Austin Stone – A well executed worship resource site

Thanks to my friend Chris Hatch, I heard about this church, Austin Stone. They are using video and sharing their music through their website in a way that empowers many other churches to perform their songs. It’s a cool business model, but it’s also an interesting model for how the church can share it’s songs in the digital age. Watching the videos, I am struck with a few random thoughts (2 positive and 1 critical).

Theology is important to my generation. Despite the accusations of traditionalists, the music of post-modern Christians is expected to have theological meat to it. It might not sound the same as Isaac Watts, but theology is not something we want to ignore.

There is an art to writing piano, guitar, and drum parts. (also bass, but there were no tutorials for that. Check out this video for bass tips.) You can see from the tutorials that these musicians are doing a lot more than strumming the four chords. When you go in the studio and take time to craft a song, you have to think about every guitar or drum part as a composer.

Your cultural is invisible to you and blatant to the rest of us. It’s great to see how this church is living out the gospel in their context. If you are not from their culture, you might notice that they dress different, sing different, think different, etc. When I listen to most “modern worship” recordings these days, I am struck by their mono-cultural nature. Did you notice the vintage keys and antique piano? Why not use a Phantom? All the guitar parts are a wash with delay and chimey distortion – where’s the funk or the blues? I’m not saying that they needed to include that stuff, but I am saying that this music is not designed to reach across cultural barriers. It seems to be comfortably easing into a singular cultural expression, but they are probably not doing that intentionally. Right?

True confession: I am totally jealous of this website. I love the video tutorials, the chart downloads, the minimalist design. They have nailed what we imagined our ncfmusic.com site to be like.

2 Songs for Kiddos

I wrote a couple of tunes to submit to a Sunday curriculum publisher who was looking for tunes based on some specific scriptures.

This one was supposed to be “John 14:15 (if possible in a R&B/Hip Hop style) Grades: K-1″. I decided to try to do an Israel Houghton type thing,. I’m not convinced that I like the verses. I was trying to fill out the concept a little more with ideas about the Spirit’s role and where the love for Jesus comes from. M’eh.

This one I like a little more. The request was for “Psalm 121:1-2 (Caribbean style) Grades: K-1″. I took the “Caribbean” thing in the direction of Reggae. I was thinking something like “Three Little Birds”. I think it turned out more like something by UB40.

I submitted the tunes today. I’ll find out in November if they were selected. Regardless of if the tunes are picked, I enjoyed the exercise and I think it got my creative juices flowing because I wrote several more songs during the process.

New Song: a new vibe for Wesley’s The Year of Jubilee

When inspiration comes, you got to strike while the iron is hot. Here’s a new version of Charles Wesley’s “Blow Ye The Trumpet Blow”. I was thinking Dap Kings at first which this could still work with that kind of groove, but it ended up being more like a weird Jack White vibe.

The Year of Jubilee

1.Blow you, the trumpet, Blow!
The gladly solemn sound
Let all the nations know,
To earth’s remotest bound:
Jesus, our great High Priest,
Has full atonement made;
You weary spirits, rest;
You mournful souls, be glad:

Chorus
Freedom! The year of jubilee is come;
Freedom! The year of jubilee is come;
Freedom! The year of jubilee is come;
Freedom! The year of jubilee is come;
You ransomed sinners return, return home.

2. Extol the Lamb of God;
The sacrificial Lamb;
Redemption through his blood
Throughout the world proclaim:
You slaves of sin and hell,
Your liberty receive;
And safe in Jesus dwell,
And blessed in Jesus live:

3. You who have sold for naught
Your heritage above,
Receive it back unbought,
The gift of Jesus’ love:
The gospel trumpet hear,
The news of heavenly grace;
And, saved from earth, appear
Before your Savior’s face:

I know what you’re thinking. You think that I hate the tune LENOX which was also a tune for Isaac Watt’s  “Jesus My Great High Priest” before I ruined it with my tinkering. Can I help it if  I like the 66.66.888 meter? Hey, for fun try singing “Blow Ye…” to the tune of “JMGHP”! Not fun? I guess it’s just a church-music-nerd  kind of thing.

I Wrote a Song Today: “This Is Not How It’s Supposed To Be”

Here’s a first draft demo of a tune I wrote today. It’s a white-dude reggae in the tradition of Bruce Cockburn, Elvis Costello and Eric Clapton. Reggae is an excellent genre for prophetic declarations against the systems of oppression. I think that if the prophet Jeremiah was around today he’d probably be a either into reggae or the blues (or both). As Christians we have a particular way of viewing evil and suffering: it’s not supposed to be like this. We reject the concepts of Karma or that God is powerless to address the problems in the world. Instead, we believe that evil is a result of sin that has taken root in the heart of every man. It’s the fruit of a foul tree that must be killed in order for righteousness to grow in it’s place. Kill the root, and you kill the tree. Christ didn’t die just to take a bunch of holy-rollers to a golden city in the sky. He died to kill the root of all evil so that he could establish a kingdom of righteousness in which evil and suffering would pass away. Not by eradicating the wicked, but by justifying the wicked. This song is designed to remind us of the redemption of created order and the failure of the church to respond to the cries of the oppressed.

This is not how it’s supposed to be
This is not how it’s supposed to be
Kill the root and you kill the tree
This is not how it’s supposed to be

The word we teach says that true religion
means to care for the widow and the orphan
but instead we have churches built on greed
serving themselves; ignoring the cries of those in need

Children soldiers fight for diamond mines
So that young brides can have ring that shines
See a child’s body being bought and sold
To try to fill the void in a broken soul

The disciples of gangsters follow the way of the gun
The seeds of mercy seem to die in the heat of the sun
Brothers kill brothers in the summer heat
A human sacrifice to the gods of the street

There’s a foul tree that’s planted in every human heart
It produces wicked fruit that tears the world apart
The blood of Christ can kill the root of sin
So the kingdom of righteousness can begin

We claim to love an invisible Savior
yet we struggle just  to love our next door neighbor
The idolatry of safety makes us blind and dumb
Yet Christ gave us power to overcome

New Song Demo – “A Living Sacrifice”

Our pastors have just completed a series on Romans. I wrote this tune as a dedication prayer derived from Romans 12:1-2.

A Living Sacrifice

I offer my body; I offer my mind
I offer my spirit as a living sacrifice
In view of your mercy, I lay down my life
Jesus, receive me as a living sacrifice

Make me holy; make me holy
Make me holy as a living sacrifice
Make me holy; make me holy
Make me holy as a living sacrifice
as a living sacrifice

Tomorrow, Sarah and I are going to find out if we’ve been selected to be able to adopt a child who needs a family and a safe home. This song is a statement of faith in Jesus to receive us and make us holy in order to be up to the task of living in His kingdom. We come to Him as sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore, and He will make us holy by His priestly work on the cross and the power of His resurrected kingship. Please pray for us as we wait to hear if we have been selected. Regardless, of whether we are selected, we can praise God that He has already answered the prayers for this little child to be placed in a home. He is faithful to remember the fatherless.

Gospel great, Walter Hawkins, succumbs to cancer

My Refuge

This song was written to encapsulate a big part of the vision of New City Fellowship which reflects that commitment of God’s Kingdom to be a refuge for the fatherless, the alien, and the widow. The gospel of Jesus Christ is more than personal salvation, it’s a gospel about the restoration of the whole creation and a new world order of justice and mercy. Stylistically, I took this song in a soul/gospel/rock feel that is a kind of Staple Singers sitting in with the Beatles. Enjoy!

My Refuge

Chorus:
You’re my refuge
My refuge O Lord
You’re my refuge
In the midst of the storm
Though the mountains my fall
and the earth give way
You’ll still be my refuge
at the end of the day

Aliens and strangers
from across the lands
are here on our doorstep
living the best they can
Famine and warfare
corruption and greed
have made these people homeless
brothers and sisters in need
Lord you were my shelter
when I was a stranger too
now when I see injustice
I want to be a refuge like you

To Chorus

In the heart of the city
a young man is there
abandoned by his father
but nobody seems to care
everyday is a battle
a struggle to stay alive
he can’t trust nobody
if he wants to survive
Lord you were my Father
when I was an orphan too
now when I see injustice
I want to be a refuge like you

To Chorus

Lord you were arrested
and falsely accused
abandoned by your best friends
tortured and abused
willingly you suffered
and were killed on a tree
you endured this injustice
to save sinners like me
Lord you were my ransom
when I deserved to suffer too
you gave me your compassion
So I could be a refuge like you.

To Chorus

“My Refuge”
Words and Music by Kirk Ward
© 2008 Kirk Ward Music

iTunes, baby!!!

Both of my recordings are now available on iTunes. Check it out here.

Guardian Grace now available for purchase online!

I just received word that both my CDs are now available for purchase on Nimbit and CDFreedom as well as my profile pages on facebook and myspace. These services ship directly to you and can also accept credit cards.

CD Release Party Poster

Poster designed by Paul Heirendt, CD artwork by Ken Zarecki, Photo by Ed Crim