Thursday Night Thoughts

Wow well almost a week later and I’m able to post my thoughts from this past Thurs-Sun. For those of you who maybe aren’t Christians and reading this, please excuse this indulgence, but God really did show up this past Sunday. – and a sigh expels from all the unbelievers Hahaha. You know but I really don’t know how to put this any other way.

Yes, a musical experience was made that connected emotionally with some members of the congregation.

Yes, I arranged a couple of songs to thematically support one another.

Yes, we played really great this past weekend! HAHA

But there was something ‘other’ that happened. Here’s what went down:

We were without a sound tech AND a bass player for Thursday’s practice. Have you ever had one of “those” rehearsals. All in all it went, OK. But I realized how valuable that moving bass line is. To adjust for Sunday, I moved over one of the guitarists to run sound for that morning, I was able to get our bassist a CD and he was WELL prepared and we rolled like that. Here’s what we did:

1. Beautiful One – Jeremy Camp with Tim Hughes’ outro
2. O Praise Him – DC*B (probably one of the last times, worn out)
3. How Great Thou Art – Charlie Hall’s revision
4. How Great is Our God – Chris Tomlin
5. Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) – Chris Tomlin’s revision
6. You are My World – Hillsong as a closer after the sermon

We used the chorus of Beautiful One as a prelude, had them stand up as we vamped out the bridge and jumped right into it! Didn’t stop playing at any point. AND MAN this built some steam for the song! It was great. I’m about played out on O Praise Him, but I love that song so much, but I’ll probably swap it out with the new one: Oh The Glory of it All.

The “God Moment” came from the following 3 tunes. I did something I’ve never done before. I played How Great Thou Art and How Great is our God in the same key (in B the key How Great Thou Art is in.) I capoed up and played them both in a G formation so that I ended Thou Art and went straight into Is Our God’s chorus. It was incredible. The tone came way down for that song and we mulled on those lyrics until we blew out the bridge and last chorus! If that wasn’t enough we wrapped up with the My Chains are Gone version of Amazing Grace and it was like the whole place was alive! I got really worried that I totally just oversang those last 2. I mean I was just pushing the “Sing with me!” line of Is Our God and amped up that chorus! Which was great b/c dynamically the verses were way way down. I did the same thing on My Chains are Gone! But I suppose those songs just call for you to really blow it out of the water on those parts.

I mean when we finished that time of worship, I was just all giddy and set back at the same time. I don’t even know what Garnett was praying after that last song! Just a spectacular morning in my opinion!

Technically speaking, I guess the thing I really took away here was trying to find 2 songs who’s themes and/or choruses focus on the same thing, even include some of the same words like those 2 songs and see how you can incorporate them together! I’ve done this before but usually restrict myself on keys which limits this tremendously. I’m experimenting with songs that I can capo up high on and play in G with. Is Our God is a song I’ve never thought about changing the key on b/c of the cool lil acoustic feel in the beginning that you vamp out on. But giving that up and placing these songs together and stringing them into 1 large dynamic song was something well worth the cost! It created a large atmosphere for people to worship within.

I’d caution about doing this too often but done tastefully and wisely it can provide an excellent change for you and your band and more importantly, your congregation. Let’s face it, they all showed up to worship together! That’s why they all came at the same time on Sunday morning! It’s good to have them all singing together and this was effective this Sunday. I believe God used it to glorify Himself through this weekend and it was amazing!

Community is an AMAZING thing!

DO YOU SEE THAT BANNER UP THERE! Oh wow. I really don’t know what to say other than a humongous THANK YOU to Klampert. This blog is becoming something larger than I intended and it’s an amazing thing. The ‘community’ that takes place is not only humorous and educational but uplifting as well.

Joel I don’t know if you just blew some spare time or intentionally set out to create a cool banner pic. I think its amazing! And the gesture alone is incredibly special. Thank you.

A big thank you to all the Worship City community! If you’re a newcomer here, allow me to point out the blogroll column on the right over there. I don’t fill that column with every blog on my Google Reader. The people’s blogs that are listed there are a diverse group of people but ones that either frequent this site often or I’m frequenting. Check them out and show them some love.

I also try to keep my Comments tab near the top as much as possible so you can check and see who’s saying what! There are people here from Rhode Island to Louisiana to California to Arkansas to Georgia and beyond. SUPERMAN is even over there! (I’m all about Link Love!)

I’ll try and settle down from my excitement and get back to finishing up my post I was working on! I just am overwhelmed!

I think our media and society sometimes is very negatively focused. Maybe you can use this post as a platform to appreciate someone who’s done something special for you or to brag on something you’ve seen!

Sweet Lord where’d the day go?

Oh my, it’s now an hour before the close of Tuesday and I JUST NOW remembered what day it was and how I don’t have a This Day in Music or a Thumbs UP/DOWN. I am so sorry. I’m actually a bit embarrassed. I can’t believe the week’s getting carried away like this.  It probably has something to do with:

• Saturday: Rehearsal for Youth service then 1st crawfish boil of the season! YES!
• Sunday: Church, Youth that afternoon, surprised Rae by taking her to STOMP
• Monday: Work and Small Group
• Tuesday: Work and Rehearsal
• Wednesday: Work and … rest? LOST yeah that’s right
• Thursday: Work and Rehearsal
• Friday: Enjoy my family
• Saturday: Rehearsal for Youth Service
• Sunday: Church, Youth Service!!

So yeah, just breathing has been an accomplishment lately. I took 45 minutes near the close of the day to go visit Rae at her work since her Supervisor wasn’t there and I could chat with her in her super’s chair while she worked and at least get in some face time. I plan on keeping Chloe a bit longer tomorrow before dropping her off to daycare. You guys will just get the brunt of my busy schedule this week I suppose. I do have some actual posts coming out. I’ll try and wrap them up so I can release at least 1 a day this week and still stay caught up with you as well.

Until next week, I hope you accept my apology. If your just a hankerin’ for some music related news:

AUGUSTANA is my new favorite playlist in my iPod. So yeah, go check them out. I heard Stars and Boulevards quite some time ago and loved it and now they’re new single Boston is getting some face time on VH1. So hurry up b/c before long they’ll be overplayed and in the can

Soul Craving

So, I got picked up today to head out to lunch with Sue, our “Admin Pastor” and Garnett, our sho’ nuff Pastor and hit up Albasha for some Greek & Lebanese! On the way, Sue had me reach in her Lifeway bag and pull out the sexist lil black book I’ve ever seen! Completely black with a red thumb print that was underneath mine interestingly enough. Simple text read ERWIN RAPHAEL MCMANUS in off grey type with SOUL CRAVING underneath. I immediately popped it open to see what it was all about. It looked amazing.
I got a little peeved on Erwin’s book a while back: Chasing Daylight that I got on his Student Life Tour because it’s Seizing Your Diving Moment with a new title! It was all good though because that’s a great book and the title and cover is sweet.

I was a little confused b/c Erwin’s site says it was released last November? I swear I’d been there since then and didn’t see anything about it or heard anything about it from any of the bookstores?!?!?!
Well it looks great!

The blurbs sound great. Speaking to a calling, a need in our lives of something bigger than ourselves, something that we crave for that is only left unfulfilled and desiring something more when it’s not filled with God.
I can’t wait to check it out! I don’t read much.

“You know what I liked about the movie? NO READING! It only took my 2 hours and when it was over I took a nap!” – The most hilarious Jim Gaffigan says but until Erwin starts putting out DVDs, I’ll make an exception!

Mini HER

OK so this WeeWorld thing is like swiffering the nation! I made such a fuss about this you’re going out there in droves! Here’s another of our VERY BEST friends. Ali.

Although she was a bit disappointed on the lack of ‘curly’ options. One could say (and the lead singer of Candlebox did say this when we met him) “Girl you got some curly s@%t happening!”
HAHAHA! Love you Ali!!!

Mini YOU

This is one of our VERY BEST FRIENDS Scoots! Check out her LiveJournal on the sidebar or here. It’s uncanny how well I can see people in these mini we’s!!!

Do the Mini here!

Thanks again Klampert! Since these resemble us so well, I’ve got imagine yours it pretty typical of you! This has been a ton of fun!

BMOC

Yes, Big Man On Campus. My dad overused that phrase all throughout high school and college. I spent the better part of this morning walking around my college campus, L.S.U. It was great to be back! I haven’t stepped foot on campus for a year or so now since I’ve missed out on LSU football the past 2 seasons. They’ve really stepped up the beauty of the campus! It was amazing. I felt a little out of place walking around without a booksack on. (I was posting fliers with our children’s minister looking for actors and musicians for our family service.)

When asking for directions to the Music and Dramatic Arts building, because they’re completely renovating the old one, the student there asked Jamie what classes or major, “her son” was interested in! ME! 27 year old ME what classes and major! AWESOME! I was excstatic.

The one troubling thing though was how much passion I had…have…for college ministry. I’m still trying to figure out what tense I should put there. I’m not longer doing anything college related. I lead worship full time for our adult services and cooridinate and lead our youth ministries for Middle School and High School but our church doesn’t even have a small group to offer college students! I’ve felt a ‘disturbance in the force’ about that but after today, there’s ‘a STRONG disturbance’ now. But I know I’m already spread too thin to take on anything new. It’s troubling and I’ll need to really seek guidance on what to do about this. I know God has called me to River. I know God has me doing the work I’m in right now for a specific purpose. But I know I feel a yearning for these students! ARGH.

It really was exhilirating being back though. AND I found out Donald Miller is coming to do a FREE speaking gig at one of the local Baptist churches. DONALD FREAKIN’ MILLER! I can’t wait. Just being back in that culturally rich environment has me all jacked!

So what’s your passion? I know most of us are musicians but is there a particular group you lead for? Youth? Adults? 1st graders?

So long, fair well…

Ah tonight was the end of an ‘era.’ HAHAHA. Oh the season finale and last episode of The O.C. was tonight on Fox…commence laughter that this has even made it on to my blog…

It’s funny, my wife LOVES…whoops….lovED this show. We’ve watched every episode since the first together. Tonight was interesting watching it wrap up: baby, weddings, ends of relationships, beginning of new ones, college, graduation, fresh starts, first jobs, heartbreak, it had it all. And something occurred to me.

I’ve been with my wife for almost 10 years now. 4 years of dating and 5 years of marriage this July. We’ve gone through alot together. Grown as individuals, grown as a couple, and even share a daughter now! But you slip into this place where you think that you’ve got it all figured out. That you know the next steps, you can see the lining on the walls. You get to a place where you think you’ll no longer experience heartache because the single/dating life is behind you. You know longer have anxiety because you have a college degree, hell you’ve been the one conducting the interviews! AND you’re in your occupation of choice! The unknown territory is behind you because you now have a mortgage and escrow and a 30 year loan feels like eternity. Your 4 year term on your vehicle sounds rock solid!

Then it hit me. I don’t need trivial television to help me feel emotional all over again. I ride a roller-coaster of fear and doubt and joy with a 1 and 1/2 year old who looks to me for sustenance from the world! I have a wife who lovingly would follow or lead me across the country if inspired to. Life continues on in new stages and wonders that can so easily be overlooked sometimes. And soon, I’ll be on the other end of that television show as my daughter lives out all of her roller-coaster rides!

I’m not quite sure how I came all soft and mushy on a post regarding The O.C.’s last episode.  I used to claim to watch it so I could keep up to date with new artists and cool soundtracks. It was “my wife’s show.” I suppose after all this time it’s become mine as well. Just thought I should ante’ up and admit it, and somehow got off on a tangent. I guess this really isn’t about The O.C. after all!

I do hope they find something good to fill in this time-slot though!

Song ideas

So, here’s the deal. I’m looking for ‘NEW’ songs to introduce to our congregation. This will be more ‘forum’ style post I hope. I sent out an email to the band and some friends at our church but wanted to open it up here. Feel free to comment along or add in your suggestions of what’s been great at your church or what you’ve always wanted to hear at your church! I’ll add in my own ideas as well b/c I think this could be a great way to hear what people are in to and are listening to.

I do NOT want resources of where to find songs. I have those. I want what YOU are in to.

This should be fun so, BEGIN:

Mini She

So this is hilarious! My wife, Rae went and made her a Mini She