GEAR (PART 1)

I have appreciated when other worship leaders whose blogs I read have posted on what kind of gear they use, from instruments to effects pedals to software to hardware. So I thought I would write a series of posts on what kind of gear I use and our church uses.

So for all you gearheads out there ... enjoy.

I play a Taylor acoustic / electric grand auditorium - model 314CE. I bought it new in 2003, and it has the Venetian cutaway and Fishman prefix plus pickup system. (I bought this right before Taylor switched over to the expression system on all their acoustic / electrics.)

I run my guitar through a Boss TU-2 chromatic tuner pedal, and out through a Pro Co DB-1 direct box into the church's house system.




I have two Kyser capos, and recently was given a G7th Nashville capo that I now use. I have found that the G7th capo tends to put my guitar out of tune less than others because it has a softer spring.
Strings: I have used Elixir Nanoweb medium lights and D'Addario EXP16 lights. The EXP16's seem to stand up a little better and break less.

Picks: I use medium-gauge picks, and like Fender and Taylor's.

Part 2 to come ...

Weekend Review #12 - June 14, 2009

We did a couple more songs than usual this morning, which was fun. Here's what we did:

Call to Worship: Psalm 34: 1-10 (the three of us vocalists split up the passage and we each read a few verses)
-All Because of Jesus (A)
-Jesus Saves (B) by Tim Hughes (teach)
Announcements (Jamie)
-A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (C)
Part 1 Message: Dave
-You Are My King (D)
-Lord, Be Glorified (D)
Part 2 Message: Dave
Offering
-From the Inside Out (C)
Closing prayer

Overall, I feel like we had a good balance of old and new songs this morning. It was also great to play with a full band again this weekend!

Weekend Review #11 - June 7, 2009

We did more of an acoustic set this weekend with piano, synth, acoustic guitar, bass, and djembe/shakers. We also started things off a bit differently by observing a moment of silence right after announcements and before we did any singing. Silence can be scary for worship leaders ... especially when it equals "awkward transition time between songs." But when prefaced and explained effectively, I believe it can be a powerful tool in preparing one's heart and mind for worship. And that's what we were aiming for by placing it at the beginning of the service.

-You Never Let Go (B) - instrumental prelude
Announcements - Chris
Moment of silence
-Here I Am To Worship (E)
-Hosanna / Praise Is Rising (G)
Comment as a bridge between songs (Referenced the line "You are the God who saves us", and explained how we are saved through Christ's sacrifice, specifically his blood. Ephesians 2:13)
-Nothing But the Blood (B) - Matt Redman
Video: "Spirit"
-Consuming Fire (G)
Message: "The Holy Spirit" - Dave
Offering
-I Need Thee Every Hour (G) - Jars of Clay arrangement
Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:14

Here's the video we used:

Sermon Jams

I came across this fun web site called Relevant Revolution that takes sermon excerpts from John Piper, Alistair Begg, Ravi Zacharias, etc. and puts them to hip-hop beats. The best part is they are all offered for download free of charge here.

Click here to listen to a sample.

Vacation + New Music

You may have heard the rumors and thought they were just rumors ... but it's true. I actually met Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin while my wife and I were on vacation last week in Panama City Beach, FL. If you know anything about me at all, you know that Louie and Chris are two men whom I deeply respect and admire for not only their passionate love for God, but also for the way God has used them to shape much of what is the modern worship movement today. I was very much encouraged and humbled to have the opportunity to meet them while on vacation. And the funny thing is after meeting them last week I kept asking myself, "What are the chances?" But I know better. In retrospect I know that God had a plan and purpose in me meeting both of them, and I believe He has used it in my life to encourage me in my role as a songwriter and worship leader. He also used it to call attention to the fact that I was idolizing these men and putting them on pedestals I shouldn't have. Nevertheless, I am still blown away by the fact that I got to meet Louie and Chris while on vacation, and that they were vacationing at the same beach club we had been staying at the entire week.

Anyways, vacation truly was a blessing, and now I am back and ready to face this summer head-on. I feel rested, rejuvenated, and refreshed, and for that I am grateful.

I am also grateful for ... new music! Check out these two new releases out in the past week that I have been loving and listening to ... a lot:

1) Hillsong United - A_CROSS // The_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls













2) Christy Nockels - Life Light Up
(her sixstepsrecords debut!)

Passion Conferences

For the past few weeks I've been engrossed in my final project / paper for Cultural Engagement class. My topic is "The Influence of Passion Conferences On the Modern Worship Movement." I already knew a good deal about Passion before I started researching for my project, but just about everything I have learned has impressed me and has been positive. I love what Passion has done with preserving old hymns, and adding a new chorus or bridge to many of them has breathed a freshness on it.

Here is the video I showed in my class presentation of "Jesus Paid It All", with the bridge written by Alex Nifong and led by Kristian Stanfill at Passion '06.

Benedictions

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Gospel Coalition Conference at the Rosemont Convention Center. The Gospel Coalition is a group of pastors and church leaders that hold to the conviction that the gospel of Jesus Christ must stay at the center of life and ministry, and at this conference I had the opportunity to hear messages from many widely-respected pastors. It was a refreshing week, and my heart and mind are full!

Something that Ligon Duncan said in his message on 2 Timothy 4:6-22 really made me think. He said, “People often treat benedictions like the emergency instructions you hear on an airplane. They zone out and think they don’t need to listen because they’ve heard them a million times. But I guarantee you, those passengers on Flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River were wishing they would’ve listened a little better to those instructions!”

The word benediction comes from the Latin word meaning “to bless.” Benedictions in scripture, such as the one in 2 Timothy 4:22, “The Lord be with your spirit - grace be with you” are not just a formal part of the letter that the author was required to throw in. It’s the same with our benedictions at the close of our services at ACC. They are not just a nice way to end the service. They are meant to send people out with hope by speaking about the truth of who God is. They are designed to equip us for the battles we will face in the week ahead, until we can gather again as a church.

So how do you treat benedictions? Do you zone out and start thinking about what’s for lunch? Or do you soak in every word and think about it so you can bring it to memory again later in the week when you are exhausted and need a spiritual “pick me up”?

If you want to listen to and watch Ligon Duncan's complete message from the conference, you can do so here.