Two years ago, when I finally confided in a close friend that I wanted to start leading worship, I immediately felt pressure to add a counterbalancing statement. Because in my mind, a guitarist in a worship band wanting to “step up” to worship leading could only mean one thing; they must think they’re getting too…
Category: Austin Stone Worship Posts
Shepherding Idle And Fainthearted Church Musicians
Last Christmas Eve, I remember setting up my guitar gear on the stage of my church right next to a row of three Christmas trees, each one shorter than the last, mirrored on the other side of the stage. I thought to myself, “Am I just the fourth and shortest Christmas tree in this row?” The church had set up these trees because they wanted the room to have a certain vibe, and they neither distracted nor particularly attracted anyone to the glory of Jesus. That sounded awfully familiar to me.
EVERFLOW – All the Details
As the Studio Resident for Austin Stone Worship, the focus of my attention for the last 3 months has been the new ASW album, “Everflow”, to be released next Friday, Nov 17th. I wanted to post a blog linking you to all the ways to get your hands on it, and sharing all the info…
We Collaborate Because We Are Collaborations; We Co-write Because We Were Co-written
If you’re like me, collaborating with others on a song or other work of art can feel counterintuitive, and sometimes debilitating. It can add extra weight to the already uphill battle of creation. Not far below the surface of my discomfort with co-writing though, I think my creation would be best-served if only I, the…
4 Ways You Might Be Distracting People During Worship
Even during worship services, we are constantly tempted to worship ourselves instead of Christ. One of the hardest times of this temptation for me is while I’m padding under a prayer, or playing music during an offering, Scripture reading, etc. Here are some of the actions I’ve seen this temptation turn itself into. Whether you…
16 Unexpected Ways Support Raising Affected Me
It’s a bold statement, but I’d rank support raising up near marriage as one of the most formative experiences of my life thus far, and one of the primary ways I’ve witnessed the faithfulness of God. Over the last several months of emailing, calling, texting and talking to people face-to-face, and asking them to partner…
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