Exclusive Interview with Matt Redman

Wisdom Moon, founder of All About Worship, recently had the opportunity to interview worship leader/songwriter, Matt Redman, about worship leading, ministry, and his new album 10,000 Reasons.

Wisdom: Matt, thanks so much for taking the time to share with us today. I’ve followed your ministry since your album, The Friendship And The Fear. You’ve been a mentor to me from a distance all these years. I know that people like Mike Pilavachi have been a mentor to you when you started leading worship. How are you currently mentoring young worship leaders?

Matt: One of my favorite ways to get alongside younger worship leaders is to look at the whole songwriting thing together. It’s such a great way to hang out anyway – in every song there’s a conversation, a bible study and a creative sharpening. Honestly, I get quite a few songs and albums sent to me to listen to and comment on, and I can’t really commit to many of those because of how busy life is. But instead there are a few younger writers who I’ve committed to hanging with now and again, and we’ll songwrite and talk about God, life and music. I really enjoy that. Of course the funny thing is I’ll end up learning a lot too – because they have a new approach with creative ideas that would have never entered my mind.

Wisdom: Looking back at your experience in worship ministry, if you could share one thing with all the up-and-coming worship leaders in the world, what would it be?

Matt: Approach ministry as a ‘team-player’. That might mean co-leading or co-writing, but there’s such a huge spiritual and powerful strength in working together. God loves ‘team’. I hope this new album displays a little of that dynamic. All of the songs were co-written, and some have up to four different writers. We’re all linked by a love for God and friendship with each other – and that makes for such great writing experience. It fosters an environment where people can be honest and creative.

Wisdom: I’ve been listening to the pre-release of your latest album 10,000 Reasons. Another amazing live album from you, I must say! Do you prefer recording a live album over a studio album?

Matt: Studio albums are always an exciting creative journey, but there’s something about the live album recording when it comes to worship music that’s very hard to capture in a studio. I hope this album is creative and musical and all that, but I also love that it has some effervescence to it – the people of God pouring out their hearts before Him. I’m so grateful that we got to record this with around 1,100 worship leaders, musicians, singers, and pastors in attendance. It was like having a choir of over a thousand people!

Wisdom: What is one thing you would like the listener to take away from your album, 10,000 Reasons?

Matt: A ‘readiness’ to worship Jesus. At all times and in all places we need to have a song to sing. If we wake up one morning with nothing to say in repines to God, there’s something desperately wrong. When I say there are 10,000 reasons to worship God, of course that’s a huge poetic understatement! True worshippers are always ready with a prayer or a praise – a heart response to the goodness and greatness of God over their lives.

Wisdom: If you were invited to an event full of non-believers and could only sing one song from the album, which would it be and why?

Matt: Maybe ‘Where Would We Be’. It’s a song of salvation, but while writing we were thinking about the Chilean miners rescue last year – and so use a lot of imagery and language from that news story. They say a billion people around the world watched that rescue, and so it feels like a song which I hope could relevantly convey the story of Jesus – the One who came to ‘seek and save’ us – or, as the song says, to ‘search and rescue’.

Wisdom: Thanks again for taking the time to share some of your insights with us and about your new album. We pray that God will use it to advance His Kingdom in a powerful way.

Matt: A pleasure… thanks!

Check out Matt Redman’s new album on iTunes:

Exclusive Interview with Daniel Bashta

Wisdom Moon, founder of All About Worship, goes one-one-one with worship leader, songwriter, Integrity Music artist, Daniel Bashta.

Daniel shares about his music, life, and ministry.

Chris McClarney in the UK!

This year sees the first foray into the UK for Nashville-based worship pastor Chris McClarney. Combining one of our large summer festivals (week-long New Wine), with our leading winter worship retreat (Mission Worship), Chris also stopped by the small town of Braintree, Essex (around 40 miles North East of London) on Saturday night to play an intimate worship set at Christ Church Braintree. 

In my review of Chris’ album last month, I described my enjoyment of the simplicity of the production – it came across as a sound that would sound good if replicated in a live environment. My thoughts on this proved accurate, with a set-up that you’d expect to find in most churches – leader (Chris with lead vocals & acoustic guitar), electric guitar, keys (provided by Claire Hamilton, who also did backing vocals and led a couple of songs) bass, and drums.

The worship set was powerful, yet with a subtlety of arrangement and mix that meant that everyone could be heard, with no element of the band being too overpowering. A rhythm unit of Tim Cooke’s drums (Soul Survivor & Worship Central) and Matt Weeks’ bass (Vineyard UK) gave Chris & Claire a solid platform from which to express themselves, and express themselves they did.

Chris used several of his own songs, including “Your Love Never Fails”, “Defender”, “Your Love is Everything”, and his heartfelt version of “Blessed Assurance”. Interspersed with these came a variety of other well-known worship songs – his versions of “Came to My Rescue” and “Heart of Worship” particularly resonated with me.

Chris has a very open style to worship leading – he was very receptive to what the Holy Spirit had in store for us, and devoted a good amount of time in many of the songs to prophetic singing, revelation and response. Also included in the set were 2 songs led (and written by) Claire – a great praise chorus in “Come Satisfy Us” and the evocative “Lend Me Your Heart” – a superb song asking to further know (and indeed, be lent) Jesus’s heart for compassion, justice, mercy and grace. 

Chris gave us some great time to get to know him after the service, myself and my wife were able to spend a good 20 minutes talking to him, and it was nice to get to know him better. I’m pleased to say that Chris will be joining us twice more this year, for the New Wine summer festival, and also for the Mission Worship retreat in November – I am attending both events and am now looking forward to it more than ever!

Chris’ Defender album is widely available, check it out – our review is here.

-written by Ed Rotheram

 

Exclusive Interview with Sarah Lavigne

Wisdom Moon, founder of All About Worship, recently had the opportunity to interview up-and-coming worship leader/songwriter, Sarah Lavigne, about her life and music ministry.

Tell us about your personal journey of becoming a worship leader/songwriter.

Most people do not know this but I have only been leading worship for less than a year. My journey of becoming a worship leader and songwriter started about 15 years ago. A believer since childhood, I went to a large christian high school where I started leading worship in our morning chapel services. It was here I started to see the calling God had on my life. I found myself writing songs and learning every worship song out there.

At 19 years old, after a missions trip to Kenya, which had me fighting for my life from malaria and typhoid fever confining me to a “hospital” in a refugee camp, I walked away from God. I was left wounded from the experience and confused about God’s involvement in my life and it settled into a gaping hole in my heart.

There followed years of absolute terrible behavior and bad decisions resulting in me being in a place I loathed…where I was physically, mentally and spiritually.  I found myself laying on my Toronto loft floor, suicidal and desperate. It was then that I  encountered God. He audibly spoke, softly saying, “I would have come if only for you.” It was there the song, “No Sweeter Name” was birthed. My Father reached down and loved me back to Him and saved my life. It wasn’t fast or quick, but, slow. He took His time as He walked me through all the twisted paths to forgiveness, restoration and healing.

Through that time I wrote many songs that brought healing to me and now hopefully will do the same for others. For it was truly my heart to God. I don’t want to ever forget that intimate time with my Heavenly Father as He gently took care of me. Without going into every detail about the years I spent away from the Lord, I realize now that those years held so much meaning and reasoning to where I am today.

Thank goodness the Lord factors in all my mistakes when He called my destiny. About six months later an opportunity to go to the Bethel School of Worship out in Redding, California became available to me. There I had more encounters with the Lord. In truth we all have encounters when we are His children, but I had now learned to recognize them and listen as Jesus spoke into my life.

I dove back in and passionately sought after God with everything I had. My past showed me truly that He was the only true and best thing ever to be found in this life for me. He saved me. It has now been a year and half that I responded to the Lord who was desperately working on loving me back to Him.

Who are some of your musical influences?

It is really hard to answer this as my influences are so wide. I really love everything from jazz to country to hip hop – though none are my personal style of music!
I would say though that Amanda Falk, A Canadian Artist who I’ve loved for years and had the opportunity to become friends with at the Bethel School of worship, would definitely be a big influence.  She is an incredible singer/songwriter who inspires me. I absolutely adore this woman inside and out.

Daniel Bashta – He has something new and fresh which I truly believe is something our generation is looking for. His music stirs up something in my heart. His music is deep and not fluff! If that makes sense.  I also love John Mayer, Anberlin and Coldplay to name a few. What can I say? These last 3 artists are simply a talented bunch I appreciate.

You’re good friends with Dave Fitzgerald. How did that friendship come about?

Dave and his wonderful wife Christy are two of the closest friends that my husband Seth and I have. Dave and I obviously connected first through music. It was at Bethel actually, where he recorded his record Hope of Heaven. Get his record if you don’t have it!
Dave and I have connected quite a bit this past year doing some worship and co-writing together. He may not know this or even realize it, but it is because of him that a lot has happened for me. He really invested in me and he is absolutely an inspiration and brings some great guidance to me.

You currently have a Kickstarter campaign going to raise money for a full-length album. What led you to pursue recording an album?

I recorded my first self-titled EP last year and did not have a whole lot of intention of recording a full record. It was just a thought sitting quietly in the back of my mind. I was working on getting married and immigrating to the U.S. as my husband is American. In our first few months of marriage I found myself holed up in Cato, NY.

Newly married and living on 20 acres in the middle of the forest far from anything. Due to not having a working visa yet, I had nothing to do but spend time in The Word and …..write, write and write some more. This was an interesting season that birthed new songs. Through all this writing I had done, it surprisingly began to open doors of opportunity to lead worship in different places.

Then, Dave Fitzgerald put me in touch with Conrad Johnson of Inertia Sound Studio in Lakeland. One thing led to another and it was very clear it was time to release these songs on a full length record.

What can we expect from the album?

What I want to happen on this record is for God encounters to take place in peoples lives. One thing I do NOT want is for this to be just another album on people’s iTunes playlist that does not change people’s lives.

I believe you can expect true and honest songs that have come from a place of desperation and hope and then healing. A real revelation of God’s pursuit to invade your soul and bring you into your destiny. Yup, it’s a pretty high expectation I have for this record. I am super stoked to have Conrad Johnson and Dave Fitzgerald along with some other amazing musicians and songwriters involved in this project.

How can our readers pray for you and get in touch with you?

Well, first pray that my Kickstarter campaign is successful! Also, pray that we put together production and continue to write and finish up songs for the album that will hold a clear direction and a road map that will reveal what the Lord wants to do with this record.

And finally, your readers can get in touch with me via my website at www.sarahlavigne.com and also my facebook page Sarah Lavigne Music!

“Come And Drink”, Matthew Reed – CD Review & Giveaway

Upon becoming a Christian in 1993, I found it extremely difficult to relate to the sounds of music coming from the Contemporary Christian Music community. Having been a musician steeped in the sounds of R.E.M., U2, INXS, Pearl Jam and others in the late 80′s/early 90′s, I found it difficult to consume what was being offered at the time. Then came the late 90′s with the arrival of Jars of Clay and others. My musical thirst was finally being quenched!

This aspect of musicality and depth in music is something I think many worship leaders currently thirst for. While many local church members are quite happy singing the songs and sounds of contemporary worship, their local church worship leaders are hungering for something different. One such collection of great new songs can be found on Matthew Reed‘s new six track offering called, Come and Drink.

When the album opens with the driving drums and bass guitar on the track “Awake, Awake”, I instantly felt like this was going to be something different. It’s a great way to open this album asking “Can you not hear…?”. Matthew’s vocals are also a fresh sound bringing a unique style to this recording. Track one was good…it completely sets up the rest of the album stating “the time has come for the people of God to rise up”. I was ready to heed the call.

The second track brings another element that made this stand out. In the middle of the tune I was taken by the many voices and driving rhythm. Again, a great song pushing the believer to worship.

The next two tracks “Crash this Place” and “Come Now” are both strong tunes that could possibly fit best in worship times in local churches. (I say this based on the local congregation I minister in.) One note on “Crash this Place”… I love the opening riff…made me smile. Great song…a prayer to God to disrupt our lives for His glory.

Finally, my personal fave on this collection is “Emmanuel”. While I love the sound brought on the previous tracks, I noticed there were elements that seemed to repeat themselves both thematically and style-wise, which is a sound I enjoy, but I felt like this song came at just the right time to bring me back down after being pushed, called, awakened to worship…so I could just rest and worship. This is a great acoustic sound with some fantastic female background vocals. Again, this is my fave.

“Pour Out” wraps up the album with a call asking God to “pour out revival in this place”. Another great tunethat has a minor key type of sound that is not often found in much worship music. This was a great way to round out this collection of songs.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this album to anyone interested in parting from the “cookie cutter” worship music sound found on many airwaves. Would we sing these songs at my church? Maybe…maybe not. What I do know is that my church needs the songs that help them best connect with Christ and I believe these songs offer just that. I am grateful for artists like Matthew Reed for continuing to offer sounds that have the potential to inspire young artists thirsty for a musical sound that connects them to Christ.

-Review by Ben Abu Saada

(Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win a free copy of this CD. Deadline is 5pm CST, June 17th. One winner will be chosen randomly. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. US residents only.)

Exclusive Interview with Joanna (Reyburn) May

Joe Brookhouse, one of our contributors, recently had the opportunity to interview Joanna May about her latest album – Here’s My Cup. Joanna is a worship leader/songwriter at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City.

Here’s My Cup is your first cd release. Can you share with us the journey of its creation? Has it been a long time coming?

It has been a long time coming. I’ve been at the House of Prayer since 2002 leading worship in a lot of different areas. I sensed a personal invitation to commit the first 5 years of my ministry life to the Lord; not to try and build a name for myself, record albums, or travel extensively but simply to be at His feet like Mary of Bethany. I am so thankful for that time, and do not regret it one bit.

In the last year, I felt that it was time to do an album. So I put out some “fleeces” (that’s the possible plural of “fleece”) like Gideon in Judges 6, and said, “Lord, if it’s time to do this album, bring about A, B and C.” And you know He did. I won’t go into the details of all that, but I am convinced that if the Lord has really called you to do something, He has made complete provision for it. In my case, there was a season of waiting for the right time, preparing my heart, and contending for the release of provision.

I started the recording process in the spring of 2010, while my fiance and I were planning a wedding and trying to close on our house. We got most of the recording process done at that time, but as my wedding date came closer, I put it on hold, and picked it back up months later to finish the project.

This is definitely a worship album, but very intimate. You refer to it as “devotional worship”. How does it differ from what we might normally associate with corporate worship? How do you hope the listener will respond to it?

When I started this project, I had a couple thoughts in mind. I wanted someone to be able to put on this album and let it play all the way through. I also wanted the album to make sense as a progression from song to song, each track building on the previous. I envisioned someone laying on the floor, and spending 50 minutes in the presence of the Lord, using this album as inspiring background music for their personal prayer time, or playing it as their children fall asleep. My goal for this project wasn’t to write songs that would be sung in congregational worship, but to provide a peaceful, presence-worship soundtrack for dialoguing with Jesus. I knew that I wanted to use excerpts of spontaneous clips, prayer, and some violin because I love the violin.

Despite being a studio album, Here’s My Cup has the feel of live, authentic worship. Did you approach recording the album with that in mind?

I was SO scared that doing a studio recording was going to end up sounding “canned.” I wanted that same atmosphere that exists in a prayer room devotional where the Holy Spirit leads people directly into the presence of the Lord. I talked with my engineer Luke Hendrickson, and we approached the recording process a bit differently because of this.

We created a peaceful and prayerful atmosphere in the studio. I’ve worked on recording projects where there were day-old pizzas laying around, and 5 extra guys there goofing off. Where each take was brutally critiqued, rehashed, auto-tuned and rerecorded. I knew I didn’t want that kind of a process. When I went in to record, I’d light a candle, turn off the overhead lights, and spend a few moments praying. Then I’d start playing and singing. I didn’t decide a hard and fast song layout. I went in with a loose outline of each song, and if that changed during recording, we went with it. Because of this process, no take was the same. After the first recording, we went back and fixed only the major goofs, leaving a sort-of rawness to it. Later we added other instrumentation. I think this process contributed to the “live” feeling. The three songs with a full band, Ocean, Humble and Here’s My Cup were recorded with everybody live in the studio in two to three takes.

The album starts with “What Do You Think About Me”, a powerful song and plea. Would you share with us the story behind this song?

This song was composed during a devotional worship time in the prayer room. One of the most important things in the life of a believer is to have confidence in the affections of the Father, to know how He feels about you, and what He thinks about you, whether it’s in weakness or in strength, on a good day or a day when you feel like you’ve completely blown it.

So many Christians are haunted by the idea that God is mostly upset with them, that they have disappointed Him, and He’s not happy with them. That view is so debilitating! It causes us to live in shame, condemnation, and rejection. It thwarts our ability to walk with boldness and confidence into the things the Lord has called us to, and causes us to live with a constant expectation of judgment.

When we, like David, are sure of the Lord’s affections, when we are confronted with our sin or compromise, we can run right back into His heart without spiraling into rebellion, feeling disqualified and shameful, or trying to earn back God’s approval. In the place of repentance and a contrite heart, we are the apple of God’s eye and His delight is in us. That’s so powerful! “What do you think about me” came out of singing those concepts over a prayer room full of people, and I’m convinced it’s a message God wants us to really get a hold of.

Your songs have a very fluid, almost spontaneous feel to them. Are your songs most often the result of an intentional songwriting process or do they come some other way?

My husband is a songwriter, he can sit and write a rap on a particular topic, and it’s so powerful. I’m not good at that. When I sit down to intentionally write songs, I produce some of lamest stuff I’ve ever heard. You may think I’m exaggerating, but trust me, I’m not – it’s bad. The songs on my album are the result of spontaneous singing. I’ll sit down at the piano or grab my guitar, and just start singing. Sometimes I’ll pick a Psalm, or a parable and weave together other Scriptures, or even sing my prayers. Other times, I’ll take the perspective of the Lord and sing over myself, my family or my city. It’s like a biblical stream of consciousness.

I’m a huge proponent of spontaneous singing – it’s something anyone can do (even non-singers) that will benefit your heart immensely. It’s a muscle you have to exercise, and it may not be comfortable at first, but learning to sing the Scriptures is something that Paul talks about in Ephesians 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” A good way to practice is to find an instrumental album with simple melodies, and just start singing along. I like to go on walks and sing acapella to the Lord.

We can hear you praying on “Humble”. I’m sure you’re used to leading prayer in a public venue; how different was it to pray for a recording? Did you prepare in advance?

Yikes, you really caught me on this question. I remember the day we recorded this prayer. It was early in the morning on a Saturday towards the end of the project, and I tried waking up my husband saying, “You have to come to the studio with me today! I’m going to pray on the recording and you have to tell me if it sounds stupid.” I was terrified to pray on a recording, and I still cringe a little when I listen to it. It’s like listening to yourself on a voice mail message.

I have a few albums that people pray on (Laura Woodley and Apostolic Prayers to name a few) and I have been profoundly ministered to by agreeing with recorded prayers. Praying out loud was one thing that the Lord brought to mind when I was considering what to do with this album; I felt like I was supposed to do it, but it didn’t make it any more comfortable. There is something very personal about praying on a recording. And even though I’m a singer, I still don’t like listening to the sound of my speaking voice. I did a couple takes, each time praying something different, and picked the one that I felt fit best. It’s not the most comfortable thing for me to do, or listen to later, but I hope that people will be encouraged.

You’ve been involved at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City since 2002 in a number of capacities including leading worship at the Prayer Room. How did that relationship begin? How has your experience with IHOP influenced you as a worship leader?

When I was 12 years old, I heard a message about Mary of Bethany pouring out her fragrant perfume at the feet of Jesus, and I knew that I wanted to give my life to Him in adoration worship, and when I heard Julie Meyer and JoAnn McFatter spontaneously singing the heart of the Lord at a conference, I knew that’s what it was supposed to look like for me too. A 24/7 prayer room began in Kansas City when I was in high-school, and I spent my weekends driving 40 miles to be there because for me, that was such a natural starting place for learning to live a lifestyle of adoration worship. After graduation, I enrolled in IHOP’s internship program and began singing and leading on worship teams, and the rest is history as they say.

24/7 prayer and worship is a unique phenomenon in the earth, it’s unlike many other ministry forms. As a worship leader in that environment, you have so much time actively leading worship. In the early days, we would do 12-24 hours of worship leading a week. It would take months to gain that experience at a Sunday service. With that kind of frequency, the practical benefits of being a “seasoned worship leader” come quicker like learning about song selection, transitioning, how to lead a team, leadership, practices, etc. But there are trying elements as well. In a 24-hour prayer room, people can leave whenever they want. Being a young worship leader, and having a mass exodus when you take over a session is a little disheartening, but you’ve still got two hours ahead of you. Not to mention major goofs? You will make them. Enunciation flubs, key change nightmares, sound issues, equipment failure, you name it. One time, I fell off the piano bench and got tangled in some cords and was completely mortified, but I had to go in the next day and do it all over again.

Another dynamic of a prayer room is that corporate worship is not the only worship expression. People are not always standing, many times they are reading, praying, studying, crying, taking communion, etc. The “2 fast songs, 3 slow” model doesn’t always apply here. Not to mention that one popular worship song? It’s going to be sung 12 times a day, and you’re going to get tired of it pretty quick. This is where that muscle of spontaneous singing really got developed, we’d sing through whole chapters, leading the room in sort of a musical Bible study.

Your husband, J. May, is an artist as well. How does his music compare with yours? Do you ever collaborate?

My husband J.May is a rap artist, and has released an E.P. Conflict and a single, The Throne. He has also contributed to a couple compilation projects. I’m so proud of him, and love his music. He writes theologically solid raps, that are also really fun to listen to. We’re still working on how to bring our sounds together on the same project, but I can definitely see some fun collaboration in the future.

A question that we ask at the end of all All About Worship interviews this year: if you couldn’t do music for a living, what would you be doing?

I think the question for me is “What would I be doing today.” I am a bit of a Jill-of-all-trades. I love doing all sorts of stuff. Right now, I’m programming an iPhone app for a ministry. Sometimes I do design work, wedding photography, and web development. I also really enjoying working on marketing campaigns, and brainstorming new ideas. Recently, we moved into a new house, and I’ve become mildly obsessed with decorated, DIY, rehabbing furniture, and renovating, so if you asked me today what I would do, it would be to run a decorator business. But tomorrow my answer might be totally different.

Thanks, Joanna, for taking the time to share your heart and ministry with us!

“Defender”, Chris McClarney – CD Review

The first thing that springs to mind for anyone Iʼve encountered who has heard the name
Chris McClarney is “Your Love Never Fails”. When Jesus Culture took this anthem on
board as the title track for their 2008 album of the same name, Chrisʼs provenance as a
songwriter definitely increased a notch or two.

The above summations were about as much as I knew of Chris until listening to his Defender album – and on hearing this album I realised that his respect as a songwriter runs far deeper than one song. Chris has established a great songwriting relationship with Dave Fitzgerald (a great friend of All About Worship), and several of their co-writes are prevalent on this album (Daveʼs versions of the songs are on his Hope of Heaven release).

The first in this series of co-written songs with Dave is “Still Saving Me”. The simplicity of the production on this track is something to behold. Drums, bass, a Hammond organ and a clean, bluesy electric guitar…what more could you need? The simplicity and effectiveness of the backing gives a wealth of space for Chrisʼs distinctive vocal to sit over the top, creating an atmospheric mix more than conducive to worship.

The depiction of a call for the light of Heaven to shine down is well represented in Chrisʼs version of another co-write with Dave – “Shine (We Wait)”. Subtle, delayed guitar creates an ethereal ambience early in the track, under which sensitive drums, bass, and acoustic guitar give the song a basis from which to build. The song explodes into life a couple of minutes in, with the drums taking over the driving of the song, heightening the desire for the Lordʼs presence to fall.

The third in this series of co-writes with Dave sees Chris do his version of “In Your Presence (Sweeter)” – one of the few piano-led tracks on the album. Again, we find that Chris does a great job of starting a song gently, with subtle production, using the middle part of the song to build (with a kick drum and acoustic guitar increasing in presence). The electric guitar doesnʼt really come to the fore until quite late on this track, and when it does, driving rhythmic chords combine succinctly with a lead line that takes the song to a new level. The energy displayed in this song, for me, defines Chris as a worship leader - ready to go the whole way in His praise to the Lord.

The album contains many self-penned tracks, and Iʼll highlight two for you – “God of Our Yesterdays”, and “Who Is This Love Amazing?”. I have heard a few great songs recently that describe how God helps us through the hard times, and “God of Our Yesterdays” continues to keep the message burning strong that God is with us, no matter what weʼre going through. Sensitively arranged, again with a prominent piano part, this song is vocally richer than some others on the album, particularly in the chorus where several vocal parts can be heard.

“Who is This Love Amazing?” is a more lively offering, with a breathtaking chorus that sounds as if weʼve been singing it for years. The image of the gates of the city opening up, for King Jesus to come in through them is a deeply moving picture, and in this song, Chris paints the scene with passion and fervour.

If you are looking for a worship leader/songwriter with passion, heart, anointing and a deep love for the Lord, look no further. Chris is doing several events in the UK this year, and I have the privilege of attending a few of them. If he comes your way, be sure not to miss him.

-Review by Ed Rotheram
(review copy provided by Kingsway)

Welcomed or unWelcomed Worship Leader?

written by Chris Kuti (formerly of Chris and Conrad)

Have you ever had a person over to your house who seemed to forget that they were a guest? Did it seem like everything they did got on your nerves? They didn’t take their shoes off, left things a mess, and forgot the coaster. We’ve all been there, and more than likely the person isn’t intentionally getting on your nerves, they just don’t know.

The same is true of many worship leaders who’ve been given the opportunity to be a guest in other churches. If you’re at the point where other churches are asking you to be a guest worship leader, be thankful. The idea of handing over the spiritual direction of a particular worship service to a “stranger” is scary for a Pastor and his staff.

Whether you’re a guest worship leader at other churches regularly or periodically, don’t allow yourself to become the unwelcomed guest. In these situations, first impressions are everything and that’s why I’m here to help. So here are a few practical ways to make sure you don’t leave the per viable water ring on the coffee table of any church you visit.

BE KIND - I know what you’re thinking, “is this guy serious?” Yes! You wouldn’t believe how many musicians I’ve come across who somehow forget simple manners when communicating with the people who are hosting them as a guest. Take it from a guy who’s had a bad day and allowed that to effect his mood in a few guest situations. It’s not worth sacrificing your credibility because things aren’t going as planned. Whether you’re taking a call regarding the planning of the service, or communicating with the band and tech crew, pay extra attention to your mood. Go the extra mile to be kind to everyone you meet, and remember, you’re a guest in their church.

CONNECT - All too often worship leaders make it their agenda to do the songs they want to do. As a one time guest in a new place, you already have the disadvantage of people wondering “who’s the new guy?” It needs to be your focus to cancel out any other hindrances that you could be in a service that is not at all about you. A great way to lose people in this context is to do a bunch of songs that you love, but they’ve never heard before. Can you be yourself? Absolutely, but not at the expense of losing people. A great rule of thumb is to ask the church worship leader or production staff for the set-lists of the past two months worth of services. With this list of songs, you’ll be able to get a great understanding of what the worshipers there are familiar with.

GET ALL THE DETAILS - We musicians can be a weird breed sometimes. We tend to fly by the seat of our pants, and this can be destructive for a guest worship leader. In your preparation for an upcoming guest date, make sure that you have all the details about the church and what their services look like each week. What’s their desired set length, do they want you to bring your own band, are you playing with their band, leading acoustically? How is the service starting, when are the announcements, how should you transition into the message? These are all valid questions that you should commit to memory because the flow and details of every service that you’re a part of are an important piece in the leading of God’s people. Another great rule of thumb is to try and keep communication detailed, yet limited. Try not to be the guy who calls every day with a million questions. Instead, schedule a few scattered conversations that cover all the details at once. These conversations should be far out from the date, after the set list is put together, and a few days before the date.

PROVIDE A TECHNICAL RIDER - To some, the word “rider” is considered a cuss word. Let me ease your mind, it’s not! Without communicating what you’ll need and what you’re providing, you can quickly become an unwelcomed guest. This rider needs to be simple and detailed according to multiple configurations (leading alone, leading with your band, or with their band). A technical rider only works correctly when you communicate with the technical volunteers or staff directly. This will give you a clear idea of what they have so you’ll be able to work with their equipment. Without communicating openly, your rider will seem like demands instead of a clear, effective communication of details. If it helps to ease your mind, you could call it a “technical stress reliever sheet.”

Here are a few things to include in this technical rider:

• # of DI boxes & XLR cables needed

• # of microphones and mic stands needed

• if you’ll need to use any of their backline (drums, keyboard, amps)

• how many channels you’ll need on their console & the name of the instrument on every channel

• how many (monitors) needed and their position (if you travel with your own, communicate how many aux’s you’ll need on their console)

KNOW YOUR MUSIC - This is important whether you’re a guest or not. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re having to lead with the band that normally plays at the church, it’s even more important. You need to be rehearsed long before you run rehearsals with their band. This will allow you to feel comfortable and be able to work through any problem areas or limitations with the church’s band. Do your research about the band that is playing along with you, and try to pick songs and arrangements that match the skill set of the players present.

PROVIDE A DETAILED FLOW – When working through the arrangements of each song and elements of the service, type out a detailed text file of the lyrics and flow. This will be important for whoever is running the presentation lyrics. You can’t expect a stranger to know your leading style. So in order to skip this potential train wreck, provide the flow of lyrics in the exact order that you’ll be doing the songs. This way, whoever is running the presentation software will only have to press the down arrow after every slide.

GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME – Show up early to the rehearsal, get comfortable with the gear, stage, and sound before the congregation starts showing up. The more time you give yourself in preparation before the service, the more you’ll be able to be focused and comfortable in an unfamiliar place.

CONNECT WITH THE PASTOR - If at all possible, schedule a few minutes before the service begins to connect with the pastor. Thank him for trusting you and be sensitive to any desires that he has for the segue into his message or during the invitation.

We’d love to hear of any more tips that have helped you become a better guest worship leader. Join the conversation below!

Joanna May “Here’s My Cup” – CD Review & Free Song

Joanna May recently released her First worship album, Here’s My Cup. I have been listening to Joanna for several years at the International House of Prayer, where she is a worship Leader. She is also a longtime friend of All About Worship.  I was excited to hear this album long before she even started recording it.

This is not a typical album for the congregation, but rather a more intimate personal worship album. It is the kind of album that you listen to during your personal time with God; it’s truly devotional worship. There are 6 tracks totaling just over 47 minutes. Each song is a unique journey into the relationship between God and Man.

The peace of God that surpasses all understanding is a definitive mark of this album. Between the soft guitar work of Isaac Meyer, The subtle violin of Susanna Erwin, and the passion and talent of Joanna herself, she manages to produce something that every worship leader needs; Presence, Peace and Rest.

A lot of worship albums are written for the congregation to come together, but Here’s My Cup is really deep and personal. It allows the listener to relax into the very presence of God. While listening to this album, there were moments wherein I physically felt God come into the room and surround me like a warm blanket.

The first track on the album is one I have heard Joanna play at IHOP-KC many times, “What Do You Think About Me.” This is one of my favourite songs, because it focuses on the father’s heart towards his children. We often care more about what our friends think of us than we care about God’s thoughts. This song is a cry from the broken hearted asking God to show us his heart, and reveal his thoughts and plans to us according to Jeremiah 29:11.

The third track “Ocean” is another one that really hit me in the heart. In this song, Joanna references the Love of God as a never-ending ocean. I love the opening line of the song, “This is what you died for, that I may be yours.” When I heard that, it was as though God himself was speaking this to me. That he died so I could be his; The thought is overwhelming. Joanna does a great job with this idea, encapsulating so much of God into this song.

The title track, “Here’s My Cup” , is also the longest. This track features some stellar guitar work from Isaac Meyer (also from IHOP-KC). This song is a song of personal surrender. It describes the pursuit between God and man. How God breaks through with his love and can change everything. She delves into the presence in this song with reckless abandon and it is noticeable.

This album is one that has been on repeat for me all week. I even left it playing while I was sleeping, and that peace of God that was present on the album came into my room. I slept better than I have in months.

Free Song:

[wpaudio url="http://allaboutworship.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/03-Ocean.mp3"]

-Review by Mathew Reames

Kari Jobe Shows off Her All About Worship Trophy!

Recently we held our very first All About Worship Awards and sent off trophies to the winners. Kari Jobe, who was the winner of Interview of the Year (for this interview), was gracious enough to take a picture with her trophy so we can share with all of you!

Thanks so much, Kari!

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