24/10/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Rising Sun (All Sons and Daughters)

Here is another song from All Sons and Daughters. Again the lyrics have a beautiful Psalm-like quality. As you may know, I’ve embarked on a quest to find singable contemporary Psalms. Suggestions are most welcome. Enjoy!
(Scroll down for youtube link with lyrics).

Rising Sun

Praise Him all you sinners, Sing oh sing you weary
Oh praise Him all you children of God
We lift high His glory, Shown throughout our stories
We praise Him as the children of God

Our great redeemer, Glorious Savior
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Light of the morning, You shine forever
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Your name is higher than the rising sun

Praise His name forever, Speak it loud and clear now
Oh praise Him all you children of God

Our great redeemer, Glorious Savior. . .

Hallelujah, Name above all
Simply to speak Your name is praise
Hallelujah, Now and always
Forever we lift Your name in praise
Hallelujah, Our God, You reign
Simply to speak Your name is praise

Our great redeemer, Glorious Savior. . .

Hallelujah name above all
Hallelujah name above all
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Learn more about the Album Sons & Daughters Live

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15/10/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

‘Humility’ + ‘musician’ = Great combination

I had the privilege of being asked to organise a team of 7 musicians, most of whom I did not know, for a friend’s wedding on the weekend just gone. We had just one practice before the day, yet I am pleased to say the result was pretty great! (Out of interest, the songs we led were “Beautiful Saviour” (Stuart Townend), “This Life I Live” (Michael Morrow, EMU) and “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”).
But why should I be surprised that it worked well? The team was comprised of committed Christians who have learnt to balance their musical zeal with a great deal of humility and selflessness. So when it came to figuring out how to work together as a team, and how to best arrange the music, we were on the same page.
It’s like when you meet Christians from another place for the first time and have an instant affinity, an easy friendship. This comes because we have a dad in common, our heavenly Father! We are united in Christ and share a family resemblance in our attitudes. When there is a servant heart, a willingness to (musically) do less, to be restrained and to wait on each other, there is much unity and it can lead to a beautiful harmony.
This is certainly the challenge for all Christian musicians: to move from pride, insisting on our own way and seeking our glory, to an attitude of humble servant-heartedness. It is worth reminding ourselves of this every time we turn up for music practice at church.

Nb. In the process of working with this team I happened to meet a fellow blogger who opened with the question “You’re Seven Notes of Grace aren’t you?” (he was married to one of the musicians). Small world! (I felt famous!) I hadn’t even realised he lived in the same city. You might like to visit some of his reviews over at Eternitainment: “Eternitainment seeks to bring this Christian worldview and the beliefs of modern entertainment together for a heart-to-heart chat, to hear what each is saying. Eternitainment invites you to listen in and join the conversation.”

13/10/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Made Alive (Citizens)

This is one of those groovy tunes with a cool piano riff that will really get stuck in your head. It comes from the folks at Mars Hill Music, the group “Citizens” on their recent self-titled album. It became hugely popular at a recent youth camp of 150 teenagers here in south-east QLD. Isn’t it great that they are singing scriptures to a tune that will play over in their minds: Colossians 2:13, Ephesians 2:1, Romans 6:11, Romans 5:19, Romans 3:20-21, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 8:12, John 9:5 and John 3:19.
“Made Alive presents bold Scriptural truth without apology. We are by nature objects of wrath, dead in sin, alone and hopeless. God reached us in his love and kindness and made us alive in Christ. Believers are never the same. There are some nice contrasts are in the lyrics as well — light vs. darkness, death vs. life, wrath vs. mercy, etc. This new song correctly uses Law & Gospel and makes you want to sing.” (Bread for Beggars)

Made Alive

I once was dead in sin, Alone and hopeless,
A child of wrath I walked Condemned in darkness,
But your mercy brought new life And in your love and kindness,
Raised me up with Christ and made me righteous.

You have bought me back with the riches of,
Your amazing grace and relentless love.
I’m made alive forever, with you, life forever
By your grace I’m saved, By your grace I’m saved.

Lord, you are the light, that broke the darkness.
You satisfy my soul, When I am heartless.
If ever I forget My true identity,
Show me who I am, And help me to believe.

My sin has been erased, I’ll never be the same.
My sin has been erased, I’ll never be the same.

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09/10/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

What if the music stinks?

Today’s post comes from Blogging Theologically which I have found to be a great site, with heaps of interesting book reviews and other commentary. This one focuses on the question of church music, of how ‘good’ it should be, and how we should respond if it ‘stinks’:

CAN YOU WORSHIP EVEN WHEN THE MUSIC STINKS?: “Not all churches are blessed to have world-class musicians or top-of-the-line sound equipment, or talented people running the board. But, within Christian discussions on worship, it seems like there’s an expectation that all churches should. People (apparently) can’t engage with hymns. They want “simple” and they, apparently, also want really big sound. Our church has a terrific group of musicians leading our congregation in their praise, so I totally get this. When people are giving it their all and the quality is phenomenal, it’s a really great thing to be a part of.

But let me ask you something: can you worship even when the music “stinks”?

This weekend we were visiting a Baptist church in a small town here in Ontario. The atmosphere was fascinating. This is the kind of church where you stand when the pastor enters the sanctuary and wait for him to leave before you make for the exit. The opening processional was handled on an electric organ. The songs were sung by five people (including the pastor) accompanied only by a piano. And they were all songs in keys in which man was never meant to sing.

They weren’t setting the world on fire with their talents. But you know what was cool?

People were singing their hearts out to Jesus in this church.

I saw more than a few people with hands raised (did I mention they were Baptist?). Their hearts were engaged. They were in it to win it.

I have to wonder, is this something we’ve forgotten in the age of the high-tech mega-church?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t all be pursuing excellence to the degree of ability God has given us, but have we lost the ability to be engaged in worship even when we aren’t particularly into the style, when there’s only a piano and a couple of singers, or when the special is a bit off-key?

I know a lot of folks who, if you put them into that kind of setting, would be so distracted they won’t know what to do. I know others who it wouldn’t be phased at all. And I’ve gotta say, the ones who wouldn’t be phased tend to be the more spiritually mature people I know.

They get that worship through song isn’t about what we like necessarily, but about the object of the people’s affection. So you can sing a song that makes you feel like you’re going through puberty a second time because it’s not about whether or not your voice is going to crack. It’s about Jesus and His glory, not our preferences.

How can we do a heart check on this? Here are a couple of options:

1. If you attend a church with high-end music, try to visit a small town church on your next vacation. The music won’t be as good as you’re used to, I can almost guarantee it. But watch how you respond; ask the Holy Spirit to test your heart and see what He does in response.

2. If you’re a worship leader, arrange for a ridiculously streamlined morning of worship. Seriously, pull a Bob Kauflin. Do one guy and a piano or guitar. And then check your inbox. You’ll have a better sense of where people are at by the number of complaints you receive.

Worship isn’t about style or preference, it’s about God. You can worship even when you think the music kind of stinks if you keep that in mind.” (Aaron Armstrong — July 15, 2013)

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02/10/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Laying aside my taste in music

Sharing some challenging thoughts today from Nick Morrow’s blog, about leading songs in church which we don’t necessarily like! In fact we might not like them at all. He suggests that such a situation is a great opportunity to examine our egos (which we should check in at the church door) and our servant heart – do we have one? Other great points include the fact that everyone’s different musical tastes and opinions are equally valid (can you believe it?) and the importance of not expecting the church worship band to be the outlet for all your creative outpouring. I’m sure you’ll find it worth a read!

CONFESSIONS OF A CHRISTIAN MUSIC SNOB (AND MY SIX STEPS TO REHAB)

“Confession: Of all the songs we sing at my church, I like about five of them.

Meaning, actually like them. Meaning, they’re songs I might listen to outside the four walls of my church. . . . There still exists an uncomfortable tension between my artistic tastes and most of the worship music I hear. I want to offer my musical abilities to serve the church, but I also want to be honest. It’s not that I have anything against worship bands. And it’s definitely not that the lyrics are bad. It’s just a matter of opinion.

It’s not about maintaining “artistic integrity” or musical street cred. We all have to check that ego at the door when we come to church. It’s about trying to figure out how to play and lead songs I may not like and still be completely genuine.
At some point every worship leader is going to get asked to sing a song they hate in church. The way that we respond to these requests speaks volumes about our views on servanthood. It’s been a long road for me in releasing my musical pride and embracing worship music. Here are a few steps I found helpful:

1. Realize that your opinions are just that: opinions. Your musical tastes are 100% opinion. No amount of graphs and flowcharts and albums sales will “prove” that your taste is better than anyone else’s. Believe me, I’ve tried. I learned the hard way that my musical tastes are not sovereign. Musical tastes are kind of like taste buds. They can be developed and stretched over time to appreciate more complex things. But the snob who looks down on people with different or less-developed tastes isn’t impressive. He’s just a jerk.

2. Know that your opinions are valid…and so are everyone else’s. I have to catch myself on this a lot. I try to replace phrases like “They’re the best band ever” with phrases like “they’re one of my favorites.” I know the semantics probably don’t matter in most conversations, but it keeps my music-critic ego from swelling up and entering a parallel universe where my musical opinions are absolute truths. Understanding exactly why someone loves polka or nu-metal or funk-tron-burgercore probably isn’t very important. But respecting the fact that they’re entitled to that opinion is. All our tastes are subjective, and that’s okay.

3. Be honest. The world (and the church) doesn’t benefit from your silence about the creative process. If you want to offer alternative opinions, start with humility and be honest. If something sounds cheesy, it’s okay to say it, just be kind and diplomatic about how you communicate that. Remember never to challenge people, but to focus on the group’s creative goals and helping achieve them.

4. Be pragmatic. Remember that music is all about context. You might crank out some Bruce Springsteen while driving on the highway with the windows down, but you’ll likely turn to a very different genre to lull you to sleep. Worship music is the same. Respect the fact that while you may not have any worship music on your “all time favorites” playlist, Beatles and John Coltrane songs don’t make for very good worship tunes.

5. Resolve to submit to church authority on matters of opinion. Don’t ever give your church leadership a chance to question your loyalty to the church. If you’re serving with a large “platform” like worship leading, submission should be foundational anyway. Musicians are known for rebellious attitudes, and I’ve even seen it happen in the church before. Don’t be the rebellious punk rock guy that always quotes the Scripture about Jesus flipping over tables. That may score you “cool” points with scenesters, but not in the Kingdom of God.

6. Use your unique voice to bless the church and further the Kingdom. Every worship musician offers something unique to their church. Find out what your musical offering is, and give it gladly. Don’t worry about whether people “get” what you’re trying to do artistically. There is a place for raw art and creativity, but it’s probably not your local church. You may have a deeper desire to serve the church through your creativity. Your local church may not recognize or need that. Don’t freak out. It’s okay to write, create, and serve outside of your local church. The advent of the Internet makes that easier than ever.
Leading worship in church may not satisfy all of your creative longings. That’s okay. Worship music is about glorifying Jesus and serving your church. “Serving your own agenda” is never part of the deal. The more we realize that, the more we’ll be able to serve with joy and clarity.
Are you willing to sacrifice your artistic tastes for the church? Even if you aren’t getting paid for it? What do you do when you don’t like a song you’re asked to sing in church? I’m convinced that the answers speak to our integrity and willingness to serve. It may not always be easy, but it’s totally possible to serve the church with your musical talents, even when you don’t like the music.

23/09/2013 by sevennotesofgrace

Leading praise and worship is not about us

It also doesn’t depend on us feeling good! I recently read the interesting musings of a worship leader who was feeling temporarily rather flat, and contemplating how to go about leading at church in such a state. I love his conclusions, about the fact that faithfulness to the task is what counts, not the results. I’m sure you’ll be encouraged by the excerpt below.

FEELING FLAT (from Daniel K. Robinson, Voice in Worship)

“. . . My current sense of dejection did have me wondering (as you do) about the role of the worship leader and how we don’t always ‘feel’ like leading people in worship. . . . So let’s hypothesise that I was ‘rostered on’ to lead worship this Sunday. How should I approach such a service? Should I, as I just suggested, ‘rouse’ my emotions and challenge myself to sing God’s praises regardless. Most certainly! God is worthy of my praise, regardless of my situation, circumstance or even emotional state. . . . Can I worship God, moreover can I, and should I lead worship even when I’m not feeling emotionally buoyant?
Well I guess the answer to that query is found in the underlying ethos upon which my worship orientation is founded. For example, as Mark Pierson (2010) writes in The Art of Curating Worship, “If excellence is a primary goal, then the weak, the timid, the depressed, the disabled, the unskilled, the sick, the introverted, the overweight, the less attractive, the poor, and the untalented aren’t going to get a look in” (p. 65). I’m adding to Mark’s list…the temporarily despondent.
Allow me to offer the thought: perhaps my worship (and my leading thereof) in this moment of temporary despondency is worship experienced differently. Sure, on the outside it might not present with the level of excellence I have in the past but I am choosing to worship regardless of my feelings; offering myself as a living sacrifice – imperfectly despondent. Could this actually be a wonderful opportunity, disguised though it may be (even to myself), where my offering of worship is simply in the doing? Sometimes our worship becomes very ‘results’ orientated. . . But maybe this occasion calls me to simply do and be with no expectation of result or outcome. How wonderfully un-gratifying! Now, in my current state of glumness, it’s not about me…it has to be all about Him. In the midst of the moment it may well be that God touches me in a refreshing way and I come through the experience changed and uplifted. Equally, it might not happen like that. But that should not be my reasoning anyway. I don’t worship simply for ‘what’s in it for me’. At least I shouldn’t…and this circumstance (my feeling flat) has actually gifted me with the opportunity to make sure that the worship service can’t be about me – but about the one to whom we offer our praise!”