words

i can’t remember if i wrote this before, but it was on a note i had laying on my desk and it certainly bears repeating.  it’s from Kari Jobe about song writing:

don’t worry if it’s been said before, there are only so many words out there

songs of the week

this is what’s staying on my mind and under my fingers this week:

• hosanna – brooke fraser
• you won’t relent – misty edwards
• better is one day – matt redman
• hallelujah, our lord reigns – hillsong united

mostly i’ve been doing them in E and medleying between one and another.  a chord progression that’s joined up with them (though not part of any of them) is:

E(no 3)    Bsus/D#   D2+   A2/C#

E(no 3)   Bsus/D#   D2+   Bsus/D#

E(no 3)   Bsus/D#   D2/F#, A2

E(no 3)   Bsus/D#   D2+   Bsus/D#

you know, with the top two strings droning open through the whole thing (except the D2/F#)

fav new song

image stolen from paulshope.com

i have a friend who sings in a worship group i’m part of, and her birthday was a few days ago.  i’m not always so good at thinking of a gift that’s both worth giving and appropriate.  it takes me a lot of thought and still sometimes i get it wrong.  christian paraphernalia gets old fast, and i don’t know her enough to know what she has and doesn’t have anyway.

so while i was thinking about it, i remembered something jennie riddle had said in a session on songwriting.  she was suggesting ways to “use your gift”, in addition to the ones that seem obvious.  one of them was to write a song to give as a gift.

now i typically get either a complete concept for a song, or the main words, or a substantial part of the music, all in one rush.  then i labor for weeks, months, or years getting it done.  well, on the day of my friend’s birthday, i got a picture for a song – just the concept, no words or melody.  a day later i got a line or two driving to work.  on the way home i got the rest of the words and the melody and knew how it should feel.  i played with them for a couple more hours, then (about 1:30 a.m.) i dropped by my ersatz studio and recorded it.

i just did acoustic guitar and a single voice track.  the guitar on the track is the first take, no punch-ins, and isn’t half bad.  i’d clean up one or two places and that would be all.  it’s not even my “good” guitar (which is loaned out), but it sounded ok.

the vocal i did need to punch in two or three times because i was still changing up the words and phrasing as i was singing it.  after the fact, listening to it in the trucklet on the way home, i realized i’d overdriven the vocal track in a few places and had some nasty digital distortion.  i’ll clean that up this and give my friend a fresh copy.

but the cool part to me is this.  it’s one of my favorite songs i’ve written in years, and it was less than 48 hours, concept-to-completion.  if i wasn’t so tired and hadn’t had to get up for work the next morning i’d have given it a better critical ear that night and done a really good job instead of just ok  (the vocal track issue is going to bug me until i fix it).

just to fill you in on the concept, i was thinking about the way i love my kids, especially my girls.  and i was thinking about the specialness of those relationships – how there are so many aspects that go far beyond words.   and what i was feeling was god saying, “that’s the way i feel about your friend.  she’s special to me.  i get excited just hearing her voice, and when she wants to spend time with me i just melt”

and even now, just thinking about that, makes me cry a bit.  god is a good, good daddy!

so, i don’t know that you’ll ever get to hear the song.  since i gave it as a gift i don’t feel at liberty to share it with anyone other than the recipient.  but, it’s a good one, and you’ll probably have it on your playlist in eternity!

i already wrote and thanked jennie for the idea.  it is absolutely brilliant, really.  if god actually gave you a gift for writing songs (or doing any other creative thing), you shouldn’t save it for when you can get “exposure”.   bless someone with it!  it is infinite, not finite.  use it!

unprepared

it’s thursday night.  i’m leading worship sunday.  i should have a good list by now.  or at least a theme or an anchor song.

focus man, focus!

patterns, flow, and life

i started playing cello in grade 4 at school; i guess i would have been 9 years.  i started guitar a couple years later at home, and bass soon after.  i never really “got it” in my early years with cello.  i was trying, with very limited success, to translate dots on the page to fingers on the strings and i didn’t really achieve music.  i’m sure i quite frustrated my teachers.

on bass, starting about age 12, things were different.  somewhere it clicked for me that the pattern was the same between the strings, no matter where i was on the fingerboard.  by age 14 i could entertain myself for hours (pity my family) playing scales and riffs on bass unaccompanied.

i learn spatially and kinetically and it was the patterns that captivated me.  in fact, it consistently surprises me how i can know something, but not really know that much about it.  someone will say “what’s that lick you always play leading into the bridge?” and i won’t have a clue.  i have to get to that place in the song and then watch my fingers to see what they do.  i’m analytical to a fault and i really do like to understand why something works.  and i’ve had enough theory classes to be able to do that with music – but i never think of any of it while i’m playing.  until i get into a flow, until i can feel a piece of music, i really don’t play it that well.

i’m not sure if this is good or bad, but i’m kind of that way with life too.

not over the hill (songs)

probably i’m the last person on the face of the planet to get the hillsong this is our god and hillsong united i heart revolution cds.  i’d downloaded several of the tracks (yes – legally – i purchased them, thank you), but hadn’t spent any time listening to the tracks that haven’t had any traction (i apologize) with worship leaders i’ve been around.

i really like you’ll come and with everything from this is our god.  i heart is essentially a “best of” album recorded at 30 different locations around the world.  listening to it reminds my why 9 out of 10 up-tempo worship songs i’ve done over the last 5 or 6 years are by these folks.

cfni worship conference 2008: saturday morning

i actually enjoyed saturday morning worship more than friday night’s.  it was pretty much led by cfni students and seemed to flow better.

marco barrientos spoke.  he was quiet and humble and profound and prophetic and annointed.  i took a few notes:

to be useful in ministry there are 4 things:

1 right attitude  40%
2 pure motivation 30%
3 spiritual maturity 20%
4 ability 10%

we tend to focus on number 4.  but if you’ve got 1 and 2, you’ve got 70%.  that’s a passing grade!

he talked about a decision, early in his career, to submit to an authority over him even though an opportunity seemed “just right”

introspection discourages.  look at jesus.  When we look at ourself we become more like ourself.  jesus is good theology!

psalm 34:5 – they looked to him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed.

don’t look inward at yourself.  look at the reflection of your face in jesus’ eyes.

introspection is the result of shame.  prodigal son: the father stopped him from finishing the speach he rehearsed because some of the things he planned to say were wrong (luke 18:15-24)

2 corinthians 3:18 – but we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the lord, the spirit.

2 corinthians 4:6 – for god, who said, “light shall shine out of darkness,” is the one who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of christ.

not every prayer is profitable.  look at yourself in the face of god.

build houses, plant gardens, marry… (jeremiah 29:5-7) signs of hope.  no situation is hopeless

cfni worship conference 2008: friday afternoon

i had to miss the general session after lunch to take care of a small issue with the company where i’m working (the one bummer of going to a conference in my home town).

the second session was with klaus on “flowing in the prophetic”.  we could have spent a day really.  the room was packed far beyond “capacity” and klaus’ presentation was poignant to a word.  he gave some practical advice and also spoke to the issues of our age.  prophetically, we’re coming close to the close of this period of history.  he said that, like a bride anticipating her wedding day, the church would focus increasingly on jesus’ arrival and our desire for that day.  klause gave 5 ranges or categories of worship:

1. declaration
2. celebration
3. intercession
4. intimacy
5. high worship
   

he also said (i think in response to a question) about a worship team: “you have to be on the same page. communication is the key. talk with them.”

just obtw, i bought a whole stack of klaus’ healing waters cds to give away to friends

next was jennie riddle, officially talking about songwriting.  jennie is extremely poetic.  a lot of what she said was metaphoric or allegoric.  she was just a joy to listen to really, though i think she could wear me out in large doses.  i took quite a few notes:

songs need to be heard prophetically

if there’s already lots of broccoli casserole, bring something different – something that is missing (there can be too much broccoli).

proverbs 31 – who we should be to the lord

write for the lips of the bride

do kingdom business, restore, bring courage, set things right

write out of what you own

gourmet meals, no fast food

think about the generations

feed the church good solid food (doctrine). feed her prophecy, scripture

take presumptuous flesh out

there is weightiness to writing for the bride

write timely

write for memorization; maybe concepts instead of verbatim

experiment lots, but don’t clothe the bride in your experiments

don’t ever use time with the lord as a means to an end

you can write songs as a gift to someone

evening worship was good, but couldn’t really compare with the previous night.  more declarative, less “before the throne”

forever

i could have played guitar this morning forever

friday at the cfni worship conference

if i could have klause kuehn lead worship to start off my day, every day of my life, i’d sign up for it.  really, it just continued the mood from the day before.  kari jobe was also singing, which didn’t hurt.  glorious!

roger hodges spoke about being real in ministry.  he said a lot of good, i’d have added some to it (but then, of course, we’d have gone over the time limit).

bob sorge did the next general session.  i’d heard of him, but didn’t really remember him.  actually, i think i’d heard him somewhere, or maybe an audio or video of him.  i don’t have time to do him justice, suffice it to say i’m going to buy all his books from his merch table!

lunch now and on to some breakout sessions.  i bumped into my daughter emily in the morning session and my wife as she was headed to lunch.  laurie is here teaching a children’s teaching session with connie mckenzie.  have i mentioned that god is awesome?