Sunday July 12

Sunday was uneventful in most ways. The set was a really good combination of songs.

You're Worthy of My Praise: Jeremy Camp
Holy is the Lord: Chris Tomlin
You Gave Your Life Away: Paul Baloche
Surrender: Lincoln Brewster
Love the Lord: Lincoln Brewster

We literally did all but one in G, and that was Holy is the Lord in A. I almost talked to band into doing that in G too but they really like doing a key change in the middle of "Worthy," finishing that out in A, and then playing "Holy." It was a the right choice, I was just being lazy when I suggested we keep it in G.

By the way, at the risk of getting in trouble, when I put the name of a person by the song I don't mean to list the author of the song, rather the performer whose version/sound we're trying to duplicate. If authorship is also necessary, please let me know and I will gladly include that information in this space. Naturally, many times the version we're doing is the one done by the author himself/herself, so that will some times work itself out.

A couple of interesting things stick out to me about Sunday. Our sound board has this nifty gifty of being able to record our services to a USB stick in mp3 format. We then import it into Garage Band, split it up into tracks and make the sermon and a couple songs available to folks who were working with the kids that morning or were unable to attend. However, this week, our board had a mental breakdown and just would not record. I say a mental breakdown because that evening, the board was back to normal and recorded without a problem. You're guess is as good as mine.

The unfortunate thing about all of it was that Dave, a guitar player, was back with us this week after about a 6-month break, and he was great. We may have played one of our best sets yet in the building, and, as you've already guessed, it was not recorded.

The other funny thing that happened is that Pastor Dan and I tried to communicate without words or body language again. Don't you just love when people do that? At the first service, I prayed between the first song and the second, and after the second song he prayed before he served Communion. For the second service I resolved not to pray so that his prayer would be the opening prayer of the morning after we had sung two songs preparing us for worship and communion with God. However, I didn't tell PD that's what I was doing so he sat in his chair waiting for me to pray, or at least that's what I thought was happnening. I actually communicated with him later using words, and not assumptions, and learned he was just worshipping along and just missed his cue to come up and do his thing. Either way, it turned out fine. The church's worship has little to do with the level to which we produce it or manipulate it. Our careful preparation and delivery does an awful lot to create an atmosphere of worship and to lead people, unhindered, into a place where their focus is solely on the prescense of God. However, that is not the end, it is a means. Authenticity, humanity, and honesty, are closer to the goal, although in and of themselves also vehicles or elements of the actual interaction that happens between the human and the divine.

These worship services that are marked both by humanity and the ancient practices of the church, really are unlike anything else I've been a part of. I'm blessed and honored to be a part of it.