SOMEBODY DOES IT BETTER

A while back, I attended a funeral for a family in our church. Mark, the drummer on my Sunday morning praise team, lost his mom on Mother's Day, so our Associate Pastor and another friend and I packed up and made a road trip to be there for the service.

Mark's parents were devout Catholics and the service was held at their home church.

This was my first time to attend a Catholic service of any kind. I realize that a funeral is certainly not the same as a worship service, but I have to say that this service blew me away.

I'm sitting there, amazed at what I'm experiencing in the service. And it wasn't reverance. (That's what everybody talks about when they start bragging on liturgical services...that they are more reverent.) But that wasn't it...it wasn't a new sense of reverance. It was something, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Toward the end of the service, I finally leaned over to my friend and said...

"What's different about this? Why is it so good?"

He thinks for a minute, then leans back over.

"It's more personal."

Personal? At a Catholic church? Surely not...churches like this are supposed to be stuffy and impersonal and cold and mired in tradition, right? Yet, here was a place that felt more alive and God-centered than many, many of the services I've been a part of.

So, I started thinking about "personal." And then it dawns on me...here's a sampling of what I saw and experienced at the service.

Singing/Speaking
There were no words printed for these songs. But folks sang 'em anyway. That might not be the best thing for new folks like me, but there was a passion in these voices. In addition, their responses were so quick. There were quick to pray out loud with the priest and quick to respond during the congregational responses.
Kneeling
There were three different times where folks utilized the kneelers. Each of those times, the priest gave the direction, but most of the time, the people were already kneeling before he was finished asking it.
Lifted Hands
I saw seventy-year old men raising their hands at different points in the service. There were two seperate times where the entire congregation raised their hand during prayer and worship.
Water
A large fountain stood just inside the church's entrance and it ran the entire length of the service. So, throughout the service, we could hear running water behind us. It was nice...very soothing.
Fire
Of course, candles were a big part of this service. And we all know candles are just cool.
Incense
As the service ended, the priest brought the incense down to the casket. In just a few minutes, that aroma filled the worship space.

As a worship leader, there were a few things at play in this service that made it good.

PHYSICALITY - There was an understanding among these people that church was requiring something physical of them. (Kneeling, singing, speaking, raising hands, etc.) It wasn't a choice. These people did it. Maybe they did out of tradition or simple respect for their reverend, but the fact remains that those things are Biblical and they are doing them. I saw more physicality from this Catholic crowd that I see in one of my weekly Sunday services.

ELEMENTS - Not to get all "pomo" on you here, but this mattered. The fire, water, incense, the overall "airy" nature of this service made a difference...some would say it's something big, some reminder of God's creative hand in all things. That's true, I guess, but for me, it was calming. It was as if suddenly, microphones and lighting and sound systems and all other sorts of modernized things didn't matter.

The power of this service, for me, wasn't reverance. It was obedience. It was people obey what scripture says about the worship of God and my spirit instantly was bearing witness with the presence of God's presence in the room.

We've got to figure this thing out - this way of teaching out people what worship is. We've got to model for them what the Bible says about what we're to do, how we're to approach the throne of God. We've got to make it understood...make it normal...make it the way we operate.

I don't have the answers. Maybe it means our churches need to let our worship leaders preach more or teach classes or give them more time on stage to talk through worship. (And maybe worship leaders need to start learning how to teach/preach...)

HOW DO YOU GO OLD SCHOOL?

REVIEW

Tommy Walker - I Have A Hope
Maranatha Records, Released 3/18/2008

Tommy Walker is no stranger to most worship leaders. For years, he's been the white, West Coast guitar player who writes funky worship/gospel numbers and is backed some of California's finest studio musicians and singers.

Walker showed up on most of our radars with his song "He Knows My Name." Walker is renowned for his jazz and R&B tinged live worship albums and his songs are widely embraced by worship programs attempting to blend jazz and gospel into their current-day worship setup.

However, all of those die-hard Walker fans better get ready, because I Have A Hope is whole new thing.

What's different? First off, it's a studio album. Secondly, it's produced by Ed Cash, a fine artist in his own right, now mostly known for his production success with Chris Tomlin. Third...well, because it's different.

WHAT WORKS
There are a lot of things that work here. First off, the studio element clears away some of the clutter of Walker's live jams. The songs are a bit more sparse, leaving room to hear the really amazing musical underpinnings. I also like that the music has come slightly closer to the mainstream. Walker's gospely-vibe is still there, heard mainly in the vocal jam ending of the record's standout track, "I Have A Hope," and in the closing "Holy Spirit Come." But the other tunes are different. Both "Hallelujah, We Will Sing" and "In The Light Of Your Glory" are both beautiful piano pieces that seem a bit more simple melodically. The rock tunes are great, from the Tomlin/Cash formula in "Do It, Lord" and the nice jangly "Pass It On" to the hyper-funky "Your Love," Walker and band bring their expert hands to pop and rock.

Lyrically, most of the songs are superb. There's a little too much repetition in a few tracks ("I believe, I believe, I believe in Jesus" and "Do it, Lord; Do it, Lord,") but the other songs are written so well that nobody's gonna' be thinking about those elements. Most of the tunes seem to be in singable keys, although I've yet to pull out my guitar and test any of them.

I also think that I Have A Hope is a really solid collection of songs. There's nothing more frustrating than picking up a new worship album and finding two good songs, is there? That's why I love this record. The songs have their challenges, sure, but I get excited at hearing stuff that is so good and yet so different from what my team and I tend to use in our church. The possibilities on this record excite me.

WHAT DOESN'T
In addition to some of the repetition issues, the big obstacle here in musical prowess. I've been trying to figure out what sort of proficiency an average church praise team needs to have to pull off these tunes, and I'm getting upset thinking about it.

These songs definitely require a rock solid rhythm section. Without a drummer and bassist who understand groove and don't mind getting funky, the songs are gonna' fal flat. The other undeniable element is keys. Without somebody adept at piano, Hammond and rhodes, some of these songs just aren't going to fly. I think it's also important to seperate which of these songs are "fun to listen to" and which ones are "this will work in the service." It's a hard thing - sometimes we love songs so much (too much) that we force them into our setlists without even realizing that they might not work.

WRAP UP
Most of this record is phenomenal, and the part that isn't ends up being a guilty pleasure. Some of the more gospel-stuff is so out there that I would never even try to use it...but it's fun to listen to!

I'd suggest that worship leaders buy this record for a couple of reasons:
1. 4-5 possible tunes for almost any "contemporary" worship service.

2. This could end up being a landmark album in modern worship - I think it could possibly rank up there with Baloche or Tomlin in this regard. It's so different, and so well done that you won't regret picking it up.

3. Great production work, which always helps us in our arranging (or lack thereof.)

This review was written by Todd Wright.

Just got word that one of Steven Curtis Chapman's adopted daughters was killed today in a car accident.
If you want to read what happened you can find the link here. If you're not interested in the details, just pray for them.
Sorry to spread such bad news...but these things can mobilize the community of faith. Pray for Steven and Mary Beth and the entire Chapman family.

WATCH OUT!

When I was much younger, my church was really into a song called "Draw Me Close." It was written by a guy named Kelly Carpenter and was first made famous by a worship leader named Lindell Cooley who led worship at the Brownsville Revival.

Soon after that, the song was recorded a CCM group called the Katinas and was played on Christian radio. At that point, the worship leader at my church started doing the song during worship. It went well...after a few weeks, we were all singing it, enjoying it, finally getting it memorized where we didn't even need to look at our songsheets or the screen.

And then, a few weeks later, the worship leader had a moment of genius. It happened on Sunday morning as we were nearing the end of "Draw Me Close." The tune was nice and big, having reached the end of its dynamic capabilities when, all of sudden, the band launched into a chorus of "Shout To The Lord."

It was great. Our church was fairly nuts about "Shout To The Lord" at the time. (What church wasn't, right?) It was a cool moment - it was necessarily spontaneous, the band had definitely worked the transition to maximize the flow of songs since the tunes were in slightly different tempos. In retrospect, the songs weren't even linked that well thematically, but they were in the same key and it felt GOOD to do those songs together.

And from then on, that's how we did it. "Shout To The Lord" became the ending of "Draw Me Close." It

Building those kind of moments is a cool thing. It's so much fun to figure out two songs that work well together thematically or musically (or even both! Egads!) But we've got to be careful that we don't take those moments of creativity and turn them into systems.

I don't think my church should have stopped doing those two songs together. I just think they should have realized they didn't have to always do those songs together. When we latch onto those moments and make them staples of our setlists, I think we run a few risks:

1. We risk the appearance of laziness.
When we continue to use the same mini-medleys over and over, we look lazy. I think it speaks something to our people about our work ethic. Now, laziness may not even be an issue, but I for one never want my people to think I just dialed in a service. When I step up and lead, I want my people to know that they trust me and follow me and pay me for good reason - that I work hard to give them a quality opportunity to worship God every single week. I think too many mini-medleys kill that. I think they make us look like we didn't care enough to change anything since last time. (We're not cool when our pastors do that, are we?)

2. We risk our congregations becoming too comfortable.
I think the best, healthiest, most effective churches are ones that surprise their people. No, I'm not talking confetti guns or lights shows or a different stage design every week. I'm talking about people leaving a service remembering what they've heard or seen. Sometimes that happens with a sermon - folks leave thinking about scripture in a way they've never heard, or someone unchurched coming away having his or her misconceptions blown away by a powerful and honest look into God's Word. Sometimes in happens with art - a song takes folks to a place they weren't expecting or a video breaks through some defense of theirs or the sunlight through a stained glass causes someone to look at the cross for the first time in months. Mini-medleys kill that, too. We drop into that song and our congregants turn off...we're all set for that giant, jamming transition and our people just mindlessly sing along, not too excited and not too bored. Just...there.

It's a balance, I get that. We want our people to feel comfortable in worship and know what's going on, but I don't think it's necessary for them to always know exactly what's coming next.

3. We risk making our job into something it shouldn't be.
Too much of this "arranging" changes our job because it allows to move away from truly pastoring our people in worship. If I'm always going to transition from "Everlasting God" into "Salvation Is Here," then I don't have to plan something new or needed for my people and I certainly don't have to work at listening to God while I'm on stage. Yes, ours is a job of planning and preparation, but it's always one of watching and listening and obeying what God tells us to do. I know not every church is spontaneous in nature...but too many of these tidy little song collections and we make our job one of showmanship and not one of waiting on God's leading.
___________________________________________________________________________
I'm not against cool song combinations. I have some that I really like. But I have to be careful because not every time calls for those songs in that way. It can't..two or three completely different songs that are probably full and rich enough to stand on their own can't be demoted to medley material indefinitely.

Watch out for this very tempting aspect of leading worship. Don't be afraid of creativity...use what works, but try lots of stuff...not just the thing that worked that one time.

MY 5

One feature of the new worshipnotes blog is going to be a post entitled My 5.

The My 5 will focus on five suggested songs, ideas, themes - a brief little "best of" from my experience.

While this post is 100% opinion and open for debate, my real hope in this feature is to find some of "your 5." After you read my five votes, share your own in the comment box below!

5 Songs Every Church Should Be Doing

1. Ross King - You Alone Can Satisfy
This track from King's Soulspeak record is absolutely phenomenal. I've used it personally in my church and seen it led by Ross himself and it works great. The song operates simultaneously as a confession song as well as a worship tune centered on God's provision. The arrangement is easy to learn and follow. The song works well as an acoustic number but can be utilized with full-band as well.
Website Blog Buy It

2. Paul Baloche - Our God Saves
Yes, I am the biggest Paul Baloche fan in the world. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do this song. This tune has so much going for it. The lyrics and melody are stellar, and obviously the work of a very skilled writer. But I think the hidden benefit of this song is musical in nature...with "Our God Saves," a worship band is asked to delve into a song that has some aspects that are rather rare in most modern worship music. Four on the floor is nothing new, but thestraight ahead nature of the chorus has a nice, almost alt-country jangle. It's a slow song that actually feels fast and powerful.
Website Buy It

3. John Sherrill - God Is Faithful
John may not be a household name in worship circles, but he's built a phenomenal reputation across Texas as a gifted leader, writer and teacher. John's new worship album is still unreleased, yet it's already creating a buzz. "God Is Faithful" is a strong song combining enough elements to make it absolutely at home at any church. First off, it works in two keys, has a great tempo for congregational worship, has fantastic lyrics and a bridge that might extend your worship service by a good ten minutes!
Website Blog

4. Michael Neale - "From The Rooftops"
Michael Neale's "From the Rooftops" is a combination of very simple lyrics and extremely brilliant music. From the opening, jazzy acoustic guitar octave riff to the nice augmented feel of the bridge, this tune is pure fun to play. It's instantly unforgettable and also tends to offer some great chances to talk and teach about worship's physical expression...how do we really "shout it from the rooftops?" Bands and congregations alike will love the key change choruses at the end.
Website Buy It

5. United - "Salvation Is Here" (SLOW)
Lots of folks know this rocker from the Hillsong crew, but I think every church ought to try this one much, much slower. Over the past few months, I've done this song both ways - the original version and a much slower, more soulful arrangement - trust me, there is no contest. Not only does a slower version allow your band to really accent those quick chord changes, it seems to add a weight to the lyrics. The song has great lyrics, but we tend to spit them out so fast that they get lost. I don't have anything against fast tunes, but I think this one is so much better slow. Give it a shot!
Website Buy It

So, there you have it. My pick for 5 songs that every church ought to try. So...you got a 5? Wanna' share your story?

Well, get to commenting!

REALIGNING...AGAIN

I work at a church. A good church, working hard, struggling a little bit to find its identity...you know the drill.

Last week, we were hit by a Phantom Gifter.

The Phantom Gifter hit Monday or Tuesday, leaving cool little magnets for all the women on staff and tiny wooden crosses for the guys.

I heard the crosses referred to as "pocket crosses," so as soon as I got mine, I put it in my pocket. It's lived there for most of the week (when I've remembered it,) and it really helped me out today.

In addition to being a worship leader, I'm a songwriter. I love writing songs. I know a lot of folks don't get that jazzed about writing worship music, but it's my passion. In January, I released a CD of my songs. I hired a great producer, used amazing musicians, spent a lot of time on it, and I'm very proud of it.

But about a month ago, something weird happened. I started worrying about songwriting. I suddenly got really concerned that the stuff I'm writing now isn't nearly as good as the stuff on my record. I started worrying about "the next record" and whether or not folks would like it. I started worrying about how I'd approach these songs on the studio, which musicians I would use and what I could do to promote these new, unwritten songs on this yet-to-be-created album.

Ridiculous, right?

So, the other day, when I put my hands in my pocket, and felt that wooden cross, it was like the horrible, jarring ending to Somewhere In Time. The cross seemed to rush me back to reality.

And in that moment, I got a small glimpse of my place in the Kingdom. It was as if God said this:

You know, Todd? You're a part of my Kingdom. I've called you to serve me. You're stressing about writing songs that are "good enough?" You're worried about how your songs are going to spread around? What difference does it make whether or not you use your songs? Isn't your job to serve me, to obey me? You better start worrying more about making your life look like my Son and worry less about looking good.

I've called you. I've used you. Shut up and do the work.

Sometimes God tells me to shut up. You and He might now work that way, but He has to tell me that a lot. And every once in awhile, I listen.

I can't track down the Phantom Gifter and thank him or her for that little cross that reminded me to get my priorities right. But I can live my life a little better - I can stop being selfish and vain and do the Kingdom work God's called me to do. And I can love every minute of it.