matmusic ministries

We are working on a few new songs for worship in the upcoming weeks.

The first is Amazing God by Brenton Brown.

This is Anthony Evans’ version which Roland sent out as an example of how he will do the song. I found a version by Brenton Brown (who plays guitar as his lead instrument) and liked his version as well. The song starts at 1:20 but his story to set it up is touching and worth watching.

I will most likely do a combination of the two songs. Namely, the two have different tempos but since I plan to put the song early in the set, I will tend to lean toward 148 bpm or so.

The next song is Jesus Saves by Tim Hughes.

I like the feel and message of the song but I am kind of struggling with the fact that the chorus does not seem to be defined…maybe that’s cool. But my mind, especially in regards to how I will lead a band through this song, needs to clearly define the different sections of the song.

I really like how Hughes, toward the end of the song, lets the worshippers sing the “chorus” out in chant-type fashion…hearing worshippers worship is cool.

I love doing new stuff and look forward to adding these to the song lists in weeks to come.

Come and join me as I lead worship with our worship team band this weekend at Sojourn Church in Carrollton. We have a 9 am, 11 am, and a 6 pm service that day.

www.sojournchurch.org

There is a series called Worship Mythbusters (WMB) on a blog that I read over at Rich Kirkpatrick’s Weblog. His latest post is about expressive worship. Since my upbringing was in the Church of Christ (acapella, mostly non-outward expression) and my current church is considered charismatic in worship (instrumental, loud, outward worship), I have seen both ends of the hereby made up by me “Expressiveness in Worship” spectrum. Some of Mr. Kirkpatrick’s blog post was interesting to me so I wanted to share it with you and give my two cents.

WMB 5.0 — How does expressiveness fight against legalism in our liturgy is where I am going today in this WMB post. This is part of a series here

MYTH: Loud, expressive, extravagant, joyful worship is not as holy as quiet, still and austere worship.

Of course the goal is not to enjoy your expression of worship, or to reach a certain decibel level. The goal is to offer our lives, and in the context of liturgy, our communal life as a church. What happens in a church is a person who has some tattoos walks in, and begins “feeling” it while some of the staid-suburban-Dockers-wearing-Christian-veterans in the pews begin to feel something else–resentment.

It does seem to me that, as a whole, the quiet and still worshipers are downcast or depressed in some way. Maybe it is awe or reflection but those worshippers seem sad to me. I’m certainly not saying that for every song, you should be jumping, shouting, clapping but there are times when the awe I feel naturally makes me want to raise my hands. To fight that feeling seems fleshly to me.

Often, today I hear people say that corporate worship is not necessary if we are feeding the poor. Well, feeding the poor is not optional. Neither is coming together as believers to worship Jesus in a grand way. We need to sit at His feet, in order to learn to be His feet. It is a “both and” not one or the other. We cannot assume we are devoting ourselves to God by filling our need for altruism. That emotion is not worship any more than being entertained by a rousing worship band.

I like the line, “we need to sit at His feet, in order to learn to be His feet.”

Expressive worship has problems for legalists. Remember King David’s wife? She despised her husband’s expressiveness in worship. She wanted him to be solemn and was embarrassed by his crazy dance of worship and celebration. David loved God. How often are we critical of mature Christians or leaders who are expressive? We would rather things be quiet, not loud or expressive or joyful or big or in public!

David knew the grace of God, so he worshiped as a grace-filled soul. Sometimes we scowl and frown at grace-filled people because we have yet to know and accept that we cannot earn favor with God. We like being scared, guilty and prideful that somehow we can earn points with God. So, our worship at times has to reflect that.

While I don’t think that all people who despise expressive worship are legalists in the pure dictionary definition of the term, I would question their motives for their despising those worshippers. Why would a person feel angry toward a person who is obviously so happy or touched by worship? I think it may be that they fear visitors or other church members will think their church is strange. But first of all, if you are worried about what other humans are thinking, then you are concerned with the wrong being. That’s called Fear of Man. Second, I would say, if worshipping God with your whole self is strange then I am a weirdo!

Above quotes are from
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RichKirkpatricksWeblog/~3/308609008/worship-mythb-1.html
if you want to read more.

Some interesting stuff to ponder, for sure.

I subscribe to a newsletter pertaining to a worship movement in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (and beyond) called tribeDFW. The main contributor is a worship leader named Kieth Luker. He and his wife Sanna move smoothly in worship and have been blessed with a wonderful ministry.

While the newsletter most often contains announcements about events and worship times around DFW a recent email contained some interesting words on spontaneous worship.

I encourage worship leaders to take whatever time you are given, whether it be 20 minutes or 75 minutes for worship, and pack into it the most intense spirit led worship that you can. For Sanna and I, God seems to have given us the ability to draw the entire crowd INTO the spontaneous worship even if they have never seen it. Many worship leaders who try to do the spontaneous, just take off and leave the congregation sitting there watching! This is not good leadership. We must LEAD the people into what God wants to do in any given service. The authenticity of the spontaneous worship and songs is that our HEARTS are connecting at a deeper level in a two-way conversation with God DURING the worship time. This is VERY ATTRACTIVE to even a novice or an evangelical. It is interesting to them and they innately WANT to participate. So as worship leaders we help them and draw them in.

How? Keep the spontaneous songs short and repeat them over and over, and on the mic gently invite the congregation to sing the refrain with you. Then don’t OVER DO IT, perhaps move on to the next part, and sing that over and over, until each little spontaneous song-let is a NEW SONG that the congregation is singing together. This can be electric! when several hundred people are suddenly singing the songs of heaven! Also it is very helpful for the Senior Pastor to teach on the subject of worship and include the very very biblical SING A NEW SONG in the teachings, so that the people have a framework for it.

Did you know that the word for praise in Hebrew, Tehillah, is the word used in the very famous “God inhabits the praises of His people (Israel)” That words means the SPONTANEOUS SONG! God inhabits (or is enthroned) on the SPONTANEOUS PRAISES of His people!

Practical teaching about spontaneous worship is hard to find because it is hard to define and hard to teach. I think it is very important to learn.

I have always tried to teach my kids that praise does not just happen on Sunday morning…it can happen anytime, anywhere. I agree with Kieth in that spontaneous worship will more often become part of the church’s worship services in the near future. I think this will only help worshippers to be able to see that worship not just as a set aside service once a week but a time that could break out anytime you feel like worshipping our Creator.

Day Three: Worship Album of the Year

Robbie Seay Band - Give Yourself Away

How fitting that today is the day that I post my worship album of the year. Just this morning, I read the following:

Have you seen the latest ads for [American Idol]? (FOX has been running them non-stop, not surprisingly. They dominated the commercials for the BCS Championship game.) More specifically, have you noticed the music? One of the ads has a Coldplay-ish sounding band and the lyric “Rise, rise, people of love rise/People of love rise, give yourself away.” Sound familiar? It’s “Rise” by Robbie Seay Band, off their new album [Give Yourself Away].

I know some of you might be wondering what the big deal is about a little 30-second ad, but consider this: the people at American Idol and FOX have a limitless pool of music from which to choose. They selected a song by a Christian artist—a worship band, no less—to promote one of television’s most-watched programs. And it’s not like they picked a widely familiar, best-selling artist from Christian music. They selected a relatively obscure Christian band for their commercial, solely on its quality.

-Russ Breimeier
ChristianityToday.com

This is quite a quote about quite an album…read on.

This outward focussed album challenges the listener, as the title says, to share oneself. Many messages are about loving your neighbor which may make you question how this can be a worship album in it’s traditional sense. I would argue that the less you are focussed on yourself, the easier it is to worship God. And, after all, how can you go wrong by following Jesus’ words in Mark 12:31 (look it up!)?

What makes Mr. Seay’s lyrics even more powerful is the music used to deliver them. The tunes have lyrical and instrumental hooks that stay stuck in your brain long after listening. A worship album that makes you worship subconciously even when not listening to it is effective indeed. And, of course, the smokey-voiced delivery is instantly recognizable.

Song of Hope is my favorite song on the album, which may come as no suprise due to its four-on-the-floor driving kick drum and upbeat tempo, and is for sure the most translatable to group worship. The bluesy and fun “New Day” includes the lyrics “if you’re like me you need hope, coffee, and a melody”…I guess I am like him. An anthem for the hope-challenged can be found in “Love Wins.” Finally, a highlight can be found in the hymnal-sounding “Beautiful, Scandalous Night” (Kara’s favorite) with it’s waltz beat and female accompniment. Also, musically, it is good to hear that the drums have improved for this album and are no longer occasionally distracting.

“All things bright and beautiful You are
All things wise and wonderful You are
In my darkest night, You brighten up the skies
A song will rise”

MP3 - Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down)

I found the following article interesting and thought it was a good message to share with my blog readers.

The other day, I was reading a write-up about one of my favorite classic bands (Genesis, if you must know), and the writer was talking about the lost art of listening. He was referring to how people used to take the time to put on a great album, sit back, and listen straight through, letting the imagination create visuals to go with the music, or letting the mind fully consider the lyrics being sung.

Do we still do that today? Especially in today’s iPod culture, with single songs and playlists being favored over albums. Music has become something to put on in the background and listened to in part, rather than the whole. Who has time to sit back and listen to music with everything else going on, right?

In that sense, listening to music’s very much like listening for God’s voice in the stillness of prayer time. Christmas music is a great example of this, especially the depth of writing found in the traditional hymns of the season. Amid all the hustle and bustle that comes from the preparation for the Christmas holidays, it’s very rewarding to pause and reflect on the mystery of the Word made flesh, so beautifully expressed in music through the ages.

-Russ Breimeier

Source: http://www.christianitytoday.com/lyris/music/archives/12-12-2007.html

I would also challenge that worship music is similar. How easy is it just to sing a song in church without carefully considering the lyrics? After all, we have been trained to sing in the car, at work, or while studying without really thinking about the lyrics. That’s why so many people say, “I don’t really listen to the lyrics, I just like the music.” I always want to respond with, “then how do you know every single word!?”

The thing is: music seeps into your soul and, subconciously, the listener IS affected by the words that they are declaring. THIS is why singing uplifiting lyrics at church, at home, with your kids, is so important. Of course, I am not saying that a person should never listen to a good secular rock song but to constantly immerse yourself in them with no uplifting counterbalance can be detrimental to the soul.

In this season and all others, let’s be proud to sing songs of hope and love to our Father.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

- Abraham Lincoln, US President (1809 - 1865)

The above quote got me thinking about the One with ultimate power. Who has more power than the God of all gods, the creator of the universe? Yet who is more just and true than Him? A God who knows our faults and loves us still is a God that I want to worship with all my heart - through song, through service, through loving my neighbor.

We praise Him for these reasons!

I led worship this past weekend at a new church plant in Aubry, TX (near Denton.) This is a church that is being started by some friends that Kara and I knew from college, Les and Heatherly McDaniel. They are a sweet family with four kids who are embarking on a great new journey of starting a church.

We had a wonderful time there and pray for God’s blessing on them as they go forward. We will most likely be leading worship there on a semi-regular basis and would love to have you join us next time as well…look for details in this space.

Please offer a prayer on behalf of the McDaniels and VineLife and stop by for a visit if you are in the area and are looking for a new adventure.

http://www.vinelifechurch.com/

I saw this quote on a blog that I read and loved it. For some reason, I am drawn to quotes or reasons to debunk atheists.

“The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank.”

- Dante Gabriel Rossetti, artist (1828-1882)

And, of course, I like to tie quotes that I post to worship in some way. The above words made me think of the person who is not a “worshipper.” The person who does not feel that he can sing. The person who feels self-concious when he raises his hands in praise. The person who feels more concerned with what other people think about him that what God thinks about him.

I wonder how this person feels inside when he is really happy about what God has done. Would this person stand with the same stoic look on his face and merely “smile inside?” To me, that’s sad. I love to shout out, raise my hands, smile and laugh when I praise because I serve a God that is so good!

I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone of worship and let yourself praise God with everything that is within you. We do have a God to thank, let’s thank him exhuberantly.

As sensationalized as it is, I enjoy the VH1 show, Behind the Music. If you haven’t seen it, it is basically a documentary-style story of a band or musician and their trials and tribulations amidst fame and riches.

I recently saw some stories of how some famous songs were created and thought the stories interesting…a “Behind the Song” if you will.

Writing a song is not easy. It takes a lot of focus and some luck. To know that the famous songs listed below were composed partly by luck or circumstance gives a songwriter hope that one day his song may also be embraced by the masses. I read recently that the writer of the well-known gospel song Count Your Many Blessings, Johnson Oatman, Jr., wrote over 5000 hymn texts in his lifetime. The thing that makes this so amazing is that he was not w hymn writer by profession, he was heavily involved with his family’s mercantile business - he was a businessman.

So there is hope for a guy who has a full family life, a full time job, and is taking computer programming classes. If Johnson Oatman, Jr. can write 5000 hymns, surely I could write one!

So enjoy the stories and know that you too (or I) could write a hit.

The Song: “Loser”
The Story: One day, Beck was fooling around at producer Karl Stephenson’s house. Beck started playing slide guitar, and Stephenson began recording. As Stephenson added a Public Enemy-style beat and a sample from Dr. John’s “I Walk on Gilded Splinters,” Beck attempted to freestyle rap - something he had never done before.
Frustrated by his inability to rap, Beck began criticizing his own performance: “Soy un perdedor”) (”I’m a loser” in Spanish). Beck wanted to scrap it, but Stephenson thought it was catchy. Stephenson was right - “Loser” made Beck a star.

The Song: “Walk This Way”
The Story: Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton were exhausted from rehearsing the new riff they had written, so they took a break to see a movie - Young Frankenstein. Says Hamilton, “There’s that part in the movie where Igor says ‘Walk this way,’ and the other guy walks the same way with the hump and everything. We thought it was the funniest thing we’d ever seen.” After the movie, they told singer Steven Tyler that the name of the song had to be “Walk This Way.” Tyler rushed out and scribbled the lyrics to the song on the walls of the studio’s stairway, and the band recorded the song right then.

The Song: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
The Story: One rainy winter morning, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were in Richards’ living room when Jagger suddenly jumped up, frightened by a stomping noise. Richards explained, “Oh, that’s just Jack, the gardener. That’s jumpin’ Jack.” The two laughed and Richards began fooling around on the guitar, singing, “Jumpin’ Jack.” Inspired by the lightning, Jagger added “Flash!”