the evangelistic power of worship

here is a good article by rick warren. it's states an interesting view on how our services must be both meaningful worship for believers and seeker-sensitive. he even says that paul calls the church to be "seeker-sensitve." definitely worth the read.

play youtube videos in worship

my bassist e-mailed me a pretty cool plug-in for converting internet files. you can convert url to many file formats (ie. .pdf > .doc). you can also convert video files from pages like youtube into many different media formats (mp3, mpg, etc.) so if you find a video of a rare live performance you can convert it to mp3 and listen any time you want. or if you find a video you'd love to use at your gathering (ie. sermon illustration) you can convert it to mpeg and play it using your projection software.

here is the browser button.

here is a video showing the features of the program.

enjoy

East Texas Worship with Paul Baloche

Had a chance to visit Community Christian Fellowship in little Garden Valley, TX several weeks ago. It was about a 2-hour drive for my wife and daughter, and we struck out early one Sunday through winding East Texas roads in search of this non-descript congregation. The draw? Besides being located in a ministry mecca (Lindale/Garden Valley is/was home to World Challenge, Teen Challenge, Teen Mania, Mercy Ships, Keith Green, Leonard Ravenhill, et all), CCF is also the home church of worship leader Paul Baloche, whose songs most of us sing any given Sunday. I had emailed him some time back to find out when he would be home, and managed to schedule my trip around that particular date.

Some interesting notes:

• The church building itself was nothing extraordinary - not the megachurch edifice you'd expect with a musician of his magnitude (cf. Israel Houghten). The place was packed - SRO - but we managed to find a seat.
• Musicians were great, but obviously not professionals. Ordinary folk.
• The congregation were mostly sub-30-something, and (as I learned from the pastor) comprised largely of community people (as opposed to commuters like me).
• The service? Intimate, unpolished, authentic worship. No lights, no drama, no show. No "concert feel". In fact, you'd never know the guy up front was anything extraordinary (albeit obviously gifted).

My reflections? Professional musicians/artists have little interest to me unless they intimately connected to a local church. I don't think God needs more CCM artists. But he does need more local church leaders. Also, my visit brought some corrective to the notion that "worship" needs to be novel, polished, show-y, and entertaining. On the contrary, we all see through that, and it feels contrived and insincere.

so...a song i wrote...sort of

yesterday we traveled down to grand prairie family church to do their service. levi preached and i lead the singing with meagan and heather, and a few from their band. the worship went great and levi's message, based on matthew 22 (love God...love your neighbor as yourself) was awesome. as part of the service order i had put in "response song" after the message. i didn't know what i was going to do, even that morning. this is not my normal planning practice but for some reason i couldn't think of a song that would say what we wanted to say at the end. we decided before the service that we would just do "amazing grace (my chains are gone)" again, a song we did in the worship set.

all through the message i was just thinking and thinking, what do we need to say in response to this message? levi was talking about how we in american churches get so wrapped up in doing church stuff with church people that we don't impact those in the world that are really in need. he said this is totally not the way Christ lived. He hung out with those that were the outcasts. He hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, samaritans, etc. He loved them and talked with them about the kingdom of God. He did not spend all His time in the temple or with religious people. He spent most of His time with sinners. then a question formed in my head (whether it was from levi directly i don't know), could it be that we don't interact with those that are outcasts because we aren't looking for them? and a phrase popped in my head: "who do you see? i want to see." so i was working on that thought for the response song. at the end of the sermon levi was closing and said "i want you to close your eyes and think about your life. think about who you can impact with the love of Christ." and then he said, "jonathan is going to come up and sing a song about grace"... so now i have to put grace in the song, i thought, and immediately came the phrase i wanna be Your grace.

so i get up on stage and just start singing what comes to mind and this is what happened:

who, who did you see
i, i wanna see
who, who did you touch
i, i wanna touch
who, who did you love
i, i wanna love
who, who did you show grace
i, i wanna be Your grace

i wanna be Your grace
i wanna be Your grace

show me
those around me
who are living
like i used to be


i don't necessarily like the "like i used to be" line for the finished version of the song. i guess i wanted to get across the idea that once we join the cause of Christ we are not the same, so the prayer is "God show me those around me that are not living life with You." i'll definitely keep
working with it but was pretty pumped that it came together. i asked levi afterward what he thought and he said, "i hope he remembers it next time." he was worried that when i got around to repeating it i wouldn't remember what i sang. lol

i don't recommend doing this. it is very nerve racking for that very reason. however, this is the second time i've written a song like this. next time, i'll post the other song.

before there were words...

Hey guys and gals,

i just got the new "live at radio city" blu-ray with dave matthews and tim reynolds. amazing! i have a lot of bootlegs of his shows (he allows tapers at his shows so it's not illegal), but it's really cool to see him perform the songs that i've grown to love in a more laid back setting with tim.

there's a new song that they've been doing called "eh hee" which is based off an experience he had in africa. he and his family traveled into the back woods, with tour guides and translators, where they got to see a tribe called cora san (don't know if that's how you spell it or not).

when night came the people gathered around and the women started singing these songs. dave said they were in scales that he'd never heard before. they were just singing, and then the men started dancing. he was in awe. he said that he began talking to the translator, asking what the songs were about. the translator said, this one is about the rain, and this one's about when the zebra comes around. dave said, what's the words. and the translator said, these songs were written before there were words.

before there were words...

there is an amazing thought. this tribe of people has been singing since the beginning of their existence. they didn't need words, but they had to sing. i think that's one of the reasons we sing in our worship of God. we have to. we can't help ourselves. the cora san people have been singing since the beginning and the people of God have been singing as well. once they had words they began writing them down and we get to have them in the hebrew song book, Psalms. we also have new songs that are being written. why? because God cannot be contained in one song, or one style, or one era. every day His mercies are new and we must sing. the psalms are filled with the phrase, i will sing a new song. we have to because our God is a living God. He moves within the hearts of His people and they must tell others about it.

there is a great hymn of our faith that was inspiration for a new chris tomlin song of the same title, how can i keep from singing. songs of praise have always been a part of human history and we must never stop.

how can i keep from singing (tomlin)

there is an endless song
echoes in my soul
i hear the music ring
and though storms may come
i am holding on
to the rock i cling

how can i keep from singing Your praise?
how can i ever say enough?
how amazing is Your love?
how can i keep from shouting Your name?
i know i am loved by the King
and it makes my heart want to sing

i will lift my eyes
in the darkest night
for i know my Savior lives
snd i will walk with You
knowing You see me through
and sing the songs You give

i can sing in the troubled times
sing when i win
i can sing when i lose my step
and i fall down again
i can sing 'cause You pick me up
sing 'cause You're there
i can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
when i call to You in prayer
i can sing with my last breath
sing for i know
that i'll sing with the angels
and the saints around the throne


may you sing the songs of our faith and find new songs written in your heart by the Creator. have a blessed week.

Interesting site

I just wanted to know what anyone thought about this blog entitled "What I Wish I Could Tell Every Worship Leader."

I feel as if there is a constant struggle within me between worship that is aimed at nonbelievers and worship that is aimed at the saints. The purpose is to point both to worshipping God, but the language, look, and style can be very different depending on group.Furthermore, I haven't seen both successfully done in one setting, which is probably why a church plant is so appealing to me. I saw a worship service on my one channel of television (yes, only one channel but I do get football) last week of a very large baptist church in the area. The worship leader was obviously a very talented young guy with a contemporary style, nice voice, and nice band. The only problem was the church did not follow him. They pretty much stood there as he sang. The members looked to be individuals who fell under the "saints" category while his song presentation was more oriented towards the "new believer/unbeliever" category of "15-35 year olds." As we have visited numerous churches over the past year, I have seen this mismatch occur. There are worship leaders who want so badly to do Hillsong that they end up being two steps out in front of their church, or they are doing a worship set that is more appropriate for a church with a different vision. I gues my thought is that you can't be what your church is not. I'm not sure if I agree with this next statement or not but I will say it since it's what's on my mind, but Worship is not the place to determine the vision and direction of the church but it's a place to express the vision and mission. If you're church is serving in the community and bringing people to Christ, there will be an expression and an excitement in the worship time. If it is not, you can't create that excitement no matter how many Chris Thomlin songs you encorporate (unless you're from a charismatic tradition and then it's a part of the culture). Anyhow, check out this blog as I'd like to know your thoughts on what this pastor says.
http://shawnlovejoy.typepad.com/shawn_lovejoy/2007/08/what-i-wish-i-c.html

Forever Song

hey everyone

i'd like to share a song with you. this past year at powerline church in nc we had an ash wednesday service. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent which is a season of preparation before Easter. it is 40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays (so it's really 46 days before Easter). at the end of our worship, we read Psalm 103. now, i had read the psalm when i was planning the order and everything but when i read it in the liturgy, it was so incredible. ash wednesday is a time of reflecting on our need for grace. another psalm that is read is psalm 51 which is david's cry for forgiveness: create in me a clean heart o God, and renew a right spirit within me. we also read a prayer together that asks God to forgive our sins, individual and corporate. so when we get to the end of the service it has been a very solemn time of realizing how much we are in need of grace, and to be honest, being reminded of how much we don't deserve it. but when we got to Psalm 103 it was incredible. listen to verse 8-11:

the Lord is merciful and gracious
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
He will not always accuse
nor will He keep his anger forever
He does not deal with us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our iniquitie
for as the heavens are high above the earth
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear Him (nrsv)

it was an awesome time of worship. so the next day, i was inspired to write a song based on verses 1-5.

bless the Lord, o my soul
and all that is within me bless His holy name
bless the Lord, o my soul
and do not forget all His benefits
who forgives all your iniquity
who heals all your diseases
who redeems your life form the pit
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy
who satisfies you with good as long as you liv
so that your youth is renewed like th eagle's (nrsv)

i loved the "who" language. the who is not a question but an attempt by the psalmist to help the reader remember what he's done. "He's the God who forgives all your iniquity, the one who..." i thought it was very unique.

so here's my song lyrics and video of our band playing it.

Forever Song
Jonathan Sprang and Larry Rogers

VERSE
who forgives all our sin
who cleans the stain within
who takes the sting of death
and makes me live again

who loves without end
who calls me His friend
who satisfies my soul
as long as i live
as long as i live

CHORUS
bless the Lord
my soul's forever song
Loving One
i know my only hope is God's own Son
Loving One
Loving One

BRIDGE
before there was time
there lived a Loving One
and at the end of time
we'll see the Loving One



if you'd like chord charts for the song you can leave a comment and i'll get them to you.

blessings

Recording Live

Anyone have good advice on recording services live? This wouldn't be for CD dissemination; just for band review/evaluation, and maybe podcasting.

What's the best way to get a quality sound, and the best way to record (i.e. miniDisc, directly to harddrive, etc.) Thoughts?

Question About Introducing New Songs

I'm curious, how do you guys introduce new songs? How often? How many times do you repeat it (how many weeks in a row), etc.

Here's what we do. I introduce a new song about every three to four weeks, unless people in the church would already know if from the radio. We do it one week before service, then three weeks in a row, take a week off, and then add it to the rotation. More than one (sometimes more than two) songs can be in this process at a time. I'm just curious if others of you have similar tactics, or if you've found a different method works better.

Note:
This is in our second service, btw. It's a modern service with rarely a song over five years old. In our first service, we'll do a new (old) song about every other month or so. It's more of a blended worship style.

Art & The Supernatural

Check out this CNN video. Akiane Kramarik, a 12-yr old girl, claims to have visions from God, and thus paints accordingly. Akiane, raised in an atheist family, has remarkable clarity into the heart and character of God ("masculine, strong...yet beautiful...") and some astounding paintings to match.

New Life for Older Songs

Okay, not that the Psalms are dead, or in need of any rejuvenation, but seeing as how the Hebrew songwriters neglected to leave scores for their music, it's up to folks like Sons of Korah to interpret the Psalms musically. Check it out - really good stuff from the Aussies.

So do emerging music trends like this, the aforementioned Indelible Grace hymn-remixes, and popularity of albums like Passion Bands' Hymns Ancient and New, reflect a fresh return to musical orthodoxy? Or is it just another postmodern rejection of the establishment (i.e. CCM)? And ultimately, does it really matter, as long as we're 'worshipping'?

Some things to remember: history - despite our best efforts - tends to be cyclical. Try as we may, we just can't escape the past. The old will always be 'rediscovered' with each generation. So, lay people, lay off the grumbling about not enough hymns. They'll always be here.

In terms of worship leading, this takes a lot of pressure off of us to 'keep up with those joneses' - the onslaught of new songs, techniques, technology, etc ad nauseum that we're so tempted to make the heart of our worship. I feel exhausted just walking into a Christian bookstore to buy a worship album.

Forget worship trends and hype - go with substance. And 150 songs, written in a largely forgotten ancient language, that still capture our attention? Now that's substance.

New Life for Old Songs

This is Matthew Smith. I met Smith when I was in college. Incidentally, I was close friends with his now-wife, and Smith stayed in my dorm room for a night while visiting her. He belongs to a new generation of songwriters. Unlike most in Nashville, Smith is seeking to give fresh life to old hymns. His "Indelible Grace" movement and band, a by-product of Reformed University Fellowship, brings worshippers into the presence of the Almighty, almost exclusively through hymns and church songs long neglected. This, friends, is a good thing.

Theology and spiritual meat has often to be 'recaptured' by each generation's worship leaders. The bride longs to sing songs that transcend her here and now. I know I do. A diet of K-Love, without meat and veggies, can tire a soul. Hymns (good ones, at least) are the meat and veggies of the worshippers diet: perhaps not the tastiest at the time, but deeply nourishing.

My question is, who of us can breathe fresh life into at least some of the thousands of Wesley's hymns? And what 'new hymns' - celebrating the Triune God of grace and holiness - are being produced in our churches? Sadly, not enough. It's far too easy to crank out a formulaic worship song. But for those who, like Smith, are willing to plum the depths of church history, great worship music is there for the taking.

tools for ministry

1. visuals

when we moved to rowlett, levi and i made a decision that i would begin doing a lot of the print and web media stuff in house, as well as video and music: an arts pastor. for this reason we purchased me a macbook pro as well as the adobe creative suite 3 (photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, flash, indesign). a few weeks ago, i got the software installed and began working with illustrator to create a doorhanger that we would use to advertise an event as well as our preview services. it was a lot of fun and in about 3hours i had created a look from scratch and i was very excited.

i am looking forward to learning more about these programs and finding a way to be more creative visually than i ever have before.

2. music

when going to an established church, a worship pastor usually has a group of musicians already in place, ready to play. when doing a church plant, i don't have that luxury. luckily, i have my good friend jonofink here who can rock out some electric leads for us, and my wife who can tear up some keys. what about a bass? drums? solution: ableton live.

levi and i went to cornerstone church over in rockwall and the arts guy there, greg, used ableton live in the worship. he played guitar and sang, he had an electric guy playing rhythm and singing, as well as a girl on piano and singing. he used ableton to create the tracks for bass and drums. it sounded awesome! i decided then and there that i had to get this program and learn how to use it. last night i purchased the m-audio triggerfinger and i also downloaded the free trial of ableton live 6. now when i lead worship i can have the full sound of a band, even if its just me and my guitar.

3. website(s)

in the 21st century, you cannot survive without a website. we have been working with will hill from delco designs on our website and it's close to being up and running. the key ingredient to our main website is going to be simplicity. also, our main website (catalystrowlett.org/com/info/net) will not be for our congregation but for our community. we want people in the community to able to jump on the website and find everything they need to about us as a church without being overwhelmed with the business of most church websites. we are very excited about the look and feel of our website and look forward to when we go live.

we realized in our discussion and development of the catalyst website that we were missing some key needs of our congregation. it was very simple but in order to be as simple as we wanted it we had to sacrifice functionality for things like online registration, podcasts, church calendar. in order to provide that information to our attenders we will be utilizing an entirely seperate system: thebeaker. thebeaker will be our informational center. anything that has to do with important info on happenings at catalyst will be provided through some from of thebeaker. weekly bulletin/program = thebeaker.mini, monthly newsletter = thebeaker.monthly, informational website = thebeaker.online.

we think this is a great way of communicating what needs to be communicated. for guests and community people that want to see what we're about, they can go to catalystrowlett.com/org/net/info and get all the basic need-to-knows. for our regular attenders who need a lot more, they can go to thebeakeronline.com and find everything they "need to know." [check out elevation church and see how they have their websites set up, click on resources then blogs to see the informational websites.]

- from CatalystMusic.blogspot.com

Song of the Week

Tim Hughes is a remarkable worship leader. Songs like "Here I Am to Worship" have understandably found their way into church music sets, and the song "Holding Nothing Back", from the album of the same title, is worth doing, especially when you consider the lyrical similarity to a good ol' Chuck Wesley tune named "And Can It Be". Here's a sampling:

My chains fell off my heart was free
I'm alive to live for You
I'm alive to live for You
Amazing love, how can it be?
You gave everything for me
You gave everything for me
Everything

You've washed my sin and shame away
The slate is clean, a brand new day
Free now forever

Now boldly I approach Your throne
To claim this crown through Christ my own
Yours now forever

Really good stuff.

A Question of Posture

It wasn't too many years ago when this picture would have made me uncomfortable. Such displays seemed....well, too attention-getting.

Well, I've mellowed out a bit, and in personal and corporate worship am often in this very position. So here's the question of the day: Is there an appropriate posture(s) for worship? I know all the Biblical examples: kneeling, standing, laying prostrate, etc. And I know all the cultural examples, as well: clapping, dancing, hanky-waving, and so forth. Yet are these some postures (or expressions) that we as worship leaders see as better than others? Is God moving more powerfully if people are prostrate, as opposed to simply raising hands?

We cannot reduce authentic worship to outward form, nor do we marginalize those who, for various reasons, cannot 'express' in these ways. But the connection between spiritual vitility and physical expression is both valid and validated. We are people, body and soul. Worship is more than a cerabral event - at best, it's full-orbed and whole-bodied. Are we ready for the that in our churches? Really?