album & launch

You may have heard me mention once or twice that we have recorded a new album which is due for release in about 10 days. I really hope you go out and buy one for yourself and all your friends and family.

I also just want to make you aware of the fact that you can purchase the album and a ticket for the launch gig on 4th Jan, The Spires, for £20 (bargain!).

BlueTree will be supporting and we are pleased to have Tré Sheppard along to speak at the event. Promises to be a fantastic evening, just what you need after a week of family, board games and turkey sandwiches. Tickets are on sale in CFC and the JohnnyParks website. Get your ticket soon!

Can't wait to see you there.

x

New Album Launch

Hey – just updating you about the latest info from the JP camp. Lot’s going on at the mo.

‘Break The Silence’
The new album from the Johnny Parks Band entitled ‘Break The Silence’ is due out at the end of November!!! It is going through the final stages of production at the moment and is sounding sweet. The band are feeling really pleased about how things have been developing and can’t wait to get out gigging the new songs. We think you are going to like them. If you want a copy, you can pre-order the album at the website (www.johnnyparks.com) and it will be sent out to you as soon as we get it!

Launch:
The Johnny Parks Band will be launching the album in The Spires (Belfast) on Friday 4th January ’08 along with their friends Bluetree and Tre Shepard (who will be speaking on the night). It's going to be a great night. Tickets are on sale now from the website priced £10 and we are doing an exclusive deal where you can purchase the album and ticket for just £20 (plus postage). The band are aiming to fill the place to capacity and make an almighty sound – they really want to break the silence (excuse puns), so please get a ticket early and get your place! (Plus it’s a pretty tasty Christmas pressie for someone….)

Worship Community Ireland:
The next meeting of WCI is going to be on the morning of the 5th January (10am-1pm) and we are really pleased to have Tre Shepard be with us. Tre is a legend. He leads worship with the band One Hundred Hours and is an international speaker (known locally for speaking at Summer Madness). He has a whole lot to say to us about the world of worship and will stimulate, encourage and challenge us. It will be a great morning. Again, we’d encourage you to get in early cos it’ll book out soon. It’s priced £20 for the morning. Email the team if you want to book at info@johnnyparks.com

Other Bits and Bobs:
Johnny’s and his wife (Cathy) are expecting their number 3 baby this Friday!!!!! They have 2 wee boys already and are waiting in anticipation to see if this will be a boy or girl. Please pray for a really smooth delivery.
Johnny’s mum (Pat) is still receiving her chemo treatment for breast cancer. She has a great attitude however the chemo has been taking its toll and she has had a tough couple of weeks. This has been difficult for all the family so we’d appreciate your prayers into this situation.

That’s all from us for now. Hope you are all well – take good care!

Peace

The JP Team

Accordion Wanted!

Dearest fans!
I am on the look out for a wee accordion (not button). If you happen to have one lying around the house or know someone who has, maybe somone who used to be in a band, then let me know. I would love to get one asap for the band in order to reproduce some of the fine sounds put down on the album. If you can be of any help in this little (actually, rather large) request then get in touch asap. The world needs to hear and see my refined technique on this truly scrumptious instrument!

Thanks
Claire

CFC Third Service

The band had a great night at CFC with both new members Matt (drums) & Mash (bass). Our set was: Arise, Brand New Day (a new one!), Our God is Mighty (another new one!), Our God Reigns and Here I am to Worship. The set flowed really well and the new songs went down sooo well. We have played 'Brand New Day' before and got a good response and people seemed to have remembered it and got stuck in this time. It is such a great song to play and works really well at the opening of a set. JP introduced 'Our God is Mighty' and then taught it. We ended up playing it twice in a row because it went so well and people really began to engage. It is such a great song, probably because it just points to God and who He is. It is sooo encouraging to see people respond to this song - I hope you like it when you get the album.

We had been praying before hand that God would do something significant and that we would lead people gently but boldly and I think we did ok. In fact Johnny lead really well!!!!! The last two songs in the set were really poignant in that people began to physically respond to God and take on a posture of humility, reverence and worship. It was so encouraging to see people respond in this way. To be honest, I was kinda hoping I could just bow down. God is soo awesome and so unbelievably worthy of our worship. The least we could do last night was bow down, raise our hands and sing our vocal chords to death. It is such a privilege to be involved in leading people in worship. Never let me forget that!

ALBUM LAUNCH

The Album launch will take place on Friday 4th January 2008 in Spires, Belfast.
Tickets available soon! (But get it in your diary now!)

Worship Community Ireland

Worship Community Ireland is an event for anyone involved in worship who wants some support and teaching on a variety of worship-related topics. We have just had our 2nd meeting today which was held at City Church, Belfast. It was a very successful morning in that people felt encouraged and challenged and hopefully supported. It is so fantastic when people get together and share their experiences with one another. It seems to me that regardless of how long you have been involved in worship there are always new things to learn. We can't allow ourselves to stand still and assume we have it all figured out.

I had the opportunity to speak on 'Building Community' this morning focusing in on our values, the importance of community and some practical tips on how to build community. I am going to sort out a version suitable for posting so that those of you who sadly missed the event can have a read and hopefully be encouraged or challenged or both.

This is a life-giving event. I would absolutely love it if you could really encourage anyone you know who's involved in worship to come along to the next event which will be held in City Church again on Saturday 5th January (the morning after our album launch!!!!!!!). What would be fantastic is to send me an e-mail address so we can keep in contact with them and make sure they find out relevant details about the coming events.

We really want to encourage each other in the area of worship. It is a gift, an honour and a privilege to be involved and so we want you to participate and share whatever unique experiences you have in order to build this community and discover more about our unique contribution to 'the church'.

Claire

Album Finshed?

It has been just under 2 months since we started recording in Windmill Lane and eventually we have come to the end of the recording process. There are a few wee bits and pieces to tie up but JP flies out to Nashville on Tuesday to be part of the first few days of mixing with our wonderful American friend, Shane Wilson. We arrived home in the early hours of this morning after finishing up the backing vocals. I think we have done a good job with them so I hope you really like what's on there. It is a relief in some ways to have it over as I am absolutely shattered but I will miss hanging out with the band in the studio. We have had alot of fun and we've got to know each other which is such a privilege - what a great band!

We have just got home after our final photo shoot up in the north coast. It seems to have been successful - I guess you will see them soon enough.

We are launching the album in Spires, Belfast on Saturday 15th December so I really want to encourage you to put that in your diary. It will be a very special night for us and we would love to have all our friends there to support us and worship with our new songs.

Thanks so much for reading all the posts in the relation to the recording. We appreciate your interest and all the support, prayers and encouragement you have given. I am now looking forward to getting back to writing my regular posts on worship but I will keep you updated on the band!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo Shoot Part 1

An early start for a Sunday morning! We arrived at JP's shortly after 8:30am to set out on our mission to take some pics in Belfast. It was a tad cloudy so we started with a trip to Bennett's on Belmont before setting out to West Belfast. I have to tell you that on arriving at the Peace Wall I felt really sad. I've seen the pictures but I've never visited it for myself so I was pretty moved.

JP borrowed a van and it acted as our mobile wardrobe for the morning. We piled in all our outfit changes, some props and a great big mirror which I of course made use of a few times more than anyone else. I think we scrubbed up well for the occasion and seem to have got our hands on some great clothes. I particularly loved the fact that we got to buy new clothes or 2nd hand stuff which was looking fantastic. I didn't look at any of the pics yet so I'm not at liberty to say that they were amazing just yet but our photographer (Tim Millen) did a great job this morning and had some great ideas. We had a few tour buses stop and take pictures while we were in mid-pose as well as a lovely wee Swiss man who was keen to take some pictures and find out who we were.

Thanks so much for all the interest you have shown and to anyone who has contributed to the JP band wardrobe. It's back into the studio tomorrow night (Monday) for some more backing vocals - we'll keep you posted on our progress.

Claire

Album Update

After another late night in the studio we have 7 songs done and another 6 BV's to go next week. It has been going really well in 'Shabby Road Studios' and I think we have come up with some nice wee parts. I'm looking forward to letting you hear the album when it is released in November. We hope to have an official launch gig in December but we'll keep you posted.

The album will be mixed at the start of October and JP will be travelling out to Nashville for the first few days of the mixing. We are sure that Shane will do a fantastic job! It is an exciting time for us as a band and also quite a weird period of transition as we adopt new members. As you know, Nik has had major problems with his ears and so we have a great drummer called Matt Weir playing for us at the moment. We are also recruiting a new bass player and we have had a tonne of interest so we are currently exploring the options.

Over the next 2 weekends we are having our pics taken for the album. This promises to be great fun (I think) as we will be going on a few wee journeys with a variety of props to make sure we have interesting shots. I think the guys are fairly laid back about this but being the only girl it's all a bit mad getting the right outfit - feel free to give me your advice!!!!!!

CFC - 16th September

Back to CFC last night for the evening service. It feels like we have done soo much since we last played - like record an album! The set last night was: Arise, Brand New Day, Rescuer, Great Church, Glory. The service was jam packed with people which was encouraging and gave us a great opportunity to let a load of people hear some of the new tunes (Brand New Day & Great Church).

It was loud and in your face and people seemed to be connecting and enjoying it. We had a new drummer playing (as Nik is still not back with us) called Matt Weir. Matt did a great job especially given that he had one rehearsal. It is great to work alongside people who are conscientious, passionate and who approach things professionally and so I think Matt deserves a rather large round of applause.

I am sure some of you were there and maybe even some of you stayed to help record some noise after the service. We'd love to hear any thoughts you have on the songs or on your experience at CFC last night so post your comments. It was encouraging for us to see people pick up 'Great Church' and there was a lovely sense of God's spirit freeing us up to sing whatever He had put on our hearts regarding the church. I certainly felt moved and encouraged.

Remember if you are interested in worship and want to meet some other people who can support and encourage you then get in touch with JP and get signed up for the worship support morning on Saturday 13th October.

We Need Your Noise

As you know, we've been in the studio over the last while recording the new album. We've been putting in the hours and working pretty hard on the new tunes and now...at last...it's your turn to do a little bit of work to get your voice on the album!

What's the deal? Well...we wanna record some crowd sounds to use on a few tracks on the album...shouts, chants and some general rowdiness. So, if you're rowdy and like the sound of your own voice, then we are cordially inviting you to come and make some noise at Christina Fellowship Church, Belfast this Sunday night just after the evening service (at about 9pm).

We're gonna hook up a few mics and let you know what to do. Then we'll record you and, if you're nice, you'll be on the album! You up for it? It'll be great craic.

Plus...as a wee bonus, if you turn up, we'll take a note of your name and say a big public thanks to you on the website.

If you need more info, please email info@johnnyparks.com. We hope to see you there!

The JP Team.

Back in the Studio

Last night we headed back into the studio to start recording the BV's for the album. Once we were set up we managed to get 2 songs done which are sounding great. It is so cool to be back in the studio and working on the songs again. It has been great to have a little distance from the songs before going back to them - this is a bit of a luxury! I am hoping the time I have with them over the next few weeks will mean we get the best ideas for the BV's.

If you have been keeping up to date with the band you will know that we are recruiting a new bass player and drummer. We have a number of gigs coming up before Christmas and so we are hoping to get back into regular rehearsals asap. Please keep us in prayer as we finish the album and find new musicians.

We are playing at CFC this Sunday night - we'd love to see you there - 7pm!

Worship Community

Dear all

I hope you are well and have had a great summer.

I am emailing with details of the next Worship Community support day to be held in City Church, Belfast. If you are a worship leader, a musician in a worship band or someone who serves in providing technical support (visuals and sound) then you are more than welcome to attend. We had originally planned to hold the next event on Saturday 22nd September however we have had to change this date to Saturday 13th October from 9.30-1pm.

The purpose of the day is to worship together, seek and hear God and provide practical and spiritual support for each other. The last day proved very successful with many people leaving with a greater sense of purpose and encouragement. We want to build on this success and open this opportunity up to others to come and meet with God and each other.

Throughout the morning, we will have to chance to worship and seek God and we will have some practical input and the opportunity to share learning and experience with each other. Part of the focus of the morning will be on song writing and band rehearsals amongst other topics.

Registration is at 9.30 and the programme will commence at 10am. Refreshments will be provided throughout. The total fee for the morning is £20 (however we may be able to reduce this rate if you have a worship team attending). If you would like to attend, please contact me to book a place and arrange payment.

Many thanks

Johnny Parks

"Take My Life and Let it Be, Consecrated Lord to Thee"

I love that we are already "a chosen people, a royal priesthood (and) a holy nation" and yet we are usually far from being clean and pure at times. A passage that has gone through my mind over the past number of weeks is Ephesians 4:

"...to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold....
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you".

It is important that we don't become so fixated on personal purity that we are never content with who we are and how we interact with people but it is also important that every ounce of our lives is an acceptable sacrifice of worship. We want to live clean lives in a way that means we don't become self-centred. We want to live in the power and the freedom of the Holy Spirit and so Paul gives us some advice on how to do that with particular reference to how we can treat others, how we speak to others and what grieves the Spirit.

I think the Holy Spirit acts as a seal not only to identify us as His but to protect us, therefore, if this seal is broken we become vulnerable to all sorts of things. I guess maybe the term grieving could imply that the Holy Spirit grieves for us because He knows the cost and pain that sin can cause us and how we lose out on perfect communion with God.

So, the way we live matters.

"Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering". Romans 12:1-2

Any thoughts??????????

Thoughts from the Studio

t's Monday 27th August - a bank holiday for most of you but back to teaching for me. So after a few hours in school, I am back in the studio listening to Johnny putting down vocals for another song. This is the penutimate day of recording with Shane here and the last day for lead vocals. Tomorrow has been set aside for other musicians to come in and add a little more tastiness to the songs. The BV's will be done over the next couple of weeks which means we (I) don't get to relax just yet.

It has been a great learning curve for all of us in terms of the actual recording process but also learning about each other. It has been so fantastic to get to know people better over the last few weeks and to see how we all respond to different situations. I love getting to know people in this way because then you get to know how you can best support each other.

This has been an important experience for me and no doubt for all of us in the band. I am really excited about the future and I already have the sense that this time and what we have done is much more significant than we can imagine. Let's hope so!

Day 16 in the Studio

So we are on day 16 of the recording and still have 4 days to go and then some! We are currently putting down the lead vocals and by the end of the day we should have 7 songs done (half way there!). I have to say that JP is doing a fantastic job and his voice is sounding really fantastic. I got the chance to put down 2 lead vocals today which I am happy with but more than that - I just love the songs. I feel a real sense of God's spirit on what we are doing and I feel very expectant about the songs that have been written. It can be quite scary to get excited but I am hoping that this is a God inspired excitement and that people really pick up the songs and find them helpful in communicating something special and unique to God.

Shane Wilson has been fantastic! He is patient and encouraging and just a great guy to be around. He has become a friend to us and we will be very sad to see him leave on Wednesday (we will always have a soft spot for Crispy Beef from the Chinese). We have tried to convince him to move to Ireland but I guess Nashville probably suits best for his line of work!!!!!!

This has been a fantastic experience and opportunity for us all and we genuiney feel humbled to be doing such a wonderful thing. It is a privilege to feel like you know what you were made for and we are thankful.

Tour Bookings

We wanted to let you know the exciting news that Johnny and the band are going to be touring the new album in the new year. (The album is going REALLY well - the band have most of the tracking done and are digging into the vocals at the moment)

Johnny and the band are planning to tour around Ireland and the UK from January - June and have a number of dates confirmed already. Over the next wee while we will be pulling together all the bits and pieces to get everything organised and will inform you of the dates once everything has been finalised...it's gonna be fun!

If you are interested in booking Johnny and the band for a night of the tour to play in your church or at a venue near you, then please get in touch! All you have to do is send a nice wee email and we'll get back to you really soon with a friendly response. Email us at info@johnnyparks.com

Check the blog or website for updates: www.johnnyparks.blogspot.com or www.johnnyparks.com

Peace

The JP team

The Expanse of My Heart

The love of God is incredible. Living out love is the most amazing thing but it means being true to yourself and being honest with others. I used to think I was an honest person but having spent 2 weeks recording I realised that I am an incredibly emotional person and that it is important that I see this as a part of who I am. Since realising this I have felt like some chains have been broken in my life and that I have a renewed passion to worship God. Being known by others seems to make it easier for me to feel like I am known by God.

For a long time I have tried to play down my emotions in order to appear as though I am in control but a friend very wisely pointed out to me that this emotion is a gift; not only from God but this is a gift to the people around me. God has made me the way I am because this will bless Him and others. This is basic, bog standard stuff and yet the realisation of this stuff over the last week has shifted something in my spirit. I feel like I've once again sensed something of the freedom I am supposed to be living in.

I've felt challenged about the notion of living in freedom over the last 6/7 months. I keep wishing I could bring a freer expression of worship to God as I live out my life but I have found that this is only partly achieved by choice. Sometimes life throws us into situations where our approach to people or situations is challenged. Living out our lives in community with others is a healthy way to learn this stuff. This gives us the opportunity to grow in love which then increases our level of trust with people which in turn increases our freedom to be ourselves.

Thank you to the people around me who have made my heart grow.

The Tomlin Tour

We have just returned home after a busy few days supporting Chris Tomlin & Band in Belfast and Stoke-on-Trent. It has been an absolutely fantastic few days (except for the ridiculously early flights). Playing in the Odyssey is always difficult (in my humble opinion) as you feel quite disconnected from the crowd and therefore it is difficult to sense whether or not people are engaging in worship. Nevertheless, it seemed to go quite well and we had lots of positive feedback about the set and particularly a few of our new songs i.e. Rescuer, Troubles and Great Church. The best part of the night had to be going out for a drink after with some of the guys including our drummer for the event (Tim Cooke) and Shane Wilson (our producer). The boys sampled some Millenium Bushmills Whiskey and Shane pointed out that this experience was 2nd to the birth of his son!



We flew to Manchester on Thursday morning for our gig in Stoke. This was a smaller theatre (approx. 1000) but the atmosphere was great and despite tiredness we really gave ourselves in worship and played a really energetic set which people really engaged in. We got good feedback and encouragement about Rescuer and Great Church (2 new songs which will be on the album).



The last few weeks have been very significant for me in a number of ways; I love building relationship with people and so this has been a great chance to get to know the band better and meet other musicians. I have really felt God's presence over relationships and can see how he is growing us in love for one another. It has been great to hook up with the Tomlin Band and be able to participate in worship. Chris has quite a few great songs and so it was just soo refreshing for me to spend time worshipping God and be overwhelmed with gratitude for what He has done, what He is doing in me and what he is doing with our band. Time to worship is so vital for me as it is one of the primary ways that I feel connected to God and so I need to prioritise this more. The Tomlin band did a great job at both UK dates and it was fantastic to support them and air some of the new songs.

So, it's back into the studio today to put down keys and guitars for the next few days. Please continue to pray for us all as we seek to bring the best that we have to this project.

More Pics

Rhythm Section




Shane Wilson - Our Producer




On The Way to The Studio


Worship Pose



This Morning at Our Guest House

Pics @ The Studio

Studio Days 2 & 3

We're almost at the end of day 3 with just one more track to go before we leave the studio for the day. We will have 8 tracks down by the end of today so we are a very happy bunch. It has been going soo well for us and the songs are sounding really great. Mikey has contributed so much to the songs already and is fitting in fantastically well. Shane has been doing a great job and is a patient and encouraging producer to work with.

I managed to put down 4 piano tracks this morning on a freshly tuned Steinway grand piano. I am really happy with the parts and feel confident in what has been done so far. I'm not sure if I could do 13/14 hour days all the time but it is proving to be alot of fun so far. It's not all hard work - we do get to play a little too!



Today has been a good day; I sense God's faithfulness in my own personal experience and feel a much more gentle spirit about everything that has happened today. Gentleness is a beautiful thing - here's to growing in it!!!!!!!!

Studio - Day 1

Day 1 has been really great and very productive. We spent all morning setting up and after a bite of lunch we started with 'Rescuer'. Mikey Randon is drumming for us and so far he has done an absolutely fantastic job. It is inspiring to watch his enthusiasm and determination to put down a flawless drum track. He is a great guy and has thrown himself wholeheartedly into the project. After getting the drums and bass down for 'Rescuer' we moved on to 'Our God is Mighty'. This song sounds really great already with a really solid drum grove and pretty fantastic piano riff which we've put down using a Whirlitzer but we are still undecided about whether it works better than a nice piano sound.

Our producer is Shane Wilson and he is doing a great job with us, he's pretty chilled which makes for a great working environment and so far he has been positive about he songs and parts. Adrian Thompson (Survivor A&R Manager) is over with us and so it is great to have his input and encouragement. More importantly he took us out to a yummy pizzeria last night for a meal. The pizza's were amazing so visit Miller's Pizza Kitchen at the bottom of Waterloo Road if you're ever in Dublin.

All in all, a successful 1st day - thank you for your thoughts, prayers and encouragement.

Here goes!

We are heading down to Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin this evening where we'll get a quick stop at the studio to drop off gear and hopefully a very comfortable night's sleep in our B&B before getting stuck in tomorrow morning. It has been helpful receiving texts and e-mails over the last couple of days and so please keep that up as it really is an encouragment. It is a fantastic opportunity for us all and a little nerve-racking so keep praying for us.

We really want to fit perfectly into the plan that God has for us and we feel very thankful that he has prepared us and ushered us into this so gently. It is good to be reminded that this is His plan for us and that He has asked us to do this. We hope that our response brings glory to Him and that in turn people will be blessed, strengthened and encouraged by the songs that make it onto the album.

Thanks for your help and support so far and please keep in touch over the next few weeks. Hope to see you at the Tomlin gig!

Prayer Request & Band Update

We are in the middle of another weekend of rehearsals and I thought it would be helpful to share some stuff with you. As you are aware, Nik (our drummer) lost his sister to cancer in April and has been having a very difficult time dealing with this. His family really need continued prayer and support so please do keep that in mind. On top of this, Nik has been struggling with inner ear problems and hyper-sensitivity which has proved to be a nightmare for him and although drumming is his great passion, it has been causing even more stress. Unfortunately Nik had to make the decision to pull out of the recording and any other dates for the foreseeable future. Although, we were expecting this decision it is still very hard but we really do want to see Nik healed physically and emotionally. Please pray for him and please pray for the band as we make alternative plans for the recording.

It is also important to pray for Johnny's family and particularly for his mum who was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of weeks ago. The cancer has been diagnosed as invasive and aggressive however there is a good chance of recovery. She will be having a further operation this Tuesday and then will have to begin chemotherapy.

The last week has been very successful in terms of songs and arrangements. We have added another 5 songs to the repertoire and each one is showing strong potential for the album. Iain Archer will be coming into the studio for a few days to work with David in creating some delicious guitar sounds and experimenting with the plethora of pedals David already has. Iain came to the rehearsal today and helped create sounds for some of the newer material. It is great to have someone from outside come in at this stage and bring fresh perspective.

We will be rehearsing on Sunday (29th), Tuesday (31st) and Wednesday (1st) so please do remember us.

Band Update

2 weeks and 2 days and we'll be in the studio!

We have been rehearsing all weekend and have another 2 songs in the bag. So far we have rehearsed 7 songs and we have probably the same again to produce before the recording so that we can choose the best from a bunch. We had a very productive weekend and there are some lovely sounds, melodies and riffs coming from the band which is really encourging. We are excited about putting the songs down and hearing the finished product.

It was fantastic and important to get away on holiday for 11 days to get some rest before things get really busy. It is so important to work out of rest, it really helps you come with a good perspective, focus and energy to give the best you have.
It would be fantastic if you could pray for us and if you could let us know if you are praying for us. I'll include a list of our band rehearsal dates so that if you remember you can pray for these times specifically.

Tuesday 24th July pm
Saturday 28th - Sunday 29th July
Tuesday 31st July

It is also really important that we have people praying for us and our families as we prepare for the recording. There are alot of situations in our families that have the potential to cause discouragement, pain and consume all the energy we need for the next month. We need to be fully equipped to carry out the purpose and calling that God has called us into.

We played at CFC this morning and got the chance to play a few of the songs as well as introduce a song Johnny has written with Matt Redman called 'Amazingly'. It seemed to bring in positive feedback so that is helpful in coming to the album with 6 songs already used and working in a church context. It was a great morning of worship and I think the set we played worked extremely well in terms of theme and dynamic. All in all a busy, emotional and productive weekend.

Summer Madness (Tues) - The Songs We Sing

It was our last night at Summer Madness (JP is playing on Saturday night though!!!!!!) and I felt like this was our best night. Many of the campers had gone home but 2,000 young people have remained to do StreetReach - fantastic! The crowd were really up for loud and lively worship and seemed to love a mix of old and new JP songs as well as others. We had a set already pre-planned but throughout the evening it got changed quite a few times and when we eventually decided on it we completely changed it once we started playing. I think it's good to have this flexibility as a band which is why it's really good to devote time to rehearsing even when you don't have a gig coming up. The more songs you have up your sleeves the better.

On Monday night we introduced the song 'Troubles'. This is an important song for us which has and no doubt will continue to evoke a variety of reactions. For years people on this island have committed themselves to being peacemakers through prayer and action and over recent months we have seen God moving in the political developments that have taken place. This is not to say that the Troubles are completely over, however, songs like this are important because they recognise that God is moving and that reconciliation and healing are happening. It is also important that we take a prophetic view with our songs and that somehow we are calling this stuff into being. I hope that this song will challenge and prepare people. I hope that it will raise issues in people regarding hurt, loss, prejudice, biggotry, anger and bitterness so that this stuff can be broken allowing room for us to be filled up with love, peace, gentleness and kindness.

As worshippers we want to please God and be obedient to Him. Our job is not to please everyone because we just can't do it. I was in the company of some people this week who during worship made remarks such as: "He just doesn't do it for me!" (with reference to the band/worship leader). I was angry. This consumerist attitude is not acceptable. The expectations people have of worship leaders are unrealistic and selfish. It feels like some people are out there with their clip boards ready to assess and rate the worship. As worship leaders we must stay focussed on who we worship and why we worship. We cannot aim to please everyone but we will probably please some (in many cases the majority). Therefore we can't choose songs based on what we know will please people. Our songs should not leave us where we are but among other things, should challenge us, and maybe leave us feeling uncomfortable from time to time.

Summer Madness - Monday

For those of you who have been at Madness I hope you have enjoyed it. I have just been thinking about what a great festival it is. Alot of people bypass it and prefer to travel to New Wine or Soul Survivor (which is totally cool) when infact Summer Madness is equally as good if not better.

I have been enjoying worship and particularly Bart Compolo's talk on Sunday night. Aside from sweating profusely and adopting a posture like Gollum I think he had some great stuff to share and I certainly felt challenged by it.

The JP Band played again last night (and we are on tonight again!!) and it seemed to go well. I thought the first couple of songs on the set worked well (You are Good & Faithful One). In the response time we used the song 'As the Deer' which was just great. I love this song and have always meant to use it so I really enjoyed worshipping with it. We had to keep our playing down at the end to facilitate ministry which brought a lovely intimacy to our worship but which meant that when we got to songs like 'Rescuer' it felt a little lifeless (probably just to us). We have had great encouragement about this song and it is fantastic to see that it is continuing to lead people in worship in this bigger context.

Thanks to those of you who have texted with words of encouragement. That has been really helpful.

Summer Madness - Saturday

It's hard to believe Summer Madness has come round so soon. For the 4th year running we were involved in the mainstage worship and it has been great so far. It is such an encouragment looking out at so many people worshipping. The crowd seemed really up for it last night which is always a big encouragement to the band especially on the first night when we are just getting relaxed into the sound stuff.

I loved the DJ slot - thought it was fantastic to see people embrace this as a style of worship.

Summer Madness marks the beginning of the holidays and for the band marks the beginning of a season of hard work in preparation for the album. Your prayers would be soo appreciated as we approach the recording (beginning 8th August). We hope you enjoy the songs and find them helpful in your worship to/of God.

Humility in Worship

According to James (4:6) God “gives grace to the humble.” Humility suggests that we are in a fit state to receive grace.

Philippians 2:1-17 is a passage I have used to consider this issue. (I feel it is important to note that I am unsure of some parts of this passage. I am not entirely in agreement with: "thinking of others as better than ourselves" as I hope to foster an attitude of equality).

"Is there any encouragement from belonging Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as "better than yourselves". Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life."

Humility is about attitude and behaviour. It comprises:
==> Submission to God
==> Recognition of our talents but also the talents of others
==> Recognition of the limits of these talents

I believe that God does great things through the humble; as He increases, we decrease. A humble person seems to hold the balance between recognising their gifting but also the gifting of others and giving them due honour. Humility means that nothing we do is motivated by selfish ambition or conceit i.e. a desire for self-promotion and excessive favourable opinion of our own ability and importance.

In worship there is a temptation to feel threatened by those who are more musically talented, more creative or more famous than us. The temptation is to covet the gifts of others which basically tells God that what He has given us is not enough. It can be easy to lose sight of the fact that we come to worship God and not to impress others. We need to ask God for grace so that we move towards wholeness and confidence in what He has gifted us in, rather than leading from a place of insecurity.

In working with our worship teams, bands etc we want to encourage people, we want to see them grow in their gifting even if that means they may eventually take our place in our church context, become better than us or become more recognised than us. We want to be part of a worship community that places others above ourselves so that we experience unity: a little of heaven on earth. I think if we can lead from a place of humility then we can encourage those who look up to us to develop and grow in humility and hopefully we will see fruit in the lives of the people we lead and maybe a little receive a little more grace for ourselves!

Reflection TroyToy

TroyToy seemed to be alot of fun for the kids! Christian youth events can be cheesy (to say the least) but I felt that tonight was an enjoyable and inclusive event for the churched and unchurched alike. The sound was LOUD!!!!!

It was alot of fun tonight and I think it takes nights like that just to loosen us up and realise that God can handle our fun.

Our set was: Arise, Close to you, Victorious, Glory and then Rescuer. I felt that Victorious went very well, this song needs a light-hearted approach - sometimes we can take ourselves too seriously and so I think this song worked well because we relaxed and had fun with it. Again, Rescuer was great and alot of the kids seemed to move off to the prayer room during the song so I hope they were both challenged and encouraged. It continues to be a song that people catch onto but regardless of how many times we have played it I still find it a real challenge to sing with integrity but I love that it almost commands me to throw everything off and raise my hands with freedom because of what Jesus has done for us.

"O what a Saviour, freedom forever, we lift our hands with chains undone;
Hearts that know mercy, cannot stay silent, we sing a song of saving love".

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

If you read my sermon on worship (posted about a month ago) you will have seen my reference to justice and poverty. I feel really challenged about my response to the poor, I am trying to find ways in which I can serve the poor as worship to God. God is very clear about the kind of worship we should bring before him. He tells us that he does not hear our songs and prayers if we ignore the poor and live our lives irresponsibly. I am frustrated by the ignorance of many people (including myself) who claim to be followers of Jesus but yet who continue to live in ways that simply do not take God seriously.
A brief reminder of Isaiah 58

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

I have eves-dropped on 2 conversations in the past week where people have said "I was having coffee in Starbucks with a friend". Why is 'Starbucks' relevant ? Because we want people to know that we are in the "right" places with the "right" people.

I went to see 'Black Gold' this weekend and attended a discussion with the co-director Nick Francis, a representative from 'Oxfam Ireland' and a representative from 'Fair Trade Ireland'. The QFT's description is as follows: "Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping centres and supermarkets and dominate the industry worth over 80 billion Dollars, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil. But while we continue to pay for our lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.

Nowhere is this paradox more evident than in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Tadesse Meskela is one man on a mission to save his 74,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price".

I am moved to action after seeing this film. Although buying fairly traded food is one of the ways we try to live out this call, I feel that it is time to increase my committment to worshipping God through my attention to the poor and those who are being exploited. Strangely enough (with a hint of sarcasm) Nestle, Kraft, Sara Lee, Proctor & Gamble and Starbucks, the 5 largest companies making coffee 'products', refused to take part in the making of the film. However, in recent months after the film's release some have met with the directors for discussions but would not answer one simple question: "How much do you pay for your coffee?" Easy question, simple answer .... you would think!

It is time to "wake the sleeping giant". Can we be converted to Jesus? Can the church be converted to the God of the oppressed? What if the church was converted to causes larger than it's own preservation?

Music & Emotion

Major keys + fast tempo = Happiness
Minor keys + slow tempo = Sadness
Dissonance = Fear

Music has an incredible influence and manipulation over our emotions and hormones. Music can lower levels of cortisol in the body (arousal and stress), and raise levels of melatonin (induces sleep). This explains why music has the ability to relax, calm, and give peace. It also can cause the release of endorphins and can therefore help relieve pain. Our musical expression of worship therefore has incredible power over people.

I have been considering this for a number of weeks and have managed to get my hands on some Doctorate Theses in order to try and deepen my understanding of music and it's effect on our emotions. I feel that this is important in the light of what we do as worship leaders and probably more so to extend my knowledge as a teacher of music. There are times in my life when I find it difficult to worship either by listening to music or by singing my own worship to God. Music has this overwhelming ability to bring pain to the forefront of our minds again, even when we have managed to bury it for years. I don't know whether that is the work of God's timing or simply the nature of the song I have chosen to sing.

I have been in many discussions regarding the effect of worship music on our emotions and how we need to be careful that we aren't manipulating people. I have to say that I don't have much time to entertain this conversation because it is already apparent that any type of music will do this and that might just have been part of God's design. I suppose this is an issue of the heart too. I love to see people weep or laugh in times of worship. I love the ability that our musical worship has of taking people on an emotional journey.

Creation & Worship

Have you heard of AONB's (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty)? This designation is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape. If you come from Northern Ireland you will probably know that the Causway Coast is one such area and I may have seen it at it's finest moment on Saturday past. If you have never taken the drive from the White Rocks round to Ballintoy then you may not have experienced the fullness that life in communion with God has to offer. I took a friend who was visiting from England and to be honest I think I was more excited than her and I have lived in this area for 25 years. Our main stop was at Ballintoy Harbour where I had to sit and admire the scenery for a few hours.

I walked alongside the harbour in amazement at the colour of the water at it's varying depths, 3 boats; blue, red and black all trimmed with white, resting silently. It was incredible. The sun was beating down, the sky was clear blue, the rocks were varying shades of grey and white and the whole picture was trimmed with beautiful green grass. I am completely in awe of the Creator.

The colours took my breath away and so I sat overwhelmed with worship and love for the God who I believe created this. I experienced peace, rest and space, with a soundtrack of gentle moving water. All designed by Him. Absolutely perfect in it's rugged beauty that has been crafted for hundreds of years. It all fits into place. I am part of this creation. In those moments where nature gently whispered all about beauty into my soul, God had my full attention.

Refection CFC - 10th June 2007

We were playing at CFC yesterday for our monthly slot. Three services leaves you pretty exhausted at the best of times but the added heat made it all the more difficult to get up this morning. Our morning set included: Arise, Rescuer, Victorious, The Troubles are O'er, Here I am to worship. I thought the set worked quite well but I am not sure how 'Victorious' was received so if you were there and you have any thoughts please let me know. It gets an applause at the end which suggests that people are engaged but I'm not sure at what level. It might just be the type of congregation as my thinking at the minute is that this will work well at a youth event - Summer Madness will be good testing ground.

It is fantastic to have the opportunity to play the songs and get a sense of what works and what doesn't. We are finding that CFC as a church has really grasped 'Rescuer' and God is continually speaking through this song. We hope this is only the beginnings of where this song will go. We took the opportunity to air another new song yesterday called 'The Troubles are O'er'. This song was inspired by a sense of the importance to write songs that express what is going on at a local level; rather than writing songs with the intention of reaching the nations, but putting words to what has happened on this island in recent months politically and spiritually. I find this a very emotive song, firstly because I think it is great and secondly because I have never heard a worship song of this nature before and particularly one that talks about our situation and what God has done to bring us through the Troubles. I hope you like it too.

Reflection: CFC 27th May

Just home from CFC where we played all 3 services. It has been a while since we have played any gigs and so it was good to get back into it. It was the perfect opportunity to air some of the songs again, in fact our 5 song set tonight had 4 of the new tunes incorporated. It seemed to go well throughout all 3 services. The morning set was quite reflective with songs such as: We Bow Down, Lord of All the Earth, Faithful One and Rescuer. 3rd service was a bit louder and we played the new version of 'Noise' which actually might be called 'Victorious' now along with 'Walls' which we haven't played in ages. Both these tunes are sounding good - I particularly like our arrangement of Noise/Victorious and was encouraged to find that people joined in the clapping bit and gave a big round of applause at the end!

'Rescuer' has had a number of mentions on my blog but here I go again! I am struck by the fact that every time we have played this song and particularly today someone has come forward with a word of encouragement for the church or Johnny has felt led to challenge people on something. It is amazing to see how God is using this song already. I was led to thank God in the midlle of tonights set because if this is as much as God ever does with the song then it's been fantastic - but of course we want to see it reach the corners of the earth to bless, strengthen, release and encourage as many as possible.

I got a few comments after the services about 'Lord of All the Earth' which is arranged within a minor tonality but moves to the major late in the song which helps lift the whole feeling of the song. It's a real ministry song i.e. people seem to get the hang of it but want to sit back and soak it in. I love the space this creates in a worship set and I particularly love the depth of worship that these words seem to draw from us. I also love our arrangement; drums - delicious, bass - nutritious, elec guitar - sweet, vocals - tasty, keys -mmmmmmmm!

If you were at any of the services and feel you have some constructive feedback then please post a comment. If you are praying for the band please let us know that too as it would be a great encouragement to us at the moment.

Worship Talk (Sunday 20th May)

Worship


Worship –Honour to a supernatural being. The body of practices and traditions that correspond theology. To bow down: to kiss towards.

Definitions:

Life with God – Jose Cummings

Communicating with God - giving praise and adoration to Him. It is communion with God. – Jen Soloway

Worship is an offering. It is not really about what God can do for me but so much more... just a giving of myself because He is worthy and so much bigger than I am. An offering and an exercise because my flesh will fight what I know I ought to do and that which gives me the greatest pleasure on this earth. My visual image during worship is usually lying prostrate or kneeling with my head to the floor... Sarah Ortloff

A heart for those who don’t have – David Hamilton

Worship is the act of thanking God. That’s it at its most simple. It's not for us even though we benefit from it. Its like when you give someone a gift but you take the pleasure in the giving. God receives worship from us but we receive the buzz from giving. Neil Young

It's like the widow's mite - you come before God with nothing
really to bring but you give Him all you've got and in doing so you feel His delight, His love, mercy, peace, forgiveness, acceptance, etc which
brings you more to your knees before Him.. Shirley Rogers

From Old to New.

The focus of worship has shifted from a physical temple to Jesus.
Jesus is unique and central to Christian worship; He is the High Priest (Hebrews 3:1, 4:14), the ultimate and complete sacrificial lamb (Hebrews 9:14, 26; John 1:29), and the true temple (John 2:21, 1 Corinthians 6:19). Through his sacrificial death on the cross, the barrier (sin) to coming face to face with God is taken away and we are able to enjoy a relationship with God.

Why do we worship?

1. He deserves our worship. We recognize His superiority to us, for His great acts as a creator God and as a redeemer.
2. He requires our worship. We are described as a ‘royal priesthood’ (1 Peter 2:9) whose calling is to ‘declare the praises of God’. Worship is a requirement therefore we do it irrespective of how we feel.
3. He enables our worship. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, God accepts our worship and even delights in it. Worship is for God’s pleasure.


Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship”.

Not merely ritual worship but the involvement of heart, mind and will.

1. In View of God’s Mercy – Our Response.

I guess we are only able to offer ourselves to God because of His mercy and as we do He works His mercy in us. Our worship comes as a response – it is not initiated by us. As a worship leader if I choose songs which reveal who God is and what He has done, then people respond! Revelation & Response. Jesus died a sacrificial death for us on a cross so that we could experience mercy. This is an obvious observation and simple truth from scripture and yet this is what our faith is based on. I certainly don’t live a consistent life in the light of this truth. We should consider this great act of mercy when we worship.


“Our worship of Jesus is always a response to who He is, or rather how we perceive Him to be. If he is somewhat small in our hearts and minds, our response may remain minimal, mechanical and even miserly. But as we see Him more and more for who He really is, realizing what He has done for us, then pouring out our lives and resources will be our joyful response and our heart’s desire”.
Nigel Morris


2. How can worship be integrated into our daily lives? A Challenge re. Words

To each other - Words

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that is may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” Matthew 12:34

We are all experienced enough and wise enough to know that our words can have an extremely positive and encouraging affect on people or a devastating and harmful affect. As a school teacher I am constantly aware of everything I say. I have made mistakes already and have had to make a few apologies as I realise that the insecurities and difficulties I have pain and struggles in my life as the result of harsh words, sarcastic comments (you always wonder if there was truth in the comments whether they are a joke or not). We can all probably think of an occasion in our lives when someone has said something negative and maybe even to this day we still think about it. We must also consider the words and promises we make before God.


To God

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few…….When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfull it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.” Ecclesiastes 5 : 1 - 6


Reflection over the words we have spoken to others, asking God for forgiveness and the consideration of apologies.

(30 secs)


Prayer

Father – the tongue is a small part of our body and yet it makes great boasts. It corrupts our whole person and we are unable to tame it in our own strength. Lord, with our tongue we praise you, and with it we curse men. Father forgive us. Lord, help us forgive those who have tresspassed against us. We offer the harmful words that have been spoken against us, to you and say that these words will not set the course of our lives but rather the words you have spoken over us. God, help us. Thank you for your mercy. Amen.


3. Have we forgotten the other side of the coin?

Justice

We must always have the poor in mind as we bring worship to God. In fact, caring for the poor is our worship. If we look at Jesus’ mission here on earth as prophecied through Isaiah then we see that he set the prisoners free, released the captives, took notice of the outcasts and so he tells us that we have been anointed to preach good news to the poor and ensure that they are treated with justice, equality and love. I know of a church in England who have a black bin outside the front door so that as people arrive they can leave food parcels, clothes etc for the poor. This says something positive about the church but I would go one step further and challenge us to do more than that. To engage with the poor ourselves.


Read – Isaiah 58 (True Fasting)


We dare not bring our worship (in this case on a sunday morning) if we have not cared for the poor. It is wasted and God does not hear our songs. We have got to re-think our view of God. He cannot have our social ruthlessness, he finds this nauseating. Vs 9- 12 are an expression of the principle ‘the measure you give will be the measure you get. God cares about this stuff and so we can’t manipulate him to move in our lives and in our church if we don’t carry out his work in obedience and humility. We need to look further at Isaiah – Chapter 61 to see the mission of Jesus on earth and in turn our mission as worshippers and followers of Jesus.


Read Isaiah 61 (The Year of the Lord’s Favour)

This is another song which fits as a sequel to the earlier song we have just read. These actions were of course fulfilled by Jesus on earth (The Beatitudes (Matthew 5). These verses are challenging and can overwhelm us with missions that we feel unprepared or unequipped for but we should consider verses 3 – 4 which mention the slow maturing and patient reconstruction implied in the metaphors ‘oaks’ and ‘rebuilding the ruined cities’. This is a process which we give ourselves to daily. In order for us to carry out this work as our worship to God we need our pride humbled and our power harnessed at the beginning of each new day.


Bringing it to a close. Back to Romans 12:1

If we refer back to the to Romans 12, we are to bring ourselves as a sacrifice – ‘holy and pleasing’ i.e without sin. We are often guilty of raising ‘holy’ hands to God when in fact our hands are unholy and unclean. Our songs declare one thing and lives live out another. There is no integrity. If we read David’s words in Psalm 20 – verses 3-4 reads:

“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol”. Psalm 20: 3-4

Made To Worship

"Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong".

This level of worship is a challenge to me. These verses have been very real to me over the past 7 or 8 years but I hadn't paid much attention the the final verse. Job lost everything - the four corners of the house came in and took his whole family and all that he had and yet he did not sin i.e. he didn't wrongly blame God for all the pain in his life. Job seems to have grasped God's sovereignty and accepted it regardless of the level of pain he was experiencing.

Job's perspective comes into line with Jesus' words as recorded in Luke 12:15 - our lives don't depend on the abundance of things we have, we will end up in a sorry mess they do. Over the past number of weeks I have had one over-riding thought throughout the day -'Life is but a breath'. I can't get this out of my head!!!!!! I am struck by the temporary nature of life and how this is my one opportunity to worship. I can't just expect to have time to fix my gaze, I need to re-align myself now and ensure that worship is integrated into my daily life.

What can I do to bring a purer form of worship through the painful times? How can I bring genuine worship before a God who I really don't understand? I am struck by the fact that worship is so much bigger and greater and deeper than I can even begin to articulate or comprehend. Something happens between my spirit and God that I have no control of. I am led to worship from a depth that is beyond choice. We often talk about choosing to worship but we have been Made to Worship.

Chris Tomlin & Band avec Johnny Parks & Band

As many of you know we are recording an album in August. Just to make things a little more hectic and fun we are supporting Chris Tomlin at the Odyssey on Wednesday 15th August @ 8pm. Tickets are available at www.ticketmater.ie so please come and support us. We would LOVE to let you hear the new songs. We are also playing the following night in Stoke-on-Trent if you are fanatical enough to come with us!

'In This World You Will Have Trouble"

I suppose this is not a post directly devoted to worship and it's theology or practicalities but as a worshipper this is simply an account of my experience of the past 2 weeks.

As many of you will know almost 2 weeks ago we woke to the devastating news that Nik's sister Lindsay (age 23) had passed away. We have been praying and praying for Lindsay in her battle against cancer. On Monday of this week we again woke to an early phonecall informing us that a friend (age 22) of my husband's had died after a fall in Russia. In school on Wednesday our singing teacher was asking for the next day off as she was involved in the funeral of a 3 yr old who drowned whilst on holiday in Spain. I spoke to a close colleague on the phone on Wednesday who informed me of a teacher who had lost her 3 month old baby girl.

My reaction - confusion.

Comfort & Worship

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 are verses that have been like a mission statement for me. This passage talks about the God of all comfort. In our suffering we receive comfort and so we in turn can offer this comfort and encouragement to others who are experiencing pain - what a privilege! One channel through which we can offer comfort and encouragement is through worship (in song). Worship in a corporate setting is primarily to bring praise to God but also to edify the church. There is an amazing mystery in the fact that as we gather together and worship God we experience a sense of God's presence which helps us place our pain in perspective and hopefully reminds us that we have a God who knows every ounce of what is going on in our hearts.

On Sunday, after hearing some painful news I found myself frustrated and unsettled. I wanted to connect with God because it felt like that might be the only safe place I could find. My initial thoughts were to sit in my room and listen to a few worship songs that have been very helpful to me in my own pain and then just sit at the piano and sing whatever came to me. This is my way of connecting and communicating something of my pain to God. I couldn't find the exact words I needed but singing simple words of praise to God seemed to release a little of the hurt and frustration I was experiencing. From time to time I am confident that when we worship there are things happening in the spiritual realms that we cannot see or begin to comprehend. I can't say this is a fact but for now I would like to believe it. Worship seems to have changed things in my own life so I want to believe that this can still happen and that God will change things for others as I worship.

What we do in 'worship' must be really important! We need to facilitate people who need comfort and some kind of expression to release the pain they are feeling inside. Writing honest, genuine words (true to our experience) and painting these with the perfect melody, chords and sounds will bring healing, release, life, joy, peace, comfort...........

Translate His Wonders into Music

Hallelujah!
Thank God! Pray to him by name!
Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
Sing him songs, belt out hymns,
Translate his wonders into music!
Honour his holy name with Hallelujahs,
you who seek God.

Since reading Psalm 105 I feel like my own devotion to the Lord has been stirred. I have been challenged to stir myself to praise Him and reconsider the great works He has done in my life. Every part of the work of grace on my life and soul is a miracle of which I am free to express in worship back to God.

I have had experiences in my life which I never thought I'd come through. I have had amazing blessing poured out on my life over and over again. I have had awesome opportunities presented to me which I could never have dreamed up. Every one was grace. When I couldn't see any way out or any good reason why I might be experiencing so much pain - God was changing me.

As I look back on my journey as a 'worship leader' I realise that it was birthed from an extremely painful time in my life. I had no desire to lead anyone in worship to God (in the way we understand worship leading). As I came to terms with events in my life that I had no control of, God put people in my life who loved to worship Him. This changed my life. Having this channel to cry out to God did something in me that I cannot begin to articulate. Suddenly I realised I had a purpose - I was made to worship. I had been reading Job as I journeyed this pain (not exactly uplifting stuff) and to be honest he seemed to be my closest and most empathic friend.

So, what has this got to do with translating His wonders into music?

I am considering this in a very personal light for now. I want to be able to sing out in worship to God and express something of the wonders that He has done in my life. I also want to be able to write songs that will communicate something of these experiences in order to help others communicate with God in the middle of the circumstances they face.

I'd love to hear your story.

Reflection CFC - April

CFC - 15th April - 3rd Service
It has been a few weeks since the band have played together so it was fantastic to see everyone again and great to get playing. We had the opportunity to air a new song tonight - 'Lord of all the earth'. I absolutely love this song so I can't wait for you to hear it and find something of the depth of worship I have found. Over the past number of weeks I have been listening to this song and it has allowed me or led me to a place of genuine worship before God. I can't even explain or adequately articulate how deep this place is but I really pray that people find the depth of connection and intimacy that I have found in using this to worship. It has this beautiful minor tonality for the most part which in itself creates a haunting and emotive atmosphere.

We opened the service with "All who are thirsty' and I had a real excitement in my spirit about this song so I hope it really ministered to people and created a space for people to cry out to God from a place of pain and brokeness. Life can be really hard at times and we can feel really fragile as we work through painful situations but there is such beauty in the worship we bring to God in the midst of all this stuff. I've put some thoughts together re. this subject with reference to my own journey so I will consider posting this over the next few days.

Studio Stuff

David, Johnny and I headed into the studio to record some demos last night. It was great fun and I really hope that you get to hear the beautiful story about Victoria coming to the Lord (as told by JP) which Ricky very kindly recorded. (I hope it finds it's way onto the album).

It has been a while since I have been in the studio and it can be a little daunting at the start. The best way forward is to just have a laugh and relax into it. I also think that recording at night time is 100% better - I might investigate whether night shifts are an option when it comes to the album. Your voice is warmed up and ready to go plus you go a tad mental in your state of tiredness which sometimes allows you the confidence to do things (and say things!) you might not otherwise do. It was a really productive night - one of our most productive to be honest. David's guitar sounds were delicious, Johnny's voice was sounding full and fantastic and I got to play a very yummy piano sound as well as sing some (what I think are) nice harmonies. There are some moments of fragile singing which you don't normally get in worship - I'd like to explore this further.

We only had time to put down 4 songs but it is really encouraging to hear that they are 4 really strong songs (in my humble opinion). I can't wait to hear how they develop further in terms of production on the album. There are a few more songs in the pipeline which we need to get working on. The next few weeks are going to be exciting and busy. We are hoping to begin recording at the start of July after our dates at Summer Madness. It proves to be a busy and God-willing creative and productive couple of months and we'd really value your encouragement and support as we approach the recording. If you can get out to hear the band sometime soon we'd love to see you and hear your feedback. We're playing this Sunday evening in CFC - 7pm.

Living Sacrifice II - Creative Thinking

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". Romans 12:2

Have you ever thought of this verse in terms of creativity?

The renewing of our mind is all about our thinking - the challenge to think differently. The amazing thing is that we are transformed by this thinking. This transformation is meant to be a glorious metamorphosis of the same ilk as Jesus in His transfiguration. As I think through this I am concerned that we decide that because this is the work of the Holy Spirit we leave it to Him to change us and forget that we have responsiblity over our minds and our thinking. This is our spiritual act of worship. Remember our bodies comprise of soul, flesh and mind.

I am sure there are lots of ways to look at this verse and possibly deep theological truths I haven't thought through at this stage. I would like to consider the patterns of the world and more specifically the patterns of the church and the challenge to think differently. In the same way that this verse indicates that the patterns of the world are ungoldy I wonder are the patterns we create in the church just as ungoldy? Does the church look any different to the world? We have patterns of prayer, worship (in song), worship leading, band dynamics and line-up, communicating God's word, house group format, leadership training, kids work, fashion, going for coffee in specific establishments, profile of worship leaders and pastors .......etc.

Does the church reflect a group of people who think differently and are transformed by the renewing of their minds?

"Creative people are always looking for new ways of doing things" J.Parks

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift". A.Einstein

"The things we fear most in organisations -- fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity". M.J.Wheatley

Hear my heart in this - I love the church but can we see this glorious transformation of our minds in turn transforming the 'church'? Are we courageous enough to think in a new way that will usher in renewal? Are we forgetting the gift? Are we just fearful and so would rather be safe in patterns and structures that are familiar to us and don't challenge our thinking?

Reflection Resonate

Resonate is an event held in 'the upper room' of a methodist church ( I think) in Portadown. The event is co-ordinated by a team of guys from that church one of whom (Pete Ferguson) is a youth pastor for 7 churches in the area. These guys were really welcoming when we arrived and weren't afraid to approach us and introduce themselves - I love that! They are really passionate about the ministry they are part of and really desire to see the reputation of Portadown changed by the love of God.

We had the opportunity to lead 2 sessions of worship, both about 40mins in length. It was really encouraging to see how engaged these young people were and how unafraid they were to express themselves in terms of singing AND EVEN DANCING! I love the fact that there is freedom coupled with reverence before a holy God. I love to worship God, I live to worship God, I love to sing, I love to play and sing and I am fairly confident in the gifting God has given me but I do have to ask myself alot whether or not I am living in freedom in those areas. I think I will write a post on this as I have been watching people worship (not in a freaky sneaky way) and just contemplating freedom or the lack of it.

Jools Hamilton was speaking at Resonate (you may know him from Summer Madness). He took the first part of the Lord's prayer and tried to communicate the meaning of the words we know and rhyme off too easily. I don't know about the rest of you but this is a prayer that I say every morning along with the staff in our school. I love this prayer and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to be reminded of it's meaning and what I am actually asking for as I say it. Maybe I'll write a post on that sometime too.

I love that everytime we play it is a learning curve and we figure out more and more how we sound as a band and what we need to work at. This was a small venue with a lot of people crammed in which I kinda liked because we felt like we were all in it together (rather than being THE BAND) but in terms of sound it was pretty loud and pretty hard to hear exactly what we were doing. Sometimes you end up playing quite harshly and loudly just to hear yourself in the monitor when actually you probably need to just be confident in what you are doing and in the sound engineer (Andy Irwin in this case - lovely guy to work with!).

Worship Training Day

Those of you who didn't get to the training day today really missed out. We had a great day and I know people were really encouraged and up for the continuation of this event. What is great about this kind of thing is that it isn't super-spiritual stuff and so people can come as they are and find out more about who they are and the call on their life. I could literally blog for days on the content of today's training and the encouragement it was to me.

We looked specifically at our call to be creative. I guess what was so great for me is that I heard Johnny do a talk on this issue at Soul Survivor last August and today I felt I had moved forward on this journey when I asked myself the same questions as I did back then. The guys/gals who came to this event were soo hungry to learn and even more than that they wanted to build relationships with other people who are passionate about worship. If I could just explain in words the good that does my soul! That's my dream! I love the humility in being teachable and the fact that we have worshippers who really do care about the church and each other.

I am absolutely overwhelmed with excitement when I consider the opportunity we have to build each other up and encourage each other in our faith and gifting as worship leaders and musicians.

JP had assiged a significant amount of time to small group discussion and this was fantastic. I just loved hearing about the experience and struggles people are facing and the fact that this event created a forum where they could be honest. I wish I had the answers but isn't it great to just listen.

Hopefully some of you who were there have been reading and will now post your comments. I would love to hear from you and continue our dialogue.

Reflection - CFC

Just a short one this time to say we played in CFC last night. For me, it was one of those nights where I couldn't really tell if it was going well or not. There were definitely moments in the set where I was incredibly moved - do you ever feel like you are worshipping but it's beyond your control? In the song 'Rescuer' there is a line that says "Hearts that know mercy cannot stay silent" and I was soo overwhelmed last night at my desire to worship with everything I am in response to this awesome mercy that I am so unworthy to receive.

Priscilla Reid was the speaker at last night's service. She was talking about staying on track (refering to John ch 16). I felt challenged by this sermon particularly when she was discussing our expectations of God and how to pray in His Name (I realised I do it in my name quite alot!). I was reminded last night that everything I do in worship/life is for His glory. Everything I ask of Him is not not about getting my requests but about His glory. I get frustrated with God alot especially if I feel He has spoken things over my life and yet I don't see them happening so I get cross that He hasn't come through for me. How stupid am I?! He came through for me a long time ago! How do I lose sight of the cross so easily?!!!!!!!

Reflection -Northdown CFC

This was our first visit to Northdown CFC, Newtownards. Every experience is a learning experience and this has been yet another significant time for me. I have been thinking about band dynamics alot and learning each time we play so I will write a post someday with that in mind.

The service this morning was really a worship service where we led 2x30min sets of worship with a short time of anouncements in between and a really lovely family who are working in Calcutta sharing their thoughts briefly through Q&A. Most people seemed to respond this morning and we were very encouraged at the end when we sold 25+ of Johnny's album 'Almighty Sound'. The church offered alot of encouragement when we had a chance to hang around after and chat. A few people asked if we have a recording of 'Rescuer' - Great sign!

We hope that this morning was a real encouragement to the church and look forward to coming back some Sunday. I was particularly encouraged when people were given the opportunity to come forward and share what they felt God was speaking to the church about. Usually this can be a little awkward with people being shy but it was one after the other this morning. This takes great boldness and I hope that these along with our worship gave hope and strength for the journey.

Living Sacrifice

"Therefore I urge you... in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

I love the way Paul appeals to our will i.e our God-given choice about how we live. I am always challenged by this verse and so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it. I have always been struck by the challenge Paul presents us with to live our lives in a way that is holy and pleasing to God but I hadn't considered the reference in this verse to the fact that this is actually a response to God's mercy. I guess we are only able to offer ourselves to God because of His mercy and as we do He works His mercy in us.

I was spending some time worshipping recently thinking about the holiness of God and couldn't help but think of how God has set us apart as a holy people, a royal priesthood. I was actually really moved when I considered that because of His mercy I am already holy. How incredible is the sacrifice that has been made for us.

God wants us, not just the work we do for Him but us. We have got to make choices and establish convictions in our lives in order that the sacrifice of our body, soul and spirit are holy and pleasing to Him. The Old Testament sacrifices were to be without blemish, having no defect in order that they would be a sweet aroma to the Lord and I imagine we are to be the same. I just love the fact that as we offer ourselves to God and submit to His work of holiness that He purifies us. For me, the most important part of this is to remember that it is Him who makes me holy. There have been many times when I have tried to make myself holy and to be honest I end up feeling the exact opposite. We can't make ourselves something we already are. We just have to chose to honour him with our lives so that all that we are is worship to Him and the Holy Spirit can reside in His fullness.

This is a topic I am going to consider over the next number of posts as I reacquaint myself with it again.

Reflective Practice CFC

Just home from CFC 3rd service after a day's hard work playing at all 3 services. It was just fantastic once again. It is great to come away encouraged about the set we played and the songs we used but also to critique what we did and get our thinking caps on as to how we could improve the songs or the arrangements. We had a really lively set today with songs like 'Blessed be your name', 'Arise', 'Noise' and 'Rescuer' among others. The church really responded once again to the more familiar ones and also 'Rescuer' (I love it!).

This morning the church celebrated communion together and JP had decided to use the Matt Redman song 'Your Blood'/'What can wash away our sin' which was such a powerful reminder of what Jesus has done for us. I feel like the worship we are bringing to God at the moment is really shaping my thoughts towards God and pulling me back to basics again. I just want to sense that simple appreciation of who God is and the sacrifice He made for us. I have been thinking alot about that sacrifice and bringing ourselves to the altar as a sacrifice of worship. I love the verses in Romans 12 and I would love to start a series of discussions on that chapter so I am going to include a post I have prepared after this one - please read and give me some feedback. I'd love to hear about your personal experiences of the stuff I write about.

Let's encourage and teach one another!!!

Reflection Ballinderry!

Just home from a worship gig in Ballinderry and we had a great night. The people were very friendly and even made us a wee lasagne for dinner. It was a very different night for the band in terms of space and sound but that didn't stop us having a great time of worship were we really felt people were engaging and responding to God. We had a few sound hic-ups so I didn't get to play too much but I loved just singing to and connecting with God. If you read my last 'Reflective Practice' you'll have heard me talk about the song 'Rescuer'. I am soo excited about this song, where it will go and the anointing on Johnny as he leads it. Just to recap, the song talks about God as our rescuer and how we have freedom when we live in relationship with him and accept what He has done to bring us into that relationship. It just reminds me that as worship leaders if we choose songs that declare truth about God and what He has done then people will want to meet with God. It kind of reminds me of Matt Redman's song in which he sings 'Worship strarts with seeing You'. When our songs reveal who God is and what He has done then what can we do but worship Him.

During our prayer time and again during our worship set at the end of the evening I felt like God gave me a picture aswell as a verse. It was simply about God dropping seeds into people's hearts during our worship. This would be seeds of wisdom, faith, knowledge, healing, prophecy, miracles, encouragment, teaching, pastoring and serving. I really felt like as these young people worshipped that God was dropping these seeds into their hearts in order to prepare them for the plans and purposes He has for them. I am really excited about this and trust that God has done these things and that the churches represented tonight along with the communities and families represented by these young people will experience the fruit of the good work God has begun in them.

All in all, another encouraging night for the JP Band. Hope to see you on Sunday at CFC -9:30am, 11:30am and 7pm!