May 2012
5 posts
3 tags
2 tags
4 tags
4 tags
April 2012
3 posts
2 tags
3 tags
Young Songwriters
Some food for thought…
Robert Robinson was twenty-two years old when he wrote “Come Thou Fount” in 1757.
Thomas Ken was thirty-seven when he wrote the “Doxology” in 1674.
Charles Wesley was thirty-two when he penned “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.”
Chris Tomlin was twenty-nine when he wrote “Forever” and thirty-two when he wrote “How...
March 2012
2 posts
3 tags
3 tags
February 2012
3 posts
3 tags
Nothing Is Hidden
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from...
January 2012
4 posts
1 tag
1 tag
Big Changes Ahead
First off, I just wanted to say thanks for all the prayer and support over the last few weeks. It’s been an extremely difficult season for my family and all of you have been so good to us.
Before the news that my Dad had passed away, I was drafting the following post.
Here’s the short version:
After thirteen years in student ministry, eight of them here at Willow,...
December 2011
4 posts
an update & a thank you
Eight days ago my wife, Beki, and I were getting our kids ready to go see Santa. It was a Monday morning. My phone rang and I answered. I listened in disbelief as the voice on the other line explained to me that my Dad had died. He was crushed by some pipe that had fallen over on him while he was unloading his truck. I sat in the chair speechless while my wife packed our suitcases. I...
Grace
God will always be Himself, and grace is an attribute of his Holy being. He can no more hide His grace than the sun can hide it’s brightness. Men may flee from the sunlight to dark and musty caves of the earth, but they cannot put out the sun. So men in any dispensation despise the grace of God, but they cannot extinguish it.
…No one has was ever saved other than by grace, from Abel...
WatchI mentioned a while back that me and the guys were playing at a conference and they screened one the most compelling, disturbing, and challenging films I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s called “Love Costs Everything” and it’s all about the persecuted church. I urge you to book a screening at your church or organization.
Here’s the link.
WatchThis is a trailer for the short film that our Christmas services will be based around this year. Very excited!
November 2011
2 posts
weekend update
This past weekend was just about perfect. Thanks to the generosity of some of my production friends here at willow I had the opportunity to visit soundcheck for one of my favorite bands, Zac Brown Band. We were scoping out their PA system and salivating. Crafting a good audio mix has become such a science and it was fun to talk shop w/ their crew and our crew.
On Saturday morning Stella...
WatchIt’s been a small dream of mine to have John Mark McMillan lead our congregation in worship for a few years now. It’s finally happening a week from tonight. If you live in the area you should come out and join us.
October 2011
1 post
WatchHere’s a little trailer that we put together for our upcoming “Hot Topics” series.
The guys from All the Bright Lights graciously gave us permission to use their song “Waiting on A Child.”
September 2011
2 posts
Fall Playlist
It is truly amazing how much the fall affects my mood. As soon as the air cools and the leaves begin to turn my mind immediately shifts to a more contemplative place. I’ve always loved the fall and even the winter months in Chicago. Here are some of the tunes that will accompany me in this season.
All the Bright Lights - Self Titled Album
Lucky Now - Ryan Adams - pre-release single...
August 2011
1 post
July 2011
6 posts
1 tag
So...what do you guys do all day?
If you’ve been in church work for very long, you’ve come across some innocent soul who had the nerve to ask you this question. So…what do you guys do all day? I’ve been asked that a few times recently by random folks and also by some ministry friends in the creative realm who had honest questions about how to structure their time. And so I sent them this little concise...
Songs for the Oppressed
Recently one of our songs was featured on a new compilation project called “Songs for the Oppressed”. All of the profits from the album are donated to projects that are making a difference in the lives of oppressed people groups around the world. Several other artists are featured on the project, including Aaron Niequest, The Brilliance, and Becky Johnson. Here are a couple...
WatchI’m telling everyone that I know to read my friend Darren’s new book, Rumors of God. This video is a quick snapshot of the idea behind the book. Also you should know that this is an actual church that’s built on top of a Chicago skyscraper. I love the symbolism of a church quietly buried in the Chicago skyline…a quiet beacon of hope watching over the city and calling on...
June 2011
4 posts
Songs We're Playing Right Now...
I’ve had more than the normal amount of folks ask for the titles and song-writers we’ve been using so far this summer. Some of the tunes are new and some are old faithfuls. It’s a good mix of contemplative, fun, fast, slow, and mid tempo stuff. We try to keep a pulse on which songs are really resonating with folks throughout the year to get to this list. So, in no...
WatchMe and the boys are headed to Milligan College in Johnson City, TN this weekend. We’re playing for the “Move” conference and we are ready to go!
Official Conference Website:
http://2011.ciy.com/move/
WatchI have a friend who’s part of an amazing organization, Nuru International, and they are having an event in the Chicagoland area very soon. Please check it out and spread the word!
Be Hope To Her (or BH2O) is an experiential solidarity walk that gives participants an opportunity to walk in the shoes of the poor. Most of the water collection duties of the extreme poor falls on women and...
May 2011
5 posts
Watchgetting silly in rehearsal
April 2011
1 post
2 tags
Heading to Germany
Me and the boys are headed to Germany next week to lead worship for the Willow Creek Association. This year the conference is in Dusseldorf. This will be my third trip to Germany and it’s always a real treat. Rob Bell, Christine Caine, and others are speaking…and Planetshakers are playing a session as well. I’ll try to post some photos and videos throughout the week.
...
March 2011
4 posts
6 tags
WatchPromo spot by Bjorn Admusen
It’s already time again for our Vox series at Student Impact. I’m really looking forward to our students hearing from Jon Tyson - New York church planter and Tyler Wigg-Stevenson - Nuclear Weapons abolitionist.
“That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the...”
– Romans 8 | Eugene Peterson | The Message
3 tags
Weekend Roundup
Here is a really great post on worship.
Incredible photos of the devastation in Japan.
The Chicago Bulls are playing really well right now.
Last week a friend gave me an advance copy of Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins. I read it in about two hours. It’s really interesting and I can’t wait to talk w/ folks about it. There’s definitely some stuff in there that...
February 2011
2 posts
4 tags
6 tags
The New STUDENTIMPACT.com
Most of you know that in addition to leading worship I’m also the program director for Student Impact, the high school ministry at Willow Creek Community Church. After several months of work, last week we were able to announce the launch of the new studentimpact.com. My friend, Ryan Lange, is a designer from Chicago, and he’s the guy that we called to build this new site....
January 2011
11 posts
2 tags
