Song selection – Page 11 – Worthily Magnify

Songs of Thanksgiving

Seeing as how it’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, hopefully you’ve already picked songs for your service tonight or tomorrow morning. But in the event that you’re scrambling for some last-minute ideas, or continuing the theme of thanksgiving this coming Sunday, here are some songs that I’ve found to be good fits.

My criteria for a good “Thanksgiving song” is one that helps the congregation articulate gratefulness to God for what he’s done for us in Jesus Christ, and how he’s proven his faithfulness to us. I’m not terribly concerned with how often the song says the word “thanks” or the phrases “thank you” or “home made pumpkin pie”.

“My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness”
Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
– Sheet Music/lyrics
– iTunes song download

“Forever (Give Thanks to the Lord”
Chris Tomlin
– Sheet music/lyrics
– iTunes song download

“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
Words by Robert Robinson, 4th vs. alt. words by Bob Kauflin. Music by John Wyeth.
– lyrics
– iTunes song download

“Great is Thy Faithfulness”
Words: Thomas O. Chisholm. Music: William M. Runyan
– Lyrics
– iTunes song download

“Blessed Be Your Name”
Matt and Beth Redman
– Sheet music/lyrics
– iTunes song download

“Jesus Thank You”
Pat Sczebel
– Sheet music/lyrics
– iTunes song download

“Once Again (Jesus Christ)”
Matt Redman
– Sheet music/lyrics
– iTunes song download

“Receive the Glory”
Bob Kauflin
– Sheet music/lyrics
– iTunes song download

“What a Faithful God”
Robert and Dawn Critchley
– Sheet music/lyrics
– mp3 download (#34)

“Thank You, Lord”
Paul Baloche
– Sheet music/lyrics
– iTunes song download

Avoiding Abrupt Endings

It’s awfully jarring to be riding in the passenger’s seat while cruising 35 mph along a city street when all of the sudden the driver slams on the brakes. One second you’re looking out of your window at buildings and houses – and the next your head is bouncing back and forth against the head rest with no warning. Not very pleasant.

Similarly, it can be awfully jarring to be standing in the congregation, singing a song of worship when all of the sudden the worship leader slams on the brakes, and the song suddenly stops. One second your attention is fixed on God’s goodness and glory – and the next you’re acutely aware that everyone has stopped singing, the worship leader is turning his pages and taking his capo off, and your hands are still in the air. You figure you should put your hands down. Again, not very pleasant, and a bit embarrassing.

It’s probably safe to say that one of the most important goals of any driver is to prevent his passengers from experiencing whiplash. It doesn’t make for a very pleasant experience for them, it won’t exactly make riding with you an attractive option in the future, and it’s not what they’re looking for when they get in your car and strap in.

For the same reasons, it should also be an important goal for any worship leader to prevent his congregation from experiencing whiplash. It’s good to try to avoid abrupt endings.

Here are some ways I’ve found it helpful to avoid giving the congregation the sensation of having the brakes slammed on a song:

Ease on the brakes
Most worship music CDs don’t slow songs down at the ending. Instead, they might fade them out, stop them without slowing down, or cover up a “hard break” with applause. That’s nice for a CD, but usually not ideal for a congregation. While you certainly want to vary how you end songs and transition into the next, and it may be appropriate at times to have a “hard break” or encourage clapping after a song, a congregation is always grateful for a heads up. Start slowing the song down on or near the next to last measure and bring it to a nice smooth landing. Your goal isn’t to impress, but to pastor. This may mean sacrificing a cool sounding ending for a predictable one.

Linger on the last chord for a few measures
If I’m leading a song that’s in the key of G and we’ve come to the end, it might be appropriate to just linger on the G for a few measures, perhaps moving back and forth between that and a Gsus, or some sort of simple and predictable chord progression. I might keep playing the same tempo as the just-ended song, or slow it down, or start playing the tempo for the next song while still in the key of G. This provides a bit of a buffer after a song and helps avoid an abrupt ending.

Sing the last line a few times
Avoid singing the last line of a song just because it seems like that’s kind of what you’re supposed to do. It can become mindless repetition and lose effectiveness if it happens every time you sing a song. But if you’re ending a song and feeling like you’re coming close to slamming on the brakes, just go ahead and let the band cut out, the tempo slow down, linger on a chord or two, and then sing the last line together a few times. Maybe go back and sing the whole chorus, or the first verse, or the bridge. You don’t always have to end on the chorus. Whatever it is, there might be something you can repeat to help soften the ending a bit.

Choose songs in complimentary keys
I’m asking myself a lot of questions when I’m choosing songs – one of which is “will it feel musically natural to move from this one song to the next?” While it’s not the most important question and there may be occasions when it works to move from one song to another in a totally different and non-complimentary key, I will most often try to avoid putting myself and the congregation in a situation where there will have to be a clear break between one song and the other.

I try to keep in mind the Nashville numbering system when considering complimentary keys.

A quick crash course for those who don’t know what this is:
If I’m in the key of D, D is the “1”. E is the “2”, F# is the “3”, G is the “4”, and so on. If I’m choosing a song to follow up this current song, the three keys that lend themselves most naturally to a smooth transition would be stay on the “1”, or move to the “4” (key of G), or “5” (key of A). I won’t have to do an awful lot of maneuvering to get there.

This number system would apply to any key. If in the key of A, A is the “1”, B is the “2”, C# is the “3”, and so on.

I recommend Paul Baloche’s DVD, Music Theory Made Easy, to look at this idea in more detail.

You can get from any key to any key, of course, outside of my little box, and sometimes do it very smoothly. It just takes some thought and practice.

Think through and practice transitions
Don’t just pick 5 or 6 songs or hope they’ll flow well together. Think through and practice how to transition between them both musically and thematically. Choosing good keys and consistent themes make this a whole lot easier. Sing and play through them, in time, visualizing how it would feel on Sunday morning. If you’re not comfortable with it, keep practicing.

Every Sunday as your congregation “gets in the car”, they’re putting a certain degree of trust in you – that you’ll lead them well, that you’ve prepared for the trip, and that they can look out the window at the beauty of God without interruption. Take it easy on the brake and your congregation will be grateful.

Just Relax

drop It’s 10:15am and people are milling around before the service starts at 10:30. You’re the worship leader.

The songs are picked and rehearsed, the microphone and guitar amp are set up, the projector is connected to the laptop, the PowerPoint slides are ready to go, and you’re starting to feel really nervous. You have that feeling in your stomach like you’re on a roller coaster that has reached its peak and is about to drop you straight down 200 feet.

There’s an old man sitting in the third row with his arms folded and you’re afraid he’s going to hate all the songs you chose. There are 200 chairs set out, but only 25 people have showed up so far. No one is talking. It’s now 10:20 and your hands are starting to sweat. This whole leading worship thing sounded like a good idea a few hours ago, but now you’d rather be sitting on your couch at home.

On the worship CD the crowd screamed and cheered, but you’d be shocked if this crowd even sang along. At the worship concert the musicians rocked and rolled but you’d be grateful if your pianist even played the right notes (she’s 73 years old and prefers Bill Gaither music). Your “lighting system”? Fluorescents with a noisy hum. Your sound system? A couple of old microphones, a 2 channel mixer, and speakers built in to the ceiling. Your in-ear-monitor system? You wish. Your “ambience”? Cinder-block white walls and dark brown carpet.

Now it’s 10:29. Now there are 33 people in the room. Now you’re really really nervous.

Leading worship at your local church is not as glamorous as it looks at the worship conferences and concerts, and it doesn’t sound like the worship recordings by Tim Hughes or Matt Redman. When this reality hits you five minutes before the service starts, it’s easy to become nervous, fearful, and discouraged. You end up rushing through the songs, stumbling over prayers and transitions, shutting your eyes tightly, breathing a huge sigh of relief when it’s all over, and never wanting to do it again.

A few words of encouragement for those of us who lead worship in the real world.

First, relax. Your only job is to be faithful.
Hundreds of concerns, doubts, and questions can flood your head before you step up to lead worship, and when you get in your car to drive home. Some of them are valid, most of them are not. The one question that matters most is “was I faithful?”. Was I faithful in prayerfully trying my best to help these people encounter God in song? Was I faithful in making the Glory of God in Christ central? This focus on what matters will give you one of the most important qualities of an effective worship leader: a humble confidence.

Ignore the silly concerns that get you nervous and panicked like “will the old guy on the third row hate these songs?” or “this song sounds so much better on the CD” or “I’m not a very good guitar player” or “no one is lifting their hands” or “I wish I was at a different church”. Focus on being faithful. If you are, it won’t matter if you’re leading 33 people or 3,000, if everyone sings or if everyone stares at you, or if you “feel” good about the service or not.

Secondly, relax. Your only boast is in the cross.
Paul writes in Galatians 6:14 “…far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

If you don’t have things like expensive sound systems, professional musicians, lighting, staging, new instruments, totally engaged congregation members, packed-out rooms, video screens, in-ear monitors, tons of experience, and multiple services, be grateful. While none of those things are inherently sinful, they can become major distractions and sources of pride. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t “need” any of them in order to effectively lead people in worship.

If you’re nervous before you lead worship because you feel inadequate and small, you’re in a good position. You are inadequate and you are small! But don’t allow this realization to be a source of nervousness for you – let it become a constant reminder that your only boast is in the cross. Jesus has covered your inadequacies and sinfulness with his blood, making it possible for you to approach the throne of grace not with nervousness, but with confidence. Effective worship leaders are the ones who boast only in the cross.

And thirdly, relax. You’re only leading one service.
Think back to Sunday, July 27^th, 1997. Did you go to church that day? If so, do you remember who preached? What was the song list? Did the guitarist play the right arpeggio on top of verse two? Did the drummer remember to play the open hi-hat instead of the ride cymbal on the last chorus? Did the worship leader fumble over his prayer after the opening song?

You can’t remember?

Exactly.

Don’t allow yourself to feel overwhelmed before you lead worship. Take a deep breath and remember that it’s just one service. There will be more. Many more. You might make mistakes, there might not be very many people there, and you might be inexperienced. But there will be a service next week, and the week after that. The weeks will turn to months, and the months to years. You’ll get more experience. You’ll get more comfortable with being in front. No one particular service, in the grand scheme of eternity, is critical enough to the souls of whoever will attend, for you to feel sick over. Effective worship leaders have long-term perspective and patience.

So, just relax the next time you get ready to lead worship. Pray and prepare as much as you can, show up early, and then when it’s time to start, be faithful and trust that the Holy Spirit will do his work. He will!

Lord, What Songs Do Want Us To Sing To You This Weekend?

BlankPaper It’s Monday afternoon. Two weekend services are completed, rehearsals done, chord charts recycled, PowerPoint presentations moved into the archive folder, song list a thing of the past, and the clock ticking until the time when the next service starts this Saturday. I’ve got to do it all over again.

What songs, what key, what order, what theme, how to transition, what to say, what to repeat, what song to introduce, what new song to reinforce, what arrangement to use, how to begin the service, how to respond to the sermon, is the band able to play these songs well, is there a hymn that I’m forgetting about that could work, have we done this song too many times, does anyone besides me find this song helpful, are these songs doctrinally sound, how might the Holy Spirit want to move through the singing of these songs? So many questions. Every week.

Early on in our marriage, I asked Catherine: “what goes through your mind at night when you’re trying to fall asleep?” She said something like: “probably our marriage and how we’re doing with each other. How about you?” I said, sheepishly: “the song list”.

Every week I feel a burden to choose songs wisely, carefully, and sensitively. I’m learning how to relax and not think about it all the time, but it’s certainly one of the responsibilities I take most seriously. The songs I choose this week will be sung by about 1,000 people this weekend, will shape their theology, will stick with them long after they’ve gone home, and will consume about half of the meeting.

So every Monday, with a blank screen in front of me, I pray: “Lord, what songs do you want us to sing to you this weekend?” I’ll spend a few hours each day from now until this Thursday (when I finalize the list) asking him to help me discern his leading as I look through a list of a couple hundred songs. This question, a simple prayer, is a good way to start.

There are a few other questions I find helpful to ask the Lord each week as I seek to choose the songs we’ll be singing corporately.

What will you be saying through your Word?
This weekend, October 17^th and 18^th, the assigned readings are Ephesians 3:1-13, and John 5:1-9, with the Ephesians reading being the sermon text. The sermon title is “Grace and Power” and John Yates is preaching. Now that I know this information, it’s my responsibility to read through these passages carefully, talk with John either in person or via email, and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help, so that I have an idea of what God might say through his Word preached and read. Once I have that – it will help me know what direction the songs should go, particularly following the sermon.

What have you been saying these last few weeks?
Since September 13^th, our weekend sermons have been walking through the book of Ephesians. Last week (yesterday), we looked at Ephesians 2:11-22, and remembered how God, through Christ, has made us his own and sealed us with his Spirit. I might seek to reemphasize that amazing truth this coming Sunday as we gather to sing.

What songs do I seem to be gravitating towards?
When I’m gravitating towards certain songs, it may be because I just happen to like those songs, but it may also be because God is directing me towards them. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to put the right songs on your heart.

How can I best serve the congregation?
I want to choose specific songs for each specific group of people at each specific service. To help me do that, it’s a good idea to take into account as much information as I possibly can that will help me choose wisely.

There is no such thing as a perfect song list. There will always a song that might have worked better in a particular slot. But spending time prayerfully seeking God’s guidance will make the difference between a random batch of songs and a Holy Spirit-inspired song list.

Keeping it Fresh

Copy I can always tell when I’m holding a document in my hand if it’s a copy of a copy or if it’s an original. A copy of a copy has a worn-out, old, slightly fuzzy look to it – kind of like the worksheets you get in middle school that you’re sure your teacher has used for the last 45 years. An original is crisp and up-to-date – like the first page you print after you’ve installed a brand new printer.

After three or four times, a copy of a copy starts to show its age. If quality is a concern, it’s worth taking the time to make up an original again. But if quality isn’t a concern, it’s certainly a whole lot easier just to use the same thing you’ve always been using.

I think the same principle applies to the songs we choose for a service. A copy of a copy will result in loss of quality, however subtle, every single time. Taking time to make each service’s song list “original” helps keep you and the services from getting stale.

A few practical ideas:

Don’t always use the same song in the same spot
It’s hard not to fall back on using the same song that worked last time. Stretch yourself and do something different.

Don’t always use the same kinds of songs written by the same kinds of authors
Try to choose songs that don’t all sound the same, aren’t in the same key, aren’t written by the same person, weren’t written in the same decade, and don’t say the same thing.

Take risks
When I introduced Tim Hughes’ “Happy Day” a few months ago, I knew that it would either really connect or really bomb. Thankfully, it really connected with people and it’s been a helpful song for people to celebrate that Jesus is alive. But even if it hadn’t connected with people, it would still have been a good idea for me to try it. Don’t be afraid to try new things.

Visit other churches/watch their services online
Make a point of visiting other churches from time to time, and watching other churches’ services online. You’ll get ideas from seeing things they do that really work – and learn from seeing things they do that don’t seem to work.

Prioritize personal times of bible study and singing
If you’re spiritually malnourished, you’re not in the best position to be feeding sheep by leading them in worship. But if you’re being fed by God’s Word and singing to him when no one else is watching, your planning, preparation, and leading will be fresh and heartfelt.