My newest songwriting struggle...

So far, I'm feeling pretty good about "Forever Faithful." I think it's easy enough to learn...I think the melody comes off in a way that's intuitive to most voices, which is good. So far, I've played it in three separate venues, and while it hasn't gone gangbusters every time, I do think there's been a decent response time - enough, at least, to warrant keeping the old thing around.

I've got some other songs I'd like to get out there, but there's actually a new challenge that's giving me trouble.

Scripture songs.

Let me start off by saying this - I'm horrible at remembering scripture. As much as I'd like to say that it's because I'm getting older and memory is fading, that's actually not the reason why. I'm horrible at remembering scripture because I'm horrible at reading scripture. Like really, gang...it's a struggle. So, lately, I've been trying to work harder and taking scripture and making it a part of my life. One way I do that is by writing scripture songs.

Some of you may not remember scripture songs, but they used to be a big deal. They were prominent at the birth of "contemporary worship" somewhere in or around the Jesus movement and then they made a comeback in the late 80's/early 90's. Those later versions were actually very good. They showed up right when worship production quality was amping up and worship leaders who wrote songs were finally becoming common.

But we don't hear those songs much any more. One label recently introduced a scripture song series that ended up being primarily rehashed versions of the 80's/90's songs. Good songs, but not exactly what I was looking for.

So, I've been trying my hand and writing stuff that's right of scripture and that still functions as a song. Here are the problems I'm encountering. (Many of these will be obvious, but a few surprised me once I got going.)

• RHYMING. Not a lot of scripture rhymes. Not a lot of scripture comes even close to a rhyme. I keep hoping that one day I'll discover some miraculous formula with which to parse lines of scripture that would reveal complex rhymes and phrasing like some sort of Omega Code buried deep in scripture. (Wouldn't that be just like God to prove once again He's the best poet ever?) I probably won't be the guy to find it, but I bet it's in there somewhere.
  
  
• TIMING. With my efforts so far, I've had to concoct odd breaks to make the songs work lyrically which makes the timing feel weird. I'm sure this will get better with practice, but boy is it frustrating.
  
  
• EXTRA PHRASES. The one thing I can't seem to figure out is what to do with lines like, "from me, Paul, a servant of Christ" or something like that. So far, I haven't found a good way to include those in my new songwriting challenge.
  
  
• BENEFIT. This will be the part where you get a glimpse of my songwriting philosophy. I believe that God's called me to write songs to be sung in church. I love songs of all styles, but for me...my calling is songs for corporate singing. That calling, coupled with the fact that I've learned by now that I can never know what to expect with song creation forces me to always have the corporate element in mind. That doesn't mean I'm envisioning hundreds or even thousands of people singing my song. It means that even as I write something that seems "private," I find myself working hard to make sure that a crowd could pick it up.

Maybe someday soon I'll finish one of these scripture songs and pass it your way. Until then, I'll ask this:

1. Do you think scripture songs are beneficial to the church?
2. Do you think other folks are like me, needing help in building scripture into personal, daily life?

This Guy Needs To Be More Famous...

America doesn't really have a Remi Gaillard. Known as France's premiere prankster, Gaillard has become quite a viral video sensation thanks to YouTube. His most recent prank involved running around dressed in a bat suit late at night.

I know. It doesn't sound funny. But it is.

You can check Remi's English-version website here or get a sense of his career timeline over here.

Check the video here, which begs the question, "What would you do if approached by a giant bat late at night?"

Movie Reviews (Netflix Resolution)

FALL FROM GRACE
This documentary is an in-depth look at in the infamous Fred Phelps. Most of you probably know him as the angry old pastor who's come under media scrutiny for his hateful speech and international protest against homosexuality. I was fully prepared to be shocked by Phelps and his family, but a few things surprised me.

Lack of Nuance
The most frustrating aspect of the movie had to be the lack of understanding on the part of the film-maker. I'm not talking about Phelps - I'm talking about the very obvious "lumping" of all Christians in the same group. Two groups were presented: Phelps (along w/ quotes by Falwell and Pat Robertson...frustrating.) and many local pastors in Kansas who dwell on the other, more liberal, extreme when it comes to homosexuality.

Lack of Hope
Phelps really doesn't want people to repent. He doesn't think they will. He thinks they'll burn. Those protests aren't intended to turn people from their ways...the protests, in Phelps' mind, are acts of obedience.

Even More Extra Crazy
I didn't know this documentary would hit on Phelps recent GOD LOVES DEAD SOLDIERS campaign. Phelps and crew have some of the weirdest, non-linear logic on the war that I've ever seen. Their position on the funerals of fallen soldiers was sickening.

This is a strange movie to recommend. There's very little hope in it, but I think Christians would benefit from looking closely at something so evil that's actually a part of the church, as the media sees it.

HECKLER
Heckler is a documentary from the mind of actor, comedian and writer, Jamie Kennedy. The film is initially a a documentary about "heckling" of stand-up comedians, but quickly reveals itself as Kennedy's pursuit to find out why critics have been so hard on him over the years. The movie is all over the place - a segment on heckling turns into a segment on critics and then morphs into something about bloggers and then circles back to critics again when Kennedy starts traveling the country to face down writers who've been especially harsh in reviewing his work. It's not paced well at all.

But that doesn't mean it's a bad film.

I was absolutely amazed at the honesty of this film. I don't know that Kennedy's is aware of it, but he's slowly revealing

Dear Guy-About-To-Be-Married...

The following is a list of important things every groom-to-be needs to know. This list, in particular, is called "everything gross."

Young men, please know that once you're married, one of your jobs will be the handling of all things gross. We share this because we feel that if you're better prepared for this, then you won't be a jerk about it.

• When you find that bag of trash that somehow got shoved into the pantry instead of the dumpster and now it's growing it's own life forms, it's your job.
  
  
• When some sort of plumbing disaster occurs and things you normally intend to remove from your presence come back into your life, it's your job.
  
  
• When the changing of diapers becomes a part of your life, you'll think you're getting a break. Even the most squeamish of moms will face the untold horrors of diapers because they are motivated by a love and devotion that you can only partially understand. However, the break is short lived. Because once the toxic diapers are collected, compiled and ready for the trash, somebody will need to tote that 87 pound sack of punishing smells out to the trash can. And guess what? It's your job.
  
  
• You will be asked to run to the store for creams, pills, ointments and other more private products for your wife and later on, your kids. You may be embarrassed, but you'll do it anyway. Because it's your job.
  
  
• This next one varies from family to family, but there is a very strong possibility that you'll clean up a lot of vomit in your lifetime. And a lot of won't be yours. It's your job.
  
  
• There are other things that aren't as gross as they are uncomfortable, but they still fall under this concept of the persecuted husband. If it's raining, snowing or exceptionally windy, anything out-of-doors will fall to you. Why? Say it with me - it's your job.

Marriage is awesome, guys. And no matter how much junk you have to smell, handle and carry...it's totally worth it.

And the great part is that this awesome gift of God is actually...your job.

SUNDAY SETLIST, 10/25/09

Here's how our Sunday went:

GLORY TO GOD FOREVER
About ready to retire this one for awhile. Nothing's worse that killing a great song with overuse. Foolish mistake that you pay for in the long run. The team's got this one down. It went well. Some times this one works as a "Song 1." First songs are always odd at Bethel because folks are still pulling into the parking lot while we're rocking!

EVERYTHING TO GOD
I don't if there's a more fun song to play when a band got this one in its sites. Arlie did the intro with a cool slap bass and I literally thought Tim's B3 was going to catch on fire. We'll bring it back next week and maybe even stretch it out a little bit.

O HELP MY UNBELIEF
This was our second time to do this Indelible Grace song. We had requests for it, so we felt like it must have worked the first time around. This week was really pretty smooth. Feel like we grooved a bit better on it. It felt way more relaxed. Realizing that I LOVE having a mandolin in the mix! We also made a few changes that got us a bit closer to the CD version.

COME THOU FOUNT
We've done the Matthew Smith version of this tune for quite awhile. I love this version because it doesn't mess with the song. Other than a nice riff to break up the verses, this is a perfect hymn rendition. Let Ken take the vocal on this one. He did a great job.

LET YOUR KINGDOM COME
This is another tune I never thought would catch on. I figured it would work on more of a performance level, but wasn't sure of its singability. However, we had folks who really enjoyed the song so we brought it back. Ken sang verse and pre-chorus of this one while I took the choruses.

It was a good set, if a bit jumpy. I think I would have enjoyed a little more flow, but I think we built the best flow we could in a set this varied stylistically. The great thing is that we get to do it all again next week!

Anybody remember this show?

(LIST)

• Gmail chatting w/ Missions Pastor while he's in Africa - cool.
  
  
• You know what Todd and Kristen do when our kids go to bed? Eat candy. For real. Don't tell them.
  
  
• One downside to having someone give you a phone is that you become obsessed with beating their old high score on the games.
  
  
• I really really want to write some straight-up scripture songs. I've been messing with it and let me tell you something - that's a hard type of song to write.
  
  
• We still have ants in our mail box. I know.
  
  
• Every time I feel really out-of-touch with pop music, I watch Jimmy Kimmel and realize that apparently they just give record deals out now to folks w/ 80's hair and a synth. The I don't feel quite so bad.
  
  
• Even though I'm a pretty considerate guy, I am in love with the show, "Scare Tactics." I shouldn't enjoy this show. Except it's totally great.
  
  
• My wife never ceases to amaze me. Her kindness and sincerity this week has been a complete inspiration to me.
  

2 documentaries...

Finally got to a couple of documentaries in my Netflix project (watching down to 5 in the "queue" before adding anything else.) Both of these movies came highly recommended. I'd say that one was better than I expected and the other left a little to be desired.

MAN ON WIRE
This one had me interested from the first trailer. To me, this film operate on a whole different level than just documentary. Of course, it's an engaging story, but that's not what surprised me.

As I watched it, I was struck by the power of reminiscence. I was amazed to see all of these auxiliary players - these men and women who were (for better or worse) sucked into one man's charm - reliving this experience. Some laughing at the most dangerous of situations, some weeping as if he was still on the wire. The movie said a lot about those shared experiences that somehow reside deep within us yet dwell close enough to the surface to rise up at the slightest provocation.

If I had stars to give, I'd give this movie all of them. No regrets! Check it out!


THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON
I first heard about this film from David Runnels. I wasn't sure of Daniel Johnston's place in the timeline of music, but his story did end up overlapping my musical experience. In fact, Johnston's return to the spotlight was prompted in part by an old t-shirt that was worn by Kurt Cobain as he rose to iconic status in my generation.

While the documentary was very interesting, the overall premise was a challenge. With a film dedicated to highlighting one man's "brilliant" songwriting as evidenced by expert testimony interviews, I think my inability to value Johnston's off-key, a-rhythmic songs hurt my viewing experience. It's a sad tale...there's very little hope in it. As always, I was left feeling much more sympathetic to the parents in this movie than the actual stars of it.

It's interesting, but I think this one is really built for more dedicated documentary watchers who can appreciate the movie regardless of musical preferences.

If you've seen either one, I'd love to know your thoughts.

5 Crazy Dreams...

Here are 5 very crazy (and unrealistic) dreams of mine. I'm not being silly. These are things that would literally be "dreams come true." I won't go into all the reasons...just know that I've got some weird dreams.

• Be inside the Oval Office with the President. Not a tour - an actual invite.
  
  
• Co-write a song with Paul Baloche.
  
  
• Write a screenplay and have it produced.
  
  
• Have 10,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel.
  
  
• Have a song in the Top 25 CCLI list.

I know that's weird, but that's me.

What are your 5 crazy dreams?

Startling news from one of Christian music's most controversial singer/songwriter

Nashville, TN - Controversial singer/songwriter Derek Webb shocked media outlets on Wednesday by announcing a huge career move.

"I'm still going to keep writing. Of course. That's a huge part of who I am. But I'm excited about this new venture."

This "new venture" is Webb's foray into his first local church position. The guitarist and singer, who's made quite a name for himself for incendiary and provocative songs is starting a church this spring in Nashville.

"We still don't have a name," jokes Webb. "Which is kind of a big deal. We have a short list of names, but can't decide."

When asked what sort of values this new church will promote, Webb is quick with an answer.

"Anger. Obviously anger." According to Webb, other principles will include extended worship sets with "darker, more indignation" and sermons that fight against consumerism and conservatism. When asked about sermon themes, Webb is more evasive.

"We'll take it week by week. I think our first sermon series is going to be called 'Pissed and Praying.' I think it's gonna' be a good one."

Jimmy Kimmel makes me laugh...

I Can't Decide Where To Point My Anger...

Initially, I thought I was angry with the tall, thin, red haired boy who works the first window. He's certainly deserving enough, what with the bored, monotone way in which he "thanks me" and hands over my change as if it's a huge physical strain.

I get being bored, but this guy is too bored. He's like every ridiculous apathetic fast food working in sitcom television. He's comically bored. He's bored in a way that some fictional character is bored. And it drives me crazy.

So, I was angry at him. At first. But then my anger shifted.

To you.

Yes, this is your fault. Not you, but "you" in some sort of collective sense. Suddenly, I realized my problem wasn't necessarily with Mr. Sadness at the front window. My problem was actually with 200 people who've driven by the window before me on a given day. Sure, it's a short experience - pull up, hand him money, get change, drive away. But has anybody leaned into the second window and said, in a gracious way,

"Your first window guy needs to dial down the emo..."?

And that's when I realize that I'm not made at him. Or even you.

I'm mad at me.

'Cause I'm the one writing about it. I'm the one noticing it. And I'm the one who gets indignant only long enough to get my chocolate shake. Then I'm out of there.

It's not your fault or the manager's fault or even the kids fault completely...it's mine. All mine.

And that's why I'm a loser.

Now, who's feeling emo, huh?

Yesterday, at church, we announced our "service time change." On November 1, we'll be moving our services to 9:30 and 11:00.

This past week, we decided to have a little fun w/ some video promotion. On Friday, this video dropped on Bethel's Facebook, YouTube and Twitter:




Our idea was to provide a good setup...that folks would be interested to find out what the solution was. Then, yesterday, before Ross took the stage, we played this conclusion to the video:


We left the final screen up for a good while so that Ross could talk through this change while the overall look of the video was still there. (Never tried this before, but we liked it...) I ended up really pleased with these. They're just goofy videos, but they got the job done.

(LIST)

• Album news: I am absolutely in love w/ Pearl Jam's Backspacer. Conversely, I can't make it through the new Fee record. Not trying to hate...I just can't get into it. The Jared Anderson record is awesome, and I hope folks can see past "How He Loves" the abundance of songs that are stronger in my opinion.
  
  
• Communications stuff at Bethel kicked my tail this week. I'm excited, but I've got to do a better job of managing communications and worship.
  
  
• Church dudes on Twitter in Tyler are driving me crazy. We're all re-posting the same junk from the same guys who all reposting the same stuff from the same five people.
  
  
• It's Friday - my day off from a long hard week. So, why is my wife off having coffee with a friend while I'm at home doing laundry and taking out the trash?
  
  
• I want to make a new rule: no twitter posts during conferences. We don't have context, gang...those great lines spoken in a conference center of thousands fall flat on twitter. You're not doing those speakers any service.
  
  
• I'm realizing that this is an amazingly negative list. Better try to pick up the energy here.
  
  
• Nothing's better than a slightly melted Snickers.
  

Something totally original from Hollywood...

(LIST)

• I can't stay away from the show Hoarders. But, man, it makes me want to get up and clean stuff around here.
  
  
• My son is driving me crazy. And I'm not dealing with it well.
  
  
• Graphic design amazes me...my appreciation for people who can make things look cool continues to grow.
  
  
• I can't stop watching the West Wing. Kristen is so sick of stories about Bartlett and crew.
  
  
• I don't know who decided that Pop Tarts were for breakfast. Everybody knows that they are the perfect late-night snack.
  
  
• I've been grouchy lately. That isn't like me. If you see me and I look grumpy, hug me.
  

Netflix Mission: Review

No, I haven't given up. In between worship leading, communication work, songwriting, maintaining an awesome family and editing an almost-daily-vlog, I've been wading through my movie list. So, here's another review...although it's late!

Like Jimmy Stewart? Like murder mysteries? Well, then, stay away from this movie because neither of those things are very good in it.

I was surprised to learn this movie was nominated for 7 Academy Awards when it came out. The writing is awful - bit parts are developed are way too in-depth and key players are stereotypes. I think it would have been better with less back story development and more courtroom drama. Once Stewart and cast get into the actual trial scenes, the movie gets pretty good.

The ending wasn't great. I was left feeling that it didn't matter to Stewart's character what actually happened to and with his clients. Granted, Jimmy Stewart is usually great and, for what it's worth, his part here was strong, but there was just too much weakness all around him to make it work for me.

Anybody else seen this?
Who agrees with me?
Who thinks I'm a fool who should be kicked in the kneecap?

So Wanna' Be In A (Worship) Band...

As weird as it sounds, I've been leading worship for almost 19 years. Sure, it started out with a chubby 14-year old kid singing to split tracks, but I've basically been leading worship for over half my life at this point. Any time you do something for near-20 years, you're going to have some tips or tricks or hints for others in your field who may be newer to the job.

I thought it might be fun to try to boil down my thoughts on worship bands into one tip for each instrument. Granted, every team is different, but I tried to go very general with instruments. Apologies if I skipped that one instrument that makes your team rock so very hard.

• DRUMS - be consistent. In tempo, in rehearsal, in arrangement. You are more vital than you know. You've need to bring it...every time.
  
  
• ELECTRIC GUITAR - you need to have three no-fail, go-to, dependable tones for worship. One good, cutting tone for leads/riff. One nice, slightly overdriven tone for rhythm. One ambient tone for layering and synth-like transitions.
  
  
• ACOUSTIC GUITAR - two things. First off, know your charts. You're one player who can relax a bit and listen to the rest of the team to determine what you do. Secondly, do not use effects. Chorus and flange and delay all work to kill any percussive elements of your instrument. Find a good tone and do that job!
  
  
• PIANO - some times piano in a worship band feels like a mathematician trying to paint a watercolor. It's tricky. Piano players, spend time on your own w/ chords. Just chords. Knowing your chords w/o thinking will allow you much more flexibility on improvising.
  
  
• SYNTH/KEYBOARDS - Good synth tone is hard to find. Work hard at avoiding "spaceship" sounds. Watch out for B3 organ patches...they're hard to get right. However, your keyboard probably has strong electric piano/rhodes tones and good string/horn patches. Don't be afraid of them...get in there!
  
  
• PERCUSSION - Good percussion takes a band to a whole new level. Bad percussion just makes everybody sad. Listen deep to tracks...there's always shaker or tambourine or a programmed loop that you can add to make the song come together. It's the small stuff that will help you succeed in your spot.
  
  
• BASS - We hear a lot about 'playing less' in worship. And that's a fair point. But not for you. Bass player...learn your chops. Work on big fat bass tone. And cut loose on stage. Your creativity and passion can support the drummer and the overall dynamic of the team in a way not many other instruments can.

What about you? You got thoughts on these (or other) instruments?

Listen, I'm new to the world of Apple. Up until moving to Tyler, I was a Windows guy. And I've tried to be very honest that there are definite aspects of PC computing that I miss. (In fact, I foresee one of those cool new Netbooks in the Wright family's feature! They're tiny! So cute!)

I've also tried to not to turn into an annoying jerk about Macs. (Ever met any of those? Probably not.)

But my friend Bethany linked this on Twitter recently and I was so surprised by this strange video this is regarding new Windows Seven Launch Parties.



I don't know anything about Windows 7, but this just seems like such a poorly executed marketing tool. This feel weird to anybody else?