WorshipSource.com

In my first years of leading worship, I had a person who would sing now and again for our church. It was back in the day when we used "special music". Every time this person would sing, I would take a deep breath and pray that this person wouldn’t do anything weird. Most of the time, they would do ok, but every once in a while, this person would turn into a Branson act and really put on a show. The most notable thing this person would do is point at certain people in the congregation during the song. It was kind of like Tom Jones or some weird crooner.

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When it comes to songwriting, if you’ve been to any workshops or seminars, the topic of accuracy in songwriting is a common one. I heard Tim Hughes say to make sure your lyrics make since. I’m somewhat of a critic when it comes to songs, and I definitely listen for accuracy in songs, especially if they’re pushed to a mass audience.

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In 2003, I took a group of about 20 college students to Passion One Day in Sherman, Texas. I learned a lot of lessons on that trip. I learned that I shouldn’t take a group that big to something that intense. It wasn’t an easy, feel-good conference. It was a sleep in tents through Texas thunderstorm, worship for 24 hours in the Texas heat retreat. I should have just taken a few people that were really ready for something like that.

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Yesterday, I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. I started thinking and praying about the songs we should sing at church that week, and God gave me this thought: "The best worship sets happen when God picks the songs, and we sing them to Him." I’m sure most worship leaders have listened to a live worship album, and gotten the goose bumps after hearing the reaction of the crowd, and how much God is obviously moving during a song. As a worship leader, I get inspired by that. That’s what I want for our church. I want a movement of God

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Have you ever had someone criticize you? Has anyone ever gave you a truth about yourself that hurt? How did you handle it? Did you get defensive or did you listen?

Everyone needs a Simon Cowell in their life. We need somebody that will tell us the truth. I have people in my life that will be straight with me, but not that many. It’s like when you have some food on the corner of your mouth, or your fly is unzipped…you need someone to let you know.

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Whenever I hear a new song that just blows me away, my first thought is always the same. "What was going on inside of them when the author wrote that?" It’s so cool to study the origins of the old hymns of our faith, and learn what inspired them as they wrote those timeless lyrics. I also love hearing the stories behind the modern hymn writer’s songs. Think about it. Is there anything better in worship music than a truly inspired song? It can be so deep.

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I’ve been writing songs for the church for almost 7 years. I’ve learned some things about writing, like, I’ve written a ton more bad songs than good. I’ve often said that I have to write about 10 bad songs to get a good one. I’ve also learned that the trick to writing a great worship song is writing something that is simple, accessible, and yet still fresh. Last night I was driving home listening to a very well known worship artist’s new CD. As they started singing one of the "new" songs from this very anticipated release, I realized that the melody line to

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ac·ces’si·bil’i·ty: easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with, or use. I’m the kind of person that loves change and variety. I get bored with things quickly, especially when it comes to my music. The invention of the ipod is a gift from the heavens. I can take a lot of music on a trip without lugging around the big CD carriers. When it comes to worship music, you definitely hear a lot of the same out there. There are definitely amazing songs still coming out for sure, but there is

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My favorite songs to write are congregational worship tunes. Writing songs for the church is something I am called by God to do. We’re living in a time when writing worship songs is a very popular thing to do. With the huge success of the Passion movement alone, writing songs for the church has gone to a whole new level. Songwriters are coming out of the wood work with their latest modern worship song. The danger of all the success and any success is always pride. Motivation is a huge factor when it comes to this. I’ve felt the danger of pride as

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Actually, it’s not just ok, it’s great. Let me explain:

I’m a worship leader in a church that runs around 250-300 on a weekend. The average church in America runs around 80-100 on a weekend, last time I checked. That being said, we’re above average. There are certainly bigger churches. We have Calvary Chapel, here in Melbourne, and they have about 7,000-8,000 on a weekend, from what I understand. I’ve had the pleasure of leading a service there, and it was great. Then, there are those that run anywhere from 500-3,000. As a worship leader for the

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