Worship Matters – Video Blog – 5.28.09

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Food & Fun: Handel’s Ice Cream

I love ice cream. I eat it in warm weather and I eat it in cold weather…it makes no difference to me. Over the years I have identified many favorite places to get it and many different flavors that I really enjoy. For instance, if I am in Evansville I will absolutely get some ice cream either at G.D. Ritzy’s (O-O-Oreo or Kentucky Pecan Fudge) or Lic’s (Chocolate Almond). If I am in St. Louis, the choice is Ted Drewes. If I am in Oklahoma, it’s Braum’s and so on.

When I am at home there is basically one place that I go for ice cream: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream. Handel’s has been making people smile since 1945 and they have been rated in USA Today, People Magazine and countless travel guides as one of the best ice cream shops in the country. They have many flavors that I enjoy: Banana Cream Pie (yes, with actual chunks of pie crust), Buckeye, Snappy Turtle and Chocoholic Chunk. But there is one flavor that far and away takes the cake for me: Spouse Like A House.

I know, great name for a flavor huh? Here is the description: Vanilla malt ice cream with a ribbon of peanut butter and whole chocolate covered pretzels that have been stuffed with peanut butter. I will give you a moment to take that in…..

I have taken this flavor to, what I consider to be, a new level. There are a couple of the Handel’s workers who remember me for my special creation. It is an experience that you will not soon forget! If you love peanut butter & chocolate, I highly encourage you to try it. Make sure that you have a glass of water nearby though!

BT's Special Creation

I have them fill a cup with Spouse Like A House. Then, they cover it in Reese’s brand peanut butter syrup. The final touch: chunks of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Again, I will give you a moment to fully take that in…..

It is, in my opinion, the finest combination of ice cream, chocolate and peanut butter that you will ever find!!

I hope that you will find some time to give it a shot sometime soon. It’s not on the menu but if you describe it, they will make it for you.

ENJOY!!

Worship Matters – The Resource List: CD’s

Here’s a follow-up on my The Resource List from earlier this week. I have written many times that it is a very exciting time to be in worship ministry. We are being flooded with incredible worship songs right now and I am grateful for the artists who are giving these precious gifts to the Church. I would love to hear from you in the comment section. 

Here are some of my recent favorite Worship Recordings:

“Our God Saves” – Paul Baloche - I have always been a fan but seeing him live at the National Worship Leader Conference these last 2 years cemented my respect. Paul has given the Church some amazing songs (“Above All”, “Open The Eyes Of My Heart”, “Your Name”, “Hosanna” and many others) and that certainly continues on this CD. The title track is a song I have used in a wide variety of settings and it always lands with the congregation because it is a true declaration that we can all unite together and sing. He also gives us some additional new treasures like “You Gave Your Life Away” and his collaboration with Matt Redman, “I Cling To The Cross.” Paul’s music crosses lines of denominational affiliation and age. They are awesome. Love this album!

“I Have A Hope” – Tommy Walker - Here is another album that is filled with great worship songs. TW is another guy that I have saw live for the first time recently. I have the utmost respect for him, his leadership, his songwriting and his commitment to the Church. The title song from this album is another that I have seen land in many different settings. TW is a guy who also tackles issues that many other songwriters don’t tackle. He has given us some great songs during his career (“He Knows My Name”, “That’s Why We Praise Him”, “We Will Remember”, “Break Through” and many others). His lyrics feed my soul and draw me closer to the Lord in worship. I would highly recommend picking up a copy of this great CD!

“Empty & Beautiful” – Matt Maher – Many will know Matt as the writer of the song “Your Grace Is Enough.” He has also written some other amazing songs, including: “On The Third Day”, “Resurrection Day” and “As It Is In Heaven.” Matt is electric in the live setting. I have also had the chance to see him in smaller settings where he really shares his heart and the idea’s behind some of his amazing lyrics. He is an incredible writer. Great CD.

 

“All Of The Above” – Hillsong United – This recording will give you an amazing worship experience. Introduced to me by a member of my team – let’s just call this person “Nugget” – I have really grown to love this CD. A couple of the highlights for me are songs that we have either ended up using in our services at Mt. Pleasant or will be using in the near future. “Lead Me To The Cross” is a great reminder to all of us of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. “Hosanna” is a great congregational anthem.

 

“Hello Love” – Chris Tomlin – How can you honestly write about worship music and leave out the hit machine that is Chris Tomlin. This guy is “en fuego” when it comes to writing worship songs. This latest offering gives us everything from absolute jam sessions to intimate ballads of worship and everything in between. This is a must own for every worshipper.

 

 
“Wake Up The World” – Gateway Worship - I have really grown to love the songs coming out of this amazing church in Texas. We have used many songs from one of their previous releases “Living For You” (“You, You Are God”, “Revelation Song” and “The More I Seek You”) and we are really starting to dig in to “Wake Up…”

 

I am very quickly writing a much longer blog than I had planned but I love so much of what is out there! Here are some brief descriptions of others that I am really enjoying:

1. “The Power Of One” – Israel Houghton – an absolute blast to listen to!

2. “I Belong” – Kathryn Scott - this lady is an incredible songwriter!

3. “My Savior Lives” – New Life Church – incredible album with many songs that we have used in worship

4. “Today Is The Day” – Lincoln Brewster – an incredible guitar player, LB is a great worship leader & songwriter

5. “Everlasting God” – Brenton Brown – another amazing songwriter

6. Vicky Beeching – a great writer and I would recommend all of her recordings

Obviously I could go on for days but I will stop here. Please take a moment to give me some of your favorites will you? I would love to hear from you. 

Be Blessed!

Worship Matters – The Resource List

Let’s talk worship resources. I have my favorites and I’m sure that you have yours. I would really like to know what you are listening to and where you are going to get your music. So, here’s the deal….I will share mine if you share yours. Deal? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

MUSIC
I think that absolutely one of the most fascinating innovations in music is the iTunes Music Store. The ability to download music with 1 simple click has transformed the way I find music. I cannot remember the last time I walked into a store and bought an actual CD. It saves a great deal of time and money and is an amazing innovation in the music business.

CHARTS
In 1993 I started my first church job. Finding charts for my singers & players was always a challenge. If I found it, there’s a great chance it was not in the key I needed. So, I would try to dig-in to Finale and re-create the whole chart, which took hours. Then, one day, it was as if the clouds parted and my assistant came into my office and told me about Praise Charts. If you have never used it, do yourself a favor and check it out as soon as possible. They have taken a catalogue of thousands of worship songs and made them available to us. You can purchase single arrangements or join their club for a yearly membership. You have the option of just buying the rhythm section parts for songs or you can buy the entire arrangement that is fully orchestrated. There are charts for choir and praise team along with all of your instrumentalists. And, they have now started selling the Finale Files for many of their arrangements so that you can transpose them into whatever key you like. These arrangements are lifted note for note off of the popular recordings that made them famous. Nearly every song is available for download (occasionally you will run into a title that has to be sent as a pdf file on CD) and can be yours with the click of a button.

Another great resource for charts is Music Notes. If you are looking for a chart for a popular song for special music (secular or sacred) my guess is that you can find it here. By downloading a simple plug-in for your computer you can see a preview of the song and in most cases even select the key that you want it in. Most songs fall into the $5 range and by joining their club you can realize discounts on every chart.

I will also use G3 Worship every now and then for charts. These are an arrangers take on the given song and some of them are really good. You really have to look at each song individually. They are also available for download.

Charts are also available at the CCLI and WorshipTogether.com web sites. These are sites that I do use quite a bit as well. These sites also offer other great tools to help get insights into creative worship planning and the thoughts behind worship songs.

Something I find really helpful from Worship Together is their New Song Cafe. This is a 5-10 minute video that allows you to hear the heart of a songwriter and hear what went into the writing of a popular or new worship song. This is awesome!

Tomorrow I will look at other worship resources like new CD’s of worship music and other resources. What are your thoughts? Are there other places that you find helpful to download charts or music? I would love to hear back from you.

Be Blessed!

“Grace Has Called My Name”

As I have written before, it really is a very exciting time to be involved in worship ministry. God has gifted some amazingly creative people who are giving us incredible songs to sing. The songs can encourage, challenge, excite and cause reflection, among many other things.

I am really enjoying the writing of Kathryn Scott right now. You would know her as the author or co-author of some amazing songs like “At The Foot Of The Cross”, “I Belong” and “You Gave Your Life Away.” You can check out Kathryn’s blog, “Hungry,” here. 

I have been totally captivated this week by her song “Grace Has Called My Name.” It speaks so much to the gratitude that I feel in my heart when I think about God’s amazing grace to me. God’s grace is a yearning grace that really tells the story of God’s love for us and His desire to reconcile us to Himself. Check out these lyrics to “Grace Has Called My Name” by Kathryn Scott:

Peace as elusive as a shadow dancing on the wall
life swallowed by the pain of yesterday;
Left broken by the shame of things that I had done,
No freedom from the choices that I’d made;

But with one touch You made me clean;
You met me in my deepest need. 

Grace has called my name,
when all that I had left were just filthy stains;
Grace has called my name;
when hope had all but faded far away,
Grace called my name.

Wounded by words that left their mark upon my soul,
dreams overturned by empty promises;
Well intentioned things I’d heard a million times before
just left my heart to grieve alone again;

But with one touch You set me free;
You met me in my deepest need.

I will never….ever….understand it but I am so grateful that I can never….ever….exhaust it. Thank you Father. 

Here is Kathryn singing “Grace Has Called My Name.” Rest in it.

Worship Matters Video Blog – 5.14.09

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MPCC Music & Worship Ministry Value: Promptness

We have been talking about values that we embrace as a team. So far we have talked about the values of Preparation, Authenticity, Character, Teamwork & Excellence.

This week, I want to talk with you about Promptness.  Ok, so I know that I am very aware of time and that is a huge part of who I am.

In our application, as worship leaders, Promptness is huge. When we gather for worship services or rehearsal, very rarely is it just a few people. For a typical rehearsal, we have more than 20 people involved. When you add choir and some extra orchestra players into the mix that number raises to more than 70. With that many people involved we are all dependent upon one another to be here on time, ready to go. For instance, say that I am late for a rehearsal. I am the worship leader and also the piano player. If I am late, that really could involve 70 people waiting to get started because of me. They have made arrangements with their families and jobs to be there on time and they aren’t able to begin because I am late. If a team is like a chain and a chain is only as strong as the weakest link then my being late weakens the chain and affects my team.

Another way that this affects us is not being able to clear the platform on time. Our goal is that the platform will be cleared and quiet 30 minutes prior to the start time of our services. When we don’t start on time it is nearly impossible to end on time. When we don’t end on time we aren’t able to set the table for the congregation as they arrive for worship. We want them to enter into a peaceful worship center where they can prepare their hearts to receive what the Lord has in store for them during that service. That means that there isn’t noise or movement on the platform. I really can’t emphasize this piece of the puzzle enough. If you think about it, this is a time when we are leading the congregation in worship without even being on the platform. Pretty cool, huh? Worship leadership goes much deeper than just leading a song. By beginning on time, we can end on time and really set the table for a meaningful worship experience for the congregation.

Promptness is an essential part of the process as we develop our team and lead the congregation in worship.  

Below you will find an article called “Late For God” by Tony Guerrero of Saddleback Church in California. Saddleback is a church of more than 22,000 people in weekly attendance. While I would never advocate taking every sing principle from a church like Saddleback and trying to implement them at another church, there are definitely some things we can learn from a church that has reached this level. Tony is recognized around the world as a leading speaker on worship, church music, and rehearsal techniques. 

I would encourage all of you who are involved in ministry, and especially MPCC folks, to read this article. Before you do, let me offer a word of caution: this article comes straight after the subject of promptness. He does not mix his words in any way. So, be ready for some “straight talk” on promptness and read on. 

Late For God

First Video Blog – 5.12.09

Here is my first video blog. Hope you enjoy it.

For the MPCC folks, remember the values! Also, please be on time this week, we have tons to do. You will be getting an MPCC Worship News email this afternoon.

For the non MPCC folks, thanks for continuing to read the blog. Heading into summer I will have a lot  more time to write and will work to get 3-4 posts up every week. 

You guys rock!!!! Brian

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