Songwriting Exercise

Hey worship songwriters!!!!  If you're like me, the songwriting freshness has worn off a little bit, and you could use a boost!  Soooooo, I thought I might present a songwriting exercise to fellow worship songwriters in hopes to spark that desire in us to write again and more often.  Here we go:

* Take a few minutes to look around you, and focus on ONE object that catches your attention.
* Got that object in mind?  Think about all the attributes of that object: color, weight, size, purpose, design, etc.
* Ask the Father to share with you attributes of that object that relate to your relationship with him.  Ask him questions like: What do the attributes of this object say about me?  What do the attributes this object say about you?  What do the attributes of this object say about our relationship?  Etc.
* Think about metaphors, similes, allegories, colloquialisms, etc.
* If you are willing, share them here.  NOTE: Simply share the name of the object and the list of attributes and/or functionalities that apply to accumulate ideas.  Who knows, songs may come out of this process.

Any takers?

Christian Music Blog is Coming SOON!

Are you a songwriter who struggles with the discipline and productivity in your songwriting process?  Having trouble with “writer’s block”?  Are you insecure about sharing your songs?  Are your songs starting to sound the same?  Struggling with knowing where to start?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a blog is coming your way this summer with YOU in mind!

Nate Fancher, Worship Pastor at Living Way Church in Greensboro, NC, is starting up a new blog site on June 15, 2013 specifically designed for the Christian songwriter.  To build this site, Nate is seeking out Christian songwriters of all skill levels to join the Christian Music Blog group.  Since the blog is in its infancy stage, Nate would like to hear from you about what you would like to learn in the craft of songwriting.

So, please take a few minutes to join the group today and count yourself among the many Christian songwriters who have already joined!  Here’s how:

* Go to the Christian Music Blog site

* Enter your email address

* Click “Sign Up”

It’s THAT easy!  Nate will start an open dialogue with each writer to get to know you a little bit better, and see how the blog can help you in the future.  Blessings to you all!

Songwriting Motives

I must confess; I’ve not wanted to write songs lately.  I’ve not been inspired, motivated or encouraged to write songs at all.  I actually LOVE writing music, and really enjoy it when the juices are actually flowing.  However, I hate it when there are dry seasons in writing.  At that time, I ask myself “why even write at all?”  It wasn’t until yesterday that it occurred to me that my songwriting motives might need some calibrating.  My husband wants us to write a song for his parents’ 40th anniversary coming up soon.  We simply want to write a song that expresses our love and our appreciation for them even though the song will never make it to radio or even be appreciated in proportion to all the hard work we’ll put into it.  So, we’re gonna do this thing!!!  Please pray for us in the process.  :D

It led me to want to ask others about how much they appreciate songs written for them.  So, I’d like to ask YOU the following questions to hopefully gain insight into how songwriters are appreciated (in general):

• Is it appropriate to give a song as a gift?  Why or why not?
• What expectations do you have if someone were to give you a song as a gift?
• What would you do with the song?
• How would you respond if the song were the ONLY gift to you?
• What are some ways we can encourage songwriters to write out of “gift giving” as opposed to “attention getting?”

Of course, my questions are in general terms, not necessarily for writing worship songs – although, the thought process is similar.  I may ask more questions later depending on how the conversation goes.  So, this is just a start.  With that said, what are your thoughts?

Refuge: Sabbatical Retreat

Back in October 2011, I had the privilege of attending a 3-day REFUGE sabbatical retreat.  The retreat was held at St. Simons Community Church in St Simons Island, GA and hosted by Fred McKinnon, worship pastor of St Simons Community Church and founder of TheWorshipCommunity.com.

From www.RefugeSSI.com

It was an amazing time.  We hung out with incredible people like Ian Morgan Cron (author of "Chasing Francis" and "Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me"), Trent Smith (worship leader, singer, musician, and songwriter), and Debby Berry (CEO of PraiseCharts).  We set time aside to stop, refocus, recharge, and enjoy the presence of the Heavenly Father.  The main theme of this retreat was "unhurried."  Although activities were planned, the intention was to have an unhurried flow so that attendees did not feel rushed or herded into a bunch of sessions.

Since the last Refuge was so wonderful, I'd like to inform the Worship Vanguard of 2013's Refuge coming up March 3-5.  It will have the same purpose, but the format will be a little different.  One special guest to Refuge will be Gary Molander (author of "Pursuing Christ. Creative Art").  Trent Smith will be back to minister to everyone through music.  If I understand correctly, this retreat will foster an atmosphere to encourage creativity through worship.

If you are available to attend this retreat, I highly recommend it to all of you who would love to rest and recharge with other ministry leaders.  Early Bird registration is $99 (until Oct 10), so you'll get more bang for your buck if you can register early.  Trust me, you will thoroughly enjoy this retreat!  So please check out the website, and consider attending.  Here is the link again: www.RefugeSSI.com.

You can also follow the retreat on Twitter or on Facebook.