Songwriting & Recording Lately

I've posted a few Facebook and Twitter status updates lately that I've been writing again.

While I've been immersed in music, worship, and church planting for the last 15 years, much of my creative efforts have been spent more on effective leadership, discipleship, and ministry rather than my personal love of songwriting.

I've been a songwriter, developing my craft since I was at least 16 years old. Even at that age, I was fortunate enough to gain experience performing my own original music at a small restaurant in my home town.

In my college years and beyond, I took it further by joining forces with another skilled musician and we formed the band Turning Keys. Our claim to fame was opening for Flock of Seagulls a few years after their heyday.

It was around that time I became a follower of Jesus and it took me a while to explore what that would mean for my art and identity. Of course years later, God has used those skills and talents while developing new ones in leading worship for His people. I learned how to play and lead a band in a live worship environment.

So with this break in paid ministry, God has stirred up those creative juices for songwriting again. I've been working on recording a few standard worship songs in the studio, as well as writing some new songs as well. While we are still mixing and mastering these, here are a couple preliminary audio clips I hope you enjoy.



Listen to these links and more at my SoundCloud demo set.

Temple Veil Concert & Encounter Meet & Greet

As part of an Awesome April on Good Friday of Easter weekend, Encounter was pleased to host the amazing musical duo, recording artist Temple Veil.

The Evening Concert also billed as an Encounter Meet & Greet at our new Pattern House location, was a complete success.

Subway sandwiches, chips, and drinks were on the menu as well as some great conversation before the free concert. It was also a blessing to see 11 new guests come check out the concert and Encounter.

This was the second time Temple Veil played for Encounter, and we were again blown away by the raw acoustic talents of Brysson on the acoutsic guitar and DeRock on the violin, keys and vocals. Seriously awesome stuff!



You can find all the great photos on Facebook here.
Check out a Picasa slideshow here.

NWLC Notes: Day 3 (1 of 3)

NWLC General Session - Wednesday morning July 23, 2008 at 9:30am. Worship was led by Calvin Nowell, Drew Cline, and Nia Allen. They were awesome! The morning speaker was Bishop Joseph Garlington. I've heard much about Garlington, one of my favorite quotes is attributed to him, but never heard him speak in person. Amazing!

Garlington recounted the story of the angel coming to Mary in Luke. It was a message about the times when God speaks into our lives leading us to times in the "hallway of hell."

I have to to say that his presentation was unlike any message I have heard. As a very musical person himself, Garlington's entire message was "underscored" by a band - and primarily his keyboard player Clarence (props to his amazing skills). Here are some of my notes, but I am also posting the entire mp3 below:

• Words create worlds. Nothing happens in God's Kingdom without a spoken word.
  
• Heroes (leaders) are not born, they are cornered.
  
• When God speaks to you, it always sounds so good in the presentation - but it's hell in the hallway.
  
• When you say yes to God, He can take you anywhere.
• Nothing shall be impossible with God - No word that comes from God shall be impossible for it's fulfillment.
  
• When God tells you something, it will come to pass.
• If you have a miracle in your life, don't talk to people who don't believe in miracles (listen to this in context).
• Every word of God is tried ... in the hallway.

I'm serious, you've got to listen to this to get the full effect. Download the mp3 here or listen in the player below.

UPDATE: "Given" on K-LOVE

Here's a quick update on the K-LOVE Radio News coverage I mentioned here. First, you can listen to the online version of the interview with the mp3 player below. You can access the web stream in the News & Weather section of their website. I didn't catch it the shorter version played on air. Did anyone else?

Ring! Ring!

Something kind of weird happened Saturday night. My cell phone rang just before the boys' bedtime and it turned out to be a message with a sound file attached. The caller ID indicated was a local Montana number, but I didn't recognize it. I called it and got a voice mail message from someone I don't know. All I can figure out is that someone sent the file to the wrong number – MINE!

All of this story just leads up to this. The sound file turned out to be a ringtone that I find hilarious! We keep playing it over and over. Click the play button to hear it...



P.S. I think it sounds like Gollum from Lord Of The Rings.

Courage To Be Nobody On MP3

I talked a little about my message on July 29 (check out my earlier post here). I now have an mp3 recording of the message available. You can listen to it here or press the "down arrow" on the player to download it (10mb - 45min - mp3).

Sunday Reflections - Michael Pouliot

MICHAEL POULIOT: This last Sunday at Hannaford, Michael Pouliot of BattleZone Ministries spoke. He basically shared how he came to trust Jesus. He grew up as a Catholic who "believed" in Christ, but later learned to move past "religion" and develop a "relationship" with Jesus.

HOLY IS THE LORD: At Hannaford, one song we often sing is “Holy Is The Lord” written by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. I shared the origin of this song Sunday. It was inspired by the picture of worship around the throne of God in Isaiah 6 … the heavenly creatures sounding this anthem back and forth to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

The song is completed with another picture from Nehemiah, where the people joined in a mass assembly … a great example of corporate worship. The Bible says they raised their hands to God at the hearing of his Word, they bowed with their faces to the ground and together would proclaim "the joy of the Lord is our strength."

While researching I came across an audio file of Chris Tomlin describing how the song came about. I didn't get to share it all on Sunday but the story left a lump in my throat. Listen to or download the mp3 here from theheartofworship.org. Or use the player below (as long as the link remains valid).



THE LION AND THE LAMB: During offering, we recited the introduction to "The Lion And The Lamb." from the Every One CD. Every One is a CD collaboration from Worship Foundations International. It's an awesome CD and I'm not sure you can pick it up anywhere but here at the WFI website...

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands; And they cried out in a loud voice ... “Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne ... and to the Lamb.'"

BATTLEZONE SUMMIT: Also, this coming Friday and Saturday were having the BattleZone Men's Summit here at Hannaford. Michael Pouliot will be speaking as well as Dr. Dave Wardell, co-founder of Promise Keepers. We're preparing some worship for the event as I write this. You can find out more about it here.

Making Jesus Famous

Each one of us was created by God with a for a purpose. God said to Moses in Exodus 9:16, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

God demonstrates His power in our lived every day, but we are often to busy to see it. We miss it. Sometimes we live week after week failing to recognize God working in our lives. We were created to recognize His power and to tell others about it. We were created to make Jesus famous; to make Him known in all the earth.

What if we truly grasped how famous Jesus is? The entire last book of the scriptures tells about it; "One day every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord." Our job now is to tell others how He has shown His power in our lives and to help make Jesus even more famous.

Lord Father, give us the boldness to tell the world that "Jesus is King" and to proclaim with our worship that "He alone is worthy!" Because of who You are, because of your great love and power demonstrated to us not only through salvation, but through your day-to-day speaking into our lives. We want to make Jesus famous and we will not stop until the whole world knows.

I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Listen to Famous One sung by Chris Tomlin

Battle Rap of the Johns

One of my mantras is that the church must be relevant to society. Recently, John MacArthur of all people, released a rap song for Christian radio. Not to be outdone, John Piper teamed up with Michael Jackson and released his own rap. I think Piper's rap is really "bad"...

John MacArthur's Rap (mp3 - 1.1mb)
John Piper's Rap (mp3 - 0.6mb)

Thanks to Monday Morning Insight for the links.