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?

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....

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!

The Process, Episode 2

The Process, Episode 2 (Advent Video) from Todd Wright on Vimeo.

The Process...

The Process, Episdoe 1 (Advent Video) from Todd Wright on Vimeo.

LarkNews Is Awesome...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — When Rivercreek Church introduced their newly hired executive pastor last Sunday, the congregation surprised him with a chorus of boos.

"I was startled, but given the economic climate I understand," says executive pastor Bill Evans, a longtime businessman who recently took the job.

Many executive pastors around the country are facing resistance, rumor and outright hostility from laypeople who see the hand of Wall Street reaching into their once-tranquil churches.

"I heard our new executive pastor worked for a Forbes 500 company in his previous career," says one man at a church in Ft. Worth, Texas. "We don’t need a golden parachuter around here."

At Rivercreek, rumors have circulated that Evans ran several companies into the ground, collected huge bonuses and went into church work because no one else would hire him. In fact, Evans left a successful company because he felt called to the ministry.

But many aren’t buying it.

"My first thought was, ‘If they’re hiring more pastors, we must be tithing too much,’" says Tom Rayburn, a member who had never heard the term "executive pastor" and doesn’t like "the Wall Street ring of it."

"If what I’m hearing about his sweet private sector retirement package is correct then he should be paying the church rather than the church paying him," Rayburn says. "I’d like to see our contract with him."

Others suggest that the church only hired an executive pastor because the senior pastor had been overspending and the board was reining him in.

"Why else would they bring in a controller?" says one woman. "We’re all asking ourselves, what did the pastor do wrong?"

One woman at a California church tried to find executive pastors in the Bible. The best she could come up with: Judas Iscariot.

"He handled Jesus’ finances," she says conspiratorially. "What are we to make of that?"

Back at Rivercreek some believe the senior pastor just wants to make himself feel important by "gathering a posse" around himself.

"He was never above balancing the church checkbook and hiring the janitors in the past," says Doris Rogers. "Why pay someone else to do it now except for pride?"

One thing unites them all: a fierce opposition to Wall Street shenanigans.

"I’ve had people come up to me in the foyer and say, ‘Don’t try any of that bailout stuff here, Mr. Executive Pastor,’" says Evans, who plans to lay low for a while. "It’s just not a great time to be an executive pastor."
Source: LarkNews

It should be noted that LarkNews is a fictional news site. The last time I linked an article from there, I assumed that my readers knew that. Oops.

It's made up. And it's hilarious.

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.

The Bethel Story...Intermission

I've had a few folks who have asked me how we "knew" that Bethel was the place for us.

That's a great question...if you've ever served in a church or if you even been close to a minister, you probably know that leaving a church to take a new place is a pretty weird thing.

I believe God "speaks" in many ways, but for us and for this particular move, here's what led us to accept this position:

PERSONAL

• This is what grabbed us first and foremost...every person we met at Bethel seemed like a long lost friend. This may not seem overly spiritual, but from the very start and on the surface, Kristen and I both felt like we were meeting people that we would enjoy serving alongside.
• Bethel's mission was in-line with what I consider our family's ministry philosophy. I group that in the "personal" category because Bethel's mission was voiced by many different folks from many different walks of life. That encouraged us...we knew immediately that the leadership of the church had worked hard to instill in the congregants and understanding of the driving force for the church's existence.
• It should also be stated that the previous two factors were definitely present at First Methodist, too. Sure, Bethel's a little bit different from FUMC, but these same two ideas - friendliness and mission - reminded us of what we liked about First Methodist from our very first Sunday.

PEACE

• We left our initial visits very encouraged by what we had seen and heard. But, we wanted to be careful and spend time praying about our decision. We had lots of reservations, concerns, questions, etc., about leaving FUMC and Lufkin. As most of you know our parents and extended family live in Lufkin, so we were fully expecting this to be a tortured decision. And then...it wasn't. Kristen and I both instantly felt God's assurance that this move was right. It's as if we knew were supposed to be upset/scared/stressed, but God was giving us tons of peace. It was amazing.
• Through prayer, I also had a very real sense of peace regarding the future of FUMC. If you've read some of the "Bethel story" already, you know that Chris (from my team) knew what was up. God began to work ideas and plans in my heart and mind regarding Chris and the other members of my Sunday morning team

PARTICULARS

• As ministry goes, this new church had needs that fit right in my skill set. I have learned a ton of stuff at FUMC, especially in trying new things that I had no experience doing! It's been a great learning experience and I feel confident in taking those abilities to Tyler.
  
• While Tyler is a new town and a bigger place, it's still so close to family, which is important to us.
• A lot of folks have asked if I'll continue playing "gigs." I'm not sure. I enjoy heading out to lead worship as it provides a whole new set of challenges, approaches and rewards. In my time at FUMC, I tried to limit my travel dates so that I'd be able to serve on Sundays. In a new place, I'm sure I'm going to be very busy getting settled in and I have a lot of ideas about stuff to try at Bethel...I'm guessing that may push the gigging out of the picture for at least a little while.
• I'm excited to begin writing songs within a new church...I really enjoy getting to know the people and trying to write songs that capture where we are as a church.

Next time, we'll continue the actual story of Bethel...parts 3 and 4 get GOOD!

This is a great idea. If you can help out, please do!
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Source: The Plow

Best/Worst

Best and Worst sermon you ever heard...

Todd Recommends...

Through A Screen Darkly (Jeffrey Overstreet)
Regal Books, February 5, 2007

I loved this book!

Essentially, this book highlights some of Overstreet's most influential film experiences, identifies their larger themes and then finds that same theme supported and celebrated in other movies.

In addition to this great collection of redemptive images found in movies, the book also speaks honestly and powerfully about "Christian movies" and "Christian movie critics." Overstreet is respectful, but its clear that he comes at film in a manner quite different from most other religious film organizations. The author talks very honestly about making good choices with regard to what we put before our eyes, but he also has a brain in his head and offers some nice counterpoint to the "hunker-in-the-bunker" mentality of many Christian movie critics.

I also found the book to be a great tool - throughout the work, Overstreet is actually teaching the reader HOW to watch movies; how to open my mind and heart to look for God in films that I might normally just pass over or consider unworthy of my time.

If you love film, I think you'll love Through A Screen Darkly.

CD News...

Couple of upates regarding All The Freed.

1. Starting next month, http://www.independentbands.com/ will begin selling mp3 downloads of songs in addition to CD sales. They'll be offering the downloads at twice the audio quality of standard iTunes audio files. To quote them, "it will be free of the much-hated DRM that will allow the audio file to play on any audio player or computer in the world." Yeah!

2. The record is now online at Rhapsody and Napster. iTunes should follow soon, but that process is a bit more time-consuming. They say it's a cool thing to be on these sorts of sites, as people are able to buy single songs and investigate your music in-depth. I do not who "they" are, but sometimes they're right.

If you can, spread the word!

Todd Recommends...

There are a few songs that have really been gets lots of play in Todd-Land. I thought it might be fun to share them with you all! If you know some of these tunes, feel free to chime in...

"All I Have" - Vineyard Playlist (Stand In Awe)
I like Vineyard stuff, but normally, I find their catalog just too unreliable. It's hard to buy a Vineyard album without listening all the way through because you never know what you're going to get.
But when they get it right, they get it right.

The Stand In Awe record is most well-known for making Jeremy Riddle the hot new thing in modern worship, but I think "All I Have" is the big shiny gem in this record.

Lyrically, the tune is solid and the melody is about as inviting as they come. True to Vineyard form, the arrangement is very simple. (Which I love...) They might be unreliable, but you can't say Vineyard stuff is hard to use!

I haven't found a place to use the song in worship yet. So far, I'm just enjoying it all on my own.


"Our God Above" - Andy Melvin (The Human Engine Waits)

In my experience, good rockin' worship songs are hard to find. I had heard of Andy. He's a worship leader at the Austin Stone Community Church and a gal on my praise team at our church came back from Austin one weekend bragging on their worship. I've yet to make my way through the whole record...mostly because I can't stop listening to track 1. I've got big plans for "Our God Above." The TWB will be trying it out on March 30th in Nacogdoches. (It's the tune that's playing behind the Remnant Promo I uploaded on Monday.)


"Lamb of God" - Scott Reed (The Life I Live)
"Lamb of God" isn't Scott Reed's song. It was written by Twila Paris in 1985 and since then has shown up on numerous records and in many, many Easter musicals. My plan is to learn this and play it at next week's Good Friday service. I really like Scott's version of the tune - nice and epic but still right at home in a church service.






"What Wondrous Love Is This" - Fernando Ortega (Beginnings)
I actually first heard this song last year as I tried very hard to work up guitar accompaniment for a Holy Week service. In the end, my guitar part was lame and I didn't particularly enjoy the song. This year, when I was looking through some Easter stuff, I found Fernando Ortega's rendition of the tune and decided to give it a listen, once again proving my theory that Fernando Ortega can make anything sound amazing. But beyond that, I think this version from Beginnings really gives this song the treatment it needs.

As best I can tell, the song is pretty much the same. There's a neat change of chord structure on the last few passes of the song that lift it dynamically without being obtuse about it. A great song. I'd like to use it sometime, but that would violate my Fernando Ortega theory: DON'T EVER TRY HIS SONGS. YOU'LL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH.
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So, there are the tunes I'm digging and thinking about using.

What about you? What are you listening to right now?

The Show...

I'm willing to bet that your church shows an increased number of attendees on Easter.

Your particular area might not see the "rush" as much as most, but we're all familiar with the fact that, typically, Christmas and Easter bring back family members and friends and occasionally those unfamiliar with the church who are visiting on the High Holy Days.

I don't care if you're in the hippest, coolest mall-turned-worship-center or in a building 2,000 years old, I think almost everybody puts on "a show" at Easter. Some of us do it for all of the guests or folks we think may not be in relationship with God. Some of us do it for ourselves - a little dash of pageantry to brighten up the day.

I'd like to know your thoughts...

First of all, does your church put on a show?

And secondly, why?

I think we're all from pretty varied faith-families and I'd love to get an idea of what Easter looks like for you all. (And don't be afraid to get specific...I WANT to hear about that goat you bring into the choir loft!)

Remnant Promo

Here's this week's promo for Sunday night's Remnant.

Talk About Your Revolution...

It's very rainy in East Texas. Not just a drizzle or a mist, but a pretty steady downpour that will eventually swell out of its gutters and runoffs and eventually flood our streets a little bit and generally inconvenience everybody.

This is the kind of rain you don't get out it. This is that sort of rain that makes you think crazy thoughts like: "Can I call in sick today?" or "I'll just pay that bill tomorrow," or "Where's the junk food in this house?"

Being the good worker bee that I am, I showed up at work today to brave the elements. There are just too many tasks and and I am a young, vibrant, passionate servent of God who's willing to do what it takes to make His praise glorious.

And then, I see it...

I'm walking down a hallway at the church and I glance outside across a tiny courtyard. From where I'm standing I can see perfectly into our "prayer chapel," that little known 20-seat sanctuary tucked at the end of our Education Wing.

The prayer chapel has a large window along its front wall, providing a nice view of the grass and sky for those sitting in the tiny little pews. And from my viewpoint, I can see through that window.

Old ladies.

I see their cars in the parking lot now, dripping with rain, the dirt long washed from the tires because these ladies have been here awhile. And they've been praying. No one talks about them or probably even remembers that they're praying in the chapel on a Monday morning, but this thing that they're doing - is massive. It's faithful and it's humble and it's wise, because those ladies know something that most of us don't.

Everybody talks about revolution. Everbody talks about young people and adults "rising up" or becoming an army of faithful followers of God. Everbody talks about this new wave of revival that's coming...

And this whole time, these ladies are praying. They're not going to conferences, they're not asking their pastor to pump them up every Sunday and get them spiritually super-charged. They're praying. Just praying.

While I sit here and work and toil and do my best to come up with stuff that's engaging and creative and dare I say "cool," they're praying.

Talk about a revolution...

Remnant Report: 20 people total, worship was good, sermon went okay. Learning a lot already about flow, greeting, setup, sermon prep. I think we're on the right track, though.

If you're in Lufkin on Sunday night, March 2nd...you should check it out.

Sacrifice Is Alive And Well (Depending On Who You Ask)

As a proud member of the Facebook nation, I was recently shocked at how many Facebook profiles I saw that said something like this:

I'm giving up Facebook for Lent.

I know there's something to be said/discussed/debated about a culture that is so entrenched in an internet network that they feel the need to "give it up," but that's not really my specific point here.

No, what I found most interesting (and encouraging) is that these folks are at least recognizing something that's taking their time and attention. Again - we can certainly discuss the year-round implications of Facebook addiction at another time - but I think that any time we see people, especially students, willfully recognizing the need for sacrifice, it's a good thing.

Maybe you think Facebook is evil. Maybe you think blogs are gigantic waste of time. Maybe you are offended at the thought of spending as much time on the computer as a typical high school student. That's okay.

But if a kid realizes that he or she is devoting attention, class hours, spare time, creativity and opportunities to be with, you know, real people, I think we should applaud that kid.

I want to be like that kid - I want to look honestly at my life and ask:

"What's stealing my time from me? What's taking precious hours of meditation and worship and fellowship from my life?"

And I want to do something about it.

It may not seem much to a lot of us...but for a lot of kids, giving up Facebook is a big deal...and I rejoice with them in their commitment.

COMING SOON...

What I'm Doing, Part II

I mentioned briefly in the last post that my theory is that young adults tend to value powerful presentation over pastoral care. While that's probably not the healthy way to live, I think we can extract some 'good' out of it.

Let me explain: I think its amazing that young adults who are Christians are so familiar with guys like John Piper or Rob Bell or Matt Chandler or Andy Stanley or Neil McClendon or Voddie Baucham. (That's quite a varied group, ain't it? Wouldn't you love to see all of them around a dinner table?)

Here's what I mean: I think that for the first time in a long time, young adults are more passionate about finding teachers that actually know their stuff. We've got an entire movement of Christan college students who are reading, hearing and studying deep, theological issues. I realize that all college students get a bit pretentious, but I'm willing to bet that Christian college students are better-read these days than, say, fifteen years ago. And that's what we're factoring into the Remnant.

Understanding that we are probably going to be dealing with a group of people who are used to, and expect, a certain level of quality in sermons, classes, studies, lectures, we've decided to invest our time in crafting study of the Bible that is going to be thoughtful, prepared, and well-delivered. In addition to that, we're intentionally playing down the "show."

The Remnant will be held in the "chapel" of our church, a small space with stained glass, pews, the whole deal. To be honest, the idea of "postmodern" or "ancient future" never occured to me as we picked this location. Frankly, I just love the room and have wanted to have more meetings in there for two years. (I'm a sucker for the stained glass at night.)

Lufkin has had multiple young adult outreaches over the years - all with full bands, projection screens, video clips and lots of pseudo-momentum - but none of them have lasted. I'm not against bands or screens. I like them and use them on every single Sunday morning. But I think there's something to be said for trying something that's more low-key in its approach. My prayer is that each of these services will communicate a relaxed atmosphere while also being very focused on the study of scripture.

Oh, did I mention that I'm the one preaching? Yeah...I'm not leading worship at this one, folks. That's worth the price of admission right there!