Doxology

A few months ago, we made the move (kicking and screaming) into the 21^st century by changing our vis aids at Grace Life Church from Power Point to ProPresenter.  It was in the time of totally reworking our Orders Of Service which was a product of careful, prayerful re-assessment—something every church should do.

After living with ProPresenter for several months now, I’m going to boil it down for those who have not made the change yet as well as a few other tidbits.

ProPresenter freshens up the look.  There’s little doubt that the moving backgrounds (that Media Shout can also do) give a nice upgrade to the look of the screens.  There are also some nice additional font options that I have not found in Power Point.

ProPresenter streamlines some things.  It has the wonderful “Apply All” option that Power Point doesn’t have.  In other words, if you make a change to one of the screens that you need to make to all of them, you can click “Apply All” and it’s done.  Unfortunately, it will also change everything, including any cues that you have in a smaller font size.  In other words, “Apply All” will make all the fonts in all the screens the same size as the screen in which you’re editing.  Therefore….

ProPresenter demands a careful sequence of work.  I have found that, unlike Power Point, it not only matters what changes you make, it matters in what order you make them.  You really have to make your selections in the following order:  (1) font style (2) shadow level (3) normal/bold/italics (4) left/center/right align (5) font size (6) individual screen edits

ProPresenter makes changing the background extremely easy.  Unlike Power Point, where you have to go into the Screen Master and copy and paste, with ProPresenter, it’s one click.  Plus having multiple backgrounds within a service is MUCH easier than Power Point.

ProPresenter presents some challenges.  Moving backgrounds have actually made some of our folks here queasy.  That’s something I didn’t see coming.  We had to upgrade our choir monitors to a larger screen because the fonts weren’t as easily seen as the Power Point ones were.  Some of that had to do with my selection of more modern, artsy fonts though.  Also, some of the flashier, fancier backgrounds that work well on the congregation monitors didn’t work at all for the choir monitors.  At this point, we aren’t even using any moving backgrounds.  We might be able to go back to them once we figure out if slowing down the animations works after all.  We just haven’t gotten to that yet.

ProPresenter allows import of Power Point files.  But it’s not as simple as it sounds.  This was a ‘must have’ feature before I made the change.  But even after importing a Power Point file, there is still much editing to be done (at least 20 minutes’ worth) on each file (each song is it’s own file in the way we do things).

ProPresenter has iCloud.  If you work from multiple computers, as we do here at Grace Life Church, this is a must.  ProPresenter will allow you to download the software to multiple computers (unlike Power Point) but it will only allow presentation mode on one computer at a time.  (Those with greater computer knowledge will understand how this is done—I don’t have that knowledge!)  We haven’t made the change yet, but once we begin using ProPresenter in our choir room right before a service, this will be a necessary feature.  (I’m still using Power Point in the choir room as of now.)  This feature also allows me to work from my laptop and save to the cloud instead of having to always work from the computer in our O Pit (which runs the service vis aids).

I know many who read this can tell that I may still have lots to learn about using ProPresenter (any input is welcome).  I wouldn’t have progressed even as far as I have without the invaluable assistance of our Media Pastor, Tim Martin.  But I wanted to share a bit with those who may be pondering a change and hopefully this entry will help you make a better-informed decision.

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How dry I am….

As Music Ministers, we have a strong burden to keep our voices healthy.  Without a voice, it’s very difficult to lead singing, wouldn’t you say?  Because of that, I’ve decided today to write a bit about things I’ve learned from personal study as well as from my wife who is a trained Speech-Language Pathologist.  Here’ goes….

The absolutely top reason for vocal problems—dehydration.  It’s the most overlooked neglect of the voice there is.  Most singers tank up on water while their singing (in between songs or just before).  However, because of the body’s survival system, their timing is about a day late.

Let me explain:  If you deprive your body of liquids, it will begin to prioritize what gets the fluids that are left in its system.  What’s at the top of the list?  Of course, your brain and your internal organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, etc.  What’s at the bottom of the list?  You guessed it!  Your vocal cords.  They may be one of the least necessary parts of your body that you need to survive.

Well, let’s work in reverse order.  If you then begin to give your body liquids, the vocal cords will be at the back of the line.  In fact, it takes your body about 24 hours of proper hydration to get to the vocal cords.  Are you dehydrated?  Here’s a link to take a quiz.  Here’s another article on the subject.

The way vocal cords are hydrated is not what you might think.  Again, most folks think that drinking fluids gets hydration directly to the voice.  Actually, if that were to happen you’d be choking and gasping for air.  The body hydrates the vocal cords from the inside through the circulatory and lymphatic system, not from direct contact.  That’s the primary reason why it takes so long to get the cords full and healthy.  So, to get your vocal cords properly hydrated, you need to drink water at a 64 ounces/day rate for at least 24 hours.  Here’s another way to think about it.  Which is more flexible and workable: a rope that is dry and brittle or one that is wet and moist?  The vocal cords are the same way.

Not just any fluids will do.  Drinking milk will not work as most of us have a mild allergy to dairy products and will get a mucous response which will create even more problems.  Sodas, filled with dyes and caffeine (a diuretic) actually dehydrate not hydrate.  Decaf teas will work nicely but, again, if it’s caffeinated you’re shooting yourself in the throat.  Juices can also dry out the throat because of the acid.  There’s just no replacing good, old-fashioned water.  Another note:  if you must drink just before you sing, don’t drink ice-cold water.  Even though the water doesn’t directly contact the vocal cords, it does pass just by them and can work against your warmed-up cords.

I’ll give you some more tips in my next written entry.  Hope this helps!

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Yesterday we began a new season in the life of our church.  We began an entirely new Order Of Service on our Morning Services.  In the past, we would do something like this:

10:28         Pre-Service Music (w/Orchestra)

10:30         Welcome from Pastor/Announcements/Missions Report/Opening Prayer

10:40         Time of Fellowship

10:42         Congregational Singing (3 songs)

10:53         Offertory Prayer/Receive Tithes and Offering

10:55         Congregational Singing (1 song)

11:00         Sermon

11:45         Closing Song

Yesterday we changed the Pre-Service life music to almost 15 min. of Music Videos.  We changed the welcome and announcements to a 5-minute video (called GLC-TV).  We only sang 2 songs before the sermon instead of 4.  We sang more after the sermon.  It looked like this:

10:15         Music Videos

10:30         GLC TV

10:35         Congregational Singing (1 song)

10:39         Offertory Prayer/Receive Tithes and Offering

10:41         Congregational Singing (1 song)

10:45         Sermon

11:30         Congregational Singing (2 songs)

11:40         Receive New Members (Just this Sun)

11:50         Postlude

Why make these changes?

It gives a better segue from Small Groups to Main Service.  While we didn’t want to interrupt the interaction with folks mingling before the service after they dismiss from Small Groups, we did want to give our people a better way to engage while waiting for the service.  Playing music videos is a way to do that.  We will also, on a rotation basis, have live music (praise team, band, or solos), or scripture readings (live or scrolling on the screen) with music bed as other options.

It streamlines the service.  GLC TV will do in 5 minutes what live speaking would take 10-15 minutes to accomplish.  Plus the announcements are more attractive and draw the congregation’s attention a bit better.  It also eliminates the possibility of any mistakes in information that might occur (or at least lowers the chances).  It also gives each minister a personal touch with the congregation.  It also frees up Bro. Jeff’s (our preaching pastor) attention to focus only on the sermon and not have to worry with giving announcements.

It moves the sermon earlier in the service.  This might help with those who struggle with attention spans or have to leave early due to other commitments (family appointment, work schedule, etc.)

It gives our congregation an opportunity to sing in response to the sermon.  I’ve often wondered if we have the order of singing and preaching backwards.  Historically, churches have done 80% of their singing before the sermon.  We even think of the song service as a way to prepare a congregation for the sermon (and rightly so).  However, I’ve all to often observed that it’s after the sermon that our congregation is really ready to engage in singing.  Their hearts are full to overflowing as the gospel has been thundered from the pulpit.

Sometimes it’s just good to change things up.  All of us are prone to get into a rut.  Where we have freedom from God’s word, it’s sometimes a healthy thing to shake up the pattern to freshen things up and give your congregation a different perspective and help their attention spans.

This new Order of Service is very much in a fluid state.  We’ve still got to bring the Choir and Orchestra back this Sunday.  To be honest, this OOS presents some problems for the Choir.  I’m praying that we’ll be able to figure out a good, effective, and proper way to keep the Choir central to the singing at GLC.  Stay tuned!

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I touched on this issue in passing in this past Tuesday’s radio interview with Monk Boone and I thought it worth the time to unpack a bit more.  As pastors and music ministers, we are constantly looking for new songs to integrate into corporate worship.  Right now, I’m teaching three new songs to the Praise Team and when our Choir returns in a few days, I’ll begin teaching three or four new ones to them.  Currently, our Approved Song List has approximately 200 songs on it and have carefully been (and are still continuously being) tested against the veracity of scripture as to their acceptance on that list.

It’s hard enough to know enough of the bible to discern a song’s lyrical condition.  It’s one thing to write a song that is artistic.  It’s another thing to write a song that is artistic and biblical.  But another question that I see come up quite frequently is the spiritual condition of the song-writer.  With Ray Boltz’s admission of being a homosexual a few years ago this subject moved even more to the forefront.

Here’s the thing to keep in mind—lyrics are objective.  We can clearly evaluate how accurate or inaccurate they are.  A songwriter’s spiritual condition is not objective.  “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” (1 Cor. 2:11)  There’s no way to absolutely know if someone else is truly regenerate.  We certainly have tests of saving faith given in God’s Word (especially in James, 1 John, and Jude) but nowhere are we to declare someone born-again.  Even when dismissing someone from church membership, Jesus did not say “declare them a publican and tax-collector” (which, in historical context, was pagan) but “treat them AS a publican and tax-collector” (Matt 18:15-18).  Scripture writer’s designation of folks being born-again (or terms in that vein) were almost always on a corporate level, not usually on an individual one.

What am I then saying?  I’m advising any pastor or music minister who is responsible for selecting a church’s repertoire to evaluate a song primarily on the biblical accuracy of the lyrics.  Then evaluate the song on the cultural appropriateness (if it’s stylistically distracting for a congregation, it probably shouldn’t be used).  If I had to worry about whether or not every hymn-writer of history or every current songwriter is truly regenerate, we wouldn’t be singing any songs—including the ones I’ve written!

Is there ever a time when we should avoid using a song—even though it’s lyrics are biblical—because of the songwriter’s spiritual condition?  Yes.  If, as in the aforementioned Boltz case, the news of the songwriter’s bold rejection of the bible is so well-known among your congregation as to cause congregants to stumble (Romans 14) then I abstain.  It makes no sense to force a congregation to sing a song while distracted by the open godless testimony of the songwriter and his association with that song.

However, those occasions are few and far between.  You can, I would say 99% of the time, be rest assured that this will not be the case in selecting songs for congregational singing.  To give an example, how many folks in your church even know that Robert Robinson actually turned from the faith for many years, even bordering on being a Universalist, before finally repenting and returning to orthodoxy late in life?  Every time you sing “Come Thou Fount” you are singing his work.  I’m not about to stop singing that song simply because Robinson had his major spiritual struggles.  What about William Cowper?  He attempted suicide three times!  Should I stop singing “There Is A Fountain” because of that?! God forbid!

With all of that being said, I wish more folks would just care that their song lyrics are biblically accurate….(sigh)

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Here is a song by Delane Angel, a long-time member at GLC, who has also assisted in leading music here.  He serves as somewhat of an itinerant music minister, serving in other local churches who need a solid Music Minister.  He is currently serving with Ricky Nelson at New Life Baptist Church in Collinwood, TN.  We love Delane deeply here at GLC.

Here’s the video:

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Here’s one of the newest songs at Grace Life Church.  It features Wes (at the piano) and Lance (at the guitar) Voorhees.  Wes wrote the song based on 1 Cor. 6:19 and it’s a great easy song to integrate into your church’s song list. Enjoy!

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Stirling Castle

As I type this I have just returned from the land of Scotland (were are laying over back in London and flying back to the USA tomorrow).  We were hosted by Grace Baptist Partnership Scotland which is headed up by Ali McLachlin.  Ali is a wonderfully kind and humble brother who is a missionary to Scotland (he’s originally from England).

Bro. Jeff and I served along with Barry King and presented a conference on evangelism/church planting where I led the singing.  The culture here is very conservative.  We held hymnals and were accompanied by piano (my thank to Barry and Ali’s fine son, Jonah).  The McLachin family is one that has been greatly encouraged by the Anchored In Truth/Grace Life Church internet service broadcasts.

Because of excesses, they are a people that remain very reserved while singing.  The work here in Scotland is in great need as there are only about twelve churches in the entire country that are of the reformed tradition.

One of the more interesting moments for me was a Church Music Q & A session that we held at the end of the conference.  Nearly everyone who attended the conference stayed for the session.  Many of the same issues that we face in America are controversial issues in Scotland as well.  I fielded questions regarding music styles, hymnody vs. psalms-only, emotionalism, and song lyrics were all discussed. As they asked questions about the size of our church and music department, they seemed astonished that our choir was substantially larger than any associational church in Scotland. I pray that that would not be able to be said for much longer.  God, please send an awakening in this wonderful land!

One other moment worth mentioning was our trip to Stirling Castle.  It was built in the 1500′s and was a very strategic location for those who controlled Scotland ever since.

I couldn’t help wondering while we were there with those wonderful folks what Wales and England, Scotland and America looked like before the Great Awakening began.  It is my deep prayer that a mighty move of God would hit this storied and beautiful land and its lovely people.

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I will interrupt my series on the RP, NP, and BP with a few thoughts from my time in London, England.  As I type this I’m in a hotel in Southall, which is the Indian section of London.  Jeff Noblit (my pastor) and I served at a conference in Angel, London Thu-Sat. with Barry King and the Grace Baptist Partnership (GBP) (along with Ali MacLachan) and then served on the Sunday service at Grace Baptist Church in Southall this morning.  We are heading (Lord willing) to Scotland in the morning to do basically the same conference there over the next three days.

This has been my first time out of the United States.  I must say that I was a bit apprehensive about the trip leading up to it (I’ve only flown four times in my life–not quite the jet-setter) but now that I’m here, I’m having a wonderful time.

I thank God for my pastor.  It is wonderful to see Bro. Jeff in this environment.  It’s like I’m hearing him in a whole new way.  He has such wisdom and insight into how to build a healthy church and his passion for the Bride of Christ is even more evident over here (if that’s possible!)  I have truly enjoyed traveling with him and greatly appreciate him on a personal as well as ministerial level.

I thank God for Barry King.  England doesn’t know what it’s got!  If you are looking for an opportunity to support a missions work PLEASE check out the GBP.  There is not a more “bibline” man on the planet.  He has poured the scriptures as well as himself into this wonderful flock here.  The church planters that I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting have been some of the most humble, loving, God-centered, scripture-saturated brothers I’ve ever met.  Humanly speaking, that credit goes to Barry King.

I thank God for diversity.  How refreshing it’s been to lead music in a totally different environment!  I love the challenge of adapting to a new culture while making objective truth central.  If I had tried to do the music here exactly the way we do it at GLC, it might have been a distraction to some.  We’ve been able to make a few adjustments and thereby (hopefully) increase the communication of the lyrics.  But I’ve also had the thrill of singing along with Indian, Burmese, Romanian, Iranian, and British (as well as other) brothers and sisters.  London is the melting pot of melting pots.

I thank God for the gospel.  I have had a kinship with these wonderful folks over here  in a matter of days through the power of Jesus’ mighty saving work that I’ve never experienced with many folks I’ve known my whole life.  When truth is central, true fellowship and unity is experienced that is absolutely supernatural.  I’ve never been more aware of that as now.

I thank God for Grace Life Church.  GLC has truly been somewhat of a lifeline for many of the folks I’ve met here.  London is such a spiritually dark country.  Many who are partnered with GBP have looked to our church as a model for building healthy church plants.  I can hardly believe that I get to go back to such a wonderful place (DV).

I thank God for my girls.  It’s so nice to know that while I’m out “across the waters” that Marla, Emily, and Aubrey are home waiting for me.  I can’t imagine their not being there when I would arrive home (DV).  Oh to grace, how great a debtor!

I’ll have more to say about Scotland soon.  Hopefully, I’ll post some pics and possibly some video when I get back to the states.

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Goooo Racers!

My daughter, Emily, is a senior in high school.  She is an avid French horn player (even though she just picked it up about two-and-a-half years ago).  She is considering colleges where she wants to study Music Education and F horn.  As part of that process, she and I visited yesterday my alma mater (Marla’s too), Murray State University.

I had not been on campus since I graduated in 1993.  Much has changed there with a newly renovated Annex Music building as well as other buildings on campus.  Many of the faculty have since moved on or retired.  We did get to have lunch with Dr. John Dressler, my music history teacher, who is also the French horn instructor there and gave a lesson to Emily while we were there.  My voice teacher, Dr. Randall Black was also there and I got to see him for a moment (I got a hug!).  It was also a thrill to introduce Emily to Dr. Stephen Brown who totally reshaped the way I listened to music (we sat in on his graduate-level class on Beethoven!).  We also sat in on a bit of the great choir and their rehearsal under the baton of Dr. Bradley Almquist (I was in his first choir there back in 1993!).  We attended a recital last night of the Symphonic Band and Orchestra and were very impressed as well.

I’m grateful for common grace.  In God’s sovereign plan He directed me to go to a school that equipped me for leading church music as well

A surreal moment for me

as I can imagine.  It’s a long story but after being called into the ministry I showed up at the music college at Murray (I never even visited anywhere else) and begged them to help me (as a transfer student).  I could list names for many pages of all the folks that graciously and lovingly served and taught me the great art of music.  I couldn’t have had a better experience than the Lord gave me at MSU.

I’m grateful to have been steeped in the classics.  I know that many music schools are now moving towards a pop-music-centric educational approach.  I’m glad that MSU still is steeped in the great classical music repertoire and taught me the lexicon of the historically gravitational composers and works.  I use the knowledge that my classical teaching gave me every day—not most days—EVERY day.  Learning classical music didn’t exclude pop music from my knowledge—it increased it.  It may take a bit more work but it can be done.  If you are considering a study of music, I would ask you to consider a school that still teaches with a classical approach.

I’m grateful for the ministry.  As much as I loved my experience at MSU, as much as I love “music for Art’s Sake”, I glory even more in “Art for God’s Sake”.  I can’t imagine spending my life crafting music only from the human perspective.  I can only think of how wonderful it is to spend all of my energy creating music that points to, that centers on, that glories in the majestic gospel of my Lord Jesus.  I don’t know what the future holds for this man but I pray that I have many years to thunder the man-saving, God-glorifying news of Jesus in music for His Bride.

My heart overflows in thanks to the wonderful faculty of Murray State University for teaching me the wonderful language of music.  I thank my God all the more for teaching me the infinitely more wonderful language of love through Jesus and Him crucified.

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Not only is the True Church Conference FREE this year but for the first time, you can watch the entire conference live-streamed.

The schedule is as follows (all times CST):

Tonight (Thu):  7 PM

Friday: 9 AM, 1:30 PM, 7 PM

Saturday: 9 AM, 7 PM

Sunday: 10:30 AM

If you or your group wants to sing along with the song services, you can download the lyrics here

The speakers are David Miller, Barry King, Brett Beasley, Roy Hargrave, and Jeff Noblit

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