Category Archives: Music
Sleepless Night
My favorite musical artist is Fernando Ortega. I have several individuals or groups that are among my favorites, but he is at the top of the list. In fact, on my iPod, I have a separate playlist, simply entitled “Fernando.” The reasons are pretty simple. His music and lyrics are memorable and easy to sing along with. The content of his songs are saturated with Biblical content. Most of all, though, I am continually drawn to his music because of his honest reflections about life and the struggles we encounter in our daily lives. He is straightforward about his own frailty and fears. He is sincere about his struggle with and his longings for God and His will. In other words, his songs are direct and honest about the joys and sorrows of living this life and seeking after God. While it is not Scripture, it is much like reading the Psalms. So, sometimes, when I find myself in a funk and I don’t feel like reading the Bible, I don’t feel like praying, I don’t want to hear from anyone about anything, my fingers might navigate to the playlist called “Fernando.” I did that just the other day. As I was clicking through songs, it stopped on one of my favorites, “Sleepless Night” (YouTube, iTunes). The song starts out: Another sleepless night of turning in my bed Long before the red sun rises In these early hours, I am falling again Into the river of my worries I don’t … Continue reading
Posted in Christian Living, God's Faithfulness, Music, Trust
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CCW’s New Facebook Page and CD Release Event
We would like to invite you to follow us on our new CCW Facebook page. It is now up and running with pictures from the recording studio and other events where our group has had the chance to serve. You can also stay up to date on the CD release celebration and other ministry events. Our first CD project is set for release on May 20th at Christ Community Church. We will have a celebration event that will include a time of thanksgiving during our morning worship service and the CDs will be available at a fellowship event following the service. Downloads and CDs will also be made available online around that same date. We are joining forces with the Christ Community mission’s and women’s ministries for this release event. Our Mexico mission’s team is hosting a lunch to raise support for their summer trip to Juarez. Our women’s ministry is supporting She is Safe, a ministry that works to prevent, rescue, and restore women and young girls from suffering, abuse, and exploitation around the world. We will be donating 10% of the proceeds of CD sales to the Mexico missions team and 10% to the work of She is Safe. Our plan is to continue to support ministry efforts in this manner on an ongoing basis, beyond the initial release event. So, your support for CCW will not only help us in pursuing our ministry goals and opportunities, but it will help provide assistance to missions and ministries around … Continue reading
Posted in Music, Recording Project, Worship
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One Holy Passion: CD Release Update
I am excited to announce that Christ Community Worship’s first CD, One Holy Passion, is now in production. As of Monday, we had finalized all of the music, artwork, proofs, and various other details, and the production was commenced. We are hoping to be able to release the CD in mid-May at a church-wide celebration event. I will have to be honest, there were times that I wondered if we would get to this point. We had a few stumbles along the way. At one point, our entire project was almost lost when the studios computer systems crashed. Thankfully, our engineer, Travis King, had double backed up the project. Although he lost a few weeks of work, the main part of the project was saved. It was a total fluke that the computer manufacturers and techs could not explain. God took care of things though. God has revealed His faithfulness throughout this process. He has also shown me that I have a lot of things to work on in my life. I think there were many times that my wife, the engineer, and the worship team were all ready to wring my neck. But they persevered with me and we worked through the process to completion. It has been a growing and learning time. I am anxious to see what God will do with the completed project. I pray that He will use it to glorify His name and minister to the lives of many people. If you would like … Continue reading
Posted in God's Faithfulness, Music, Recording Project
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Write About Jesus
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to be a part of the annual Write About Jesus (WAJ) conference which is held in St. Louis. I had heard about the conference a few years ago, but had never gotten around to attending. As I drove into the parking lot, I was not sure what to expect. I knew absolutely no one that was attending. Since I tend to be more of an introvert, this is not exactly the type of situation I look forward to being in. I sat in my car for a few moments and then decided to go in. As I walked in, there were already many people there. Pockets of excited people, where reunions were taking place, were scattered around the room. In other places, individuals sat quietly, by themselves, looking through their workshop book. I walked up to the registration counter and my journey began. Everyone I met was extremely helpful. You could tell immediately that this is something they love being a part of. This is a weekend that they had been looking forward to with anticipation. At each registration stop, they made sure that I had the information I needed to get me started on a successful workshop experience. I am not going to detail my entire journey through the weekend, but I want to give you glimpses of what I experienced. Because what I saw was of great encouragement to me. Yes, I saw many songwriters who were, and are, successful in … Continue reading
Posted in Ministry, Music, Songwriting
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Update and Request for Prayer
Taking a detour from the normal blog this week. This is mostly because I woke up this morning with what was probably a migraine and it sidelined me for a good part of the day. I started feeling it come on last night and it hit me pretty hard this morning. So, it cut out a good portion of my day, as I tried to sleep it off. However, it gives me a chance to send you a quick update about the Christ Community Worship recording project and ask for prayer about an upcoming event that I will be attending. We have been working on the CD design and trying to get all of the other miscellaneous details taken care of. This week, we are expecting our first listen to the edited and mixed songs. After that, we will make any needed adjustments and start moving toward getting the CD sent for production. We will be offering the CD and downloads through the Christ Community Worship website, once the project is complete. The chord charts and lead sheets for the songs will also be available on the site. In addition, we will be working with a group who will provide us with digital distribution to iTunes, Amazon, and over 60 other major digital distribution services. This is an exciting opportunity as we seek to see how God will use our ministry and this project for His glory and the spreading of the gospel of Christ. Please pray for us, the … Continue reading
Posted in Ministry, Music, Songwriting
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