Worship School Blog

Just been listening to Stuart Townend’s song Gethsemane from CCK live album. It’s actually the first time I’ve heard this song since the album was out. Dang it’s good song. There’s a very moving intro - Stuart reading the account of Gethsemane over some amazing music - check it out (lyrics below)…

To see the King of heaven fall
In anguish to His knees,
The Light and Hope of all the world
Now overwhelmed with grief.
What nameless horrors must He see,
To cry out in the garden:
“Oh, take this cup away from me –
Yet not my will but Yours,
Yet not my will but Yours.”

To know each friend will fall away,
And heaven’s voice be still,
For hell to have its vengeful day
Upon Golgotha’s hill.
No words describe the Saviour’s plight -
To be by God forsaken
Till wrath and love are satisfied
And every sin is paid
And every sin is paid

What took Him to this wretched place,
What kept Him on this road?
His love for Adam’s curséd race,
For every broken soul.
No sin too slight to overlook,
No crime too great to carry,
All mingled in this poisoned cup –
And yet He drank it all,
The Saviour drank it all,
The Saviour drank it all.

You can buy the song for £0.79 on iTunes here

Stuck in a rut creatively? Ever wondered how big companies remain so innovative?
Environment matters…

Here are the song lists we used over the weekend at Mobilise USA. You can download the music to the new songs we did, as promised. If you don’t know any of them, you should be able to google the words and music pretty easily.

Session 1 Friday pm

Let God arise (G) - Tomlin
This Is Life (C) - Brading
You alone can rescue (A) - Redman
Have You heard (Bb) - Brading / Kendrick / Fellingham
You chose the cross (Bb) - Layzel
Jesus lover of my soul (D) - Oakley
[ p r e a c h ]
The third day (F) - Brading / Redman

Session 2 Saturday am

Salvation (G) - Brading
Happy day (C) - Hughes
You never let go (B) - Redman
Hosanna (E) - Fraser
Be lifted up (E) - Oakley
I will give You all my worship (E) Ruis
I’ll stand (E) - Houston

Session 3 Sat afternoon (Prayer meeting)

Strength will rise (Bb)  - Brown / Reily
The third day (F) - Brading / Redman
Before the throne (D) - Bancroft  / Terrell
[ p r a y e r ]
Let the rain come (Bb) - Brading / Hall / Simmonds

Session 4 Sat pm

Our God He reigns (C#m) - Brading / Redman
We shall not be shaken (F) - Redman
Great is Your faithfulness (A) - Redman
My soul is well (A) - Dillon / Brading
It is well with my soul (A) - Spafford
I’m made rich (This Is Life) (A) - Brading
Consuming fire (G) - Hughes
[ p r e a c h ]
I will worship (G) - Ruis
He brought me to banqueting table (G) - Ruis
Saviour King (F) - Hillsong
One way (B) - Hillsong
Going Your way (B) - Brading / Tuson
Did you feel the mountaints (B) - Martin Smyth
Dance in the river (B) - Martin Smyth
This Is Life (C) - Brading
Dancing generation (D) - Redman

Currently in St Louis this weekend leading worship at Mobilize USA, the Newfrontiers student conference.

It’s a real joy gathering with people across the pond and leading them in the glories of the gospel and magnifying Jesus. They really love Jesus here, totally love it. Really feels like family.

Bo Noonan preached last night - very funny bloke, but beyond that still hugely Christ centred, got under our skin, impacted  hearts with the gospel. This morning was Darren Patrick (Acts 29 Vice President) talking about idolatry, the gospel and mission. Superb, absolutely superb. Great insight, got so much to learn from that Acts29 guys. Took a whole load of notes, almost everything he said could have been a tweet…

Bryan Mowrey preaching tonight, then John Lanferman tomorrow morning, can’t wait.

The boys are doing well, playing superbly and sensitively, acting like the Godly men they are and serving Mobilize so well - such a privilege leading worship with them. Also, have the massive joy of leading alongside my wonderful Anna who’s doing BVs, great fun.

Here are some photos so far…

Over and out.

Adrian Holloway doing an impression of me from the start of Going Your Way…

I’m away for two days at an annual Songwriters Consultation that Graham Kendrick runs,  there are about 60 of us here from the UK and further. Having a great time. Today we had Jim Wallis talk about remembering the poor, justice and compassion. It was hugely challenging to be honest… Followed by a Q&A session with Jim, Martin Smith and Tre Shepherd.

I guess it’s easy to think that caring for the poor is what the ’social justice’ people do, or just a few projects we do on the side. But the truth is, it’s at the heart of the gospel. The first words Jesus proclaimed in public are quoting Isaiah 61 - ’sent to the poor’ (see Luke 4:16-20). Also, remembering the poor is quite a clear theme through scripture - which obviously climaxes with Christ, the One who became poor to save the poor.

Anyways, heard a lot of stuff today but here’s some thoughts for songwriters… There are three types of compassion/justice songs:

1) Songs that inform us about the poor and injustice. Eg the verses to Delirious’ Our God Reigns

2) Songs that help us worship in the place of poverty, injustice. Eg It is well with my soul

3) Songs that commission us to go to the poor. Eg God of Justice

But all of these MUST be in the context of the gospel - The God of justice sent His son to the poor to bind up their brokenness and bring freedom to the captives, and by extension we carry on this Kingly work of Christ as His hands and feet, as His church. Our motivation for mission and source of compassion is the gospel, and the agent for God’s mission is not a charity but the Church. Yes!

I’m challenged as I haven’t written any songs in either of these 3 camps. Hmmm. Well there’s my thoughts for the day. Over and out

Awesome! is a word we use quite a lot in our culture. We talk about awesome roast dinners… and awesome free-kicks… and awesome movies… But Job 25:2 says ‘Dominion and awe belong to God’, so only God is truly awesome.

I’m reading The Living God by Peter Lewis at the moment (an astonishing book) and just read about Mount Sinai and the 10 Commandments. I was so stunned by this paragraph, I had to share it. It’ll help to read Exodus 19:16-19 for the context…

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.  Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain  trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. Exodus 19:16-19

Peter Lewis writes:

“It is surely fair to say that awe is in danger of becoming the forgotten emotion among Christians today. This is not because we know better but because we know less! We have lost sight somewhat of the awesome holiness of God. We have become desensitized to sin. We do not realize how extraodrinary it is that we can survive in God’s presence. The fact that it took a Calvary for us to ‘have confidence to enter the Most High Place’ (Heb 10:19) should make us think again: ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us’ (Gal 3:13)

There is only one place on earth more awesome than Sinai and that is Calvary. There God the One and Only did not come down to a mountain but was lifted up on a cross. There the Son of God, who had come in our human nature, bore the penalty for our human sin, our great rebellion against God. There the Judge was judged in our place and the One who had given the commandments died for those who had broken them.”

The living God, the true God, the God of the bible - alone - is truly awesome.

C.J. Mahaney answers the question, “Why sing so many cross-centered songs in corporate worship?” at Bob Kauflin’s WorshipGod conference. Absolutely worth all 8 minutes 35 seconds. Phenomenal.

Worship School will not be running over 2009 & 2010 in the form of 7 Saturdays of training, as in previous years. Instead… we’re excited to announce the launch of an annual Worship Conference here in Brighton, starting next year 6-9th May 2010. Although we’ve incredibly encouraged by the feedback we’ve had on Worship School, we felt right to make this change.

Why?

2 main reasons….

1) Traveling to Brighton 7 times a year is a mission. Once is a lot easier

2) You don’t just ‘do’ Worship School for a year and that’s that. Instead, the Worship Conference is something that you can come back to year by year as a resource, time or refreshing, equipping, training, encounter and community

We will put more details online very soon and open up booking.
But in the mean time get 6-9th May in your diary…