Dig in Deep

This poem – actually, a hymn written by Watchman Nee – was shared at our church gathering the other night. It spoke volumes to me, and I wanted to share it. (I removed the KJV style from it, except where it would have affected the rhyming.)

You have said You are the Vine, Lord,
And that I’m a branch in Thee,
But I do not know the reason
Why I should so barren be.

Bearing fruit is my deep longing,
More Your life to manifest,
To Your throne to bring more glory,
That Your will may be expressed.

But I fail to understand, Lord,
What it means – “abide in me,”
For the more I seek “abiding,”
More I feel I’m not in Thee.

How I feel I’m not abiding;
Though I pray and strongly will,
Yet from me You seem so distant
And my life is barren still.

Yet You are the Vine, You said it.
And I am a branch in Thee;
When I take You as my Savior,
Then this fact is wrought in me.

Now I’m in You and I need not
Seek into Yourself to come,
For I’m joined to You already,
With Your flesh and bones I’m one.

Not to “go in” is the secret,
But that I’m “already in!”
That I ne’er may leave I’d ask You,
Not how I may get within.

I am in, already in You!
What a place to which I’m brought!
There’s no need for prayer or struggling,
God Himself the work has wrought.

Since I’m in, why ask to enter;
O how ignorant I’ve been!
Now with praise and much rejoicing
For Your Word, I dwell therein.

Now in You I rest completely,
With myself I gladly part;
You are life and You are power,
All in all to me Thou art.

One of the things that is so striking about this song, to me, is how honest it is about struggling to feel like God is present. Which is something most Christians struggle with, if they’re honest with themselves.

But the response is so full of truth, yet in all my life it lacked power – I am already in Christ, and He is already in me. I’ve heard this probably a million times, but I’ve never been able to rest in it. God’s presence has always been a pursuit, whether something I was supposed to attain through Bible study and prayer, or by attending (or creating) a stirring worship experience, or by seeking His presence through intimate worship. All of those approaches miss the point. We are in Him. He is in us. There is no work for us to do to attain it. We can simply rest in Him. When we gather, we are giving expression to that reality. What a blessing!

More vain quoting of myself. First, of course, from Josh Brown’s blog, where there’s been some complaints about the shallowness and general lack of artistic value in modern worship.

In an institutional church, the music liturgy is controlled by clergy. It has to reach a broad audience, and in today’s church environment in specializes to appeal to certain types of preferences (much like preaching style did just 20 years ago).

But in an organic worship setting, all individuals are free to contribute, and there is no controlled liturgy (music or otherwise). So people can learn, on a personal level, how people connect with the songs that they have been drawn to (or written!). They can learn the stories behind these things, on a deep and personal level.

To put it another way, the structure is far, far more important than the style or quality of the worship music on an artistic level. You could say the same thing about preaching…

I don’t know that comparisons to OT temple worship are entirely appropriate, because the idea of worship being a highly refined art isn’t really supported by NT methodology. If our gatherings are supposed to be “every-member functioning,” as Viola would say, then the idea that church worship should necessarily reflect the best of available art doesn’t match up.

Singing is not worship, but it can be a part of worship, and it can help lead people deeper into worship. It definitely should not be as professionalized as it is now. But if we are to take the route that worship should reflect “good art” and refined tastes, it can only lead to further professionalization. And a heck of a lot of disagreement about what is good and what isn’t.

At the heart of the issue is understanding that there are many different kinds of tastes, and a taste that might be sweet to one person might be bitter to another.

Setting worship music to popular styles has always been an issue. Derided by those in the church who were quite elitist and detested the idea that worship lyrics could be sung in a common, “vulgar” style. Much like how the church detested the idea of translations into common tongues for hundreds of years. (Even if the “vulgate” was the common tongue when it was produced, and the Greek was the common tongue when it was written.)

The point isn’t to make people happy with worship music. It’s to help them connect with God in an intimate way. And you can use worship music to expand people’s tastes and lead them into deeper worship, using music they would have never normally enjoyed. (I’ve done it.) But it can’t be done in a divisive way. If I just outright discount someone’s musical tastes as awful (even if they are), I’ll have little chance of helping them to explore the beauty of my musical tastes. Our relationships in the church, regarding music, should not be approached with such an attitude. And if we truly understand that what is “good” or “bad” about art is entirely subjective, then we can approach each other with love and grace and share with each other what we love about the styles that we connect so deeply with. (from Oh Happy Day at iamjoshbrown.com)

And Dan Kimball is reviewing Pagan Christianity and interviewing Frank Viola about organic church. Good stuff, actually, but of course I had to comment. First is a quote from Dan Kimball’s review (really the only negative part of it), where he shares what he sees as an issue with Frank’s approach:

What I disagree with is that if we follow this, then we should be all reading Scripture only from scrolls, as the “pagan” printing press was not around at that time and the “pagan” way we bind the Bible today and put them into pages was all developed hundreds of years later. Or that we have “pagan” forms of communicating and use laptops, blogs and the internet (I am using hyperbole to make a point, but it is this type of reaction which I feel the book consists of in how it stresses many of it’s practical conclusions).

And my response:

That completely and totally misses the point. And Viola specifically addresses this in the book. He only looks at pagan elements, that have been added to the church, that have diminished the functional headship of Christ in the church. That reduce the organic nature of the church. Using Powerpoint to display lyrics or scripture for a sermon isn’t the issue, but having a professional worship leader and preacher define the liturgy for the entire assembly is. It is not that we can’t utilize modern technologies in the church, it is that we shouldn’t allow pagan/modern practices to redefine the church. (from Pagan Christianity and Frank Viola – Part 2 at dankimball.com)

Last time I reviewed some of my favorite worship CDs. This time I’m going to review some of the worship CDs that I’ve purchased over the last year or so.

David Crowder Band – Remedy (2007)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
This album is different for David Crowder because it doesn’t have a lot of the one minute interludes that his previous albums have had. That’s not necessarily positive or negative, just different. Overall, this one has more worship-friendly songs than A Collision had on it. “The Glory of It All” and “O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” particularly shine out. I actually find the version of “Everything Glorious” a little too mellow compared to the initial release of the song that was recorded live off of Passion’s Everything Glorious release. “Neverending” has the potential to be a good worship rocker (like “No One Like You”). But all of the songs that wouldn’t make really great worship songs are still very solid. Par for the David Crowder course – which is a very good thing.

Fee – We Shine (2007)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
Steve Fee has been around for awhile. He’s best known for “We Are Hungry” from Passion’s The Road To One Day release (the only studio recording Passion CD), and he also wrote “Madly,” which was performed by Charlie Hall on Passion’s Our Love Is Loud. He’s also been on most of the 7|22 recordings (one of which I mentioned last time). But this CD is very different from his earlier recordings, which were actually quite mellow. We Shine has its mellow moments, but on the whole this is one rockin’ worship CD. “All Because of Jesus” utilizes some really cool delay guitar throughout – very fun to play, by the way. (And just completely ignore the Casting Crowns version – go straight to the original Steve Fee version!) “We Shine” drives right along, an awesome anthem song for any rock and roll crowd. “Glorious One” is the first ballad on the disk, and has a bit of a rock/country feel to it. “Beautiful the Blood” is more in line with Fee’s earlier works, though much more intense in execution, and lyrically far surpasses just about anything I’ve ever heard from him. Fee’s cover of “Happy Day” rivals Tim Hughes’ original. And just about all of the othe cuts on the disc are worthwhile to listen to, and many worth considering for worship use. If you’re a worship leader, I highly recommending picking up this entire CD. One thing to note – Steve Fee is much better live than on his recordings. If you have the opportunity to see him live, do so!

Glory Revealed (2007)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
This is one of the more original worship albums released in recent years. This project was the brainchild of Mac Powell and author David Nasser. Like City on a Hill, it’s a collaboration of a lot of artists, including Mac Powell (Third Day), Shane & Shane, Brian Littrel, Shawn Lewis (Hyper Static Union), Tim Neufield (Starfield), Mark Hall (Casting Crowns), David Crowder, Candi Pearson-Shelton, Josh Bates, and yes, Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. The entire CD is done in Americana folk/bluegrass style, with guitars, mandolins, violins, and percussion usually being beating on boxes or cases. All of the songs are written out of scripture, and are theologically rich and unique in their expression. It’s a cross between City on a Hill, Enter the Worship Circle, and O Brother, Where Art Thou. There are so many standout songs on this album, but particularly “He Will Rejoice” (Tevor Morgan), “To the Only God” (David Crowder and Shane & Shane), “Glory Revealed” (Candi Pearson-Shelton), “Who Is Like You” (Tim Neufield), and “Restore to Me” (Mac Powell and Candi Pearson-Shelton). This has become one of my favorite worship albums ever.

Hillsong – Mighty to Save (2006)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
I picked up this CD mainly to get Hillsong’s versions of “From the Inside Out” and “Mighty to Save” (both awesome songs). But this CD is a lot better than earlier Hillsong recordings. One thing that has always bugged me about Hillsong recordings is that it’s hard to pick out the melody and lyrics – they tended to take the “everybody singing” approach to the songs. This recording has less of that feel, and shows that Hillsong is taking a lot of influence from the Hillsong United projects – which is a very good thing. Nothing stands out as much as the songs I bought the project for, though. But I’ll be paying more attention to Hillsong releases in the future.

Hillsong United – Look to You (2005)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
I’m glad that the Hillsong United team (which leads the youth worship at Hillsong) decided to start doing their own recordings, because the quality of songs and execution are about as high as you could hope for. This project has a lot of great songs on it. “Salvation is Here” has been picked up by a lot of churches already, but “Tell the World” and “Shout Unto God” are seriously worth your consideration. Some of the songs remind me of the Vineyard 1000 Generations CD, including “Look to You,” “All I Need Is You” and “There Is Nothing Like.” Many of these songs are growing on me. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up being one of my favorites.

Kristian Stanfill – Hello EP (2007)
Buy from: iTunes – North Point Resources
I’ve always loved Kristian Stanfill’s voice, and I think he comes across very well in studio recordings. Kristian was introduced to the world via his version of “Jesus Paid It All” on Passion’s Everything Glorious. This is just an EP, but it shows a lot of potential for a full-length recording. “Spring of Life” is an awesome song, and Stanfill’s vocal reminds me of Tonic’s Emerson Hart (Lemon Parade is one of my favorite albums of all time). His version of “From the Inside Out” is the best I’ve heard yet. “Beautiful Jesus” is a great song as well. The studio recording of “Jesus Paid It All” is good, but not quite as good as his live version. But Kristian is a worship leader to watch for – I’m interested to see if he can release a full CD that is as consistently high quality as this EP.

Leeland – The Sound of Melodies (2006)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
This album introduces a very unique sound to worship music. Leeland Mooring’s voice is simply incredible, and his songwriting is equally awesome. The only problem? His voice is too good – his songs require too much of a range for congregational singing. But this is one awesome CD, definitely worth picking up, and very inspiring. Mooring is young (only 17 when this album was recorded), and has a lot of potential ahead of him. Highlights include “Sound of Melodies,” “Reaching,” “Tears of the Saints,” “Beautiful Lord,” and “Can’t Stop.”

The Best of Lincoln Brewester – Let the Praises Ring (2006)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – Amazon
I’ve not been a huge fan of Lincoln Brewster songs on the radio, primarily because by the time he came out with “Shout to the Lord” I was already quite tired of the song, and not even Brewster’s version could refresh it for me. But this CD is actually pretty good, since it’s a “best of” CD. First of all, his version of “Everlasting God” is my favorite. Other notable cuts include “Everybody Praise the Lord,” “Majestic,” his version of Paul Baloche’s “All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises,” and his version of “You Are Good.”

Pocket Full of Rocks – Song to the King (2006)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
My brother showed me a Pocket Full of Rocks DVD a few years ago – quite amazing, many of the songs on the DVD were done spontaneously, and most of their songs were first written by spontaneously singing them during worship. This CD includes many of the songs off of that DVD, recorded in the studio. The studio recordings don’t lose any of the passion and intensity that they have when leading worship. Like Leeland Mooring, lead singer Michael Farren’s voice has a range a little too high for congregational singing, but these songs are a little easier to adapt. Highlights include “The Welcome Song,” “Now I Sing,” and a live recording of “Let It Rain,” where you can get a feeling for how they are live. But really every song on this CD is excellent.

Worship Project H214 (2005)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com
This is a unique collaboration/compilation project, featuring Lincoln Brewster, Jared Anderson (Desperation Band), Laura Story, Eoghan Heaslip, and Michael Gungor. There are several cuts here that I haven’t heard anywhere else, that are really useful, including “Let Your Name Be Glorified,” “There is Nothing,” “All Praise,” and “Glory.” It also includes Lincoln Brewster’s “Majesty” and “All The Earth Will Sing Your Praises.” It’s an all-around great worship CD.

Worship Project P403 (2005)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com
This sequel features Lamont Hiebert, Jason Morant, Dave Lubben, Glenn Packiam, Abby Merkel, and Dave Chatel. Most impressive on this disc are the renditions of U2’s “40″ and Newsboys’ “He Reigns,” both of them altered to the point where they’re useful for congregational worship. The rest of the songs are good, overall the H214 project is far better.

I’ve gotten a few requests from people to recommend any new or favorite worship CDs. I’ll start out with some of my all-time favorites, and I’ll cover some new worship CDs (some of which are becoming my all-time favorites) later.

1000 Generations (2002)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes
This was recorded live in 2002 at VSN in Atlanta. It includes all original songs led by Martin Reardon and Billy Somerville, with additional vocals by Jen Reardon and Meghan Coffee (an old friend). My favorites off of this album are “All of My Love” and “Hallelujah (Shout to the Earth),” though there are several more I’ve always wanted to incorporate if I had the right environment to do so, like “Isn’t This the Way You Are” and “Your Blood Says Everything.” Right now at Christianbook.com it’s only $2. So you have no reason to not check it out. It’s unfortunate that this album did not get more distribution than it did – it really is phenomenal.

7|22 – Freedom (2004)
Buy from: 7|22 Resources
7|22 worship recordings are always fantastic. This project features Todd Fields and Steve Fee, and includes great renditions of “Let the Praises Ring” and “Look What You’ve Done,” as well as Todd Fields’ original “All For You” and Steve Fee’s “What Else Can I Do.”

City on a Hill (2000-2003)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes (2 and 3) – Amazon
Produced by Steve Hindalong (of The Choir), the first CD in the series is by far the best, including “God of Wonders,” “This Road,” “With Every Breath,” and one of my favorite Mac Powell vocals of all time, “I Remember You.” Notable cuts off of the 2nd CD include “Sing Alleluia,” “Holy Is Your Name,” “You Are Holy,” “Marvelous Light,” and “Communion.” The 3rd CD doesn’t grab me quite as much, but it does have a great rendition of The Choir’s “Beautiful Scandalous Night” with Leigh Nash on lead vocal.

David Crowder Band – Illuminate (2003)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
I like just about all of David Crowder’s stuff, but for worship material this album truly stands out. “O Praise Him,” “No One Like You,” and “All Creatures, No. 2″ are the highlights.

Enter the Worship Circle (1999-2003)
Buy from: iTunes – Amazon
Second Circle: iTunes – Amazon
Third Circle: iTunes – Amazon
When this album came out in 1999, there was simply nothing else like it. And really, there hasn’t been anything else like it since, except perhaps the second and third CDs in the series. (They are currently working on the fourth!) Featuring 100 Portraits and Waterdeep, this is the album that brought us “I Will Not Forget You” (made famous by Praise Band) and “You Are So Good to Me” (made famous by Third Day). But the original renditions stand out all on their own for their spirit and intensity. But the entire album is awesome – there are many, many more songs on this first circle that are worth your consideration, and several more on the two sequels.

North Point Community Church – Where You Lead (2001)
Apparently not available anywhere.
This is one of North Point’s studio recordings using members of their worship team. The songs that stand out to me the most are from Todd Fields, including “You Will Be God,” “Where You Lead,” and “Apart From You” (featuring Candi Pearson). But perhaps the best part of this album is North Point’s version of “Agnus Dei.” Far better than either the Michael W. Smith or the Third Day versions. North Point’s latest live album is up on iTunes – they should get some of their older stuff up there as well.

Passion – Our Love is Loud (2002)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
This live Passion recording was kind of a new starting point for Passion in many ways. Prior to this album, the individual worship leaders didn’t shine through so much, and the live recordings still had a bit of a “praise team” feel to them. Not so with this album. For me, these are still the definitive renditions of “Here I Am to Worship,” “Enough,” “Famous One,” “Madly,” “Our Love is Loud,” and “Come Thou Fount.”

Passion – Sacred Revolution (2003)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
Passion’s best album. It was the first recording of “O Praise Him” and “Holy is the Lord.” But it includes great songs like “Sing to the King,” “Blessed Be Your Name,” “Take My Life,” “Revolution Cry,” and “Not to Us.”

Passion – Hymns Ancient and Modern (2004)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
This album is unique in that they recorded only hymns that were at least 100 years old, many of them quite older. The sound quality is not quite as good as other Passion releases, but the arrangements of the older hymns (many of them with additional choruses, etc.) are awesome. “Doxology,” “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” “Father Let Me Dedicate,” “Creatures of Our God and King,” “Solid Rock,” “Joyous Light,” and one of my favorite hymns of all time, “Here is Love.”

Passion – How Great is Our God (2005)
Buy from: ChristianBook.com – iTunes – Amazon
This one comes very close to Sacred Revolution. “No One Like You,” “All Over the World,” “Indescribable,” “How Great Is Our God,” “Here Is Our King,” “Majesty,” “Marvelous Light,” and “It Is Well.”

There are plenty of other worship CDs that deserve honorable mentions. Passion’s Everything Glorious has some songs on it that are some of my favorites, but the overall quality of the CD doesn’t live up to previous Passion projects. There are a lot of pure compilations that have been major influences, including WorshipTogether.Com compilations I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (and Vol. 2) and Here I Am to Worship (and Vol. 2). Just about any of David Crowder’s albums.

Next time I’ll discuss some of my more recent worship CD purchases and how they stack up.