RussHutto.com

Ok, ok. Just kidding.

But seriously.

This is the beginning of a great new series that I am putting together with the help of Mark Thomas (denverintranslation.com), and in the future, other online friends who are bloggers and worship leaders.

We’ll be taking songs for worship (popular ones and some originals) and breaking them down on acoustic guitar and keys.

Each post will contain 2 videos. One from Mark giving the guitar perspective and one from Me, Russ Hutto, giving the Keys/Piano perspective.

We hope you enjoy these vids and can glean a little bit here and there, especially if you’re picking up a new instrument or are just wanting to learn a little here and there.

Get ready the next post is where the goodness begins!

Part of Sunday Setlists.

1. You Are Good (Houghton): Key E. Oldie but goodie.
2. Sing to the King (Foote): Key D. Oldie but goodie.
3. I Am Free (Egan): Key D. Oldie but goodie.

Over all it was a great day. I can’t wait until we have our own place though. I love being a mobile church…but it wears on you.

Photos Courtesy of Clarus Photography People Pictured wearing New Love In, Up, Out Tee Design

This past Sunday we unveiled our new “identity statement” at House of Joy. It was an exciting time.

Basically, back in January the staff went away for a few days and really spent hours answering this question: Who are we?

We didn’t invent some slogan to live up to. We didn’t create something out of thin air to try and project onto our people.

We thought and prayed, and laughed and debated and came together on an identity statement that reflected who we already are and what is important to us in ministry at HOJ.

Keith & Cortni: Worship Band Members

Love IN. Love Up. Love OUT.

Love in: We take care of each other. We meet in each others’ homes. We protect and nurture our own.

Love up: We love God with everything that we’ve got, heart, strength, soul, body, and mind. We teach others to do the same.

Love out: We love others as ourselves. We reach outside of our walls. We are community impacters, locally and globally.

Josh: Student Coordinator @ HOJ

It was a great day, and the kickoff of a new series.

The series was titled “From the Stroller to the Hog” – it was basically a series about growing up spiritually. Kind of the kickoff of our Love In process. We talked about how we start off in the stroller being pushed around and taken care of. Then we move to the tricycle and learn to move around a bit on our own. Then we hit the mountain bike and then we hit the Harley (hog). A neat four phase progression about growing through the stages of spiritual infancy to spiritually maturing.

We had intended to have the pastor riding the harley into our theater but alas, the doorway wasn’t big enough into the actual theater room where we meet. So we parked it right outside in the hallway as you go into the theater.

The Harley sitting at the entrance to our theater room. The Light coming in from the left is an exit to the outside of the theater. The theater room is actually right around to the right of the hog.

Though it wasn’t as loud and probably didn’t have the stick with you factor as riding it in, it was definitely a great visual to have it sitting in the entrance.

FROM THE STROLLER TO THE HOG

Today was a great day. We unveiled our new identity “look” – kind of a polished, focused version of our first 5 year identity statement. You’ve seen some of the graphics for our Love IN, Love UP, Love OUT series. We just kicked that off today.

You know how you have one of those wonderful ideas that is really going to bring home the message, ya know, the really big idea for the day? Well, we had one of those last week. The message today was basically a “Hey, let’s grow together!” kind of a message using 4 objects to illustrate the growth stages. It was basically a message (Love In) about how we love each other INside the church. We will be getting to loving GOD and loving those OUTside the church as well. Here are the 4 objects:

1. Stroller
2. Tricycle
3. Mountain Bike
4. Harley-Davidson

We created a great intro vid with our pastor being pushed in a stroller, riding a trike and a mountain bike, and then (live) left a whole lot of room for him to ride a harley into the theater and intro the message right there. Great plan. Good illustrations. Bad pre-planning. Somebody forgot to measure the width of the doors leading into the theater. The hog wouldn’t fit.

We had to settle for parking it right at the theater room door, which was still anice visual, but people walked by it as they entered and exited the theater instead of having the pastor ride it in. Which might have been a blessing in disguise, who knows.

Anyways, besides that, it was a great day.

SETLIST:

1. Most High (Hillsong): Key D. We hadn’t done this one in a while. It’s a great song. One of our ladies leads this one.
2. My Savior Lives (Egan): Key B. Pretty standard arrangement.
3. We Shine (Fee): Key Am/A. Almost exactly like the recorded arrangement ( a little lower) and without the “Kingdom is coming” ending. We just end with an acapella chorus while the congregation continues clapping.
4. Born to Be Wild: Transition video (recorded).

Part of Sunday Setlists, where worshipers and worship leaders from around the world share their crunk-ness. (We share our song lists and different creative elements of our gatherings).

1. My Only One (Hillsong): Key G. This went well. However, we’ve come to the conclusion that this song just isn’t us. Don’t know what it is about it. I love “listening” to it. But every time we do it live the ENTIRE band just dreads it. It’d be different if it were just one or two who didn’t prefer it, but it just seems like this one will go to the filing cabinet in the sky.
2. My Best Friend (Hillsong): Key C. This one is a rocking song. One of our young leaders leads it well!
3. With Long Life (Israel Houghton): Key Cm. This song is crunk. And I rarely use crunk, unless I’m talking specifically about worship leaders getting crunk at Fred’s Sunday Setlists blog carnival. But it is smoking hot. After the first two more “rock” oriented songs this one was a breath of soulful fresh air. If you can pull off a reggaeton feel you should be doing this song. Our people love it.

Speaking of getting crunk: This post is a part of Sunday Setlists, where worshipers and worship leaders get crunk.