Everyone in ministry faces times of trouble – their own “Dark Night of the Soul”. I’m there more often than I’d like to be, & have been hit with a few in 2019. How do we continue to serve when walking through the valley of the shadow of death? Much like Jonathan Edwards, I have made a list of resolutions to strengthen my walk during the hard times: [Read more…]
Resolutions for the “Dark Night”
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MORNING WILL COME: one year later…
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One year & two weeks ago MORNING WILL COME was born. And what a year it has been.
I had intended to post a credits & thank you page, & little devotionals from each song, but before I got around to it I started a process that led me to Mississippi & back (quite literally). Now that I have a moment I’m sitting here looking back over the past 12 months, acknowledging some of the surprising things God has done with this release. [Read more…]
Morning will Come: when nothing is going right
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Have you ever had a day when it just seemed like nothing went right? Then that day’s hardships slipped over into the next, and then the next, until your bad day feels like a bad week? How do you maintain your sanity, & keep moving forward? It’s not like you can retire from waking, bathing, feeding your children, or working. Where do you find the resolve to get out of bed & take the next step.
Back in ’10 I had one such year. A year so fraught with hardships that some of my most spiritual friends even asked, “What did you do to make God angry?” Sever illnesses, job loss, injury, catastrophic vehicle break downs – I began to slip into depression because life was becoming overwhelming. [Read more…]
COMING SOON: Morning will Come
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It’s finally finished. 7 years in the making. Songs representing all 10 years of the past decade. 7 producers, in 5 different studios, with dozens of guest musicians & other friends taking part. Let me introduce you to… Morning will Come. Coming May 17th!
REVIEW: Ian Zumback – THE TABLE
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I remember the first time I heard Andrew Peterson‘s “Dancing on the Landmines“ on the radio – it was powerful, & like nothing else I’ve heard. It wasn’t weird at all but simply unique, standing out like a bright spot among the dull sameness of CCM radio at that time. This is that sort of album.
Though not a “worship record” in the usual sense – only a handful of these songs would likely work corporately – lyrically, it’s obvious that The Table is a Christ-centric worship project, even if the songwriting isn’t targeted at Sunday morning singing. Though there’s not a dud among the bunch, a few tracks do stand out. [Read more…]
Now introducing: Dollar Fund
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My friend Curt Beavers has been blessed & wanted to give back in a way that multiplied the impact he could have by leveraging his network for God’s kingdom. With that in mind, he’s spent the past few years developing something incredible: a simple, unique way to give a tiny portion of what God has given to us, back, in a way that helps the ‘least of these’ en masse.
Life after Christmas
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We’ve spent the past few weeks eating sweets, visiting with family, shopping, wrapping & exchanging gifts, on top of planning & executing what are likely the most complex services of the year. Now the hustle & bustle has come to a close of the year: what’s next?
Well, the birth of Jesus changed everything, so we should expect our celebration of the holidays to change us, as well.
Life after Christmas is a life lived near to God. I remember as a teenager feeling utterly hopeless & alone, as though no one knew me or could want to know me. But Jesus was God-with-skin-On, born to the lowliest & most common. He didn’t see it as belittling to spend his first days in a feeding trough in a backwoods town which would’ve remained unknown if he hadn’t been born there. Emmanuel – literally “God with Us” – is not ashamed to live among us. God has come near, & it changed EVERYTHING! [Read more…]
A Fresh Christmas Playlist
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On occasion I enjoy the classics, but I find that I grow tired of Holiday music fairly quickly in this otherwise wonderful season. What do I do to make it through? I make my own “best of Christmas” playlist, digging up some deep gems for a refreshing listen! [Read more…]
Free Christmas Tunes!
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Any of you who know me at all know that I’m not really a fan on most popular Christmas music, so I am always looking for something new to refresh my holiday spirit, & to add to my Christmas setlists at church. Not only have I found my holiday soundtrack for Christmas 2017, but a new corporate gem to boot. On top of that, it’s available to download FOR FREE! [Read more…]
NEXT: New Worship Music – Late Summer ’17
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I scour the internet for the latest worship songs from independent & label projects for the best of what’s “NEXT”, particularly for those who don’t subscribe to the “one-size-fits-all” mindset of simply pulling from the CCLI Top 25 (though I don’t deny that can be a great place to start). I listen, play along, & analyze to see which ones float to the top. I hope this curated list of new worship songs helps you better serve your congregation in the coming year! I can confidently assure you that this is one of our best collections yet!
BELIEVER, Husband, Father, Son, Pastor, Songwriter, Musician, Producer, Worshiper, Thinker, Creative
