Invisible Children

I’ll make this quick because I would rather you spend your time leaning about this movement than reading my blog, so here it goes:

Do you want to be a hero?

Do you like to do good things?

Do you love kids?

Have you always wanted to give to a charity, but just couldn’t part with your dollars?

I’m glad you said yes to all of those, because I’m about to help make them all come true.

You may have noticed a recent influx of internet activity on “KONY 2012.” I just learned about it 45 minutes ago. This is a movement called Invisible Children battling against an African rebel leader named Joseph Kony who builds his rebel “army” by abducting children, then forcing them to learn how to use guns, and then abduct even MORE children to make the army even larger, sometimes killing their own parents….all simply because he wants power. It’s a terrible thing happening. Can you imagine that kind of thing happening in the United States? Of course not. Because once the first child was kidnapped, national news would be all over it and the whole country would be looking for the guy. Unfortunately, Africa isn’t America… but YOU are. All the KONY 2012 people are trying to do is make stopping Joseph Kony a priority of American interest … and I believe it’s worth taking a couple of minutes out of my day to do a small part of spreading that hope.

Give to the Invisible Children project by keeping your money, but give the next 120 seconds of the Life God has given you by doing something to help spread this message.

It’s as easy as making your next facebook status read: “KONY 2012”. You know, just to get people wondering... Or if you really want to get fancy, you can even link or share some material to Invisible Children website. They don’t even want your money, (although donations are accepted) they just want your support.

I just learned about this and I’ve been inspired to do this. I hope you’ll be inspired to. It starts by clicking here.

https://www.facebook.com/invisiblechildren

So put on your cape, and be a hero. It’ll just take 120 seconds… maybe even less.

If you have 30 minutes to give, watch this film. thank you.

Ok, Busted

Hi There!

What's that? Who am I? Oh...okay, yeah I understand if you don't remember who I am. After all, its been 6 months since I last posted.

*sigh.......*

So here's what I've been up to: Quite simply, I needed a break. I needed some time to really think about how I invest the 24 hours God gives me every day. I made a mental list of all of the non essential activities I do that occupy my time, and then I also made a mental list of all the essential things I haven't been giving enough time to. I restructured everything to give more time to the essentials and less (if not any) to the non. Unfortunately, the WFRN Worship Blog was a brief casualty of that process. But when its between sleeping, spending time with my family, God, a new little boy, fulfilling my responsibilities at the radio station, church, and my home, it was a decision that had to be made.

Whats that again? Oh, yeah! Ashlie and I had our 2nd baby boy in September. His name is Henry. Here he is!

Isn't he cute? :)

So anyway, now that I've become a better steward of life, some of those non-essentials that I've loved most dearly are returning, like this blog. It's great to be back! Thank you for all of the support, and I hope to continue writing about my experience as a Worship Leader and radio host, and my family among other things.

Some exciting developments are in the beginning stages that I can't wait to tell you about!  And they've been made possible because of the personal Spring Cleaning I've been doing over the past months. I am re-focused, energized, and ready for what God has in store for this new season of blessing.

Reminiscing

I once took a personality test as part of one of those DISC assessment evaluations that revealed that I am what the test called “a traditionalist.” My first response was, “Really? I don’t think so.” But as the test went on to explain how, I had no choice but to agree that the assessment was accurate. I then became quite introspective of different traditions that I maintain without even realizing it. Here just a few notables:

1. I always watch Notre Dame Football games on Saturdays in the fall. If I’m unable to watch, it’s a pretty devastating thing to me.
2. I must wake up in my own house on Christmas morning. I refuse to travel on Christmas Eve because it will keep me from doing so.
3. Every trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH, I always make a point to pay homage to the exact spot my best friend threw up after riding the Magnum XL-200 back in high school.
4. And I find it hard to keep some of those songs that really impacted my personal salvation out of a worship set on any given week.

In particular, the songs from the “Passion: Our Love is Loud” from 2002 are ones that will always be dear to me. That was my very first Christian Music CD. In fact, it was given to me by my Youth Pastor at the time who also led worship for the contemporary service in our church.

Listen to this to understand my worship roots.

One of the main reasons he gave it  to me (other than witnessing) was to learn the songs on it. I was a somewhat talented drummer in high school and he had asked me if I wanted to play drums in the Youth Band he was going to create. I said sure, took the CD, and listened away. I had no idea what kind of impact it would end up having in my life.

It just seemed like every track filled me with joy and love in ways I had yet to experience. Do you have a song like that? Maybe a group of songs? An “era” of music?

I always love to put one of those songs (which are now all over 10 years old) in the worship set when appropriate so that I can sing like I did when I was 15 again.

Do you go to a church with “traditional worship?” Traditions can be a powerful thing to the faith of many. The task at hand for worship leaders is to know that new traditions are created every day by different people in different age groups by different races and the list goes on and on…

Traditions help us to remember some of our most fond moments in life…like our salvation. Never scoff at tradition. There is much to learn from our past and how God brought us here. There is also much to be excited for what God has in store for us in the days to come. I often wonder… “What will God do today that I will remember 10 years from now?”

Never Compromise

On your beliefs that is....

Of course, compromising in the ministry world with congregants, church council, and church staff happens every day. Whether it's at a vision meeting, deciding on the new sanctuary carpet color, or if Worship Team rehearsal should be at 8am or 8:30 am, we become accustomed to compromising and feeling good about the outcome. But if you are ever faced with a bona-fide challenge to your faith, you MUST be prepared to answer from your heart, jump up to your feet and take a stand for Jesus.

Never think that you are doing God a favor by not expecting a miracle.

A heart warming story that is straight out of the songwriting manuscripts of Mark Schultz is playing out as we speak in my family. My wife's sister and her husband have been expecting their first child about a month ahead of Ashlie's and I's second, but they were met with quite troubling and faith rocking news from the very beginning. On the first ultrasound, it was discovered that their little one was growing an underdeveloped heart. The news was devastating. Their doctor even went as far as to recommend that they "terminate the pregnancy." They immediately refused that option, and we all immediately began expecting God to make good on their stand of faith.

The past months have been really difficult for all of us. I can't tell the story as well as they do, so do me a favor and go to their blog an encourage them today. You will be filled with encouragement by reading, I can promise you that.

http://scarlettsstory.blogspot.com/

Seriously, go there. It would mean the world to them.

Never think that you are doing God a favor by not expecting a miracle. You can't set the bar too high for him to reach. You can't make any situation easier for him to fix. You can't "let him off the hook." By compromising your expectations of the all knowing, all powerful, all encompassing, creator of the universe, died for your sins, rose from the dead, worthy of all praise God... you are simultainiously doubting those very things.

Raise the bar high for God today. Be encouraged when you watch Him step over it by not even breaking sweat.

I know this is a pretty short post, but I believe that the answer here is crystal clear. No need to explain any compromise. In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Writers Block

For those of you (including myself) patiently waiting for my latest blog posting; thank you for your patience. I’ve been dealing with quite a bit of writers block. You know, the kind where you just can’t get behind an idea 100% so you scrap it in search of another one…. Then that one turns out to be a dead end too. Round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows… I particularly have this problem with songwriting. Do you ever write music? It’s TOUGH isn’t it! And it’s especially a mind over matter battle with me.

I’m somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to music …. I mean everything. I know this because all of the WFRN staff members took Tom Rath’s “Strengths Finder” test last Fall to see what our top 5 strengths are. Once armed with that information we can better leverage our staff and place them in positions where they are most likely to succeed. My top Strength: “Maximizer”

According to Rath, a Maximizer is a person takes something that is already good, and focuses all of their energy on making it not only great, but extraordinary. For example, the folks at Apple who are constantly working on new developments for the iPhone, or the folks at Google trying to make their company the all and end all for internet info, or the folks at Facebook tweaking social networking into a device we can not longer live without. I couldn’t agree more that I am “that guy.” I am constantly striving to make everything I do the absolute best. I go full speed ahead on concepts that I fully grasp and have an instant idea on where to take it. But with that in mind, it is particularly difficult for me to produce an organic creation from scratch without disliking it immediately, scrapping it, and then starting over.

So in an effort to mold myself into a patient, and more flexible musician, I’ve tried these steps to help clam me down and commit to an idea without getting too frustrated.

1.      I’ve found it’s easier to write the music first. I find that if I can get something down I like to listen to, it will give me a good idea of the mood and rhythm the lyrics need to follow.

2. Get an idea for what I want to say. The poetry can come later. Pray, pray, pray and pray about how God wants you to approach the word He gives you. Plan it out, and then begin to find alternate words and phrases with alliterations, rhythms, and rhymes that fit into the song.

3. Don’t grow impatient! If you come to a road block, walk away from it for a little while and come back to it once your frustrations have gone and you can try again. This is a great thing for Maximizers because it allows them to walk in on a concept already in creation and take it to the next level. (I still have an unfinished song from middle school that I haven’t yet found the perfect words for, but I’m not going to give up on it.)

4. Don’t be afraid to ask others for their opinion. Very important though: make sure you ask people who won’t say, “Oh, I love it!!” Don’t ask your mom, don’t ask your dog. Go to that person who you know will give an honest, yet critical opinion that you know you can accept. Criticism is hard. But it’s necessary. You may be your own worst critic (like me) but third party insight can ignite something in you that you didn’t think of, and it could give your song new life.

Experiencing some writers block? I hope this encourages you to battle through it. Few things can be more difficult to do than writing an original song, but few things are more rewarding.  

That Song... Again?

Yep… you all know a song like this. The song that was really popular for an extended period of time in your church, even in church worship all over the country and all over the world. Everyone knows all of the words so you keep playing it…and playing it……. And playing it….....

Oops… You over did it. It’s was a shame too. It’s such a great song and the lyrics are so true, but now it seems so “played out” that you feel like you shouldn’t play it again because you’re afraid people will start groaning over the sound of that now infamous opening guitar strum.

I think we all have a song in our repertoire that we’ve done this to. Which one is it for you?

I spoke with BEC recording artist Jeremy Camp recently about this situation that seems to be common in churches everywhere and I asked him which song is that song for him. He said, “I think that it would have to be “Mighty to Save”…. I’m about “mighty to saved” out.  Ha, don’t get me wrong, I love the song man, and I know that it’s touched a lot of people for Christ and I’ll continue to worship with it, but it just seems like I’ve done it a million times.”

Let me say I think there is a solution. And I got my inspiration for this solution from none other than Mr. Camp himself.

If you’ve done the song so many times, chances are, you’ve become numb to the emotions that the lyrics were meant to bring. So here are some steps you can take to revive a song that has been left for dead in your church:

"... try to find all of the biblical references to the song title.."

1. Instead of playing music and singing the song, read it like a poem. Break down the normal phrasing and concentrate on some of the most insightful expressions and ask God to reveal what he wants you to learn from them.

2. Do a concordance search in your bible and try to find all of the biblical references to the song title and those lyrics that you’ve been praying over. For “Mighty to Save,” the words in the title come from Zephaniah 3:17 AND Isaiah 63:1 (NIV) My personal favorite phrase from this song is “author of salvation” which can be found in Hebrews 5:9 (NIV). After you’ve found the song in the bible, read the context of those verses, pray about how they interact, and grab new inspiration for the song.

3. Take time to share your experience with your Pastor, your Worship Team, and the Congregation next time you put it in the set list. Let them know that the song has a new renaissance and it will never mean the same to you as it used to.

There are few greater feelings than hearing an old song like you’re hearing it for the first time. Having that intimate experience with God… like you’re finally hearing what He’s meant for you to hear the whole time. It’s humbling. And it will make you crave more of them.

That song again?     Yeah… That song.


Cody Collier is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and serves as Worship Leader at LifePoint Church in Goshen IN, and as Midday Radio Host at Family Friendly 104.7/93.7 WFRN. 

Gaining Perspective

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with a couple of important commitments the last couple of weeks. One of them was the Sunburst Half Marathon Race and preparation. The other was an opportunity to give the message at my church instead of leading worship. Both events required copious amounts of energy, both mental and physical, and I'm glad to finally be back on the keyboard.

The Sunday I was preaching however, I had my first opportunity to do something I had not done in over 3 years: Attend a church service where the Worship Leader... was not me. It's true. I hardly ever take vacation, (tisk, tisk, I know) and when I do its normally for another Sunday worship event where I'm leading anyway. So all week, I was able to spend time learning, dissecting, and overseeing the church's worship team instead of actually rehearsing and performing. Then come Sunday morning, I was able to just sing, clap, raise my hands, and worship from the seats with everyone else.... It was an awesome experience! And it helped that it was being lead by a very capable and talented worship team lead by A.J. Miller. (name drop ;)

"Walk around the sanctuary and see what everyone else sees. "

So as Worship Leaders, I encourage you to get a new perspective. Create a system so that you train up leaders within your worship team so that you occasionally have time to step away from the microphone and focus on other aspects of running a worship ministry that need you... Like:

     1. Spend some time in the sound booth. Talk with the media team and ask them about their needs. Let them know that you care about them and want to work with them to help them succeed. Relationships are everything.

     2.  Proofread some slide shows. Maybe there is a small typo that keeps bothering you but you always forget it needs a permanent fix... such as it reading "every body" instead of "everybody".

      3. File and organize your music. Couldn't find enough copies of "How He Loves" so you just printed off 10 more? Maybe sometimes you accidentaly pass out music in two different keys? Spend some time organizing your music library so you can save some paper, time, and frustration later.

      4. Give some direction in rehearsal. Walk around the sanctuary and see what everyone else sees. Maybe change up the staging a little if the piano is blocking the congregation's view of the guitarist, etc.

      5. And the best part: WORSHIP on SUNDAY MORNING! It's an awesome and relieving feeling to be able worship without responsibility. Not only will you be filled, but your worship team will be proud to have been trusted to play on their own... and the trust you build there is priceless.

Get a New Perspective. Learn. Apply. Improve. Worship.


Cody Collier is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and serves as Worship Leader at Goshen First Church of God in Goshen IN, and as Midday Radio Host at Family Friendly 104.7/93.7 WFRN.