The day I tried to live

Washing Ramparts and Pealing Onions

I was watching a baseball game the other week and came to a harsh realization during the National Anthem. I dont know what a rampart is!  And I'm not sure if we watched it or washed it, cause I use the words interchangeably in the song ALL THE TIME.

It's been a long time since 4th grade social studies, and I'm sure I'm not as unpatriotic as I am just plain forgetful.   But sometimes I just don't think about what I'm singing.  I dont even notice it, and sometimes I just plain dont care.  That's pretty bad for a musician.  Even worse that Im the one singing songs every week with people!

I wonder how often that happens in a worship service?  How often do we sing things we don't understand and just breeze right over it.  It's actually one of the things I appreciate about well written songs, it takes some work to peel back the layers.  Many songs today can be real surfacy and plain.  A good song should be like a nice thick onion.  A once over wont do.  you have to take out your knife and start peeling and get down to that next layer, and the next one after that where it's fresh and smooth... let it invade your senses and... do I see some tears?  That's probably taking the analogy to far into cheeseland, but you get it.  Good songs take work.  And how often do we take the time to learn about what we're singing.

Next week I'm teaching in our evening service about this very thing.  So help me get my thoughts together on this.  What songs do you have questions about, trouble with, or dont get?

A few examples.

Come thou fount  " Here I raise my Ebeneezer"  Who is Ebeneezer, why is he in this song, and when can I put him down??? 

"Hosanna" - A word of praise as Jesus was riding into Jerusalem.  But it has a historical Jewish meaning significantly different than in that context.

Even the word "Hallelujah"  What does that literally mean? is it different from "Alleluia?"  Sounds good... been saying it for a while... but what am I saying?

The entire song Days of Elijah - "Dry bones, fields of harvest, laboring in vinyards, year of Jubilee, Zions hill?"  So much imagery, so little time.

I think it also helps to get to know the stories behind these songs.  Song like "It is well" "Blessed be your name" "Jesus paid it all"  "The Heart of Worship"  have some very cool history behind them. 

So here's your encouragement to peal the onion on your worship songs and do your homework so you're not washing ramparts.

Also... Help me out.  What other corporate praise songs or hymns should I include in my talk. 

Why I cant stand the David Crowder Band 50% of the time

A little history.  I actually love the David Crowder Band.  I first got into them when 'Can you Hear Us" came out and loved that album.  Musically I felt like the church took a huge step forward in relevance and creativity with the rise of their popularity.  The use of electronic beat, turntables, and all the crazy space sounds was exactly what I was looking for to give me a fresh take on the christian music scene.  Contrary to other popular christian bands I was into at the time (Third Day, Caedmons Call, Jars of Clay - note, I was not into christian music at all until these guys) DCB had a unique sound that I had not heard in mainstream music. 

Disclaimer #1 -  I am not that guy that is totally engrossed into the music scene and listening to 8 awesome bands that no one has heard of.  I'm the guy that has 2 or 3 of those friends that I'll frequently ask what good stuff is out there I need to be listening to.  So when I say DCB was fresh and new for me, it's very possible that a similar band came through the ranks years before and  missed it)

However, to this day, when i hear DCB on worship compilations I know I'm going to get a different sound than the rest of the artists.  A sound that resonates with me personally.  What David Crowder Band does well is creatively express biblical themes. 

What drives me crazy as a worship pastor is that off of 4 major albums, I can only use like 2 or three songs in corporate worship.  The other potential songs are a GIANT tease. 

Disclaimer #2  This topic is pretty subjective.  Is there a perfect worship song?  Is there a right way to write worship songs?  I dont know, I think so, but I dont like putting nice boxes around everything.  So I speak 30% from personal taste, 30% from general experience, and 30% from my philosophy of corporate worship song structure.  Theres another 10% floating around but I'm not sure what that is. 

Other than the 2-3 songs that are suited well for the corporate singing, there are a handful that "fill me up buttercup baby just to let me down."  They follow a very similar pattern.  Excellent creative music... chorus that is a perfect hook and relevant cry for the worshiper... AND THEN... verses that are obscure and syncopated, hard to learn unless you actually go out and buy the album.  I know there will be many that would argue that point, but I'll assume those people also went out, bought the CDs, know the songs, and are probably fans of the DCB.

Songs that lend themselves to corporate worship:
Our Love is Loud
Only you
Thank you for Hearing me
I'll force "O Praise Him" into this slot because the Chorus is SO good that people move past the verses taking about our constant divine singing and la la la la's pretty easily.  Also probably their most popular song.

Songs that are 50% amazing and 50% frustrating:
Here is our King
Everything Glorious
Wholly Yours

"Here is our King" is the one that gets me the most.  Upbeat song.  Awesome chorus. Amazing chorus.  I love everything that is communicated in this chorus.  And it's surrounded with absolutely obscure verses and bridge that make you think the whole time "what the heck am I singing about?"

Chorus
Here Is Our King
Here Is Our Love
Here Is Our God, Who's come to bring us back to him
He Is the One
He Is Jesus

Verse 1
From wherever spring arrives to heal the ground
From wherever searching comes the look itself
A Trace of What we're looking for 
So be quiet now and wait

Bridge 
The Ocean, Is growing
The tide is coming in
Here It Is

Verse 2
And what was said to rose
To make it unfold
Was said to me here in my chest
So be quiet now and rest,
So be quiet now and rest....

It's frustrating for me that there are such good, relevant songs out there that only half usable.  I can only stand Tomlin, Redman, Hughes, Baloche, etc... for so long... it starts to sound the same.  I'm not saying I want my DCB songs to slide into that format.  Just tweak the verses man!  Many worship leaders use these 50% DCB songs anyway and I'm sure it's fine. 

Another thought.  It's very possible that DCB is bringing us into a new age of corporate worship this is more artistic and symbolic than concrete and structured.  Much like the shift from Modern to Postmodern... which is a larger conversation of course...

Like many of us out there, I still love DCB, and am listening to them right now.  I guess my point is... tweak the verses DCB.  Help a brother out.

Next week I'll share a little about what I think about songs... or what makes a good corporate song.

Broke A String

I broke a string this morning during the FIRST SONG!  That's frustrating.    It's no so bad when it happens at the end of the set, but when you have 7 more songs to play... yeah.  It becomes one of those moments you wish you could transport out of. 

The problem is not that you have one less string to play.  Although that can present a challenge, you can maneuver around it.  The real problem is that it throws your instruments tension all out of wack and in turn all your strings go out of tune with each other and everyone in the band.  You really cant keep playing becuse it will sound horrendous.  You cant really stop if you are the driving instrument or your band may stop.  It's a worship leaders nightmare.  Performers can get away with it, stop midsong, make some jokes, and people understand.  I personally try not to draw to much attention to myself or the things going on on stage.  Sure there are those fun moments, real moments that are supposed to happen. But when youre trying not to break the flow or distract people and really be invisible, you have to be more creative. 

Solution:

Today I just rode it out playing the first song out of tune.  It wasnt too bad this time cause I was only playing with one bass player.  My plan of action is to always tell people to turn around and say hi to their neighbor in between songs so I have a minute to rip the string out, retune, communicate to my team, and get my thoughts together.  Then we continue on...  It's frustrating though... and takes me out of the worship moment. 

I figure the best thing I can do is make sure it doesnt take other people out too.

I'd rather not have these Sundays though.  BLAH!

New Acoustic Jams

From our Lincoln Park campus.

Download come_thou_fount.mp3

Download micah_68.mp3

Download god_of_justice.mp3

Download in_christ_alone.mp3

A Few Songs

Just thought I'd put up a few old songs.  Enjoy.

Download 01_we_are_hungry.m4a

Download 02_lamb_of_god.m4a

Download 03_when_all_is_said_and_done.m4a

Download 04_blessed.m4a

City of God

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.  It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth.  Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King." ~ Psalm 48      

If you've ever been to Jerusalem, you know what this Psalmist is talking about.  It is one magnificent landscape.  One of great hills and deep valleys, winding roads and forest groves.  You can tell that He carved it's horizon to His pleasure. 

I was reading this Psalm one day that described Jerusalem as the city of God; not only in it's beauty, but also in it's renown. The surrounding nations and Kings knew where the people of God were.  Where they worshiped, where His temple was established, and where Kings submitted (and disobeyed) to the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.  The City of Jerusalem was synonymous with God's name and his people.  Today that perception has changed a bit, but is still regarded as sacred ground to many.

I began to think about what that might look like today, that a city or a region might be known for God's name and his people.  What would it be like if a city like Chicago went through a revival.  That churches united and joined together to renew the city for His glory.  What if the nation and even the world would look and taking notice that the skyscrapers that draw the skyline began to fill with a people in love with God.  And that city like Chicago would be known as a place where God's people dwell.

I wrote this song about that dream.  The recording is a bit rough, but I think the dream is a good one.

Download city_of_god.wmv