Tomorrow, I officially begin recording my second CD. I'll go in at 10:00 tomorrow and we'll be doing the drums for about 3 days. Jacob Detering will be at the controls and Joe Meyer is the drummer. I have no idea what to expect. In my first recording experience*, Rick Dickerson was the producer/engineer/drummer for the whole project. He did all the drum parts while I wasn't around using V-Drums or loops. So I don't know what recording all the drum parts without any other players will be like at all.
I've been writing a lot of new songs lately because this project has provided a good reason to feed my creativity with time and intentionality. "Your Presence is Here", "Thorn In My Side" and a couple others have not been tested in church yet, so I am a little nervous about including them in the project. It's hard for me to just trust my own judgment. I wish I had a producer telling me what to do. Jacob is doing some producer type things to help me, but he's also been neutral about my songs, not giving much criticism or suggestions. Maybe that will come in the next few days.
I was pretty stressed out on Friday afternoon. I felt really inadequate to the job. I don't generally have really firm ideas about my songs. I like to write flexible music (it kind of has to be for church applications.) As a result, it's pretty hard to nail down specific arrangement details. So, Friday I was freaking out as I thought about Joe sitting in the studio waiting for instructions and me completely unable to make up my mind.
Please pray for me to embrace the gospel in this recording experience. I need to have the security of knowing that my identity is in Christ and not in my producer/performer/songwriter skills. I need to trust God to fight my battles, to seek first the kingdom, and cast my anxieties on Jesus with thanksgiving.
*Actually my first recording experience was in high school with my rock band, Celiac Spru. We did that recording by tracking the whole band at once. It was just like performing except with a really long sound check.
I'll be praying for you and for Sarah - for courage and for it to go smoothly. Can't wait to hear it.
We'll be praying for you too! I keep going back to the first conversation you had with us-the southies-about wanting to record more. There is comfort in knowing that this recording project is God's desire for you, as evidence of how God has freed you up to do it. But I TOTALLY know what you mean regarding feeling of inadequacy and the constant struggle to remember where our worth comes from.
It's SO hard not to slip into the orphan mentality when we know there are expectations to live up to. Singing verse one of In Christ Alone today, I thought, why can't I hold onto this truth when life gets hard instead of worrying about all the possible ways I'll fail?
We'll be praying for you Kirk....Can't wait to hear the final version. I know God will use it in your life as you make it and in others as they hear it. ISA. 33:6