Johns Observations

Are you serving the Lord?  Are you worshipping him with all of your ability?  Are you serving or are you waiting for someone to serve you?

  Mark 10:45  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

This was Christ.  He gave all of Himeself to people who didnt deserve it.  I hope you are as humbled by this as I am.  I am reminded of the song “Thats Why We Praise Him”–it says “He gave His everything!”

Dear beleiver–if you havent already–please thouroughly look at this website.  It is what we need to be focused on right now…not only as Baptists—but as Christians.

http://www.pray4gcr.com/

How would you answer these?

1.  Is Salvation, and the call toward repentance an action that God initiates…or are we responsible?

• Be careful…

2.  Did Christ die for ALL mankind, or for a select few?

3.  Once saved always saved?

4.  Without God, man is a ________.

I would really love to hear your answers.  If possible, support your answers with scripture.  I will post my answers later this week.

I Love the message in this song.  David and Max Sapp wrote this gem of a song several years ago and Gaither popularized in the early nineties with the Gaither Vocal Band.  I have heard it performed quite a bit since then, and in all honesty, this is probably one of the top two video recordings of it.  This comes from the Gaither “Love Can Turn the World” video in Africa.  I just think that Gordon Mote’s piano playing and the freedom that the group takes fuse together well and truly bring out the evangelistic text in within the song.

Many will argue that David Phelps sings this best… Here is a clip of him

Sing it well, he does.  However, I feel like he is so technically correct in this song…Each vowel is modified to its most precise point, creating the exact formant that would carry over the most daunting orchestral texture.  A bit much for a gospel song if you ask me.  I like Wes(the first clip) interpretation.  He really does a good job communicating the text, while not going overboard and trying to demonstrate his complete mastery of vocal technique.

For years I have thought that worship was about doing things a certain way, in a certain order, at a certain volume, and within a certain style.  How wrong I have been, and how complacent I have been toward my own ignorance!

Dont act like you dont know what Im talkin’ bout.  You know how it usually goes–Prelude by the organist, opening hymn sung by the congregation…Annoucements, a couple more hymns…Put money in the offering plate…. Choir “special”—followed by the Sermon……then the Invitation Hymn…… and finally a closing prayer.

Now, dont get me wrong…There is NOTHING wrong with this type of an order…If it’s led by the Spirit…However, performing this each week just because that is how it has ALWAYS been done is ridiculous.  Insanity is doing something over and over again expecting to see greater results…

So many times I have been guilty of this very thing.  Keeping things comfortable so that I dont offend those who are bothered by progressive change…or so suit my comfort level…or whatever be the reason.  Guilty am I.

John 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.

We are to lift him up…not lift ourselves up through quenching our own conveniences or fulfilling our own wants.  That is what I am guilty of.  As a Worship Leader I struggle with only using music that I am comfortable with or that I like…Staying within a zone of comfort…never wanting to lose control…

Well–it aint about me…plain and simple.

I have been slow to see this..slow to learn this…and I think I am still learning it.  However, over the past few months, I have learned about a FREEDOM that I never knew.  This freedom has come through my willingness to listen to HIS lead, and not to my own.  I have learned to include Him while plannning services.  I have learned that it’s perfectly appropriate to be spontaneous when He speaks to me.  My role as a worship leader is to bring people into His presence through music…In His presence there is Freedom… That freedom HAS to be realized through our Musical Worship each week.

This Freedom is not realized through Traditional worship…It isnt realized through Contemporary worship.  It isnt realized through any attempt at polarization of worship styles.  It isnt realized through a charasmatic leader, a staunch traditionalist, or even a modern day guitar playing worship leader.

It is realized by His people joining together to worship Him. 

⁷ “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down–that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. ¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. ¹¹ They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”– Revelation 12:7-11

It is realized by His people singing and worshipping aloud with Revelation 12 in their hearts.  When we realize that the victory over Satan has come through HIs blood and not of our own abilites, we will only then be willing to fall down–lay down our crowns and worship Him in total Freedom.

I challenge you.  If the music isnt progressive enough, sing anyways.  If its not traditional enough, sing anyways.  Worship the Lord with Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs.  We can all worship together as one body if we will let Christ lead.

The worst thing that can happen to singer is sickness. A trumpet player can play sick…A guitar player can strum while sick…A piano player can work while sick…A singer however, is no good while sick.

Our instrument as singers lie within us. Even the most mild form of sickness can alter our vocal abilities, make us susceptable to injury, or permanantley damage our voice altogether. Though it is very durable, the human voice is a very sensative and fragile instrument.

I relate our voice to our spiritual life. We have Christ inside us. Even the slightest amount of sin in our lives can wreck our relationship with him. He is the sustainer of our life, he keeps us going from day to day, and we rely on Him for everything. If we allow sin to infiltrate our bodies, he is not allowed to work.

Singers who smoke, drink, use drugs are just killing their voices. Perhaps not today, but down the road; their voice will pay the price. Singers who do demand outrageous performance schedules will one day pay the toll. Singers who dont take care of their voice will one day pay the toll.

Christians who demand their bodies to put up with drinking, drugs, smoking, or tobacco usage will one day pay the toll. Christ is Holy, and he doesnt tolerate evil. By us putting things of this nature into our bodies is like injecting the Holy Spirit with venom. We will pay a toll for it. Engaging in adultery, pornography, and immorality of any kind will result in danger for the Christian. It only takes the “appearance of evil” to put a wedge between us and our Savior.

So, the tip of the day for singers: Eat right, listen to your body, sing smart, stay hydrated, stay healthy

For Christians: Live right, flee from evil, dont smoke-drink-or use drugs, keep the Temple clean.

Alright…I have always been into fitness and working out. For the most part, my working out has always consisted of predominantly weight training and sport related exercises. I have never really spent much time working on breathing, flexibility, YOGA, or balance.

After Andrea and I got married, I slacked off and quit working out. I used every excuse I could to keep from working out, and my waistline started to grow, making me look like a complete slob. I have a problem with that. I am a Minister and I lead worship on a weekly basis. There is nothing worse in my opinion than a worship leader/choir director/singer who cant take care of himself physically. That being said I decided to get to work.

Our local gym condones the playing of profanity laden RAP MUSIC, so I decided we needed to purchase some sort of excercise equipment. I researched the BOWFLEX system throuroghly and we bought there top of the line machine…The Ultimate 2. I started using it and was happy with it. However, I wanted something to really get me on fire…and get me to the point in which the bowflex could really work for me.

A friend mentioned a video based workout called P 90x. Initially, I laughed at him. There has always been a hang up with me about video based workouts…called it the Richard Simmons apprehension if you want…or John Basedow…I just wasn’t sold on it.

I bought it…and it sat on the shelf for like 3 weeks. One day, I decided to give it an honest try.

I have college football behind me….years of sports….and a lengthy period in which I was in the Marine Corps Infantry and Force Reconnaissance. I can honestly say this workout blew me away from day one. It is very Boot Camp related, in that you do alot of body weight stuff…push ups, pull ups, lunges, etc. After only doing this program for 2 weeks, I can already see my body beginning to change.

Here is a brief summary of the different workouts

Day1–Chest and Back/Ab Ripper X
Day2–Plyometrics
Day3–Shoulders and Back/Ab Ripper X
Day4–YOGA X
Day5–Legs/Ab Ripper X
Day6–Kenpo X
Day7–Stretch X

Each workout is intense. Chest and Back messed me up for like 2 weeks. After completing this video, I could not perform daily tasks such as eating, writing, typing, or conducting the choir!! Ab Ripper X will hurt your midsection. You must have a certain degree of abdominal stregth already to begin this program. Shoulders and Back are the least demanding of the entire series. Yoga X is the toughest video to me. Alot of weird contorted positions, and alot of lunging, pushups, and posing that forces your entire body to flex up…TOUGH stuff. When I finish this, I feel wobbly from head to toe. Kenpo X is basically a Karate Cardio workout. it is pretty cool…and pretty tough to finish. Plyo is jump training. Alot of moving, jumping, and fast twitch muscle usage from the waist down. This is a great cardio workout…but leaves your legs wobbly!

I truly feel to be a better singer, you must be a better athlete. Your better singers now days…tend to be fit. The days of the overweight soprano wearing the helmet with horns are over. Singing is as much a sport as anything else is. If you can breathe better, you will sing better. If you are sloppy, out of breath, weak, and out of shape, your voice WILL suffer. In the last 2 weeks, I have felt my voice begin to regain some of its prominence that I have lost in the last year. Its good to be back.

Talk about singing from the heart…Wow.

No one sings from the heart anymore. At least in Christian music.
With the rise of CCM, the heart element has been replaced with clever guitar riffs, and wristbands and such….However, Jason has it. For those of you who arent in the know… Jason Crabb anchored one of the most successful southern gospel groups of all time…the Crabb Family. They had hit after hit on the charts, and were influential within the genre.

Within the last few years, they have disbanded and started new ministries. This is one of their last performances as a family.

Jason is quoted as saying “I made a deal with the Lord….keep my voice healthy, and I will give you 110 percent every time out.” Id say they both made good on their deal.

What I want you to notice is how he sells this lyric. He totally believes everything he is singing….Its as if this lyric is an original—spontaneous thought of his. He combines this reality with a strong vocal, and abra cadabra…. You have a powerful moment. This guy is the real deal….. No fakeness here. This isnt radio friendly–fake worship music….This is a true moment of anointing and praise. He couldn’t care less about radio at this point.

I hope you have the priveledge of seeing Jason Crabb one day. What an anointed singer.

Without a doubt, one of W.A Mozart’s greatest works is his comic opera, Le Nozze de Figaro. Figaro boasts some of the greatest music ever written. With several highlights including Non piu Andrai, the Act II Finale, and Cherubino and the Countess’ moments, one overlooked moment is the Act III aria sung by the count….Hai gia vinta la causa.

This aria is a showstopper within itself. The opera is very simple…Figaro and Susanna, who are both servants…are set to be married…However, the Count, who is a member of the upper-class, intends to have a romantic encounter with Susanna before she is wed to his servant Figaro. Through some schemish plotting and double crossing, the Count is set up by Susanna, Figaro, and the Countess……….. In this aria….He overhears Susanna bragging to Figaro that they have won…and that the Count has been duped………. In the aria, the Count reassures himself that he is in charge and that no one can get the best of him.

For the lyric baritone…. the Counts Aria is one of the first major pieces in his rep. It demands both a commanding presence, and a connected, substantial sound. At times, the orchesta sustains quite a large texture, demanding the singer to produce a tone that can carry. The aria is fairly lengthy, and has several key components. The recitative is a standard classical Italian operatic recitative…. Once the aria proper begins, the vocal line is very connective, yet authoritative at the same time. The aria concludes with a string of melismatic passages, and a daunting F# to test the singers stamina. This aria will prove a singers technique either strong or weak, depending on the F#.

I hope you enjoy this aria…….. Many baritones tend to gravitate toward the character whom the opera is named after….Figaro…However, the Count is so much more complex and sensitive a character…. I am personally drawn to the Count… I hope you enjoy Rodney Gilfry and his interpretation of Hai Gia Vinta la Causa!

Learn these….they can help you singing and speaking quite a bit…..

If yuo can replace each instance in speech that calls for these vowles….with properly resonated vowels….. you will be able to sing or speak in a huge room….with no amplification

e i a o u

1.  e—-hey, say, play, vacation, they\

2.  i—-see, tree, bee, thee, key, idole(not american idol)

3.  a—- caught, father, daughter, slaughter, ball, gras

4.  o—- so, go, show, coke, choke, flow

5.  u—  New, do, shoe, Jew

Well… I must share this… Sunday Night, August 17th, I had the joy of taking our FBCDFS Celebration Choir down to FBCPC to perform in a combined gospel performance called “A Summer Night of Gospel Music.”  This was a collection of old and new songs from the Southern Gospel genre….

The conducting was split between myself, Manuel Garcia, and Donnie Smith. 

The soloists for the night came from FBCPC…however, when we repeat this performance on August 24th, the FBCDFS soloists will sing—Diane, Andrea……. with the exception of the song “I Know.”  DIane P will also be playing the Organ which I am looking forward to.. I heard her rehearsing today and it was awesome!!

Musically, things went very well.  I have to say things worked out better than I was anticipating..,considering the way things went at the dress rehearsal a few weeks ago.  I was for the most part impressed with the orchestra, soloists, and choir.  I truly felt that throughout this choir of about 120…there were about 24 or 25 singers who really KNEW thier stuff……… I dont mean that to knock anyone else…. I just know for a fact that FBCDFS was prepared.  I remember a quote that one of my Recon Seargents would say….”dont just know your job…know it well enough you could teach it to your buddy.”  Same applies with choir…and I think our tenors could have taught their parts to their neigbor, and  etc…with each voice part….

Artistically—I was most impressed here…..I had the privledge of directing a few songs….The choir did some very nice things…….One highlight was Love Grew Where the Blood Fell…… I used some very descriptive gestures, and some vowel type gestures….and WOW..what a sound…….. I am spoiled though…. I come from a choir in Dfs that does things almost inatley… without me even saying anything……..  Musically, our choir is a very talented bunch…. 

However…most important….  I truly felt that the message being sung by the choirs….was true.  This is a part of singing that many people never get……   it isnt enough to sing the right notes….. It isnt enough to say the right words…… Yes, those things are important….However, it has to start within….. In the heart……. If you dont believe those lyrics, and those stories you are singing about…….. it will fall flat…….This night, it was clear….the choirs beleived what they sang!!

now for the funny part………

I had a small solo during the program…on a tune called “4th Man.”  It is pretty much a rap song… I have to say alot of words very quickly and very rhythmically…….  Well in the middle of the first verse, I went blank….. I started making up sounds……. I couldnt make up words fast enough….all I could get was sounds…….so….. I just gave up, and sang in rhythm–” I forgot my words!!!’

So there you go…the picky–perfectionist choir director messing things up………..  Hey, no one ever accused me of not being humble…..cause I know I mess up ALOT….its only by HIS grace that I am not a total mess all the time!

FBDFS.. i am proud of you all…Great Job… you guys are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy to be a part of you.