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As I begin to enter into another season of songwriting, I continue to hold a deep conviction within me to be someone who “adds” to the conversation creation is having about God, not someone who just regurgitates other artists’ creations (they probably did it better anyway). There are many incredible songs, and it can be so easy to just jump on the bandwagon and draft behind someone else’s momentum without ever seeking that intimate spark of inspiration for yourself. We can forever delve deeper and deeper into the being of God without fear of ever reaching bottom…yet often I settle for what I already know and what I have seen work in the past.

Settling for the mean, that which is safe and popular and acceptable and tested, is mediocre.  Scripture doesn’t speak highly of mediocrity. We need risk takers. We need explorers to go before us and call us into new territory.

Are we as artists and creatives forging fresh tracks or following a paved bike path? As you relentlessly pursue the heart of God, where is He taking YOU? How can YOU uniquely add to the conversation?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

It may not look like much, but for only costing $3 at Goodwill it did the job…with style! I had made a custom pedalboard by carpeting a 18″ x 24″ piece of MDF that fit inside the suitcase. All in all it was an affordable project! But as I travel around with all my gear, I’ve quickly learned that this pedalboard setup will not do…It was like taming a sea of snakes getting all the power strips and cables into the case! The board itself held all my pedals very well, but I wanted to figure out how to decrease its overall footprint and get rid of my wall warts and power strips.

I needed something sturdier, cleaner, and easier to transport . After a lot of research, I decided on the Pedaltrain 2 w/ flight case. The PT 2 measures 12.5X24X2.5 inches and weighs about 4.5 lbs, the flight case measures 25X18X8 inches and weighs in at 17 lbs. Just big enough to hold my essential gear (talk box didn’t make the cut) and just small enough to realistically fly/travel with.

There is even extra space in the flight case for a wah and any extra cords. A great feature of the Pedaltrain is the ability to mount a power supply underneath the board, saving valuable space on top:

The pedalboard itself is incredibly light and sturdy. The slat design allows for easy and tidy routing of patch and power cables underneath the board, allowing you a cleaner, more compact pedal layout.

I’ve already toyed with several different layouts and really enjoy how easy it is to move pedals around. I currently have all the pedals from my original pedalboard on the pedaltrain (wah is off the board since I don’t always need it and I can still carry it around in the flight case). This current configuration, including wah, expression pedal, and misc cords, clocks in at 43 lbs all packed up in the road case…7 pounds to spare when it comes to checking it on a flight!

I have a Lava Cable mini elc kit in the mail and will be putting together my own cables for a better fit and for better tone. This will also allow for a tighter, cleaner layout.

If you are in the market for a new pedalboard, I’d definitely check out the Pedaltrain series!

Here’s is a link to web version of an album review that will be published in the next edition of Worship Leader Magazine. Check it out HERE.

I often incorrectly measure the quality of worship using those elements. I processed this with some of our worship team members and wanted to share some of the misconceptions we uncovered in our understanding of worship.

Worship is music.

Worship is the the willful and humble submission, or obeisance, to the Father. As Romans 21:1 says, we are “to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.” It is a lifestyle.

In our church services or worship gatherings, “worship” usually refers to the music set. Our purpose in life becomes compartmentalized into the 20 minutes before the message and the closing song. What about prayer, the message, and application? Those don’t count?

Music is of course an incredible venue for worship. Throughout scripture, God meets his people and is glorified through our praises. We draw close through music…it touches our hearts and brings understanding that other mediums can’t. While music is a part of how we express worship and experience God, it by no means defines it.

Worship is for our enjoyment.

I so often center worship around myself: how I felt during the set. If I enjoyed it and “got” something from it, then it was an awesome worship session. By definition, worship is willful submission to God. The priority is glorification and obedience, not enjoyment. Enjoyment is a byproduct, and should be put in its rightful place. Instead of coming to gain from a worship gathering, we should be coming to give.

Worship is a feeling.

We often reduce worship to the feelings we experience. Watch TV or movies, and you’ll see love treated the same way. When “we’ve lost that lovin’ feelin” we assume it just wasn’t meant to be. Worship isn’t a feeling, its a state of being…sometimes its emotional but sometimes its not. Often deep, intimate times of worship bring about intense feelings, but deep emotions in themselves don’t equal worship. Feelings come and go, but the call to worship is constant. Authentic worship doesn’t stop with our senses.

Worship is easy.

No, its not. We have to work at it. We are to worship in feast and famine. Job worshipped through his trials. shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worshipped in the furnace, and Stephen worshipped while he was being stoned. It takes sweat, endurance, and faith. We must persist out of obedience, even when it hurts.

Conditions have to be perfect.

I am so guilty of this…The conditions have to be perfect for me to engage. The music set better be diverse and awesome, the guitarist better nail the Brewster solo, and there better be a short line at the church cafe so I an get my caffeine fix. I better be in a good mood  and have had good week at work if I’m going to engage with God.

If there is a slightest deviation from my list of conditions, my ability to worship goes out the window. I can be so fickle! ITS NOT ABOUT ME. When our faithfulness is contingent upon on environment, feelings, enjoyment, and ease of participation, we will never experience the depth and intimacy Christ calls us to. Who then are we to set the terms? We must abandon ourselves in pursuit of God.

So what do we do with this? How do we move forward? We must follow in the steps of Christ. We need to remove these preconceived assumptions from our understanding of worship. We need to open ourselves up to God’s truth and allow it to change the way we live. We must seek and worship God in and through all things. We must come to  glorify God, not seek personal gain from our worship gatherings. Our understanding grows deeper as we press into God’s character and Word. As Matthew 6:33 says,  seek His kingdom and His righteousness. It is through this pursuit that our worship will blossom from a service to a lifestyle.

So these are my observations. What are some of yours? Thoughts?