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*Pre-service thoughts*

This week’s gathering is a special day of worship. It’s a Sunday that falls between series. I had originally been scheduled to speak about missions (and our trip to Honduras) but our trip was postponed to April, so we decided to have a special service filled with music and singing!

It’s also special, because it’s the last “day of worship” (full service dedicated to song) that I’ll be leading at HOJ. I’ll be leading the music through August and then we’re on to the next season of life that God is laying out in front of us! We’re launching out from Valdosta and moving to the Brunswick/St. Simons Island, Georgia area.

Setlist

We Shine (Fee): Key A. We love this song at HOJ. The arrangement is very similar to the Fee version. Except the lead vocal might be a little more rap-like at times. I’m just sayin’!

Your Love Is Beautiful (Hillsong): Key Cm. We’ve done this one for a few years at HOJ and is just a fun song for all involved.

Here’s a version of us doing it at the last We Worship service back in December.

I’m A Believer (The Monkees): Key G. Thought we’d throw something fun and very recognizable into the set this morning. It’s got a good old retro vibe meets HOJ flavor. We changed the words “her” to “Your” and “Ya” and made it more vertical.

To The Sky: Night Owl Mix (Russ Hutto Original): Key Bm/D. This is one I’ve shared on the blog in the last few months. Just removed the lead vocals from the recorded version and did it live (with a track). Kind of a neat variation from the live band (we hardly ever use tracks).

Here’s the recorded version.

One Way Remix (Hillsong/Sam Parker/29th Chapter/Russ Hutto): Key F#m. This has a bunch of elements. I saw this online about a month ago and decided we had to rock this one. we’ve done One Way for years and so this was an easy one to give a facelift. Vocals are about the same. For the rap part, I couldn’t totally understand the British rappers (on the Soul Survivor version) so I took some of their lyrics and mashed them up with some of mine for a nice end result. The music is Crazy Train which was also sampled for Let’s Go by Lil Jon. Some have asked about using Crazy Train/Let’s Go (both not intended for worship obviously) in a worship setting, and we feel that since God is in the redeeming business, so should we be as well! So, along with Soul Survivor 2008 (Tim Hughes/29th Chapter), we’ve also decided to “redeem” this groove and use it in worship. Love it or hate, it definitely moves people.

***A slideshow for us with a ton of pics from over the last 3 years!***

Brief time of sharing by our pastor.

The Motions (Matthew West): We used an animated short video from worshiphousemedia.com that is set to this song. Very cool transition into our “slower” set.

Here’s the link at worshiphousemedia.com

Rhythm (Russ Hutto Original): Key D. One that we introduced last year. The band loves this one and specifically requested this one for today.

How Great Is Our God: Seventh Day Slumber Arrangement (Tomlin): Key B. We love this rocked out, edgy version of this simple, yet relatable worship song. This is the second time we’ve done it.

Every Creature (Russ Hutto Original): Key E. One of MY favorite songs (that I’ve written). This was another specific request made by the vocals. It’s a great, simple song of worship.

Here’s a recording of it from earlier this year.

The Point: Another short video from worshiphousemedia.com about taking church with you after the service ends. About really being aware that we “are” the church. Nice challenging closer.

Link to vid on worshiphousemedia.com

So Help Me God (Fireflight): Walk-out song. Recorded. Series begins next week called “Help Wanted: Surviving Tough Times” so this was a good fit. Fade in at the second chorus.

Part of Sunday Setlists: a gathering of varied worship experiences, recaps, successes, struggles, and setlists from Worship Leaders and Worshipers from all around the world.

This is a follow up post to Get Over It: There Is Nothing New Under The Sun

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecc. 1:9)

So you want to be an original songwriter, eh? Odds are slim to none that that’s not gonna happen. But don’t fret you can be, and should pursue being a UNIQUE songwriter.

What’s the difference?

Some would say semantics, but I think not.

ORIGINAL

Original means the first. I’m sure there is an original songwriter somewhere along the timeline of history. I mean somebody had to write the first song at least once in history, right?

But you might say, but rap music didn’t come around until the 20th century, somebody originated that, right? Sure, you can look at it that way. But that person did NOT originate the SONG. They are not the first person to write a song. They are not the first person to write poetry and put it to music. It’s ALL been done before.

I’m pretty sure that person isn’t you and it isn’t me, so let’s just move that notion out of the way.

UNIQUE

Being UNIQUE in songwriting is a far more realistic and attainable goal. Why?

Unique doesn’t mean being the first to do something. It means doing what you do in a way that carries your own personal flavor. It bears your mark. But what is YOUR mark? What is YOUR flavor?

It’s a combination of the things you have seen, heard, and experienced throughout your lifetime. It is the music and lyrics you’ve heard and sung. It’s a mashup of every influence, big and small, that played a part in shaping who you are.

GENRES/STYLE

You can “create” a new genre. You can even “originate” a new style of music. But honestly, if you look at the end result, I guarantee you that it’s just a UNIQUE expression of something that has come before. In reality, it’s not truly original. In a private response to the previous post about nothing being new under the sun, a person disagreed with me and agreed with me at the same time. The disagreement was over genres and styles of music.

They said that “rap rock” wasn’t heard of in the past, and someone did it and they are “original” because of it. I say no, they are just expressing a UNIQUE combination of styles (rap and rock) that have already come before.

Question:

• Was Elvis Presley original or unique?

I say UNIQUE. He definitely wasn’t original, even though we have this notion that he is the “King.” If you listen to him with open ears you can hear the MANY, MANY influences from his small town, southern upbringing. He just mashed them all up and expressed them uniquely.

UNIQUE SONGWRITING

So, when writing music. Don’t pursue originality. Like I said in the previous post, there is nothing new under the sun. What’s been said has been said again. Pursue UNIQUENESS. I truly believe that if you will just be who you are (allowing your influences to shape you) and do what you do, you will be effective.

Write what you write. But write intelligently. Music doesn’t move people because it’s original…and on a deeper level, it doesn’t move people because it’s unique.

For example, think about that rusty old “art” sculpture that every town has. I’m sure that 7.2 people think it’s nice and pretty, but seriously, what purpose does it actually serve. It is probably unique (but metal scultpure has been done before), but I bet it doesn’t move people because most people look at it and go…what is that even there for.

Music is the same way. Sure, you can throw the “but I just write to express myself” argument out there. I’m sure there are artists who create art only as an expression of their personal creativity. But let’s be honest, if it’s an expression of your personal creativity and you could care less if anyone else likes it, then why express it outwardly anyways? Why paint? Why sculpt? Why write songs?

We ALL know that artists make art (at least on some level) because they want to express their creativity to, for, and around others. It’s just the truth.

Music moves people because they can relate to it. There is something about it that they just inherently understand. That being said, if you ad lyrics that are trite and don’t make any connection on any level, then NOONE will connect to your music.

So say what you’ve got to say, but BE UNIQUE. Be you.

We’ve already got Tomlin, Crowder, and Redman running around in the modern worship arena. What we need is a little more YOU!

* Edit for clarity’s sake: I’m SPECIFICALLY talking about the actual WRITING of songs here, NOT genres and styles of music.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecc. 1:9)

When writing music for congregational worship, or for anything really, we have to acknowledge that anything and everything that we’re thinking about writing, be it music or lyrics, has already been done.

Creativity does not mean being 100% original.

Creativity means taking who you are, who and what you’ve been influenced by, and what God is giving you in the moment and shaping it into something that is of benefit to others.

Creativity isn’t about being original, it means creating something useful.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with trying to be original, as long as that’s not our overarching goal. If all I ever strive to be is original, then I’ll definitely be missing the mark. I would be leaving something so valuable behind: usefulness.

Think about this: God created you as a unique and wonderfully made individual, yet he used elements of your mom and your dad and their moms and dads and theirs and so on and so on. The end result isn’t a totally original piece of human art.

The end result is a mashup of everything that has come before you. Yet, you are still you, and only you.

When writing music, keep in mind that straight up copying is NOT what I’m talking about here. That is more like cloning, which is like playing God, and not advisable. What I’m talking about is the convergence of influences, training, heritage, individual preference, styles, and thoughts into an unique expression of song.

Just like the birth of a little boy or a little girl. All the different family traits and characteristics come together to make something familiar, yet so unique.

What’s wonderful about songwriting is that for thousands of years people have literally been writing about the same things: love, heartache, joy, sadness, friends, enemies, and so on. But just imagine how many different voicings we have of the same topics? A multitude.

Don’t get hung up on originality. Focus your writing in on USEFULNESS. How can the congregation benefit from this song. How will this song help them to see, hear, experience, and express the idea of the song?

If your song is the most original thing in the world, yet fails to help people express their worship in and through singing, then it is a dud. No matter how many other songwriters like it. No matter how many critics call it innovative and original.

Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. (Ecc. 1:10)

Wow! Worship leaders all over the world have been sharing setlists and Sunday worship experiences each week together over at Fred McKinnon‘s place for a year!

I’ve been a part of that since day one and have enjoyed every week! Reading fellow leaders/team member reports about worship in song and music.

This week we had a great week! I love these folks at HOJ. Smooth rehearsal Wednesday night. Great run-through this morning and another great set of services as well!

1) Today Is The Day (Brewster):
This is the first time I’ve actually had someone else lead this and it went over VERY well. One of our female vocalists led this and she brought it! We do a very standard arrangement (without guitar solo).

2) Everyday (Hillsong):
I don’t know what it is about this song, but I absolutely love leading it. It’s just one of those FUN songs that never gets old to me.

3) Sing to The King (Foote):
Another older, but good, song that we use in our setlist. It went over well this morning.

Part of Sunday Setlists.

One of the things we (my church) spend a lot of time and energy focusing on in how we do and communicate things is trying to break down the misconception that many people have in their minds that the people on stage and the people in the congregation are two different groups. There is a great divide, even if it’s unspoken, that exists in many people’s minds that separates what happens on stage and what happens off stage, especially during musical worship.

This is why we stopped calling our band the “worship team”…they are NOT the only team in church that worships or even “leads” worship. This is why we don’t call our auditorium the “worship center”…a room in the church building should NOT be the center of our worship lives. This is why we no longer call the music part of our gatherings “worship”, but instead refer to it as the “music” or the “musical worship”…worship can and should be every element of our worship gatherings. This is why we’ve developed a discipleship class that covers foundational Biblical worship that every member of our church is required to take…we want to give people the tools to dig in and learn more on their own about true Biblical worship.

No matter how clearly we communicate, no matter how many barriers we remove, there are still people who just don’t get it. But, it’s so worth it for the people who do get it and are freed from thinking that it’s my job as a “worship leader” to tell them exactly when and how to worship. I constantly remind the band (and anyone who will listen) that it’s our purpose to get the corporate ball rolling and then step out of the way and allow space for people to worship together freely in their own unique ways. It’s a blessing to watch people do just that, and frustrating to watch those who are always waiting for their cues.

I’m not saying that our corporate worship times should be a free-for-all and unorganized…God speaks strongly about corporate worship being focused and set up with holy boundaries. But, too many people can’t get past the great divide in their minds that keeps them boxed in to whatever they’re told to do.

How does your church address this great divide in your worship gatherings? Where do you see this misconception of worship show itself in the things that people say and do?

Visit Nate’s blog, Practical Worship.