Recommended Seminar: Worship In The Valley

I've been listening to some of Sovereign Grace's most recent worship conference mp3's and want to recommend Worship In The Valley by Matt Mason which you can download for free. As someone who's live through Hurricane Katrina, not to mention several person tragedies, he know what he's talking about. Check it out.




Related Posts: Beauty Will Rise

Son & Daughters

No, it's not the return of a cheesy Australian daytime soap.
It's Sovereign Grace's new CD. Bob Kauflin has the skinny...

The songs are primarily meant for congregational worship, and focus on themes related to 1 John 3:1:

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,
that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The project came out of a perceived lack of songs that help us meditate on the unfathomable love God has shown us in adopting us through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5).

(Hey! Wait a minute...what "percieved lack"? I've written a song based on 1 John 3:1! Sorry, carry on Bob...)

We are now part of God’s family - in Christ we will forever be the objects of God’s particular and passionate mercy and love. We are not only forgiven, we are co-heirs with Christ, and never again have to doubt God’s care for us. That biblical reality, rather than leaving us focused on ourselves, drives us once again to proclaim the greatness of the God whose grace turns hopeless rebels into the precious children.

You can preview the album and download free sheet music at the Sovereign Grace Music site.



I'm pretty sure the songs are better than this one (Though it does have a catchy PDI era key change!)


Related Posts: More than I could say

Behind The Song: God Is Our Refuge

“rewrite, rewrite, rewrite”




God Is Our Refuge is a passionate, driving worship song based on Psalm 46 written for the Sovereign Grace Psalms CD.

The two writers, Joel Sczebel (Vancouver, Canada) and Peter Gagnon (Virginia, USA) wrote the song without ever meeting, working via email.

You can find links to download mp3's and chord sheets here.

+++

What was the initial inspiration?



PETER: I was reading through the Book of Psalms (more like scanning actually) in preparation for writing songs [for the album]. I was looking for Psalms that had some familiar language to them, but that were not overly familiar, and that could translate well to life in our modern world.

verse 1 -

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.

- is a strong opening statement that sets up the rest of the Psalm, I found myself coming back to it time and again so I thought that should be the chorus for the song. However, in seeking to connect the Psalm with the modern world I was thinking a lot about wars, famines, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes - the stuff our news headlines are full of. As a result, I wrote the 2nd verse first and then the chorus.


How did you come to write a song with someone you'd never met?

PETER: [When] I was about 95% satisfied I posted the lyrics [on the Sovereign Grace songwriters forum] with the hopes one of our other writers would write the melody for it. Joel picked up on it and wrote the melody in one night.



JOEL: I was working on another song for the Psalms album [You Will Never Change] but was stuck and couldn't think of a line that I needed for it so I went on the forum, found some of Peter's lyrics, and decided to see if I could come up with any melodic ideas for them.

PETER: He originally hammered out a demo on acoustic guitar, then I got together with some of the musicians in our church and we worked up an arrangement that sounded a bit more like Coldplay than the final CD version does.


How long did the song take to finish, and how much rewriting did you have to do?

PETER: The song took about a month to the (almost) final draft.

JOEL: When I write melodies I typically just pick a chord progression and sing what feels like a natural fit for the lyrics and then do a basic recording with just a vocal and acoustic guitar or piano. I usually end up writing 3 or 4 completely different melodies for a song and try to pick the best one but on God Is Our Refuge my first idea ended up being the one that was used.

PETER: I’m a strong believer in the writer’s mantra – “rewrite, rewrite, rewrite”, so after determining what the song content should be, and hashing out some preliminary ideas and rhyme schemes, I spend most of my time rewriting. Not being a particularly talented musician helps me focus on lyrics.

In pre-production Bob Kauflin, Joel, and I emailed back and forth for 2 or 3 days. Bob made a suggestion about switching the verses so they followed the Psalm more closely [and] we agreed that the song needed a bridge. I also revised verse 2.


Any further thoughts?

PETER: I think it’s important to study and take time to digest the subject matter I’m writing about so as to have some perspective and a few solid ideas when I start to write. As I studied this Psalm, I was also meditating on related passages in Psalm 2, Daniel chapters 10-12, and Revelation 22. Distilling and including ideas from those passages while highlighting the language of the Psalm was a bit challenging, but not unduly so.

Related Posts: Behind the song: Jesus, Thank You

Behind the song: The Weight Of Glory

GCN Set List: God is Our Refuge

God is our refuge is a passionate heartcry of trust in God's care from the Sovereign Grace album Psalms.

Words by Peter Gagnon, Music by Joel Sczebel.

(Read an exclusive Behind the song interview with Peter & Joel here)



The heavens shake, the mountains quake
And crumble to the sea
The oceans roar because the Lord
Is reigning sovereignly
And those who trust in You
Will never be afraid
Those who trust in You will not be moved

God is our refuge, our shelter and our strength
The Lord our fortress, our rock and our defense
God is our refuge, our help in time of need
He will always be our peace

All around us we hear the sounds
Of violence in the earth
The nations rage against Your name
Against Your mighty Word
And one day wars will cease
And endless peace will reign
One day all the earth will be made new

If You are for us, who can be against us
If You are for us, we’ll never be ashamed
If You are for us, who can be against us
If You are for us, we’ll never be ashamed

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)


Buy the song (mp3)
Buy the Album (CD or Download set)
Preview God Is Our Refuge and other tracks from the Psalms project
FREE downloadable chord sheet, Lead sheet & lyrics

Related Posts: GCN set list: Thank You, Jesus
Behind the song: Thank You, Jesus


(Thanks to Nato Etire for help putting this post together).

Behind The Song: Jesus, Thank You

(Update: A special welcome to all those visiting via Twitter.
When you've finished reading this post why not check out some other highlights?)


Jesus, Thank You appears on the Sovereign Grace album Worship God Live. You can find links for sheet music & downloads here.



Pat Sczebel is an associate pastor at Crossway Community Church, British Columbia, Canada who says "I don't consider myself much of a songwriter". His son Joel has also written worship songs for Sovereign Grace.


What was the initial inspiration for 'Jesus, Thank You'?

I don't have any specific method that I work from. Most of my songs begin in a quiet time with the Lord or on my way to or from the church office worshiping the Lord as I go.

I was having a time with him and freshly amazed by his mercy... pondering the mystery of the cross. The verse was my asking why? Why would You, the perfect Holy God make a way for me a sinner to be reconciled? The chorus was the only appropriate response to mercy... JESUS THANK YOU!

The first verse and the chorus pretty much came all at one time - I don't think there was any adjustments at all but several were made on the 2nd verse. It started with 2 verses and then my son wrote a 3rd verse which I thought was the best one and then in the recording process some of the guys felt that it was too long so they cut my son's verse.

How long did the song take to write, from initial idea to final draft?

The 1st verse and chorus - 20 minutes [but] I probably spent 6-8 months writing the rest of the song. It was still in process right up to the time of recording it on Worship God Live.

How much rewriting did you do?

There was a lot of rewriting the 2nd verse. I find it can always be difficult to know where to go after the first verse and chorus. It's crucial that you hold on and wait for the right lyrics rather than settling for something that has been said many times before. I think that's our greatest temptation - settling for lyrics that have been used in many songs instead of doing the hard work of coming up with a fresher way of saying it.




How did the song come to feature on the Worship God Live CD?

There is an interesting story! I had sent it [to the Sovereign Grace songwriting panel] about 6 months before a songwriters retreat. One of the guys at Sovereign Grace told me that the song was lacking on many fronts and he suggested I file it away and use it here locally if I thought it worked but that was about it.

I attended the songwriters retreat with 3 other songs, all of which they thought were pretty rough and in need of some help. Feeling a little sorry for me Bob Kauflin asked if I had anything else. I mentioned that I did have one other song but that I had already sent it in and another guy on their staff said that I should file it. Bob asked me to sing it and was very encouraging and felt that it needed to be recorded.

You just never know what God will do with your stuff!

Related Post: Welcome to Bob K's Twitter Posse
Jesus, Thank You (GCN Set List)

GCN Set List: Jesus, Thank You

Welcome to an occasional series highlighting some of the songs we sing at Grace Church Nottingham. First up, one from the Sovereign Grace group of churches written by Pat Sczebel and featured on the CD Worship God Live.

(Update: read an exclusive 'behind the song' interview with Pat here).

The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend
The agonies of Calvary
You the perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son
Who drank the bitter cup reserved for me

Your blood has washed away my sin
Jesus, thank You
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied
Jesus, thank You
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table
Jesus, thank You

By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near
Your enemy You’ve made Your friend
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace
Your mercy and Your kindness know no end

Lover of my soul
I want to live for You

© 2003 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

Buy The Song/CD
FREE Chord Chart
FREE Lead Sheet

Unoffical Video



Thanks to Nato Etire for putting this post together.

Forthcoming Attractions

Sovereign Grace are planning to work on three new albums this year.

A themed children’s CD on the fruit of the Spirit (planned released Jun).

A project on knowing God as Father - working title 'Sons and Daughters'. (Scheduled for release at the WorshipGod09 conference in Aug).

And a Black Gospel project in Nov.

Give it away now...

Sovereign Grace are selling their highly recommended CDs very cheaply during February and even halving the international shipping!

All CDs produced by Sovereign Grace Music (including Together for the Gospel Live, Psalms, Come Weary Saints, and Valley of Vision): $6 each

23 books (including Worship Matters, Worldliness, and Living the Cross Centered Life): $7 each. All books in the Pursuit of Godliness series: $4 each

Grab yourself a bargain!!

Worship God08 Seminars - part three

Here's a list of the seminars available FREE from the Sovereign Grace website from their WorshipGod08 conference.

Tech Team

Running an Effective and Peaceful Sunday Morning Rehearsal (Dave Wilcox and Ken Boer)
"Sunday Morning Rehearsal" = 'soundcheck'. This is a great seminar not just for PA guys but worship leaders and musicians too.

A Gospel-Centered Approach to Creative Media (Don Nalle and Dave Wilcox)
Caring for Your Sound System (Darryl Wenger)
In-Ear Monitors (Doug Gould)
Leading and Caring for Your Tech Team (Dave Wilcox)
Recording Your Song from Start to Finish, Part 1& 2 (Sal Oliveri)

Misc

Worship Team Checkup (Matt Mason)
Copyright Law and Church Music: The Eight Keys (Paul Herman)
Growing Your Team for the Glory of God (Jon Payne)
Maintaining Priorities in and around the Worship Team (Julie Kauflin)
Aimed at women who are either in the worship team or married to someone who is.

Pastors and Artist Musicians Working Together (Andy Farmer)
Training the Next Generation of Musicians (Ben & Nancy Chouinard)
This seminar is really about starting up a music school, so not really relevant to most people!

In Praise Of Train Wrecks

Train wrecks (of the musical kind) can be good for you. First, they're funny when happening to others. 

Two examples from my early years.

Rival band's drummer starts gig standing on bass drums, twirling sticks and 'making rock faces' at crowd.
RBD slips and falls through the kit bringing the whole thing crashing down on top of him.
RB plow through opening song while RBD meticulously reassembles every part of kit.
RBD finally sits down ready to play just as first song finishes. Classic.

Local metal band play opening song.
LMB's guitarist snaps top E string during widdley-tastic solo.
LMBGP walks off stage to find another string.
LMBGP walks back on stage, then off the other side.

House lights come back up.

LMBGP temporarily abandons search to pose with LMB for a photograph for local newspaper!!

LMBGP finds string.

Gig recommences with same song.

It's not just unknowns either.

King's X @ Rock City, Nottingham.

Start song.

Bass player sings verse 1 while guitar player sings verse 2.

Both start laughing.

Band stops.

Band starts again.

Van Halen @ Hallam Arena, Sheffield.
 

Sammy Hagar sings a sensitive solo acoustic number.

SH plays wrong chord.

SH swears loudly while hitting wrong chord several more times in an unsensitive manner.

SH continues song.

Being part of a church that values the role of the congregation in leading worship we have more opportunity than most for spectacular train wrecks, usually around transposition. Twice I've managed to change to a new key on my guitar while my voice went to a totally different one. Once two members of the congregation started two different songs at the same time. A keyboard player auto-transposed for the first song then forgot to change it back for the next, playing the WHOLE SONG a semitone out! The favourite though has to be starting 'The grace of God upon my life' a fourth away from the right key and being unable to get to the right one. Grinding to a halt after having sung

The grace of God upon my life

is not dependant upon me
on what I have done or deserved

was priceless!

Good for the Spirit

That's the second reason train wrecks can be good. They are powerful reminders that our worship gatherings are more than

musical skill + good planning + adequate rehearsal + good content

We're not trying to build atmosphere or even have a great meeting, but rather welcome the Spirit. And, praise God, He is not frightened by our musical disasters.

If he was he would have left Grace Church long ago.

So if you happen to be the cause of a major derailment next sunday, give thanks that,

it was only a regular sunday morning not anything like, oh I don't know, a major worship conference

No one was recording, much less filming it

Someone like Bob Kauflin wasn't around to post it on his blog for all to see