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…]

Filed Under: Music Review, New Music, Saint Lewis, Shannon

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!

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Filed Under: New Music, Saint Lewis, Shannon Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

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…]

Filed Under: Music Review, New Music Tagged With: , , ,

Now introducing: Dollar Fund

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Screen Shot 2018-01-11 at 1.15.53 PMMy 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.

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Filed Under: Encouragement, Kingdom of God, Resource, Shannon Tagged With: , , , ,

Life after Christmas

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Screen Shot 2017-12-28 at 12.12.36 AMWe’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…]

Filed Under: Encouragement, Kingdom of God, Shannon, Theology Tagged With: , , ,

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…]

Filed Under: Christmas Music, Music Review, New Music Tagged With:

Free Christmas Tunes!

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Screen Shot 2017-10-31 at 10.05.11 AMAny 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…]

Filed Under: Christmas, Christmas Music, Music Review, New Music, Resource Tagged With: , , , , , ,

NEXT: New Worship Music – Late Summer ’17

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Screen Shot 2017-09-11 at 12.25.35 PMI 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!

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Filed Under: Free Worship Resource, Music Review, New Music, Resource Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Entrepreneur Crush feature by Leslie Hand

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Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: , , ,

NEXT: New Worship Spring/Summer ’17

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Screen Shot 2017-06-06 at 11.32.16 AMI constantly scour the internet for the latest worship songs – both from independent & label projects – looking 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 [Read more…]

Filed Under: Music Review, New Music Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,