It is Well - Kutless

Tonight I had no desire to work out, so I bribed myself with the new Kutless album, "It is Well". Several friends have been raving about the album, but I have not had the opportunity to listen to any of it. I am a Kutless fan, although it took me awhile to enjoy some of their more screaming songs on other albums.

"It is Well" is a worship album. I especially liked how the band sandwiched their new material between remakes of very familiar older songs such as "It is Well"and "God of Wonders." Their new material is very appropriate for a contemporary, or even a blended service. I loved the lyrics and melodies on several of the new songs.

I have not chosen a favorite yet. I am looking forward to listening to the album again in the morning on my run. After a few more listens, I'll comment more specifically on some of the new songs.

Bottom line - worth the purchase to hear the new songs. Most of the remakes are good, but the jewels of the cd are the newer songs.

Must See

Run, don't walk to your computer (Oh, wait you're already there if you are reading this blog) and check out www.last.fm This website is an awesome place to find new bands or just to listen to some old favorites. Type in the name of a favorite artist, and the website will create a playlist of other artists in the same genre you might like. I tried with Nevertheless, Leeland, This Beautiful Republic, and Tenth Avenue North. Very excellent job matching up other stuff that I would like. Give it a try. You could save hours in searching for new artists. Or waste hours searching for new artists. Depends on how you look at it.

Creativity Requires Space

I am totally stealing this from my friend, Aaron Franklin. Just giving credit up front. I saw this article referenced on his blog and after reading it, decided to post it on mine. Nancy Beach is one of the teaching pastors at Willow Creek. Honestly, I had never heard of her before today. I followed this link and read her article and God spoke volumes so go ahead and read the article. Then come back to see what I thought.
http://www.willowcreek.com/emailHTML/Equip/2009_01/article.html

I have for years known that Jesus sought out solitude on a regular basis. I have for years also known and understood that God can be hard to hear in the middle of a crazy life. However, I had not seriously connected that God may need us still and quiet to be able to maximize our creative potential. It does make sense that leaving space for God to speak and move in your life would help you to hear that new song, or to hone your skill, or to envision and create a new dance or painting or drama. I know that I am so busy that many of my creative impulses get postponed until they are gone. This article reminded me that planning times alone with God are not luxuries, but necessities.

Who's the most famous songwriter of all time?

Today I was jamming to some old rock in the car. Good bands like Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Guns and Roses, Whitesnake. I had it cranked up loud and was singing along having a great time. I began to think about who my favorite band would be if I had to pick one. And I honestly don't know. I love music so much. It was kind of like trying to pick out which of my children in my favorite.

I gave up on that train of thought and began to wonder who would rank in as the most famous songwriter of all time? No clue. Narrowed my focus to Christian artists. Chris Tomlin? Then I went back in time....Fanny Crosby wrote tons of hymns. Further back - Beethoven, Handel, Mozart all composed sacred music. Further back still I found the answer. David. As in David in the Bible. His songs have endured for thousands of years. They have inspired countless other songwriters. They have been lifted and reused. (suppose the copyright has long since expired)

As a wanna be songwriter (who's still never written anything amazingly incredible) I wondered what it was that made David such a great and talented musician. After all, he was so famous as a musician that the king Saul sent for David to soothe him when he had headaches. There were plenty of musicians in the city without Saul having to bring in a young shepherd to do the job. So what made him so great? Obviously he was God-inspired, but I am very interested in studying him not as I have in the past as "a friend of God" or "the great king" or "the shepherd boy" or "adulterous murderer" but as "musician." I truly have never deeply contemplated David as a serious and amazingly gifted musician. I'll let you know what I discover. Interested in your thoughts as well.

Worship is not boring

I recently heard a friend talking about her church, and she said, "I love the people but the worship is boring." What an oxymoron! I know that she meant the music was not her preferred style, but as I thought about her statement, I realized that worship cannot be boring. Worship is the crowning achievement, the biggest moment, the ultimate intimate encounter of our life. It is when we engage in worshipping an Almighty God that we are practicing the eternal purpose that we were created for. It is impossible to be bored with spending time in the presence of our Creator.

I frequently reread Isaiah 6 as a reminder of what a worship experience looks like from a heavenly perspective. Is. 6: 1-4 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory! The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.

I wonder what is was like to be Isaiah and experience the whole Temple shaking on its foundations because of the praises of Almighty God. Certainly not boring! (Whiners about loud music, beware!) There's so much in this passage about worship, but the thing that I recently noticed was the smoke. I became curious....why is there smoke in the Throne Room? And why is it mentioned here? What's on fire?

Then I remembered reading about an incense altar in the Old Testament that always had burning incense rising to the heavens (Ex. 30, 37) and followed that lead over into the New Testament where things began to make more sense. Heb 13:15 With Jesus' help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name Rev. 8:3-4 Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great quantity of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God's people, to be offered on the old altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of the saints, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.

So back to the smoke in Isaiah. Our prayers and praises rise up to the Throne Room in the same way incense offerings did long ago. We do not have to wait for eternity to be actively engaged in worshipping God. Our prayers, and our praises are in his Throne Room now. With the angels. We are a part of the worship that is currently taking place in Heaven. It is not worship that is boring, it is that sometimes our perspective is limited. It is a beautiful expression of the created's love and adoration for the Creator. Worship and boring can't describe the same event. If they do, then it is time for a serious reevaluation of how we are trying to engage people in worship.