Painting Services

I know a few worship leaders. I know a few songwriters. However, I don't actually know that many songwriters who also lead worship. It's probably not that odd in a town this size, or perhaps it's that we, as songwriters, are a sensitive lot - we aren't comfortable throwing out those songs to people who actually might not LIKE them.

But for me, songwriting and leading worship are changing. Like any writer, I love using my own stuff in a worship service. It's something that not a lot of people understand, but it is an amazing and gratifying spiritual experience.

But I'm learning to find artistry in the every day. Or perhaps, the every-week. Lately, I've found such contentment in crafting setlists. Not just throwing songs on a page, but thinking about them both lyrically and musically. Doing my best to find ways to present these varied "cut-outs" of God, these small mini-portraits that other's have drawn in a systemic, cohesive and pleasant way.

And discovering this - learning that that same sort of gratification can come even when my own works aren't used - is teaching me something that I hope other worship leaders will discover...

Imitation is not artistry. We can play like Crowder or sing like Tomlin or write like Nordeman - these are good and pleasing things! We can copy the latest, greatest fads of music, but that doesn't make us artists.

I long to to create, but not just on the stage on Sunday morning, but in front of a laptop on Tuesday night. I want to be an artist when I pray for our service. I want to be an artist when I'm know a song in Eb cannot easily go into a song in G.

Let's sweat and slave over our services. Let's be brave and risk creating something truly horrific in the hope that when we step back and observe what we've done, we will see the wrong strokes...see the poorly combined colors...notice the lack of depth and shadow...and then try again.

In the end, I think we'll find an honest and inspiring mural of people who are passionately walking a journey of discovery, joy and ministry.