Songwriting – There are no Dos and Don’ts

I recently read a comment on Facebook that challenged songwriters to move away from writing worship songs that used the following things:

1. Octave jumps.

2. Guitar solos longer than 2 measures.

3. Third verse, post-bridge lyrics that mention victory over death, the grave, sin, etc. (ESPECIALLY when combined with item #1.)

The Facebook user then continued, saying:

Strive to make your lyrics rich with revelation over rhyme, and with response more than reaction. (Reaction being a natural, impulsive thing, and response being an intentional, transformational thing.)

I read and re-read the post, but something was troubling me. At first glance he appears to be simply challenging us to write better congregational songs, which is great, but something didn’t sit right with me…

In the end I realised that he was mixing up arrangement with songwriting and consequently throwing out the baby with the bathwater (as the saying goes!

The author was trying to impose rules and restrictions on songwriters, not in the interest of forcing a new creativity, but rather to negate the writing of songs that do not fit a personal ideal.

As you know, I’m all for improving the depth and quality of our lyrics along with being aware of overuse of certain musical tools/devices but there are a couple of things that need to be considered when talking about the points he made.

1. Solos and instrumental breaks along with octave jumps are not so much part of the song per second but rather elements of the arrangement. Great songs stand on their own when played on one instrument. Arrangements are what make the song great for that specific moment/situation and the song should be arranged accordingly… Which brings me nicely to my second point:

2. The content of a song, lyrically, stylistically and musically should be tailored to the audience and purpose of the song. As song writers we should write for our local church. This means that we honour traditions, theology and culture of the church we are in. (The following are generalisations and are used purely to illustrate my point. Please don’t shoot me!) If we are writing for a more traditional mature/elderly audience we may err towards more hymn like songs with more complex theology.

If writing for a youth conference we might simplify our theology as young people are less likely to have a fully developed theology. Young people may need deep truths in a simple way. A mega church of 5000 would allow for different arrangements to a church of 50 peeps.

My point is this:

Whatever we write should be the best we can do and should serve our local church.

There are no dos and don’ts.

There are no rules other than “give the best you have to serve with love, honour and humility.”

So, go write songs that speak from your heart and touch the hearts of others.

Do not be restricted by rules of arrangement, structure or style.

Simply remember that your song’s lyrics and arrangement should be appropriate for the setting it is being used in.

There are no Dos and Don’ts.

Why are only a few people’s songs used in church?

This is the question I received recently as a result of a survey I am currently running. (Do check it out here)

The person asking the question mentioned that she was a successful recording artist and that she personally knew that several people had not only been touched by her music but had actually become born again as a result of her music.

This got me thinking.

Why is it that we only sing a handful of songs from a handful of people when there are so many great and talented worship song writers out there?

I’ve never really thought about this question before, but I guess it comes down to a couple of things:

The Worship Music Industry
The quality of the songs we are writing

Like it or loathe it, the Worship Music Industry is a real thing.

There are real people, making real money from selling worship music.

It’s a fact.

I’m not going to debate whether it’s right or wrong in this post. That can be done another day…

Truth is that, like in any industry, there are very successful “products” and there are less successful “products”. When an artist gains popularity, their songs travel, people buy their music, listen to their music and, due to the fact that they write congregational worship songs, these songs then get used in local churches all around the world.

As there is only a finite time on a Sunday morning, only the songs that most speak to our congregations will actually get used. For many, the songs that most speak to us are the ones that we listen to in our personal worship time.

This means that often songs that are not commercially available end up not being used in our Sunday meetings, thereby perpetuating the “cycle”…

How can we, as local songwriters, change this?

I am a strong believer in the fact that there are many many songwriters out there, writing songs for the local church. Many of these songwriters write amazing songs that serve their congregations in ways that we could never imagine.

Unfortunately many more songwriters are writing songs that simply do not get heard.

When it comes to writing songs I have noticed a couple of things:

As songwriters we often hold on to our songs too tightly. We refuse to listen to feedback and are not objective about the true quality of our songs. It is very rare for a song to be perfect on the first draft. We need other people to offer us feedback, advice and help. Our songs are our babies. Find someone who is willing to tell you that your baby is ugly, and listen to their advice.
Many of us give up too soon. In the last 20 years I have written over 70 songs which I thought were good enough to be sung in church. (I’ve written many more that never got to the stage where I thought they were good enough…)

Of those 70 songs, only a handful have actually been used for more than a season. Some were sung just once. Some were sung for a short time and then forgotten. Others have stood the test of time.

Writing songs is hard. It takes work. Songs need to be not only written, but also crafted.

Shaped.

Refined.

So take your time writing your songs.

Write for your local church with no other motivation other than helping your local congregation discover more of God and enter into worship with songs the mean something to them.

When you do this your songs will become accessible, relevant and will serve your local church incredibly well.

P.S: If you would like to download the Worship Song Roadmap, a proven process to take songs from original idea to being sung in church, then please click here.

Not Impossible. I’m Possible.

As it’s the weekend, today’s blog is a bit different.

Today I would really like you to take a little time out of your day to watch this video.

I saw this presentation live at the Storyline Conference in November last year and I have never been so impacted by one man’s story as I was by Jeremy Cowart’s.

We all have times when we doubt ourselves and allow fear to creep in, crippling our chances of success and forcing us to give up on our dreams.

Watch this video and allow your dreams to live again.

It’s not about how many dreams you have or how many people’s lives you can change.

It’s about the stories.

It’s not about what others say you are.

It’s about self-worth.

God made you. He knows what He was doing.

You are not a mistake.

You are not worthless.

You are priceless.

A Masterpiece.

Take a moment today to declare:

I’m Possible.

I’m Possible.

Are you Happy or Holy?

Are You Happy or Holy?

Thanks to the world of Facebook, I have had the privilege of being able to discuss matters of faith with people all around the globe.

One question that came up recently was the apparent dichotomy between being happy and being holy.

I was reading a discussion thread where a worship leader in the USA commented that he was struggling with living a holy life and being happy.

He was dedicating every waking moment to his ministry, getting up early to pray, leaving the house before his wife and children were up so that he could be at church leading worship at various different early morning prayer groups.

He would then work the whole day at church, praying regularly with different people, practising with the band and then leading a couple of bible study discipleship groups.

At the end of his work day he would remain a little longer and make sure he studied his Bible for a while before heading home for dinner.

After dinner he would head out again to help with the youth group before returning home at 10 p.m. exhausted. He would crawl into bed and do pretty much the same thing again the next day.

Being “holy” was causing him to burn out.

“I’m in my dream job, in the career I’ve always wanted and yet trying to be holy has destroyed my happiness.”

As Christians, particularly those of us who are heavily involved in church ministry, there is a tendency towards feelings of guilt when we are not being holy enough.

I know that I definitely have weeks where I haven’t read my Bible every day and I start wondering if I am losing my holiness.

We are called to be set apart for God and yet I sometimes think that to everyone else I’m fairly normal.

Should I be wearing socks and sandals?

Should I be the one standing on the street corner, shouting at the sinners from my soapbox of holiness?

It’s too easy to forget that it isn’t what we do that makes us holy, but rather, it is whose we are.

Acts 20:32 says this: “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart [or made holy] for himself.”

Acts 26:18 tells us that it is through our faith in Him that we are made holy.

I wasn’t able to find a verse that supports the idea of holiness through works…

Here’s the thing:

God loves you.

He loves you completely and utterly.

He loves you through and through, without prejudice or exception.

He only wants what’s best for you.

I think this may be where the confusion lies.

We think that God wants us to obey Him because God is King and kings have demands. We think that when God hasn’t told us to do something specific we should fill our time doing things that we think He wants us to do.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to please God, however, when your works are stealing your joy,

when your ministry is robbing you of your family, your friends and your happiness,

when your quest for holiness is taking you away from that place of encounter with Him,

then it’s not what He wants.

He longs for your happiness.

He is a Dad who simply desires that His children be happy and fulfilled, fully embracing who they were made to be, fully engaged in a relationship with Him.

You know what makes us Holy?

He does;

the moment He picks us up in His arms, enfolding us,

embracing us,

telling the world:

“This is my son. This is my daughter. With them I am well pleased.”

Writing Worship Songs

Do you write worship songs? Do you want to write worship songs?

This is one of the topics that I am most often asked about. It is also an area that I am enormously passionate about.

I love local songs written by local people for the local church.

One of the biggest issues that seems to come up is that people are put off writing or using their songs because we (and I include myself in this group) feel like we can’t compete with the big names. We can’t compete with Tomlin, Hughes, Crowder and the others.

So we end up singing the same 20 or 30 songs wherever we go in the world.

Please don’t misunderstand me, these songs are great. These songs are immensely powerful and help people all around the world worship God in ways that even 30 or 40 years ago we could not have even dreamt of.

Here’s the thing though:

I was at a church in Germany recently and, for one reason or another, they sang most of their songs in English. And it was great. And they were worshiping and getting close to God.

But…

When they started singing a song in German, the language of their heart, the whole atmosphere changed! That church became a place of incredible Holy encounter because the people were able to sing to their Father with lyrics that came straight from their heart, reflecting their language, their culture, their love.

This is why I am passionate about seeing songs sung in local churches that reflect the culture, the language and the passions of the local church. Of course we can sing songs written by other people in other places, but when we sing songs written locally, there is something special that happens.

My most successful songs are the ones that have been sung and embraced by my local church.

These are the songs that I wrote when I stopped trying to write songs that would make me famous. When I stopped trying to write songs that would make me a “big name”.

If you are interested in writing worship songs, this is what I would like to help you with.

The songs we write should be the very best we can do as they need to not only glorify and honour God, but they should also help the congregations we serve to do the same.

So, I will be writing more on this subject over the next few weeks and months.

If you are a worship songwriter or have always wanted to be a worship songwriter and you would like to join me on this journey to writing the best songs possible for the local church then please could I ask you to help me out?

If you follow this link you will find a survey that should only take you literally one or two minutes to fill out. Your help with this will make sure that the content I provide is exactly what people are looking for.

Also, if you were to share or tweet this article with anyone you know who is a worship songwriter or who wants to write worship songs that would give them a chance to share their views and join the conversation.

Here’s to writing GREAT songs for your church to sing.

Alex

Manifesto

A manifesto is a written expression of a company or individual’s beliefs, motivations and promises to others.

It is a clear and thoughtful declaration that guides their actions and inspires others.

Here at Worldwide Worship Academy it was time we had a manifesto.

It was time we created a declaration that would explain our ethos, our passion, our reason for being.

So please, read our manifesto:

The Worldwide Worship Academy exists to help you glorify God through who you are rather than simply what you do. We do this by providing valuable tools, inspirational teaching and encouragement. We are here to grow an army of local worshipers for the local church, not to build a platform for celebrity. So, if you are a creative, Spirit-filled, servant-hearted worshiper and you sometimes struggle with lack of time, lack of knowledge or feel pressured to strive for perfection, you are in the right place. We know how these things can make you feel inadequate, unworthy, frustrated and useless. But, imagine being able to leave all these worries behind, discovering instead a release of creativity, time and freedom - A way to truly start living a life of passionate day-to-day worship. When you learn the truth about who God says you are, all of this is possible - and more. We are creative, Presence filled worshipers who believe in inspiring and encouraging other believers to live lives fully devoted to Him. After all, it’s not what you do that matters but the heart with which you do it. We believe in dreaming big, living loud and giving all we have for Him. Join us on this journey and move from a place of doing to a place of being, so that what leads others into His Presence is not what you do… It’s who you are.

Join us on this journey and move from a place of doing to a place of being, so that what leads others into His Presence is not what you do… It’s who you are.

If you have enjoyed this post, please share this on Facebook or Twitter.

If you would like to learn how to create your own manifesto then please head over to www.manifestocourse.com and learn more about creating a manifesto for you, your company, your family or your church.

The Startling Truth About God and Your Dreams…

God and Your Dreams

You don’t know when it happened.

You’re not sure why it happened.

You just know that one day you woke up and that dream you were once so passionate about had faded a little.

Over the coming days, weeks, months and years, your dream became little more than a distant memory.

An almost forgotten longing.

It’s easy to see how it happens. Life comes along. You have a job, a mortgage, maybe a family.

You have responsibilities.

Every now and again you catch yourself wondering: “What if…”

You stop though, before you get carried away, after all, it’s clear that God does not want those dreams to come true, otherwise it would have happened by now.

You convince yourself that, in all honesty, it’s a little risky to chase those dreams now.

Even the thought of playing dream catcher is enough to get you just a little bit scared…

But what if I were to tell you that it’s not crazy to chase your dreams?

What if I told you that God wants nothing more than to see you living life to the full, running after your passions, chasing down those goals, glorifying Him through a life well lived?

I truly believe that God is a loving Father who did not create you for a banal, unfulfilling life.

Jesus came to give us life, and life in all its fullness. He didn’t die on the cross so that we could simply struggle through this life, trying to get from bed, to bus, to office, to bus, to sofa, to bed…

He gave His life so that we could be adopted into the family of God. He gave His life so that we could be counted as God’s children, with all the benefits that that brings.

God is a generous, loving, caring father. He doesn’t want to see his children unfulfilled and unhappy.

He wants to see us living an abundant, passionate life that glorifies Him and points others towards Him.

So often we sit there, silently waiting for God to tell us what to do next when all He’s really saying is: “What do you want to do?!?”

He is a loving Father and He just wants to join us on our adventure.

Of course He’ll guide us when He needs to.

Of course He’ll tell us if we’re straying towards danger.

I’ll tell you what He doesn’t want though:

He doesn’t want you or I to waste another year waiting for Him to tell us what to do next.

He has already given us the passions and desires of our hearts.

We are already fearfully and wonderfully made, including our predisposition towards whatever it is that really makes us come alive.

It’s time to give up on waiting.

It’s time to start taking steps towards making our dreams come true.

What would you do if money were no object, you could not fail and you weren’t afraid?

Guess what. That’s what He wants you to do.

It’s time to step out in faith.

Make this the year where your dreams begin to come true.

Alex

An Advent Liturgy: Day 25 – Christmas Day

An Advent Liturgy: Day 25

Merry Christmas!

Matt 28 : 18 – 20

Jesus told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The King of the Universe
did not come for just one day

He did not come for gifts
or feasts
or holidays

He did not come to exchange gifts
for cards and shopping
or Christmas cheer

He did not come for just one day
To live, grow old
then pass away

He came forever
on that day
To be with us now
tomorrow
and always.

He didn’t come just for the rich,
for nobility or beauty
or those with “gifts”

He came for you
He came for me
To live
Die
Live
and set us free

You did not come for just one day
You are with us always
to the end of the age.

Amen

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An Advent Liturgy: Day 24

Luke 2 : 6-7, 16-20, Matt 2 : 9b – 11

While they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

[The shepherds] hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

And the star the [wise men] had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
You came that we might have life
Life in all its fullness

May we never lose the wonder of that first encounter
Where are lives were changed in an instant

May we never forget the joy
Of simply gazing into your eyes

Let our lives be living sacrifices
worthy of the King

For You came and made yourself nothing
So that we could have everything

You gave up Heaven
So that I could receive it

May we never lose the wonder
of simply knowing you.

Amen

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An Advent Liturgy: Day 23

John 1 : 10 – 18

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognise him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human[d] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.[e] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.[f] 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God,[g] is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

In our day to day
May we recognise you
In the faces we meet
May we recognise you
Wherever we go
May you be there too
Whatever we do
May we always accept you

Fill us with you unfailing love
Fill us with Your faithfulness
And reveal yourself to us

Amen

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An Advent Liturgy: Day 22

John 1 : 9
Matthew 5 : 14 – 16

The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
You, the true light
Came to live among us

You made us the light of the world

You, who gives light to everyone
You made us the light of the world

Teach us to shine your light
Teach us to give you glory
Teach us to shine with your light

Amen

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An Advent Liturgy: Day 21

Matt 2 : 1 – 6

About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’
You revealed yourself first to the least
Then to the stranger

You move in ways we don’t expect

You came not to a city of splendour
But to humble village, of forgotten descent

You move in ways we don’t expect.

You disturb the comfortable
When you walk in the room

You move in ways we don’t expect.

Today we pray that you would reveal yourself to us
We ask you to continue being present in this place
We ask you to disturb our comfort as you walk among us
And move again in ways we do not expect.

Amen

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An Advent Liturgy: Day 20

Luke 2: 13 – 15

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those on whom God’s favour rests.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Glory to God in the Highest
And peace to His people on Earth

You called the lowly to follow you
Glory to God in the Highest

You turn sadness to joy and
warring to peace
Peace to Your people on Earth

You are perfectly Good and always loving
Glory to God in the highest

You comfort those who mourn
Peace to His people on Earth

You gave up Your throne for poverty
Glory to God in the Highest

You gave up Your life so that we might live
Peace to Your people on earth

Glory to God in the Highest
And peace to His people on Earth

Amen

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An Advent Liturgy: Day 19

Luke 2 : 8-12

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognise him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Teach us to expect you
In unexpected times

In times of rest
or in the daily grind

Your good news will always break in
Nothing will stop your message

Give us courage to follow your commands
And confidence to share your good news

For your gospel brings joy
Your gospel brings healing
Your gospel brings freedom

Teach us to expect you
in unexpected times

Amen

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An Advent Liturgy: Day 18

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

At times our road is hard
Yet You are with us all the way

At time our road is long
Yet You are with us all the way

You comfort us in our discomfort
You endure when we cannot
You are strength when our strength fails
You are strong when we are not

Though this road at times is bumpy
And our path is hard to see
You’re the light that lights our footsteps
You’re our guide, our hope, our peace.

So keep us always on your footpath
Though the route is hard at times
We will walk this road together
With You ahead
Behind
Beside.

Amen

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