February 2008

this video is hilarious. check out all the remakes on youtube!

my lovely wife came out with a great one yesterday, speaking about our daughter….

“i adore this person for no reason and for every little detail of who she is all at the same time.”
–c.c. claybrook

read the full post and see more pictures.

1. thou shalt play in tune
2. thou shalt learn the song, not just the arrangement
3. thou shalt practice with a metronome or drum machine
4. thou shalt seek out a mentor or coach on your instrument
5. thou shalt know thy gear
6. thou shalt play less for more
7. thou shalt seek out feedback
8. thou shalt be on time
9. thou shalt learn basic practical music theory and ear training
10. thou shalt continue thy education

———————————————-

this one’s really pretty simple.

being late is rude.

being late de-values everyone else on the team.

being late sometimes can’t be avoided, but shouldn’t become a habit.

this was buried in another post, so let me ask again.

*who are you?
*why do you read this blog?
*what kind of content is the most helpful/enriching/intriguing to you?

help me help you.

i’d love to hear from as many readers as possible. come out of hiding!

“everything” by tim hughes (cd “holding nothing back”)
—-prayer—-
“let me sing” by todd fields (cd “northpoint live: louder than creation”)
“here is our king” by david crowder band (cd “passion 05: how great is our god”)
—-connect—-
—-3rd service volunteer recruitment—-
special: “american dream (acoustic version)” by switchfoot (cd “oh! gravity”)
—-message: doc—-
—-prayer—-

tried to stretch a bit and start more mellow than normal. interspersed some space for scripture and meditation during “everything”. i’ve felt lately like we tend to rush through the music. i think it’s because we typically want to keep things moving to keep the energy up. this is good thing. i just think there can be too much of a good thing.

today was the drum debut for stephen james. i’m excited about having stephen as a new addition to the worship band. and he’s going to play next sunday too….

things are exciting at crosspointe these days because we’re gearing up for the addition of a 3rd service. obviously there are challenges - we need to add about 200 new volunteers to our children’s ministry and first impressions ministries. anyone reading that’s going to take the plunge to serve?

“american dream” is a modern day protest song. but instead of protesting war or racial discrimination, the protest is against over-consumption. against the capitalism machine that’s come off the rails.

this was the wrap up of our “say when” series. this has been a challenging series - hitting us right where we live in cary, nc.

we have a couple of years yet, but we’re starting the schooling discussions in earnest around our house.

we’ve always had an aversion to the idea of homeschooling, i think a lot because of the stereotypes, but honestly also because we’ve experienced that some of the stereotypes are true. not always, of course.

north carolina is the first place we’ve lived where a lot of our friends have chosen homeschooling.

feel free to tell me about your decisions and experiences. i’d love to hear it.

regardless, i laughed A LOT watching this video.

i was commenting in staff meeting today about how i’m growing in my understanding of the fallacy of a sacred/secular divide.

specifically in music, i find truth, beauty, and good in secular and sacred music. i also find a lack of those qualities in both secular and sacred music. sometimes in the same song.

just because something is labeled “christian music” doesn’t necessarily mean much…

anyway, i had an interesting thing happen this afternoon. after remembering a jackson browne song that was quoted in brian mclaren’s book, “everything must change,” i decided to download the song and check it out. challenging stuff. here’s an excerpt…

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

after reading through the lyrics, i decided to check out some of jackson’s other music, since i’m not very familiar with his stuff.

i went to www.songmeanings.net and just started down the alphabetical listing of jackson browne songs. in each of the first three songs i looked at, i was struck by the spiritual overtones and the longing for transcendence. don’t know the music, but just reading the lyrics was an enriching spiritual experience for me.

here’s one song in particular that i think is lyrically beautiful….

I want to live in the world, not inside my head
I want to live in the world, I want to stand and be counted
With the hopeful and the willing
With the open and the strong
With the voices in the darkness
Fashioning daylight out of song
And the millions of lovers
Alive in the world

I want to live in the world, not behind some wall
I want to live in the world, where I will hear if another voice should call
To the prisoner inside me
To the captive of my doubt
Who among his fantasies harbors the dream of breaking out
And taking his chances
Alive in the world

To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world

With its beauty and its cruelty
With its heartbreak and its joy
With it constantly giving birth to life and to forces that destroy
And the infinite power of change
Alive in the world

To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world
To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world

Jackson Browne, “Alive In The World”

1. thou shalt play in tune
2. thou shalt learn the song, not just the arrangement
3. thou shalt practice with a metronome or drum machine
4. thou shalt seek out a mentor or coach on your instrument
5. thou shalt know thy gear
6. thou shalt play less for more
7. thou shalt seek out feedback
8. thou shalt be on time
9. thou shalt learn basic practical music theory and ear training
10. thou shalt continue thy education

———————————————-

giving and receiving feedback is hard for a lot of churches. we allow it become complicated for fear that it will go unhealthy and cause divisions. and it can. but that’s not a good enough reason to avoid it. it can be very healthy, and is needed if we are to collectively give our best to God.

speaking as a worship pastor, it’s difficult for me to proactively give feedback to each individual player and singer. there are so many things going on. soundchecks, rehearsals, services. everything moves so fast, and there are many details that i have to have in my head at any given time.

so i find it very helpful when people seek me out for my feedback on their contribution to the worship band. i always have some feedback - usually both positive and constructive. when someone seeks out my feedback, it says to me that they are not just going through the motions, not just having fun with a low commitment level to the mission. it tells me that they are serious about serving the greater purpose of leading our church in worship. i will do backflips to help someone like that improve on their game!

just this past week, i had a volunteer musician ask me for criticism in order to improve the quality of his contribution to the mission. i LOVE that! he came to me in the office during the week, which helped a lot. i’m way too distracted on a sunday. we were able to sit in front of my computer and studio monitors and watch/listen to some musical examples that are closer in line with what i’m going for on his particular instrument.

besides the good of the mission, it’s important in our individual development. it may feel safe to never hear constructive criticism, but it doesn’t help me to be the best i can be. other people’s encouragement can serve to help stretch me out of my comfort zones. it can alert me to some blind spots.

here’s an example from my own experience. my lead pastor and i have what i would call a very healthy relationship. we respect each other, and beyond that, we genuinely like each other. this helps us to have the trust level necessary to give and receive feedback.

jonathan has mentioned a few quirks in my worship leading over time that i always knew were there but no one had ever addressed. for me, specifically, i need to be very intentional on preparing the content of any speaking that i do. the musical part of leading comes fairly naturally. but when i launch out to speak underprepared, my thoughts tend to get jumbled and i ramble while saying “uh…” about 58,000 times.

the fact that jonathan cared enough about our mission to point out a weakness and to help me work on it meant a lot to me. i know that jonathan wants me to be the best i can be - for God, for our church, and for myself.

thoughts?

p.s. now’s a good time for me to ask for some feedback from you readers.
*who are you?
*do you find this 10 commandments series helpful?
*why do you read this blog?
*what kind of content is the most helpful/enriching/intriguing to you?

let me hear you!

“beautiful news” by matt redman (cd “beautiful news”)
“salvation’s chorus” by todd fields (cd “north point live: louder than creation”)
—-connect—-
“everlasting god” by chris tomlin (cd “arriving”)
“let me sing” by todd fields (cd “north point live: louder than creation”)
—-message—-jBow

“let me sing” was new today. always tough to predict how well a song will take hold, but judging by the amount of participation first time out of the gate, it looks like people will grab onto this one.

planning is well underway for our easter series, we’re going to call it “the trouble with jesus.” we’re moving to three services starting on easter sunday. growth is good.

sorry for the random nature of these thoughts, but hey, i’m feeling kind of random.

belief is a beautiful armor
but makes for the heaviest sword
like punching under water
you never can hit who you’re trying for

john mayer, “belief”

with a two-year-old, a ten minute walk from the house down to the neighborhood pool and back can turn into a forty-minute adventure.

monday’s adventure:

* because of her low center of gravity, short legs and slow stride, darby notices a lot of things on the ground. her new favorite thing is dead pine needles. she wanted to stop and pick up every one she saw.

* turning around, she noticed our long shadows cast along the sidewalk behind us. she proceeded to wave her arm wildly and laugh.

* passing a pine tree, i explained to darby that the brown pine needles start out green and attached to the tree. from then on she wanted me to lift her up to every pine tree so she could pick a green pine needle. (the brown ones are so yesterday.)

* on the way back, i got darby’s attention so she could see me kick a pine cone ahead of us on the sidewalk. then that was the game for the next ten minutes. we would take turns kicking the pine cone. she definitely got into the taking turns part. after i would kick, she would run to the pine cone, laughing, and then say, “dahbee!”. i’d say, “yep, darby’s turn.” she’d kick it and then say, “daddy!”. “okay, daddy’s turn.” kick. running. laughter. rinse. repeat.

* when daddy accidently kicked the pine cone off the sidewalk and down the hill into a ditch where it was irretrievable, we decided to find a new game. (think quick, dad…)

* what do you know? we just happened to be back at the spot on the sidewalk where darby had asked me to leave her flower (read = dandelion) from the outbound trip. that was enough to hold her fascination the rest of the way back to the house.

i love the way that being a dad helps me to slow down and remember to have fun. it’s good to think like a kid again.

1. thou shalt play in tune
2. thou shalt learn the song, not just the arrangement
3. thou shalt practice with a metronome or drum machine
4. thou shalt seek out a mentor or coach on your instrument
5. thou shalt know thy gear
6. thou shalt play less for more
7. thou shalt seek out feedback
8. thou shalt be on time
9. thou shalt learn basic practical music theory and ear training
10. thou shalt continue thy education

———————————————-

this is another downfall for beginning players and bands. playing too many notes. getting too greedy with the pie. this idea is certainly not original with me, but i’ve found it very helpful…

think of it like this - the song, including all of it’s instrumental and vocal parts, is a pie. every instrument and voice, then, is a slice of the pie. the lead vocal gets a pretty healthy slice of the pie. in rock music, the bass and drums take up a good portion of the pie. you’ve got to know your role. part of that is knowing, in any given song, what slice of the pie you’re filling.

the key is listening to each other and deferring to each other.

for the sake of example, i’m going to stick in the popular music genres - rock, pop, R&B. these styles tend to be driven rhythmically by drums and bass, and harmonically driven by either keys or guitar.

okay, say i’m the keyboard player. i notice that the drummer is playing a 1/16th-note groove on the high hat, and the bass player is matching with a dotted 1/8th and 16th pattern. maybe there’s even a rhythmic guitar riff. at this point i’d say the rhythm texture is about as full as it needs to be. i’m likely to play something sustaining, like either a transparent synth pad or a hammond B3 part. my role is now more tonal than rhythmic.

in another example, we’re playing a laid back ballad. the tempo is slower, bass is playing more whole notes. drums are leaving more space. guitar is in more melodic, lead mode. maybe now there’s a bit more room for keys to provide some rhythm. i’ll probably go with a piano or vintage rhodes or wurlitzer and play more arpeggiated chords.

the basic rule of thumb is that my part is always determined by what’s happening around me.

the more that we all play with deference to each other, the more cohesive, professional, and enjoyable our sound will be.

now that i think about it, it occurs to me that you might say there are two pies. one rhythmic and one tonal. drums and bass get at least half of the rhythmic pie, while keys, guitar and voices take the better portion of the tonal pie.

thoughts?

okay, this is a lesson that i need to learn…..

i’m still having trouble eating because of getting my wisdom teeth out last week. tonight, i just couldn’t take it anymore.

so after much deliberation as to what would be the perfect food to begin easing my way back to my former carnivorous state, i decided to take darby to taco bell. (c.c. - not so much a fan of the taco bell - had a party so she didn’t get a say in the matter). i had decided that a bean burrito was what the doctor ordered.

so, i ordered three bean burritos, one for me, one for darby, and another one just in case it wasn’t as difficult to eat as i was expecting.

it was a PAINFULLY slow process. i have to focus my chewing on my front teeth, which means really small bites. i noticed that darby was downing her burrito faster than me! the girl can chow down, no doubt, but that just shows you how slow i was.

but after a few minutes i just decided to go with the flow, slow down and enjoy the meal with my girl. we danced in our seats to the music. of course we practiced our drumming on the table. this has become a dinner ritual. we laughed at the funny chili pepper on the wall with a cowboy hat. “seeeeee” (silly).

so here’s the lesson: i’m an overeater.

out of habit for sure, but also just out of plain hurry.

now, i don’t want to be overdramatic, but this is big to me. besides the physical health aspect, i see a couple of implications of my discovery tonight:

* in our ongoing effort to be better financial stewards, c.c. and i have learned time and again that when we botch up our budget, it’s almost always because of going overboard on food. specifically, dining out. and by “dining,” i’m including mcdonald’s.

* i’m also on a personal quest to do battle with my overconsumption in general. i think i just realized a subtle way that i go with the flow in that arena. i think the process of keeping my eating/spending in check will help me stay aware of all the ways i’m tempted to consume more than i need.

even as my swelling goes down and i get back to my former eating “chops”, i’m going to really give it a good college try. to discipline myself to eat less, thereby spending less, and to slow down and enjoy my food and the sacred ritual of sharing of a meal with my family and friends.

(and if you’re keeping score, the third burrito was shared between the two of us. i’m telling you, the GIRL CAN EAT!!)

“not to us” by chris tomlin (cd “not to us”)
“salvation is here” by hillsong united (cd “look to you”)
“majestic” by lincoln brewster (cd “all to you…live”)
—-connect—-
“the highest and the greatest” by tim hughes (cd “holding nothing back”)
“glorious one” by steve fee (cd “burn for you”)
—-message—-jBow

chris mills led today and did a great job as always. it’s been awhile since chris has led because he’s recently become a first time dad! it was good to have him back….

i got to attend today with my family - a very rare treat. darby had a good time in her preschool class. c.c. and i were glad to get to worship together in the main service.

(this one’s for you, s.s.)

this…

plus 0:57 sec….

equals this….

besides making several bad decisions as a result of losing all four wisdom teeth at once, i’m not doing too bad. the swelling isn’t as bad as i was prepared for.

c.c.’s an angel. she’s taking really good care of me.

darby is missing her daddy. she comes to visit every time she manages to sneak away from mom downstairs.

also, let me take this opportunity to give a shout out to percocet.

this time tomorrow i will be less wise, and i will have 4 fewer teeth in my skull.

i’ll try to post a pic so you can see the swelling.

my poor wife, i am quite possibly the world’s worst sick person. seriously, i am a baby when it comes to physical pain and discomfort.

pray for her.

today marks one year as a dad.
one year since God dropped one of his best blessings ever on us in the form of a precious little creature!
i’ll let the-best-wife-and-mom-in-the-world tell you more about it….

married with no children

overwhelming joy for us, deep confusion and grief for her

there aren’t adequate words

1. thou shalt play in tune
2. thou shalt learn the song, not just the arrangement
3. thou shalt practice with a metronome or drum machine
4. thou shalt seek out a mentor or coach on your instrument
5. thou shalt know thy gear
6. thou shalt play less for more
7. thou shalt seek out feedback
8. thou shalt be on time
9. thou shalt learn basic practical music theory and ear training
10. thou shalt continue thy education

———————————————-

there are gearheads and non-gearheads, but i think this applies to both.

at a minimum, you need to be familiar enough with your gear to make basic adjustments on the fly - whether it be quickly tuning between songs, figuring out how to layer two patches on your keyboard and/or quickly switching between two patches on the same song, tuning your drums to get the best tone, etc..

here are some of my practical thoughts on applying this commandment to specific instruments:

::keyboards:
*do you know right where your best acoustic piano sound is?
*can you pull up a vintage wurlitzer patch?
*do you know how to transpose keys in case it’s necessary to change the key of a song last minute?
*do you know how to adjust down the “attack” on synth pads to make them more transparent?
*have you experimented with arpeggiators? (not during rehearsal please)

::guitars (the ultimate gear-heads):
*do you have good basic sounds for clean rhythm, chunky rhythm, and lead?
*are you set-up to “tap” your delay time in real-time?
*have you asked your sound engineer about how your tone/EQ is translating into the house?
*is your guitar set-up properly for good intonation all the way up the fretboard?
*are you developing your ability to listen critically to the original recording and deconstruct the guitar part, including the tone/effects that you hear?
*(related to above) - have you searched the internet for clues? (youtube.com is your friend)
*how many options for different levels of gain do you have? (clean headroom, mild breakup, warm blues, british “brown tone”, modern hi-gain, etc.)

::drums:
*how well do your tones match the music your playing?
*what’s the middle ground, meat-n-potatoes tone/tunings that sounds best across the range of songs and styles you’re playing?
*have you asked your sound engineer how the drum tones/EQs are translating in the house?
*have you had another player sit behind the kit so you can hear the drums in the house yourself and dialogue with the sound engineer?
*are you playing the highest quality cymbals you (or your church) can afford? i’m learning that this makes a big difference….

::bass:
*regardless of how your tone sounds to you on stage, have you talked with your sound engineer about how it sounds in the house?
*do you have parametric EQ and do you know how to use it? how not to use it? (i don’t, i’m just asking…)

::vocals:
*do you know your range?
*do you know where your “break” is between chest voice and head voice?
*do you know how to sing through your break smoothly?
*do you do warm-up exercises?

this is wrong.

“all because of jesus” by steve fee (cd “burn for you”)
“all over the world” by matt redman (cd “passion 05: how great is our god”)
“you never let go” by matt redman (cd “passion 06: everything glorious”)
—-connect—-
interview with danny pye (haitian children’s home)
“mighty to save” by hillsong (cd “mighty to save”)
“salvation’s chorus” by todd fields (cd “northpoint live: louder than creation”)
—-message—- jBow

yesterday was a good day. the band played great. people seemed to really engage with God during the music.

i had an emotional moment when we sang “mighty to save” after hearing from danny. it’s easy to sing songs about believing that God can move mountains, that he’s mighty to save, the author of salvation, etc. but it’s another thing to keep that hope when you live day-to-day in a place where you see some real darkness.

danny told the story of the latest girl that they’ve been able to bring into the home - 6 year old, vonia. she was sold out of her family for $13.00 (USD) to be sacrificed in a voodoo ceremony. haitian children’s home was able to buy her back (redeem) just a few days before she was to be killed.

wow. God is mighty to save, and the way he chooses to operate is to invite us to be his hands and feet, to offer our lives as living sacrifices to usher in the good news of the kingdom of God.

i was struck with the beauty of it, and at the same time the disconnect between that beautiful picture and the reality of my comfortable, over-consumptive, American life.