Wait: Silence the Noise. David took the material still a step further by creating a full-length film from the songs. With each variation, David discovered new truths about himself, his purpose, and about God's love and how we worship.

"I frequently get asked why I walked away from the corporate worship thing," he shares. "To me, this music is still corporate worship. But we're a culture of things we know. When people seem something different, it may not make sense. That's the constant struggle for anyone who wants to create something new. The continuation of creativity is key. You have to keep doing it, and you have to be inspired by something. Over 20 years, I've done a lot of learning and a lot of failing. I've had moments where I feel confident that maybe this is what I'm supposed to do, but I often feel unqualified. But God has called me.

That trumps any qualifications I've ever needed or hard. I believe God has me here for a reason."

Just like the nets of fish were overf lowing, so too is David's well of creativity and pool of opportunity. As he reflects on the challenges of the past and the goodness of God in the midst, he knows he has something to share.

"It's easy to feel like you're the only one walking through struggle. It's easy to isolate," David says. "But I know I'm not even close to being the only one. I hope through this work, we can create a sense of community and let people know that not only are they not alone, they're not done."

For David, a new path has risen from ashes. A well of artistic freedom is flowing where there once was only desert. And despite the pain he has walked through, his hope is secure in the one who continues to call out from the shore.

DAVID LEONARD

THE WAIT www.davidleonardmusic.com

On The Wait: Silence the Noise, David Leonard has somehow managed to elevate the songs he so masterfully crafted on the first iteration of the album—and his first solo project—The Wait, which released earlier in 2019.

This new, stripped-down version propels David's vocal to the forefront in a manner that is arresting as it is compelling. Perhaps the true magic of this stunning project is that the lyrical content and song structure converge at the place we hit our knees.

The record is a journey—one that reflects the dark, painful season of infertility through which he and his wife traveled. The weight of those losses is evident in refreshingly candid lyrics, such as: "I am a prodigal / I can make it on my own / I am a runaway / I would rather be alone."

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

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55

ALBUM REVIEWS

BY EDITORIAL STAFF

CITIZEN WAY

LOVE IS A LION www.citizen-way.com

A L B U M S

B U Y N OW

W

hen Citizen Way released their debut album in 2013, they checked all the boxes—solid songs, tight sound, strong vocals. Love is a Lion, their third album, reveals a band that has maintained their focus and optimism even after what they have described the toughest season in their lives. Not any lyrical or music surprises, but all are solidly constructed songs, many of which can translate to a worship setting with minimal instrumentation or production.

"The Lord's Prayer" is an uptempo take on the familiar words straight out of Matthew 6:9-13. This could be an incredibly useful tool to help young people learn and keep precious scripture like this in their minds and hearts.

"Love Has Won" is a beautiful piano-driven song of hope. A standout lyric comes in the second verse: "That's why He gave us this family / With a promise that nothing can break." It's a

lovely reminder that our isolationism doesn't define us, nor are we overcome by our challenges. Sonically, it's similar to a Five for Fighting vibe, infectious and likable.

"Mountains," "Peace Like a River" and "The Hope Song," are pop-infused anthems that echo with personal battles the band members have waged in their own lives, and the hope and strength that they found in Christ to carry them through. With reminders of God's sovereignty and faithfulness, each of these songs is uplifting and encouraging.

"God You Are Good" is a standout track that would fit well within a corporate worship setting. Lyrics like: "You've always been faithful / So I'll just be still / No matter how bad this feels / Your peace is perfect." There's a relatable charm to the simplicity of the word choice. Sometimes, we all feel bad and it's nice to have songs that can be vehicles for both our emotions and our faith.

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One of the most impactful elements of this project is the artwork. The image of the lion connects to the Love Is A Lion title track which is infused with energy and power, and immediately brings to mind C. S. Lewis's iconic Aslan, from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. "Be Still" is stunning. It's simplicity and, relatively, spare production allows truth to soar in an uncomplicated fashion that could easily become a special part of any worship service.

Overall, this is a solid showing from Citizen Way, though it teeters on the edge of generic, at times. The only fear is that some of these great songs might get lost, among others, with similar or identical titles. It would be a shame for the craftsmanship Ben Calhoun, and the rest of the band pours into their music to not be heard simply because the titles are lost in the shuffle.

BRYAN & KATIE TORWALT

ANTICIPATION www.bryanandkatietorwalt.com

With the ever-increasing trend of releasing multiple singles before an album release, many artists have chosen to side-step the creation of a musical arc that takes the listener on a complete journey from the first track to the last.

Not so on Anticipation, the second EP released by Jesus Culture’s Katie and Bryan Torwalt. In much the same way

that this project is a continuation of a faith journey, the EP itself is masterfully constructed, beginning with the inviting, compelling “Remember.”

Lyrics like “Remember who you’re talking to,” are subtly grounding and centering. They encourage the listener to reacquaint themselves with God’s nature while gently guiding them towards a posture of humility and wonder.

Once there, the gates are flung open with the rhythmic, driving “Freedom is Coming,” the first words of which are delivered by a soulful, infectious gang vocal. The soaring lead melody, woven around the rich group vocal, makes this song a natural fit for praise teams or even choirs. Lyrically, it is a song of expectation—a dimensional declaration that God’s healing and restoration are within reach. the lyrics seamlessly dance back and forth, from the anticipation of

things yet to come and the confidence that God had been there all along.

The title track, “Anticipation” makes an abstract concept tangible.

“I feel anticipation / Feels like when the wind blows through the trees / There’s a hope and I can taste it / Ready to explode inside our praise.”

In Jesus Culture style, It’s a sensory encounter with the Divine, awakening us to the very real ways God shows up in our lives. It’s a song of expectation and confidence driven by a rhythm of faith and a cadence of gratitude.

Next, on the gorgeously restrained confessional “Save Me,” Bryan and Katie convey the weariness we all experience as we contend with our weaknesses and our needs. The chorus expresses a personal prayer, “I just wanna be in the room / Where my heart says yes / Just to see you move / So I can breathe again.”

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PLANETSHAKERS

RAIN www.planetshakers.com

A L B U M S

B U Y N OW

H

aving "been precipitated by three EPs, Rain Vol. 1, 2, and 3, the full-length, mostly live album, Rain is a satisfying compilation of worship anthems and choruses set within an electric live setting. From beat one, the band is spot on vocally and instrumentally—with a precision that generally requires a studio setting. Yet, what Planetshakers achieves and has since their inception, is a seamless marriage of electrically-charged energy that only exists in a live context and a measured precision that eludes most artists, even in the studio. Chalk it up to experience.

Two thousand nineteen marks the 22nd year Planetshakers Conference has taken place. The project title, Rain, captures the spirit of all those years. "We feel that just as rain is formed naturally by the sun's heat evaporating water, that our prayers, praise and worship have been reaching heaven all this time," says Pastor and Worship Leader, Sam Evans, who founded Planetshakers with her husband, Russell Evans.

The album opens with the first single, thus most well-known, track from the project, "Only Way," a modern day version of “I Have Decided to Follow

Jesus.” The driving beat immediately brings or keeps the audience or congregation on their feet. The song is a declaration of truth. "You are the way / Jesus, You're the only way / It doesn't matter what they say to me / I believe in You / And so I praise / Jesus, I will give You praise / It doesn't matter what may come at me / I believe in You." "My Reason" is a fun, up-tempo song that relies heavily on rock-oriented production and instrumentation. The lyrics, "I will lift, lift my voice / And shout out your praises / You are the greatest," are more interesting for their delivery and stylization than content.

Still, if you're looking to find something to get a youth group on their feet, you'd be hard-pressed to find a song more effective than "My Reason."

A standout on this record—both the live and studio versions—is "Rain Your Glory Down.” While the lyrics certainly reflect a more profound intricacy than some of the more up-tempo tracks, Planetshakers doesn’t complicate things just because they're singing slower. The opening lyrics are beautiful and straightforward: "I feel it in the atmosphere / Cloud of glory drawing near / Antici-

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pation in the air / Your power moving everywhere."

On the next track, "God Is On the Throne." The lyrics are easy to learn, remember, and roll around in your mind and heart long after a service or a listen in the car. But for an extraordinary moment, skip ahead to the studio version. The instrumentation is spare and gorgeous. The harmony on the chorus wraps around the lyrics, changing the weight of their delivery. It's a stunning addition and, sonically, might be a more realistic approach if one were considering using the song in a worship set.

Overall, Rain is a triumph. It allows Planetshakers' strengths to shine—infectious, energetic choruses that audiences can latch on to, learn, and lift up easily and quickly. The studio versions of songs, "God Is On the Throne" and the 80's remix version of "I Lift Your Name Up" reveals a depth of artistry far beyond the live setting. Planetshakers has made remarkable music with phenomenal impact over its 22 years. If Rain is any indication, they've only scratched the surface.

THE PORTER'S GATE

NEIGHBOR SONGS www.theportersgate.com

The Porter’s Gate Worship Project is one of the rising number of songwriting retreats that combine scholars and artists and draw participants across denominations and faith traditions, life experiences, and generations to explore and craft songs around themes deserving wider recognition and greater resonance in our worshiping communities. Isaac Wardell (Bifrost Arts) spear-headed the

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projects, the first album centered on how vocation and work glorifies God, and the current release Neighbor Songs focuses on hospitality: welcoming the strangers and fashioning a community of worship where people are welcomed not for a day, but to stay. Wardell plans to hold similar Porter’s Gate gatherings over the next eight to ten years, resulting in at least six live worship recordings, each focused on a different biblical theme. Some of those speaking and writing into this album were emigrants. Wardell says, “We wanted to involve the people who are really dealing with the pressing questions and issues of our times. In many cases, we actually paired theologians and songwriters together in the songwriting process.” The songs have a traditional, folk, rootsy feel and because of the many joining in the creative process and singing possess a startling diversity (Josh Garrels, Audrey Assad, Casey J, Leslie Jordan (from All

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Sons & Daughters), Zach Bolen (of the band Citizens), Urban Doxology, Diana Gameros, Latifah Alattas, Lauren Goans, and Paul Zach, among others)..

This eclectic group capitalizes on their differences, pairing like and unlike voices together, varying the instrumentation throughout, and probing each and every line and space on the scale to create harmonies that ebb and flow, at the same time addressing the albums theme from every angle. The defining characteristic of this worship collective and this album is its diversity... and it’s unity... Different ethnic, geographic and cultural influences flavor the songs, complementing the vocal nuances of each artist. But perhaps the real magic and testament to the fine musicianship of the group is the complete absence of moments that feel contrived.

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59

But for the polish and professionalism, one might not believe Selah is in their 22nd year of ministry after a listen through their 14th album, Firm Foundation. The songs and performance sound fresh and relevant, with a buoyancy that is immediately transferable to anyone within earshot.

This, their first album with Integrity Music features lyrics that form that firm and immovable foundation, more straightforward than wildly creative, like foundational Scriptures memorized. And the simplicity of production and content allows Selah to do what Selah does best—sing! Pure, strong, and precise, nearly everything they sing sounds triumphant, as on “Jesus Is King” and “Let the Saints Sing.” The latter written by the three members of Selah (Todd Smith, Amy Perry, And Allan Hall) with Michael Farren and Tony Wood lifts the roof off. When Selah come together in three-part harmony, they truly are unmatched.

"Always Gonna Be" is a reminder that hard times are inevitable—but God’s abiding presence is just as inevitable..

With a slightly country/Americana

SELAH

FIRM FOUNDATION

A L B U M S

www.selahonline.com

N E W

M U S I C

F O R

YO U R

vibe, this song would easily translate to a congregational setting with a guitar lead. It's fresh and memorable.

"Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me" is a beautiful ballad, once again capitalizing on the brilliance of the harmonies. "Oh the night has been won / And I shall overcome / Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me." Simple. Pure. Poignant.

This song unleashes the full impact of the three voices rotating lead, adding new and different harmonies and modulations, reminding the world why they are one of the strongest, most solid vocal groups in the modern worship and inspirational landscape.

"The Sound of Love" was most certainly written for a vocalist like Amy. Unwavering, controlled, and powerful, she delivers familiar, yet inspiring, lyrics: "I hear the crashing waves / Thundering through my soul / I hear a quiet voice / Reminding me of hope." Familiar, yet effective analogies.

From beginning to end, Firm Foundation is just as its name suggests— solid. The songs are sound theologically, consistent lyrically, and well-crafted from beginning to end.

C H U R C H

DOWNLOAD THE LATEST MUSIC AT SONGDISCOVERY.COM

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And He laid down His life Then He did what He said / When He rose from the dead / And He's coming back again"

Matt Redman knows how to put a gang vocal to work! On his latest single, "The Same Jesus," Redman's pure lead is accompanied by an energetic backing group that adds an interesting element to a song with a bridge that literally tells the Bible’s story from beginning to end.

MATT REDMAN

THE SAME JESUS www.mattredman.com

Sonically and lyrically, the song was created for a praise team. With the simple message of God's consistency and persistence to win our hearts, Matt continues to do what he does best—create songs that speak the truth. Throughout his ministry, the prolific writer—16 albums and eight books—has discerned what sticks and what doesn't. "The Same Jesus" sticks.

A tribute to God's unwavering love and constant care—the song is sure to become an energetic go-to, particularly among young people, while providing a glimpse into Redman's upcoming 2020 release.

"O, He's the First and the Last / The Beginning and End / At the sound of His cry All the world came alive / And He formed us from dust / Put His breath in our lungs We were made for His love / But we ran from the light / But He wouldn't give up On His daughters and sons / So He took up the cross /

Comprehensive. Contemporary. Liturgical.

CHOOSE CHRIST MISSAL

Updated annually with the newest in contemporary Catholic music, Choose Christ Missal offers a variety of songs, hymns, psalms and Mass settings — all complete with readings for Sundays and holy days.

Learn more at ocp.org/choose-christ-wl

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