Republished with permission from Alex Mejias. Originally published at HighStreetHymns.com.

As a person who grew up in the age of CCM and “contemporary” worship, I had little exposure to traditional liturgies and “liturgical music.” I think the closest we came to using anything liturgical was when sang the Doxology (the “Old Hundredth”) as traveling music for the ushers after the offering. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure that was the original intention of Thomas Ken, who penned those words back in the late 17th Century.

It wasn’t until after college that I had my first really full experience of traditional liturgy in spoken word and song. I had always had this image of stuffy Catholic services where people were being brainwashed to mindlessly repeat prayers and creeds. I never imagined that what I would find would be this giant collection of the most thoughtful and beautiful expressions of faith I’d ever encountered. I had been missing so much. Now I want to help churches find what I found and see meaningful ways to incorporate these prayers and songs into their worship.

A few definitions and qualifications: 

- By “contemporary” worship service, I mean one that does not utilize one of the traditional liturgical texts and outline as found in Catholic services, the Book of Common Prayer and other historic sources. 

- Every church has a “liturgy”, which is simply the structure of a church’s worship service. For the purposes of these posts when I say “liturgical music” I’m referring to specific Catholic, Anglican, etc liturgical pieces that have been used in corporate worship since the formation of Christian worship structures. For example, the Gloria, Kyrie Eleison, Sanctus and others. 

- This list is not exhaustive and I’ve just written a few words about each. The points below need much more explanation than afforded here, so if you’re interested in learning more I’ve included some good sources below.

1. Liturgical music is Biblical. The Bible is full of liturgical songs – “benedictions, prayers, creeds, eulogies, responses and doxologies” (Paul S. Jones, Singing and Making Music) to name a few. And the use of ceremonial music goes back to early Jewish worship in the original Temple. Jones writes, “the five divisions of the book of Psalms each conclude with doxological passages, and Psalm 150 in its entirety serves as a doxology to close the Psalter.” Though these songs have long been associated with Catholic mass and other formal liturgies, they are first and foremost Biblical expressions of praise and prayer.

2. Liturgical music helps us re-tell the Gospel story. In Christ-Centered Worship, Bryan Chapell writes that, “Christian worship is a re-presentation of the gospel.” The original purpose of the traditional liturgical music  was to help the church re-tell the Gospel story in a consistent manner.

Much in the way church architecture was designed, these elements often correspond to specific aspects of the Gospel story. As part of a contemporary service, these pieces might allow deeper reflection and focus on the Gospel narrative. On a larger level, many liturgical pieces link up with the liturgical calendar, which walks through the Gospel story over the course of the year. The rhythms of the Christian calendar draw us into the Gospel story and can serve as a way of dwelling in it.

A few examples — grasping the depth of our sin during lent, lamenting the brokenness of the world and crying out for a savior in advent, and rejoicing in the incarnation at Christmas. Taking advantage of these long-standing structures helps us go deeper in worship.

3. Liturgical music connects us to the Historic Church. Leslie Newbegin writes, “the thing given for our acceptance in faith is not a set of timeless propositions: it is a story. Moreover, it is a story which is not yet finished, a story in which we are still awaiting the end when all becomes clear.”

We are a part of God’s story in the world, a story that began in a specific time and place. As the church has become more and more fractured, we’ve lost that direct connection with the ones who’ve gone before us in once united Church of Christ. When we sing songs from the earliest days of the church, we join the worship of the Church across the ages. It’s a way of remembering that we are part of a story that began long ago, one that we carry on today.

4. Liturgical music connects us to the Global Church. Growing up I heard little of the Eastern Orthodox Church. But as it turns out, there’s this huge other branch of Christianity that is not Protestant or Catholic.

Here’s the crazy-simple story. A thousand years ago, Christians were all in (not so perfect) communion. A dispute arose about leadership between the East and West (roughly based on which side of the Mediterranean they were on). The result of that dispute was a major split in the church spawning the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

What’s the point of all this? Well, while that split caused changes in worship practices, the common liturgy of the early church remained partially in tact. One of commonalities is in the liturgical songs. Thus when we sing those ancient songs we also united with our brothers and sisters from all over the world. We also stand in protest of the divisions that have alienated Christians from each other for hundreds of years. We also proclaim that one day there will no longer be denominations and divisions, only one body of Christ.

5. Liturgical songs complement contemporary worship songs. In many ways the move to “contemporary worship” threw the baby out with the bath water – starting completely from scratch in song and structure. Yet, hymns and liturgical elements still have much to teach us and enhance worship greatly.

Incorporating a traditional piece or two can really add some theological depth to contemporary worship (and vice versa). And these elements may actually help refresh contemporary worship. Most contemporary services began in reaction to the monotony of traditional worship. Yet, these new and exciting services have become woefully formulaic — usually a chunk of worship songs followed by a long sermon ending with another song (with prayers, announcements and an offering thrown in somewhere).

For contemporary services, traditional liturgical elements may actually help break us out of the patterns we’ve fallen into, giving your congregation a new way to participate in worship. When done with sincerity and understanding, liturgical songs are just as spirit-filled and edifying as the best of what we have today, so why not strive for the best of both worlds?

References and Further Reading:

Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell

Singing and Making Music by Paul S. Jones

The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin

Alex Mejias is a singer-songwriter, worship leader and the founder of High Street Hymns, a non-profit ministry dedicated to reclaiming Christian hymnody and liturgical music.

Related posts:

1. The Work Of The People: Liturgy For Non-liturgical Churches
2. Bored With Contemporary Worship
3. Experiments in Worship Music: Simplify

Reuben Bidez The Signs of God
(Independent)

In all honesty, you may not be ready for this.

Following his big, anthemic, modern rock, corporate worship CD, GENERATION, Reuben – an Atlanta-based worship artist – felt a tug on his soul to do something quite a bit different with this project. Fans of Gungor, take note: though THE SIGNS OF GOD sounds nothing like Gungor, that same stretched feeling you got when first challenged by Gungor’s unorthodox take on worship resides here as well, for many reasons.

Reuben explains his heart behind THE SIGNS OF GOD; “It all started when I attended the Jesus in the Qur’an seminar.” Now, if that sentence has already thrown you, these articles Muslim Followers of Jesus? and A Muslim Follower of Jesus: a Response from Christianity Today may be helpful. Reuben continued, “It blew me away when I realized how much Muslims and Christians had in common.” Based on the 7 stories that the Bible and Qur’an have in common, THE SIGNS OF GOD, Reuben says, “is rooted in finding peace through what we have in common. Rarely are great relationships born from disagreement and argument.  I hope that we can sit down with a Muslim friend and talk about how significant these stories are as they relate to God’s mercy for mankind – that we’d set our preconceptions and agendas aside and just talk about life, family, and Jesus!”

Musically, Reuben experiments greatly with the same approach of combining middle-eastern melodies with modern Brit-rock and English folk songwriting that the Beatles experimented with in their mid-to-late period. His vocals are authentically raw and at times almost fragile, and the music and tempo of each song are well paired with the themes of each Biblical story. The results are fresh and interesting, at the very least, and at best, quite challenging and captivating.

My personal highlights would be “Abraham”, which feels at once both ancient and modern, “Moses”, an epically triumphant call to freedom, and “David”, the albums’ only – but very effective – guitar-driven, raucous rocker.

I can’t help but admire Reuben for his love of Jesus, his radical heart for Muslims, and his absolute refusal to retread the same old ground. This CD is risky and he knows it – and many will not be ready for it – but Reuben has taken a big step towards being Jesus to a people who don’t often encounter Christ – sadly though it be – in their engagements with so-called Christians. If you’re willing to face the challenge, this CD is for you.

Related posts:

1. Jesus Culture: Awakening CD Review
2. Lessons Learned From 4 Great Songwriters
3. Review: Laura Story’s Blessings

Thanks to Mark Snyder for sharing this great approach with TWC. Not only is it a great practical approach to writing worship song lyrics, it’s also a great way to analyze our Sunday Setlists.

Worship songs are an area of vastly differing opinions. Evaluating what works and what doesn’t can be very subjective. One sentiment I hear and read all the time is ‘let’s take the focus off of us, or I, or me, and put it on God, where it belongs.’ In many ways, this is a push back on the effects of a ‘generation me’ culture. But, to figure out why a song leaves this impression is not as easy as it sounds.

As a career software engineer who is also a worship songwriter, I try to allow my analytical side to influence what I do musically. When I am songwriting or considering songs for my set list or recording projects, I like to think in terms of an analytical measure of a song I call the God Quotient (or GQ for short). GQ is a way to look at a song and try to evaluate its real focus.

Each song we use for corporate worship has a certain amount of creative energy expended to write it, and a focus it brings to the congregation. It is useful to examine where the creative energy of a song is strongest. Assuming a song is well written, theologically sound and grounded in Biblical truth, I like to then evaluate a song along several scales to look at its GQ.

I look at each lyric, especially focusing on the pronouns that describe me, or us, but also the ones that describe God. Repeated lyrics get more weighting. I also look at where the song has its strongest musical moments (typically the chorus and bridge) and what those are saying. Here are some contrasts I typically draw:

Feeling versus Fealty

This one is probably the most controversial, because we like to write and sing from the heart. Many worship songs spend a lot of creative energy on how we feel.

“I love to bring You praise”
“I eagerly run toward You”
“I feel liberated”
“Your Spirit moves me”

These are good sentiments that express our heart toward God, but what we hear way less of is our duty toward God, our obligation toward God, our obedient response to God.

“I willingly keep Your commands”
“I listen for Your voice”
“I will love the poor because You do”
“I will glorify You in everything”

I judge a songs GQ score higher if it can offer a response that urges me toward action and not only toward emotion, because God is a God of action and we are His hands and feet to carry it out.

Problem versus Provision

We expend vast creative energy describing our problems.

“In the deepest, darkest night”
“When the storm is rolling in”
“When I am in the valley and I cannot go on”

The Psalms do a lot of this. We need to express our need to God, but His provision is always greater than our need. How much creative energy do our songs bring to describing His provision?

“Your sufficiency is infinitely greater than my fear”
“Your willing death overcame all of sin’s pain”
“You faced the cross because I was a sinner and was lost”
“Your Heaven is my real, amazing home”

A songs GQ is higher if its creative energy is spent more on who He is and what He provides, and less on our need.

Response versus Renown

This is primarily focused on the actions of a song – its verbs. What are they telling us? Are they all about our response?

“I joyfully lift You higher”
“Our earnest praise rises to You”
“I worship You humbly”

All of these things are great attributes of our response, and they are necessary. But what about the attributes of Him, and who He is?

“You are infinite”
“You are eternal”
“You created everything”
“You rescued Your people”
“You sacrificed everything to save us”

When a song gives Him the renown He is due its GQ is higher.

Of course, these are not hard and fast rules. Some low GQ songs are great. Many Psalms are low GQ.

However, if the majority of our set list consistently rates low on the GQ scale, you can probably be sure the worship music will generate the kind of comments I began the article with. The songs we sing will be ‘me’ focused, and we will not impart as many great treasures from His Word as we might otherwise. We should strive for, at a minimum, a balanced GQ in every song, and it never hurts to have a high GQ. But low GQ can be a problem.

Why is this important?

Why not just worship and leave this kind of analysis aside? For me, anyway, it is simple. God wants to speak His truth into our congregations, and our worship music is one vehicle for that. He wants to see His bride on fire for who He is, what He wants to do. He wants to see His truth, as He gave us in His Holy, inspired Word, made manifest, so that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess who He is, hopefully now, before it is too late.

If worship music is to be a part of His Bride’s mission, then its focus should be where it belongs – on Him.

Mark Snyder is a longtime worship leader, software engineer, and lead songwriter for the Tree Hill Collective (www.treehillcollective.com). He runs the web site www.weekendwarriorworship.com as a resource to provide songs for the church from its weekend warrior songwriters, focusing on the art of the worship song as it applies to the worshiping church of all ages. Mark has a wife and two grown sons and resides in Glendale, AZ, with his wife of 27 years Roseanne..

Related posts:

1. TWC’s Great Songwriting Tips
2. Songwriting: What Rhetorical Device Can Martin Luther King Jr Teach Songwriters?
3. Developing A Songwriting Community Through Your Church, part one

Originally published by Bobby Gilles at MySongInTheNight.com (republished with permission).

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the great figures in U.S. history: a skilled orator, passionate preacher and principled civil rights advocate. He should also be required reading (and listening) for all poets, songwriters and hymnodists. Rich poetic and rhetorical devices fill his speeches and sermons, stamping them indelibly on our collective conscious. Let’s look at one technique today, from his “I Have A Dream” speech.

Anaphora is the repetition of the same words at the beginning of successive lines. Hymn writers from Charles Wesley to Fanny Crosby to Bill and Gloria Gaither have used anaphora well in songs like “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” Redeemed How I Love To Proclaim It” and “Because He Lives.” This rhetorical device emphasizes the repeated word or phrase, giving it an increasing emotional power with each repetition.

In Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, he repeats “I have a dream” eight sentences in a row. Each time, the phrase gains power until we are all swept up in his dream of racial equality and love for one another. And “I have a dream” is just one of many instances of anaphora in King’s speech:

1. “One hundred years later…” (paragraph three)

2. “Now is the time…” (paragraph six)

3. “We must…” (paragraph eight)

4. “We can never (cannot) be satisfied…” (paragraph thirteen)

5. “Go back to…” (paragraph fourteen)

6. “I Have a Dream…” (paragraphs sixteen through twenty-four)

7. “With this faith, …” (paragraph twenty-six)

8. “Let freedom ring (from) …” (paragraphs twenty-seven through forty-one)

You can read the full text of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream Speech” speech here, but let’s look at paragraph three to see anaphora in action with “One hundred year’s later.”

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

Powerful, yes? As mentioned, Wesley used the technique in “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.” Instead of repeating a phrase, he repeated one word: “Born” -

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,

So let’s put this technique in action. I’m going to make up some lyrics on the spot, using the phrase Now and forever:

Now and forever, I am redeemed
Now and forever, my chains are released
Now and forever, Christ lives in me
Now and forever, now and forever!

Certainly not as eloquent as Dr. King, but you get the idea.

• Songwriting Exercise: Use anaphora in your next praise song or modern hymn. Either repeat a phrase like “I have a dream” or a word like “born.” Repeat it in at least three successive lines.

Sometimes one good technique like anaphora is all it takes to lift an average set of lyrics out of the dolldrums, into something unique and memorable.

You may also be interested in “Martin Luther King, Jr: A letter to American Christian in 1956 (and today) by Ed Stetzer

Related posts:

1. An Open Letter to Worship Songwriters
2. Lessons Learned From 4 Great Songwriters
3. TWC’s Great Songwriting Tips

Throughout the history of the music of the Church there has been one consistent pattern. New waves of artistic, creative and beautiful musical revelations crashing onto the established shores of the normal, comfortable and expected forms of musical expressions of worship. The new comes bursting onto the scene, usually causing widespread head scratching and hand wringing.

The old is upset by the new, upended and disturbed by these brash, and unruly invaders. Then the new becomes normal and comfortable and before you know it the new is now the established. Then it happens again…and again…and again.

Throughout this process we can see and learn from several things from BOTH sides of this potentially divisive paradigm shift. I’d like to focus on two of those things: Challenge and Appreciation. But first I’d like to unpack these two perspectives a little bit. We have the new paradigm and the old paradigm, usually at odds with each other.

The Old Paradigm

The old paradigm is established and comfortable. There is familiarity in the musical expressions and a sense of “home” found within the styles and genres closest to the hearts of those who sit here. There is a fond remembrance that carries the worshipers back to sweet and glorious times where real spiritual encounters happened.

There is a dogged sense of stubborn refusal to let go of those good times and the memories associated with them. Sometimes this can be perceived as a musical snobbery, a blatant disregard for newer styles, genres, and expressions, but more times than not it’s a genuine and sincere disconnect with the newer paradigm, based solely on the fact that there is such a huge connection with the older paradigm.

The New Paradigm

The new paradigm is dangerous and disruptive. There is an unknown and exciting sense of the blazing of new trails in these musical expressions. Yet, strangely enough, there is also a sense of “home” in these styles and genres. The folks who sit in this paradigm are genuinely and authentically pursuing the creative act of being themselves.

Typically, what comes along with this act is the blatant refusal to be like the established paradigm. Sometimes this can be perceived as musical snobbery, a sincere disregard for the older styles, genres, and expressions, but more times than not it’s a real and veritable disconnect with the older paradigm, based solely on the fact that there is such a huge connection with the newer paradigm.

Yep, did you see what I just did there? Both sets of worshipers are CONNECTED to their paradigms, deeply invested in what they know to be art and beauty. In my opinion, this is what causes such division. It’s not that folks in the established paradigm hate the newer paradigm so much, it’s that they are so connected to and maybe entrenched in their own paradigm that they don’t have any room for any other expressions. And the same goes for the newer.

We all have the potential to be enchanted by, and at times even held captive by, what we believe and feel to be the best musical expressions of our worship.

Challenge

So wherever you sit, whether it’s in and older, established paradigm, or a newer, up and coming paradigm there is a challenge to not become so entrenched in what you prefer, in what you believe to be art and beauty. There is a challenge to not become so enamored with what your emotions dictate to you as the only acceptable expressions of worship.

A month or so ago, a well-known “new paradigm” artist and worship leader, Gungor, posted his thoughts on Christian music and how it is easy to spot “Christian” music because it has no soul. He makes some really great points on how a lot of Christian music has become driven by marketing and that it’s basically a machine geared towards making money.

He is a sincere artist pursuing the crafting of beautiful music and challenges artists to pursue their art, and to not let the industry filter their art.

I don’t disagree with this notion at all, yet something in me still screams that it’s not totally gone. There are good people within the industry. Good writers, good musicians and producers. Good people who, though they make a living based on the sale of their product, still have pure motives and hearts turned towards God.

This isn’t necessarily a rant for or against any kind of “Christian” music industry, but more so a challenge to me, to you, and to anyone who will listen to understand that for ages, there has been a continuous cycle of new becoming normal and then normal being disrupted by a newer new.

The challenge still remains. Can we embrace the new? And while we’re embracing the new, is it possible to look for, find and appreciate the beauty in the old?

Appreciation

Which chair are you sitting in?

Both are potentially wonderful seats, depending on our hearts and motives. Personally, I believe that it is possible to embrace the new and the old at the same time.

I think Shaun Groves gives us a great notion to chew on as we approach worship paradigms: “It’s a mistake to appraise the value of a created thing on the basis of my ability to appreciate it rather than God’s ability to use it.”

This comes from a recent post where Shaun shares about his youthful zeal to bring his “art” to save the Christian music industry, and then later realizing that “art” was a god to him.

Basically, that means that if I attach value to art or beauty based on my own appreciation of it rather than God’s ability to work in and through it, I’m WRONG. We are all guilty of this. We prefer certain styles and genres and have a harder time appreciating others, because we’re not viewing through the lens of God’s ability to use them, but through our own like or dislike of the genre.

One of the things that I love about his story is that he realized that even though he had talent and credentials and a zeal to bring beauty and art to what HE perceived to be a dead paradigm, ultimately his perspective was just that, his perspective.

Then he realized that art is subjective and it is a ‘”moving target” – the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.’

“Ultimate significance – Christian significance – isn’t found in chord progressions, simplistic or complex. Or production techniques, vocal timbre or range, instrumentation, rhyme scheme or metaphor. Ultimate value is measured in the secret spaces of the heart and mind, and across the span of eternity, by the Creator of us all.”

In other words, art is subjective. What moves me might not move you. But ultimately, what it comes down to is do we truly believe that God can use ANY musical expression and work in and through the lives of His creations?

So whether you are a new paradigmer – hoping to shake up the industry, and bring a fresh, new, disruptive sound to the collective worship scene around you; or whether you’re an old paradigmer – finding a solid footing on the memories and connecting deeply with a more comfortable and familiar expression of worship, be challenged to appreciate the other perspective.

But more so than that be challenged to appreciate that God is bigger than you, me or any genre, style, and expression that we could ever come up with…and that when the dust settles, it’s more about God using our expressions for His purposes than us using them for our own.

Questions (food for thought – feel free to answer any or all of them in the comments – play nice!):

• What paradigm do you believe you’re sitting in?
• Has it been easy or hard for you to appreciate other paradigms?
• Do you believe you can embrace both?
• Have you been guilty of musical snobbery?
• How does ‘art’ fit into corporate worship expression?

Related posts:

1. Creativity the missing piece(s) – Part 2 – Remove the Filter
2. Creativity: The Missing Piece(s)
3. 9 Ways Worship Leaders Can Show the Pastor Appreciation

Thanks to Wisdom Moon (founder of All About Worship) for sharing this post with us today. It was originally published on AllAboutWorship.com.

This is an open letter to worship songwriters, from the ones that make a living writing worship songs to those that are just starting to write, and everyone in between.

PLEASE STOP regurgitating what’s already been said in a hundred other worship songs. We don’t need another song that says the same thing as “How Great is Our God”, “Mighty to Save”, and “You Never Let Go”. Write something fresh.

PLEASE STOP using the same chord progressions (i.e. A – E – F#m – D). Try something new and exciting. It’s okay to explore.

PLEASE STOP writing about things you haven’t experienced personally. Write out of your own experiences with the Lord and out of deep convictions of your faith. If you don’t like to dance during worship, you probably shouldn’t write choruses that say, “Dance, dance, dance before the Lord!”

PLEASE STOP writing songs with the goal of getting it on the top 25 list on CCLI. It’s an oxymoron to write “worship” songs with the motive of wanting the song to be popular and/or get radio play. If it’s truly a worship song, then it shouldn’t matter if anyone ever hears it. It’s your worship to the Lord.

PLEASE STOP writing feel-good love songs that have no way of distinguishing themselves from secular love songs on the radio. If you’re writing about your love relationship with God, the creator of the universe, it should sound different than someone writing a song to his girlfriend.

PLEASE STOP watering down the gospel in your songs. If your songs have deep theological truths and communicate the gospel clearly without compromise, expect them to be offensive to non-Christians (and even some Christians). Proclaim the Truth of God in a powerful, but creative way. That’s what we need more of, not touchy-feely/Jesus-is-my-boyfriend songs.

PLEASE STOP trying to be the next Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Paul Baloche, John Mark McMillan, David Crowder Band, Kari Jobe, Hillsong, etc. You will be accountable to God for who He called YOU to be, not who he called Tomlin or Redman to be.

Be yourself. Use the uniqueness God gave you. Use your own creativity. Write for God and God only, out of the place of intimacy with Jesus. Don’t let dollar signs or the spotlight blind you and fool you into thinking it’s okay to write worship songs to make your own name famous. God is NOT okay with that. Either do it all for Jesus or all for yourself.

In the words of a wise old Jedi…“Do or do not; there is no try.”

- Wisdom Moon

Question for discussion: What are some fresh and creative ways that you approach songwriting for worship and do any of these “please stops” resonate with you? Do any of them get under your skin? Do any of them challenge you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Related posts:

1. Lessons Learned From 4 Great Songwriters
2. Songwriting: What Rhetorical Device Can Martin Luther King Jr Teach Songwriters?
3. Matt Redman Collaborating with Sir Paul McCartney?: A TWC Interview

Thanks to TWC member Lori Biddle for sharing this book review.

As a creative I often feel almost panicked to produce what is expected of me. It can be terribly lonely. I constantly search for other creatives to learn from or connect with. And then I found Blaine Hogan.

I first met Blaine in a programming meeting at WillowCreek that I attended with Nancy Beach.

Blaine and I bantered back and forth and I was immediately fascinated by his sharp mind and creative perspective; a unique and gifted leader without doubt.

His book “Untitled” had me at the title…or lack thereof.

His frank discussion of his personal struggle to tell his story was something I immediately connected with.

The spiritual longing that drew him away from full time acting (Prison Break tv show) and ultimately to the local church was nothing short of God’s calling to become a great leader to all of us. I take Blaine’s calling very personally and benefit from his obedience.

In chapter 1 Blaine challenges us to ‘write something everyday on the blank page.’ He gives practical suggestions that help creatives produce work that only they are gifted to do.

He goes on to discuss the fact that “no one cares about our ideas – they only care if we can execute the vision.” This statement screams with truth! The ability as a creative to complete the concept is what makes one gifted in that way so vitally important!

I love his discussion about the messy creative process. He said, “I’m starting to breathe while I’m ‘doing the things’.” Creating can and will be exhausting, and we should choose the prospective of being excited about the creative opportunity and hopeful about our projects! How encouraging this is!

One of the quotes Blaine used, “Products have to have an eternal significance for producers beyond the purely instrumental utility,” caused me to realize why I feel so strongly about what I create. The disappointments related to the perceived failure of any of my projects hurt more deeply than anything in my life. He helped me realize why artists work as if eternity is at stake. Blaine reminds us our art is not just what we make, but also how we make it.

Perhaps the most encouraging portion of the book to me personally was Blaine’s description of how overwhelmed he often feels by all the “temporal junk” that floods him daily. I thought I was the only one who spends much of my life feeling the only thing I am really good at is mediocrity. He advices that we all need to consider ‘sitting’ more and that it will make us better personally, to our families and friends, as well as better artists. “To see well the artist must have slow steady eyes.”

I highly recommend “Untitled” to anyone who considers himself /herself creative, or leads any of the creative service element responsibilities in the local church.

Creativity may be the very thing that God uses to open lost eyes to see just a glimpse of eternity with the Lord… Create bravely!

Lori Biddle is the Director of Programming at Crossroads Community Church in Mansfield, Ohio.

Related posts:

1. Book Review: The Sacred Journey
2. Book Review: Lucky by Glenn Packiam
3. Book (Devotional) Review: Pure Praise: A Heart-focused Bible Study On Worship by Dwayne Moore

In early April, we featured Glenn Packiam’s newest project, The Kingdom Comes, and asked you, The Worship Community members, to ask Glenn some questions. We received A LOT of questions. It was hard to narrow them all down, but we selected (and combined) some that we feel will give our readers a great insight into where Glenn is in this stage of his journey and what he’s working on!

A big TWC shout out to Glenn for going the extra mile to answer these questions in video format (from his kitchen table!). We had originally asked if he’d just shoot us his answers in text format!

Glenn talks about everything from songwriting to family to his own personal faith journey and vision for pastoral ministry.

Be sure to read TWC’s review of The Kingdom Comes and grab a copy of Glenn’s latest book, Lucky.

Related posts:

1. Book Review: Lucky by Glenn Packiam
2. Winners of The Glenn Packiam EP Giveaway
3. Review: Glenn Packiam’s The Kingdom Comes EP

A few weeks back I – along with TWC Founder, Fred McKinnon – was blessed with the opportunity to hear some inspiring teaching and worship with some great new songs led by their writers, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, & the Nockels at the LIFT Worship Leader Collective put on by Passion City Church.  Anyone wanting to review notes from the conference can simply search for the #Lift in my Twitter stream.

Lift culminated in Matt recording his new live CD, and what a CD it is!  I’ve long been a Redman fan, and this CD seems to change things little for me: I’ve already picked at least 2 songs that I want to introduce to our congregation immediately.

Though the schedule was too packed to allow for a face-to-face interview, I was offered the opportunity to do a written interview of Matt, and the following e-conversation transpired as a result:

SHANNON: I’ve noticed that you’ve worked with quite a number of missional/church planting networks, such as Newfrontiers and Hillsong, for a time you were in the USA helping to establish Passion Church, and now - if I’ve heard correctly – you’re back in the UK working on something new. What drives your passion to plant churches?

MATT: I’ve had the privilege of being part of a few new church start ups, and all have been really different. It’s exciting to see a new church family taking root in a certain community and starting to impact lives. I love witnessing the fact that the gospel really does work. I’ve seen it happen with different expressions of church and in different environments. The kingdom of God is alive and well, and the gospel is powerful and effective.

SHANNON: Can you tell me more about the church you’re currently involved with, what your role is there, and how you balance the day-to-day of being both a touring recording artist and a worship pastor/lead worshiper in a local body.

MATT: We’re just getting involved in a church called St Peter’s in Brighton, UK. I’m not sure what our role will be, but I am excited about being involved as the challenge is so big. It’s a city of 250,000 people and has the lowest average age per person of any city in the UK. At the same time it’s probably also the most unchurched city in the UK, so there’s a huge challenge ahead. As for balancing travelling, family life and local church involvement, I don’t think I always get it right – it’s a learning curve!

SHANNON: What are you currently reading / have you recently read, and how does that play out on your forthcoming CD?

MATT: I’ve been reading some CS Lewis, some Tozer, some Spurgeon and some Piper – the usual culprits really!  I find inspiration for songs comes from many different sources. One song on the new forthcoming album was written in reponse to watching the news story a while back of those Chilean Miners being rescued. Other songs are straight from bible verses.

SHANNON: If you had to un-write all of your songs but one, which would you choose to have still written, and why?

MATT: That’s a tough question. Maybe a song like “Blessed Be Your Name” or “You Never Let Go” – as we’ve had so much encouraging feedback over the years from people who have found those songs a helpful way to talk to God when they’re walking through some very tough life situations.

SHANNON: As a songwriter, often co-writing with my wife, I’ve noticed that many of your most far-reaching song were co-written with your wife, Beth.  How does that process play out?  Do you find that it is more of a struggle to write with your wife as opposed to other worship songwriters?  Does she ever travel with you as a vocalist/musician? (I had submitted this question before realizing that Matt’s wife, Beth, was on stage with him the whole time as one of his vocalists – oops!)

MATT: My wife is a really good singer, and a very melodic songwriter. The thing I love most about her creative gifts is she’s a great completer/finisher of a song. Multiple times she will come into a song half way through the process and make contributions, edits and melody changes which make a big difference to the final song.

SHANNON: If you could co-write with any other songwriter – living or dead - who would it be and why?  Similarly, who are some of your greatest musical influences – Christian or secular?

MATT: A lot of my favorite songwriters I actually have the privilege of writing with already! Chris Tomlin has a great gift of speaking in a really universal way through songs. Jonas Myrin who I’ve written over 20 songs with in the last few years brings a great energy and enthusiasm to the songcrafting process, and has so many great ideas. Matt Maher is a really great ‘crafter’ of a song – very poetic and very thoughtful. Jason Ingram seems to have a constant flow of inspiring melody ideas. There’s lots of other friends I love writing with too. But other than all these guys, I’d have to say my favorite songwriters are Charles Wesley and Sir Paul McCartney!

SHANNON: As a successful songwriter, I’m sure you have your critics, as that’s the nature of things.  Since most readers of TheWorshipCommunity.com either work or volunteer at a church, I think it may help us to know how do you handle critics and criticism?  Is your response any different if that criticism comes from leadership within the (your?) church?

MATT: I think it’s easy to get sensitive when it comes to such vulnerable things as songwriting or leading on a stage. So we need to be ready to be humble – rather than getting defensive. That’s easier said than done, but my aim even with harsh criticism or that which at first you think is unfair, is to try and see if there’s any truth in it. Humility is an essential ingredient for any leader.

SHANNON: When you find yourself up front as a worship leader/lead worshiper, what is your primary goal: do you have any specifics you’d encourage younger worship pastors to keep in mind under the same circumstances?

MATT: I think the main things is to encourage young leaders to think about what picture of God they are giving people through the songs they choose and write. Week after week, are we including all the main themes of scripture, and we are aiming to paint a big picture of God?

Thank you, Matt, for answering my questions.  I’m really looking forward to your forthcoming CD, and I hope to review it (as I did your last) as soon as it becomes available!

So, TWC Subscribers – what’s your favorite Matt Redman song (personally), and why?  Is there anything in his catalogue that you use often at your church that may be a suprise to the rest of us – a “hidden gem”, so to speak?  Do share, and thanks for reading/chiming in!

Related posts:

1. [Review] Matt Redman – We Shall not be Shaken
2. Aaron Keyes Interview part 1: “Not Guilty Anymore”
3. Aaron Keyes Interview Part 2: “Are We Really Worshiping?”

In preparation for the international re-release of Aaron Keyes‘ last CD, NOT GUILTY ANYMORE, Kingsway Records had contacted TWC to request an interview. Knowing that I’d occasionally led worship at Aaron’s church, Fred McKinnon – founder of TWC – suggested that I take this on.   Aaron came into town to lead worship for SuperWow over on Jekyll Island, which is practically next door, so I snagged the opportunity, and what an interview it was!  You can see Part 1 Here.  Sadly, a number of technical delays led to the loss of some alternate footage, but I have the continuation of the interview right here as we discussed issues that concern us regarding the current state of “worship” and ask the question, “Are we really worshiping?”  In Summary, Aaron says, “We’ve got to do more than lead songs – we’ve got to lead people.”

AARON KEYES INTERVIEW PART 2

Related posts:

1. Aaron Keyes Interview part 1: “Not Guilty Anymore”
2. Review: Dwell by Aaron Keyes
3. Aaron Keyes “Blessing And Honour” – Story Behind The Song