Wow...

Caught this video today via JordonCooper.



I'd encourage you to click the video and go check out the "more info" section on the video's YouTube page. The guy who created this video has a pretty interesting story and a bold take on the worship-music-subculture.

I'd love to know what you think?

Is this video just humor?
Is it spot-on?
Is it too far?

TUNES

Okay, worship folks...let's do a little survey. Many of us have been ramping up to Easter - saying things like, "After Easter, I'll get to that." or "We gotta' work out that song after Easter!"

Now that a lot of you are recovering from Holy Week worship, I've got a question for ya!

What are some songs/videos/other art you're planning on bringing to worship in the near future?

The Louie Giglio Vlog

THE TENS..."How Great Is Our God."

The Tens is a blog series where I look at songs that have consistently stayed in CCLI's Top 10 List over the past five years. In each post, we discuss what makes these songs great and why they're important to churches.

For this post, we'll be looking at Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God," a song that's quickly risen to the top of CCLI most popular songs. For each of these posts, we'll be following this template.

WHERE I HEARD IT FIRST:
Many of us typically hear new worship songs in our churches, then go out and find the album with the tune. In the past, Chris has often introduced new songs in a live version via the Passion organization, then placed full-studio versions on his individual releases. I don't think "How Great Is Our God" had appeared anywhere before, though. If I'm remembering correctly, I think it was the first or second radio release, but I heard it first on the record.

WHY IT'S SUCCESSFUL:
I think there are a few reasons why the church has latched onto this song. A couple of those reasons are consistent with most anything that Chris releases.

• First off, I think the song is emotive. Chris has done a fantastic job on the melody here. It's almost impossible to sing this song without becoming a bit excited by the overall "feel" of the way this melody works.
  
  
• Secondly, it's singable. Think about it - slow tempo, a chorus that easy to remember and a dash of the unique ("sing with me...")
  
  
• Third, it's a tune that hangs on that chorus. That's why the acapella choir part at the end of the studio version (and in live settings, too) is so cool...because it's the crux of this piece. The chorus is simple, but smart, songwriting.
  
  
• Fourth, it's about God. We hear people complaining all the time about how there are so many "me" songs in worship. And that's true - there are a lot of those out there. Personally, I don't think those are all bad, but I do think that Christ-followers are prone to engage more fully and passionately with songs that are about God and not ourselves.
  

3 TAKES:
I typically respond to worship songs in three ways: as a worship leader, as a songwriter and as a worshiper. Of course, those three things are constantly overlapping, but they each individually shape how I think about a given song.

• Worship Leader - Like it or not, "How Great Is Our God" has all the qualities of the old standby. It's one of those tunes that's crossed denominational, regional and age lines. You can throw this one into a set and be guaranteed that folks are going to know it. The danger with songs like that is that you can kill them quickly. My worship leader "take" on this tune is that it has to be placed just right in the set. I've got to really be watchful and aware of when I utilize this guy. Placed correctly and wisely in an order of worship, it can be a powerful tool to make sure our focus is on God alone. Placed wrongly, or used too much, and this song feels about an hour long.
  
  
• Songwriter - As a songwriter, I marvel at this song. Personally, I've never really liked the verses that much. They're easy to sing and remember, which is good for worship songwriting, but I've always felt that the great chorus overcomes whatever shortcomings might happen in the verses. I think the bridge is fantastic...maybe one of the best worship bridges written in a long time. ("Bridges" tend to be the most difficult part of songwriting.) Tomlin and crew did a great job on this one...the strengths are so abundantly strong that the weaknesses don't even matter. I still think the song is too high. This might seem like a worship leader concern, but as a worship writer, I work really hard at being sensitive to congregational comfort when it comes to range. Sometimes, those can't be totally avoided, but the songwriter in me think the song would have done just as well a step or two lower.
  
  
• Worshiper - I like this tune. It's got tons of stuff I dig...percussion, cool acoustic work during the verses, really great texture. Personally, I never felt it was the most awesome-song-ever, but I completely understand its appeal. This is one of those that's run its course for me.
  

So, what about you?
Thoughts on "How Great Is Our God?"
Got thoughts on why it's such a success?
COMMENT BELOW!

Russell Martin just kicked off a new thing over at his blog called the "Online Songwriter's Showcase" and I posted a new tune on there.

A lot of you may remember me doing an episode of "SongWrighting," where I played a couple of verses and a chorus of a new tune called Forever Faithful. Well, thankfully, I finished the tune and tracked a real simple demo of it. I'm still missing the riff that I keep hearing in my head, but I was so jazzed by Russell's idea, that I threw it up there anyway!

So far, there are three tunes on the site. I'd encourage all you worship songwriters to give it a try!

Check it...

Mondays Are Back...

Some of you know that I am officially finished with my worship commitment over at the Immerse Bible Study. I thought it would be good to thank the Immerse team and maybe even try to process some of my thoughts on worship the past couple of months.

• THANKS! I cannot thank Randy Prosperi and Ross Conner enough for this awesome opportunity...it was an absolute pleasure to serve on Monday nights. Both of these guys are passionate about serving college students in the Tyler area and I'm glad to have partnered with them in that! In addition, I've been encouraged by students like Scott Conaway, "Dal," AdrianA. and Danielle who are so faithful to serve each week. And I can't forget our musicians...Andrew Pulley, Paul James, Jason Scott, Dale Bradley, Aaron Laird, David Moody and Justin Romack all added their considerable talents to worship and it made a huge difference.
  
  
• I've learned a lot over the past few months. I've been challenged by the need to get to know a new crowd quickly and to work toward finding songs that "work." This is always a hard balance...finding songs that people like but also serving those people as a pastor. I've enjoyed their passion. The Immerse crowd is diverse - but one consistent element is their passion for the Father. I've been inspired by that.
  
  
• I'm glad to have my Monday nights back! I've loved doing it, but it will be nice to spend Monday nights at home again!
  
  
• I've got nothing but good things to say about this experience...some folks have asked about my "leaving." Let me assure you that all is well. This transition out was talked about long before I started, so it wasn't any huge shocker. I look forward to hearing (and hopefully seeing-in-person) more great things about Immerse on Monday nights!

Thanks to all of you who have watched the online broadcasts, asked me about Immerse, commented on blogs, etc.

Who knows what I'll take on next....

Today, me and the crew (otherwise known as the TWB) will head to First Baptist Church, Lake Jackson to lead worship for their Disciple Now weekend.

Posted an update over on Facebook and had planned to put it here, too, but who likes media saturation, right?

I feel pretty confident we'll be able to do some sort of streaming broadcast Friday and Saturday night. (You never know, though...just ask @justinromack.) If not, we'll still try to shoot some video and post it when we can grab some internet.

Playing events like this is a blast - I love multiple day gigs. Playing a one night thing is always so hard...hard to connect with the crowd...lots of pressure to be super awesome very quickly in a short amount of time. Those events have their place, they're just really hard to do.

Events like this DNOW are great because not only do I get three full sets to lead the students, I also get to hang out with the guys for three days. This weekend's lineup looks to be pretty interesting. Here's who I'm taking.

• Justin Romack. While it's true that Forrest Layton is the senior member of TWB, Romack is an undoubtable second. (However, if you're judging frequency of gigs, Romack has a serious leg up on Forrest. Just saying.) I don't need to spend much time on Romack. He's awesome. He's an amazing musician, but also one of the most humble amazing musicians I've ever met.
  
  
• Adam Fischer. I get excited everytime I can bring Adam in for a gig. Yeah, Adam's gonna' learn his stuff, but you can guarantee that at numerous points during the week something unplanned and stunning will coming from his amp. I won't even try to make a comparison here, but let's say it like this - think of a really creative electric guitar player.
  Yeah. Adam's JUST like that guy.
  
  
• Philip Melton. I've done a couple of things with Philip, but this will be my first road gig with him. Philip plays guitar, bass, piano and drums. He sings. He writes songs. His hair is the color of a lovely golden sunset. Should be fun having him with us.
  
  
• Austin Hodges. I've never played with Austin. But here's what I know. He plays guitar great. And he's got big muscles. So, when we show up, people will think he's my bodyguard at first. I'm also terrified that I've screwed up and somehow combined his name with someone else and I'll keep referring to him with the wrong name. Which would be awkward.

That's the crew. Wish I could be more eloquent, but I'm busy packing up, trying to use Handbrake to rip some live U2 stuff down to mp3 for the drive down and kissing my family goodbye.

Stay tuned the blog for either broadcasting or a recap video.

Or both.

Who knows?

Todd Blog is party, kids.

...sometimes one line says it all.

"Just to know that You are near is enough."

What an important thing to sing.
RSB, gang.

Worship (As) Prep...

I talk a lot about worship as preparation.

Back on a WCMS post, my friend Jason I. asked me to explain myself a little bit. I'm happy to do that, because I know I need to be intentional about making my thoughts clear when it comes to worship. Though so many churches have embraced "worship" and made it more of a priority (regardless of style,) many of us forget to spend time formulating our thoughts and making sure they are clear.

This may seem a bit boring, but I figured I'd tell you what I think about worship...what I believe it should do...what I believe it accomplishes.

1. Worship Is A Priority
   It's not that I forget this principle...I just tend to assume we're all in agreement on it. I believe God deserves praise - honest, passionate, reverent, unashamed adoration. Isaiah tells us (as do others) that God gets this non-stop in the Throne Room from the angelic hosts around Him. It's my belief that when the saints gather together, we are commanded to follow suit. We worship God with our songs and prayers and applause and silence because He is worthy of that. Plain and simple. Some folks call that "keeping the main thing the main thing."
   
   Worship is first and foremost about offering up our thanks and reverence to God. That aim ought to guide us...whether we're in a pew or on a stage or even alone with the Father. Personally, I think one of the best way to get in this mindset is to ask for God's help - His help in reminding us of the great things He's done; help in aiding us to recall what scripture says about Him; help in express our thanks in ways that are Biblical and reverent.
   
   
2. Worship Is Personal
   Worship is an amazing thing because, at its core, it's a personal thing. Even though we gather together corporately so often to do it, each of us bear a responsibility to come with our hearts and minds prepared.
   
   Lots of folks would agree that "worship is personal," but unfortunately, many of us don't to anything to get ready for it. We just roll in and start worshipin'! Worship leaders and pastors also bear a responsibility in this - we've got to do a better job of pastoring our people and teaching them how to set their minds on things above before the actual worship service ever starts.
   
   In addition, when you get a room full of people who have come prepared in this way leading worship is one of the easiest jobs in the world!
   
   
   
3. Worship Is Preparation
   Jason I. is right...this is a big one with me. Because worship is a priority and it's such a personal matter, it can often loom larger than any other part of a corporate gathering.
   
   Years ago, I got convicted about this...in my own life and in what I saw in so many churches and retreats and revival services, etc. God began to convict me that I was more concerned and excited and hopeful and focused on the singing of songs than the study of His Word.
   
   To understand this conviction, let me pause here for a little statement of belief - I believe God's Word is divinely inspired. I believe that the Father, in His power, communicated these words to His prophets. I understand that interpreting the Bible is a difficult thing...and I don't have all the answers...but my personal belief is that it is the Holy and Inspired Word of God. I believe that it is without fault or error.
   
   However, I don't believe that worship songs are without fault or error. Personally, I don't believe they are the inspired Word of God. I don't think they are sacred. Blessed of God? Absolutely, but not divine.
   
   As that belief about worship songs grew in my life, I was convicted that I was placing more of my time and energy on the words of man (which are susceptible to fault) instead of the Word of God (which is without fault in my own personal belief.)
   
   Because of that, I believe that acceptable worship is that which will prepare us and focus us for his Word. In my philosophy, worship that doesn't do that is lacking something vital. This can take lots of forms - preaching, collective reading of scripture or even the worship leader reading scripture before a song - regardless, I think it's so important for us to make sure that God's Word is proclaimed every time we get together. I'm not sure if that makes me a fundamentalist or a Bible-ist or some such other -ist or-ism, but that's me.
   

What about you? What's your worship philosophy? If you had jot down some statements or core beliefs about worship, what would you say?

Love to hear from you!

Immerse Recap

First off, thanks so much for all of those who have asked how the kick-off for Immerse went on Monday. I apologize that I couldn't blog it up Monday night, but I had a retreat Tues-Wed and I just ran out of time.

I'm trying to edit some video of the worship, but that may have to wait until I can steal some time from something else!

Immerse went great. First off, the band did a wonderful job. Romack and Paul James held down drums and bass and Andrew Pulley, an Immerse guy, did piano. Andrew is very good and I'm looking forward to playing with him more. Romack and Paul were, of course, spot-on.

Not counting band and other volunteers, we had around 40 kids there. It felt great - laid back, casual, and the students were both respectful and passionate during the song set. For our first one of 2009, we were trying a couple of things...

1. New sound system. We opted for a smaller, more portable setup. I think it allowed for the crowd to hear themselves better during worship. I brought a couple of powered monitors and they worked great.
2. New stage. As you'll see below, we're on a small stage. The building we rent for this has a bigger, theater-style stage, but once of Immerse's founders built a great stage that was about half-as-tall as the normal staging. Made the service feel a lot more normal and cool that way, in my opinion.

We'll see what next week holds. I've got to put a setlist together as soon as possible and I'm hoping that I'll get the chance to get to know some of those kids better next week. For the rest of the week, I'll be posting a few video clips of the worship set...in case you enjoy watching such things. You might have to crank volume a little to hear Paul and Andrew...they both did good, but I'll probably have to bump them in the house a bit next week.

It's Here!

WHY COLLEGE MINISTRY STINKS, Part 1

As I prepare to start leading worship for "Immerse," a city-wide college Bible study, we're looking at common challenges within college ministry. I'd love to know what you think about these posts...what you've seen, learned, experienced through ministries like this.

Nobody's Got It All Together...

Challenge #1 in city-wide college ministry is one of Identity.

I'm not sure why it happens. I have my theories, but I'm not convinced.

I think perhaps the church in general has become a victim of marketing.

Somewhere along the way, the church started believing there was a model for everything.

Starting a new contemporary service? Buy this book.

Building a new sanctuary? Watch this DVD.

Feeling discouraged? Go to this conference.

None of those things are inherently bad, but I do think years of marketing have put into us this idea that the way to do ministry to find the guy who's doing it best and then copy him.

I've been to "Metro." And "Breakaway." I've listened to the Passion podcasts and watched online footage of these huge college ministries. They're phenomenal. They're awesome.

But they're probably not us.

The challenge of identity in college ministry is a tough one. We're trying to serve a group of people who are in the midst of making huge life decisions. That's an important time and it's hard to know how to best minister to these students. So many times...we just try a formula and hope it works.

HOW TO BEAT THE CHALLENGE

I'm not trying to imply that I have all the answers here, but I do think there are some things we, as ministers, can do to protect ourselves from suffering from a cookie-cutter mentality.

1. Stop Envisioning
   We all do this. We plan an event or a song or a sermon and then we daydream about how it's going to be. We try to imagine how many people are going to be there and what's the response gonna' be like. (Most of the time, we imagine the room full of screaming, adoring worshipping people.)
   
   Dreams are important and having an overall vision for your ministry is vital, but we've got to stop daydreaming. We've got to stop building up our services and outreaches in our minds because no matter how great the event is, it will most likely never be as great as we imagined.
   
   By staying focused and keeping envisioning to a minimum, we operate in a much more healthy and prayerful way and we just might end up surprised at what happens at our event.
   
   
2. Invest In Relationships
   Your college ministry is not going to look like Northpoint's. It's not going to feel like Northpoint's ministry feels.
   
   Know why?
   
   Because you're not Northpoint.
   
   The students in your ministry are unique...they bring a whole set of individuals skills and challenges and spiritual needs and unless we're willing to invest in getting to know them, we'll always being playing a game of chance when it comes to ministry. Rather than knowing our people, we're just throwing different styles at them, hoping that one of them will stick.
   
   If we'll invest in getting to know these kids, we'll find that a lot of the ideas we read about aren't really right for our people. And we'll also find that some tried-and-tested principles still apply. But we'll never know that if we don't make time for relationship.
   
   
3. Listen and Learn
   Some of us have very vocal students...if something isn't working, they let us know. Others have more quiet congregants. But if asked, even those quiet ones will probably speak honestly.
   
   If we're going to build an identity, we've got to learn from the students in our midst. I'm talking about doing more than just plugging them into some volunteer spot so they'll have "ownership." (Can you say buzz word, class?)
   
   I'm talking about having an open heart to these students...to approach conversations with the idea that it's YOUR job to learn something, and not the other way around.
   

HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you're a college student, you can do some amazing stuff to make sure our ministries are more healthy.

1. Call us on the Cookie-Cutter.
   If it's obvious to you that we're trying to copy somebody else, just tell us. Tell us that you see it and recognize it for what it is.
   
   Maybe encourage us a little, too, so we don't feel too horrible. But for the most part, just call us on it. Help us to know what parts of our services feel forced or trite.
   
   
2. Let us in.
   We want to get to know you. We want to learn from you. We want to hang out with you. We'll try not to be too weird and "old." We believe God's great stuff for you and we'd love to know what you think about that.
   
   
3. Speak up.
   We're gonna' forget to ask your opinion. That's a fact. We're gonna' get busy and distracted and every once in awhile, you may have to slow us down and help us process what's going on.
   
   It sounds silly, but worship is two totally different experiences based on where you're located. From the stage, I may think things are awesome...but out in the crowd, the service may be dying. So help us to know...we want to constantly learn and grow.

___

What about you all?

I know there's folks out there with college ministry experience!

Spill it...how can we do better in finding our own identity?

WHY COLLEGE MINISTRY STINKS, An Introduction

Over the next week or so, you'll be seeing and hearing a lot about "Immerse," a community Bible study for college students in Tyler, Texas.

While I am both honored and excited to be a part of this ministry, that's not necessarily fueling all the posts, videos and "tweets" you're going to be seeing.

I'm doing this because it's my way of asking you to walk with me in this and to help me.

Because it's hard.

In my experience, there are common "challenges" when trying to pull of something like Immerse is trying to do. And I commend them for it. I believe in it...I wouldn't be leading worship if I didn't. (Trust me...I don't like gigging that much. I play for places I can believe in!)

Over the next few days, I'll be looking at a few of these challenges from the perspective of a worship leader. Here's what I'm asking of you:

1. Comment. My perspective is mine alone. I'm just one dude and I'd love to know what your take on the whole issue of city-wide college ministry. Many, many of you are deeply invested in God's Kingdom and a lot of you spend a lot of brain power asking questions about our motivations and how we judge success.
   
   
2. Pray. I won't lie. I need prayer. I love leading worship and it's a big part of my life, but taking on a new place is always tough. I'm asking God to bless me in my ability to get to know the kids at Immerse and I'd be honored if you'd join me.
   
   
3. Talk. Services like these are not for everybody...but they are for somebody. I'm specifically asking those in the Tyler area to spread the word to college students who might benefit from a Monday night worship and Bible study time.

Personally, I'm not big on hyper-spiritual blogs. They tend to bore me. So I'll try to keep the posts practical and simple...so I won't bore myself!

As always, thanks for checking out the site.

And be back tomorrow for Part 1 - "Nobody's Got It All Together."

RECORD REVIEW

todd vlog ep. 27 - RECORD REVIEW from Todd Wright on Vimeo.

You can get the record HERE.

todd vlog ep. 19

Todd Vlog Ep. 19 - RECORD REVIEW from Todd Wright on Vimeo.

A few things...

1. If you'd like to follow the "almost daily" vlog, go subscribe over at my YouTube channel. Subscriptions are like currency over at YouTube.

2. If you've got a record you love and would like reviewed and shared here on the blog, just send me an email and I'll track down the music and give you my thoughts. (I'd love to also review books, but I'm way too slow!)

3. See that cool "Becoming" shirt? That's publicity, baby. Got a cool shirt of your own? Send me a shirt and I'll wear it on the vlog. (If it fits...XL or XXL should be fine. As long as my belly doesn't show.)

Upcoming...

I realize that my new cool new blog template is cutting the videos off along the right side. I'm sure there's a way to fix that, but I far too busy being a rock star to mess with right now. Maybe one of "my people" can work on it.


Upcoming Stuff from Todd Wright on Vimeo.

Thank goodness for blog readers, eh? Videos run fine in those!

One of the things I love about working at Bethel is the obvious passion that my co-workers have for the Word of God.

I've said it before and will say it again. These men and women that I work beside know the Word and find their joy and contentment in study and application.

I'm so honored to attend this conference next April. The Gospel Coalition Conference is going to be jam packed with insight into scripture and I'm really looking forward to it.

You can go here for more information.

This afternoon, some pals and I will be headed to Teague, TX to lead worship for a "Saw You At The Pole" Rally for 8th Avenue Baptist Church.

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even know SYATP was still a thing these days, but I'm glad to help my buddy Shaun out with some worship.

Here's the crew:

JUSTIN ROMACK - Drums, percussion, other sundry sounds. Playing with Justin is like having a warm blanket...no matter what happens on stage, he's gonna' be loyal, sturdy and get the job done.

BEN LOVE - Bass guitar, vocals. I know it might seem like I made this guy up...I mean, come on...a bass player named 'Love?' That's just too easy, right? But trust me, he's real. He's a member of the band Clairmont and one of Ross King's go-to bass players. Can't go wrong with that, huh?

SPENCE PEPPARD - Electric guitar. To say that Spence Peppard 'plays' electric guitar isn't really correct. He doesn't play it...he brings it under submission and wields it like a mighty sword of electrons and wattage and...I'm so bad at metaphor.

MARK KUYKENDALL - Mark is the Pastor of Student Ministries at Bethel. He's a gifted communicator, a sharp theological mind and he can do anything. Like, anything. Like...he may repair a car or something at the church when we're done. Mark will be preaching/teaching/'bringing the Word' for the event. I'm excited to serve alongside him.

ANGELA ROMACK - Anytime Angela can come on a gig, I'm happy. I love this girl. Not only is she a great help to Justin (and often the rest of us,) she also just a really fun person to be around. She's sincere and a servant and it's always fun to hang out. Now, it's rumored that Angela will be video taping some of the night. If that happens, you can count on a video recap on Thursday!

If we have time after setting up, sound checking, rehearsing, inputting projection, eating a snack and praying...we'll aslo check for wifi. A little Mogulus broadcast of the TWB would be fun, right?

Stay tuned! We're gonna' have a blast!

Skribit Friday...

Hey, look at that! The Skribit suggestion box is active again.

Well, let's take a look and see what we think...
WHAT ARE YOU FIND MOST AWKWARD ABOUT YOUR NEW SURROUNDINGS?

Great question. The most awkward thing usually happens when leave our house and hit this little four-way stop to head into town. Almost every day, we've looked at each other and said...

"We live in Tyler!"

It's been weird...to wake up every morning and realize that almost everything you're going to experience that day is going to be brand new.

Secondly, it's strange to not know where stuff is. We're constantly asking for directions. That's something we're not used to.

Lastly, getting to know a whole new group of people is interesting. Some folks you have an instant connection with...others require a more time to get to know.

WHAT TO DO WHEN BAND MEMBERS DON'T DIG THE WORSHIP LEADER'S STYLE?

Man, I hope one of my team didn't send this one in.

This is a great question, but it is a bit extreme (The original question said when "none" of the band members liked the worship leader's approach.) I would think it highly irregular for an entire team of musicians, singers, tech staff, etc. to dislike what the worship leader is doing. I guess it's a possibility, but I would think rare to be that intense.

But it does happen in smaller doses, I think. I can only speak from experience, and gladly, I don't have much in this area. Regarding my time at First Methodist and even my first few weeks with Bethel, I've had team members who have exemplified a Christ-like attitude. I've heard countless times "I'll do whatever you need" or "I'll serve as little or as much as you prefer" and I've seen enough to believe it!

I think a dislike of methodology or style is really an issue of trust. A team member doesn't like the way a leader is doing things because, for whatever reason, that team member doesn't trust that worship leader's going to maintain the integrity of what's been accomplished. (Sometimes, there are valid reasons to fear this!)

In what little experience I have in ministry, I have found that most team members don't voice this. Most of the times, this bitterness or resentment stays dormant, which is never good.

When I do have team members who come to me with dislikes of this nature, I try to do a few things:
1. Listen honestly to what they're saying. God speaks to us in many ways. Wisdom in a multitude of counselors, right?
2. Investigate the complaint. Rather than be dismissive, I try to make sure I've got the information, then I spent some time thinking and praying about what's been said. I never want it to be said that I didn't take correction.
3. Give feedback. When it's all said and done and I think there's a valid and healthy reason for the way I do my job, I try to communicate that. It's okay to say, "You know, I think this approach is beneficial and healthy and I'm not going to change it." Other times you say, "Gosh! You're right. I can do that better."

Musicians in general tend to dislike confrontation or criticism, so I usually do ask those with concerns to be patient with me. I really am a nice guy. And I want to do what's right.
________
Okay...that's it for Skribit Friday. Remember...if you've got a question or topic you'd like us to hit on the blog, share it! It keeps me from running out of ideas!

Startling News About "Healer"

From AdelaideNow, 8/21/08

'A FORMER Adelaide pastor who inspired hundreds of thousands of young Christians with his with his terminal cancer "battle" has been exposed as a fraud.

Michael Guglielmucci, whose parents established Edge Church International, an Assemblies of God church at O'Halloran Hill, is now seeking professional help.

Earlier this year, Mr Guglielmucci released a hit song The Healer which was featured on Sydney church Hillsong's latest album. It debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA charts.

The song has become an anthem of faith for believers, many of whom are suffering their own illness and were praying for a miracle for Mr Guglielmucci, who has claimed for two years to be terminally ill.

In one church performance that has attracted 300,000 hits on YouTube, he performs his hit song with an oxygen tube in his nose. The clip was pulled late last night by YouTube with the advice "video no longer available."

It appears that Mr Guglielmucci, who was a pastor with one of Australia's biggest youth churches, Planetshakers, may have even deceived his own family.

"This news has come as a great shock to everyone including, it seems, his own wife and family," Hillsong general manager George Aghajanian said in an email to his congregation yesterday.

"Michael has confirmed that he is not suffering with a terminal illness and is seeking professional help in Adelaide with the support of his family.

"We are asking our church to pray for the Guglielmucci family during this difficult time."

The Advertiser was last night told that Mr Guglielmucci may release a statement on the situation.

The Australian Christian Church said that Mr Guglielmucci's credentials were immediately suspended once he told the national executive that his cancer claims were "untrue".

"The National Executive is taking this matter very seriously and is awaiting the results of medical tests before determining the full extent of the discipline that will be imposed upon him," said vice president Alun Davies.

"We are very concerned for the many people who have been or will be hurt by Michael's actions. We encourage all of our churches to pray for all those affected."'
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