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May 30, 2007
Lots of Pictures
Pictures from the Music Team’s Memorial Day BBQ:
Here’s Sarah’s pics
Here’s Ed Crim’s pics
This is a website of an old friend of mine from college, Brian Jobe. He and his wife, Carri, are both artists who are actively involved in the secular art world, creating art in the name of Christ.
While I’m mentioning Brian, I should also plug my sister’s work one more time.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 2:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 24, 2007
All the Vain Things
"All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood." -Isaac Watts
In the face of the death of a toddler girl in my church, what can you say? Lord, can I hold on to my daughter forever? You have not asked me to lay Joanna on the alter like Isaac, but if you took her from me could I still say "God is good all the time"? She is definitely charming, but would I say that my own daughter is a "vain thing"?
Lord, increase my faith.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 10:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 18, 2007
Music Clips from My Sunday At NCF Chattanooga
Here are a couple songs that we did at NCF in Chattanooga on May 13.
"Sing" is an Israel Houghton tune which I played an obnoxious amount of lead guitar on. Listen all the way to the end and you'll here an old St Louisian, Jim Drexler, praying.
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"Holy Holy Holy" is done in a reggea feel. It's one of my favorite ways to do the classic hymn. People at my church act like "Holy Holy Holy" is untouchable, but I think the arrangement is great! Not much of my guitar on it, but I didn't think it needed me till vs 4.
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go here if you want to hear more stuff from New City Fellowship in Chattanooga.
I promise I have more to do on Fridays than just write blogs.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 12:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Sovereign Grace CD- Songs for the Cross Centered Life
I bought this CD for our ministry this week. I have enjoyed it immensely. It has at least one classic, “Before the Throne Of God Above.” But aside from that song, what drew me to it was a new arrangement of Isaac Watt’s “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed” that Bob Kauflin wrote. I love the words that Watts wrote, but they have always been stuck in a rather uninspiring musical setting. Making things worse is the cheesy refrain (which Watts did not write), which has the line, “and now I am happy all the day.” Maybe Kauflin’s arrangement will help revive Watt’s poetry in our church.
There are a few other cool songs on the CD that have grown on me the more I listen. The CD is intentionally focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ. What a refreshing break from one more CD of worship music filled with lyrics like “We worship you” “I’m gonna worship” “You gotta worship” etc. In our worship services, we don’t avoid any repetitive choruses like that, but we try to give a context for our worship and thanksgiving. It is so exciting to sing a song like “In Christ Alone” or “Be Ye Glad” and then follow it up with a song like “You Are Good” or “O Give Thanks”.
I recommend this recording as a great source for corporate worship music or if you just want something to lead you in personal worship time. Stylistically, it has a few rockers, but it is in a “Counting Crows” kind of sound. “Alas and Did…” has a beautiful strings/piano arrangement behind a single soprano voice. It is distinctly modern sounding. I can dig it.
you can purchase the recording here.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 10:57 AM | TrackBack
May 9, 2007
On Vacation
This week I am on vacation with my parents (and Sarah’s parents). We are having fun with all our kids (Joanna, Lauren, Meredith, Coriena, Josiah, and Eden) and enjoying the new bikes that we gave each other for our 3rd Anniversary. Vacation can be hard work when there are so many people we want to spend quality time with, staying up late (but Joanna still gets up early) and being busy with fun activity. It will be nice to get home and do some relaxing work.
Our friends, Peter and Janet, are getting married this week. Sarah has known them for a very long time, but they are my friends, too. I am thankful that they did not ask me to participate in the wedding. Weddings can be exhausting for musicians. Why do weddings have to be so huge? I know someone who will be getting married this summer in Nairobi. I heard that they are having their wedding in the middle of a Sunday morning worship service. Why don’t we get back to that kind of a thing for weddings? So much emphasis on the wedding day distracts from the long haul reality of marriage.
Anyway, it’s good to be in “The Scenic City of the South” again.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 3:03 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 3, 2007
The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God’s Call to Justice
I just got a book this morning from Gerry Chapeau, director of CityLights. It was a timely gift because I have been going through a period of disillusionment about playing music in the church.
I have been wrestling with feelings of disconnect between the nuts and bolts of weekly music performance and battle raging for the gospel, justice, and the kingdom. Why are we striving every week to put together a set of songs? Are we just serving our own desires for entertainment, creative stimulation, rockin’ out, getting happy, etc?
I’ve had very encouraging conversations lately and in the past few weeks I have tasted the gospel in a fresh way. Reading an essay on Sonship by C. John Miller, I saw areas of sin exposed and was able to go back to the well of living water to be refreshed. The gospel has restored joy in leading worship again.
This book is something I have needed as well. I began to covet the other ministry leaders jobs in our church. Not that I am at all qualified to replace them, but I began to long for a more tangible connection with justice and mercy. This book is a call for the church to wake up from its slumber and to be restored to true worship (see Isaiah 58).
I can’t say that I recommend it yet (having only read the first two chapters) but I can say that Gerry HIGHLY recommended it to me. Sometimes, I wish that I could take our musicians through a book together so that everyone could really soak up these ideas and try to apply them in the laboratory of our weekly services as well as “on the streets.”
By the way, I discovered this article on InterVarsity’s website featuring a familiar face to folks from NCF-STL.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 12:21 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack