Inspired Songwriting: Have you read any good books lately?I recently r...

Inspired Songwriting: Have you read any good books lately?

I recently r...: Have you read any good books lately? I recently read a good book that I found inspiring, "Every Bush is Burning" by Brandon...

Have you read any good books lately?

I recently read a good book that I found inspiring,"Every Bush is Burning" by Brandon Clements. It is a book about a newspaper writer, Jack Bennet. He writes an editorial about how the church doesn't represent Jesus in the way she treats the world around her. He is not a believing man, but as a result of this article, a man, who appears to be homeless, claims to be Yeshua, Jesus, develops a relationship with him. This man tells Jack things about him, that Jack believes, no one should know. As it progresses this causes 

Jack to examine his life and motives. Yeshua takes Jack on a journey to show him the way the church is living and the way she is suppose to be living.

Jack is forced to look at why he behaves the way he does. He examines why he distrusts the church and Christians. He sees the way the so called believes have acted toward him and his loved ones.

What inspired me about this book is that it made think how I am portraying Christ. How are we as the church living and showing Christ to a world of hurting and lonely people? What have I done to another 
to cause them to move away from Christ and His church?

Have you read any good books that have inspired you? 

What are they and what have they inspired in you? 

Could you shared them with us?


Perry
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Inspired Songwriting: What Inspires a Worship LeaderThis month I am exci...

Inspired Songwriting: What Inspires a Worship LeaderThis month I am exci...: What Inspires a Worship Leader This month I am excited to have my friend, Allison Lynn, as guest on Inspired Songwriting. She is going ...

What Inspires a Worship Leader

This month I am excited to have my friend, Allison Lynn, as guest on Inspired Songwriting.

She is going to give us some insight into what inspires her in her position as worship leader.

Tell us about yourself, family, education, position.

My husband, Gerald Flemming, and I work in full-time music ministry with our duo, Infinitely More. Based in Toronto, Ontario, we visit churches of all denominations across the country to lead worship, perform concerts, and teach workshops on songwriting and worship leading. We’re also on staff as Worship Leaders at St. John’s York Mills Church.

In your position of worship leader, what are your duties and responsibilities?

Well, as any worship leader will tell you, our job description is vast and varied! At our home church, we plan worship with our pastor, choose the music, create arrangements, organize the band, lead rehearsals, write songs, and lead the music in worship. We also strive to build community and create a level of pastoral care for our musicians. We want great Christian friendships within our band - we hang out together, share meals, get to know each other, and then when one of us is hurting, we can step up for each other in a meaningful way.

When we visit other churches, our duties shift a bit. We’re often called in to introduce contemporary praise music to traditional churches. We feel uniquely called to this kind of ministry, which usually involves meeting people within their comfort zone, and then gently and lovingly stretching that zone out a bit. We also aim to build up and educate their musicians by working with them directly through workshops, rehearsing, and ultimately leading worship together.

One of your responsibilities is deciding on the music that will be used by the people. Do you listen to a lot of music and music sources when looking and deciding on which to use for a service?

Yes! Gerald and I are constantly listening to music through a variety of online sources. We also love asking other musicians and worship leaders, “What are you listening to these days? What does your congregation love to sing?” You can find great songs that way!

When listening to songs is there something that "inspires" you to choose one song over another? What?

There are lots of factors that Gerald and I look for in worship songs, and a lot of prayer involved in how we choose music, but it ultimately comes down to this: “Does this song make us want to worship?” A few years ago, we were attending the Break Forth worship conference in Edmonton, Alberta. I was in a worship session one morning when I heard Paul Baloche introduce his new song, “The Same Love.” I was floored by the moving of the Holy Spirit as I sang the powerful lyric. When Gerald and I met up for lunch, he told me about the songwriting session he’d attended that morning. “Paul played a song for us called ‘The Same Love’. We need to bring it to our congregation!” When that song hit us both so strongly, we knew there had to be something special about it. It’s since become a favourite worship song for our congregation.

To change the subject a little, do you also write songs? What "inspires” you in your writing? Is it the same as when you are looking for songs to lead the people?

Gerald and I both write songs, and in very different ways. Gerald is a born writer. He’s written plays, screenplays, short stories, prose, and hundreds of songs. He’s got lots of natural talent with an unnatural discipline - up at 6am every morning, sitting in front of his laptop with his Bible, MasterWriter, and espresso. The hard work is paying off - this spring, Gerald was nominated for two Word Awards, a national award sponsored by The Word Guild of Canada! We’re looking forward to attending the gala awards night in June.

My writing is much more sporadic. Ironically, I’ve written a lot of songs while stuck in traffic (if you ever drive in Toronto, you’ll know that’s a fair amount of time!) We’re starting to write more songs together, which, as a married couple, is both wonderful and challenging!

We both seek inspiration in lots of different places. Sermons are a definitely a favourite, but also scripture, testimonies, other songs, and even just everyday conversations. Because we have a dual ministry as both Christian artists and as worship leaders, we allow the songs to shape into their own purpose. Some of them are “Infinitely More” songs, and others become songs for corporate worship.

Do you have any advice, as a worship leader for songwriters out there, that might encourage and enlighten them?

I think the best advice I have is to spend time with God. Not you, God, your iPad, and a million distractions, but just you and God. Read some scripture, lift a prayer, enjoy creation, and just listen. There’s something about that kind of time that feeds everything. A song may come to you then, or it may provide the stillness you need later in the day to hear a hook or discover a song idea in an unexpected place.

Gerald’s constant advice is always one word: rewrite. There’s an old story about Gospel music legend J.D. Sumner of the Stamps Quartet. Young writers were always giving him songs for the group. J.D. would sometimes try to give feedback, but the young writers would respond with “I can’t change a thing. God gave me that song.” In his deep, Southern drawl, J.D. would respond, “Son, God’s a better writer than that.” Cheeky, but he made a good point. God will graciously give us inspiration for a hook, a verse, maybe even a whole song, but He invites us to share in the creative process through the rewrites. They are challenging, but they contain a joy and satisfaction all their own.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

In June, I’m starting a Worship Wednesdays series on my blog. We’ll have weekly articles about leading worship and songwriting from me, Gerald, and pastors and musicians we love and respect. Also, for any Canadian readers of Inspired Songwriting, we’d love to come and minister at your church! You can find all the details at www.InfinitelyMore.ca

Thank you, Allison. 

Perry

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Does pain serve a purpose?

Why Pain

Does pain serve a purpose?
What causes us to feel pain?
When I speak of pain and suffering,

what feelings does that evoke in you?


The young toddler was about to place his tender hand on the hot stove. His mother grabbed  him and yelled at him not to touch.

The teen comes home after curfew, again. Her parents, worried sick for her safety,wait up for her. They ground her and take away privileges, to get her to understand the consequences of her behavior.

The young man is fired from his job because

of poor attendance and work performance.

He is broken, ashamed, and disillusioned.

In light of what has happened in his life,

he takes time to examine what he did

and how he got where he is at.

I ask again does pain serve a purpose?

As you can see by my examples above,

I believe there is a purpose to pain. I

believe pain can be useful for protecting,

correcting, and/or instructing us. In each

of the illustrations pain was used to bring

about a positive result. It was not enjoyable

for the recipient, but was intended for

their best in the long run.

But you say, this is all well and good and I

can agree that specific pain may serve a

purpose, but what about poverty,

starvation, war, etc.?

I ask you, What do you think, 

can the pain of poverty, starvation, war

have a purpose? What are your thoughts?

Perry

What inspires a worship leader?

Guest Interview-What Inspires The Worship Leader

Craig Kutteroff- Worship Director Faith Church

Craig Kutteroff is Director of Worship at Faith Church in

 Trexlertown,Pa. Faith Church is a moderate sized church in

The Allentown, Pa area.

Craig tell us a little about yourself. Are you married, any children?
Craig: I am married and we have 3 children.

In your position of Worship Director, what are your duties and 
responsibilities?
Craig: As Worship Director, I am responsible for programming
and leading the various church services with an emphasis on
leading people into the presence of the LORD.

One of your responsibilities is deciding on the music that will
be used in the service. Do you listen to a lot of music and
music sources when looking and deciding on which to use?
Craig: I listen to a ton of music from different sources. I am
always looking for new songs that impart the truth and hope
of the Gospel.

When listening to songs, is there something that "inspires"
you to chose one song over another?
Craig: My main criteria for which songs we use is sound
theology followed closely by sing-ability.

To change the subject a little, do you also write songs?
What "inspires" you in your writing? 
Craig: I do write songs, and my inspiration is the Holy Spirit.
Most of my writing comes following intense prayer. I
believe the Holy Spirit inspires my songs to be directly
relate-able to my congregation.

Do you have any advice, as a  worship leader, for 
songwriters out there, that might encourage and 
enlighten them?
Craig: My advice is keep it simple. The song needs to be
singable by a congregation. Don't over do it trying to pack
40 lbs of music theory in a 10 lb bag. Most people in the
church wouldn't recognize advanced theory if it bit them.
They do however, remember great hooks. If you think of
some of the worship songs that have stood the test of time,
many are not very complex at all.

Where do YOU find God?

Where does God Live?

(God Doesn't Live in a Box)

I would like for you to go with me on a journey.

It is a journey of the mind and heart. I would like to tell

you a story. It's a story that inspires my songwriting.

There once was this Invisible, Awesome Being, lets call

Him God,who created everything and everyone. He had a

desire to have a relationship with people. He wanted them

to know who He was and what He was like. So He chose

a relatively small people group and preformed some

amazing feats against the people that had them oppressed.

He wanted to show them His love and to dwell among

them. He told them how He expected them to live and act,

putting Him first and treating each other with honesty and

integrity. He had them build Him a throne room (a special

tent) and a throne,(an ark) from where He could rule and

interact with them.

As they wandered through the wilderness toward their

promised land, they would carry His tent and throne with

them. When they got to their promised land, God,continued

to rule and direct them through His chosen priests and

leaders. When the people were oppressed, God's throne,

the Ark, would go out ahead of them. As long as the people

showed devotion, by worshiping and obedience, God would

go before them and fight their battles. But in time their love

and devotion turned into ritual and they forgot the God who

loved them. As their love for Him grew cold, God no longer

went out before them, even though they carried His Ark.

Nor did He fight their battles for them.

Many centuries went by and God still desired to have

fellowship with man. He also intended to follow His plan

of using His people to show the nations His love. When the

time was just right, God came down, born of a woman, and

lived as a man. He was born into His people, who were oppressed

by a great nation and their lack of devotion to Him. He grew

in favor and into adulthood. He lived a pure and faultless life..

But, the leaders of His people were jealous of Him, because

of the people's love of Him and His with which He taught

the people. So the leaders plotted and had Him killed by the

governing authority. But the amazing thing of the story is

God's love for people was so great that the grave could not

hold Him, after 3 days in the grave, He arose in body and

spirit.

Here's the really amazing thing about my story. This God

loves individual people so much that He wants to live

with those who are devoted to Him and obey His commands.

His commands are; be devoted to Him in love, love other in

integrity and honesty, and to serve others interest above your

own in love.

This is my story, the one that inspires my life and art.

What is your story?

Perry

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