Archive for the ‘Church’ Category
A Manifesto of Sorts
I have very strong feelings about the arts in the Church. I want to see great art come out of our local churches and the Church as a whole. So, I wrote my ideas down in a “manifesto” of sorts. The things I see that we, as Church artists, should be thinking about. What we [...]
Keyboards in Worship: Virtual Instruments
Ok, here’s the deal. Lugging around keyboards stinks. It’s almost as bad as the drums. Stands for everything, and good keyboards with good weighted keys are heavy. Solution? Virtual instruments. Basically anything that can replicate a keyboarded instrument inside a computer. Anything from modeling analogue synthesizers to samplers with sound from vintage organs and electric [...]
Keyboard in Worship: My Setup
I’ve been looking around the internet for good references and/or blogs on keyboards in a modern worship music setting. I haven’t found much as of yet, so I wanted to share whatever knowledge I have on this blog. This will be ongoing as I learn and experiment. So I hope some of you find this [...]
Coming to Myself
One of my favorite parables is the story of the prodigal son. The story goes like this: A father had two sons. The younger was, well, young and thought he knew better. He wanted his inheritance, and his father gave it to him. He went away, blew all of the money on wine, women, and [...]
Who Ministers to the Ministers?
Sad fact: leaders in the church don’t always get fed. Who leads worship leaders into worship? Who preaches to and teaches the pastors and teachers? Who mentors the mentors? Burnout is a very bad thing. But we too often do so much for the sake of the kingdom that we forget to rest and be [...]
Sometimes You Just Have to Do It
Sometimes the way forward is just that; forward. Sometimes the next thing you need to do is the thing that you should have been doing all along. Most times, we know where the next step is, we just don’t want to take it. We feel like we can’t, or aren’t allowed, or shouldn’t. We just [...]
I Went to Church Online
On Sunday, I went to church online. I had seen and been told about LifeChurch.tv and this week my wife and I decided to check it out. Here’s what I thought. The message was great. I think God reminded me of a few things. I liked that the worship music was included in the service. [...]
Looking for Meaning in Music, Part II
In my previous post, I said that music is essentially a vehicle of meaning. Music communicates emotions, but can only communicate so many before something else is added. Adding Layers Adding words to a song makes it more specific. The sounds of music are like broad strokes on the canvas. Lyrics are the details. They [...]
The Place of Art in the Church Part II
The purpose of all art in the Church is to glorify God. When the Church creates art, it is expressing what the soul wants to say to God. It is our expression of what God has revealed to us to be Truth (as in absolute Truth). This can be in a worship song of adoration, [...]