clayton faulkner

The song “Amazing Grace” from Sunday 8/8/10 – featuring Clayton Faulkner (acoustic guitar/vocals) and Floyd Morris (electric guitar).

All Delighted People is built around two different versions of Sufjan’s long-form epic ballad “All Delighted People,” a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon’s “Sounds of Silence.” Sounds delightful, yes! The song was originally workshopped on Sufjan’s previous tour in the fall of 2009. Other songs on the EP include the 17-minute guitar jam-for-single-mothers “Djohariah,” and the gothic piano ballad “The Owl and the Tanager,” a live-show mainstay (and Debbie Downer if you ask us; what’s it doing on a “Delighted” EP?).

Raise Your Hands!

I’ve been organizing this benefit show for Living Water International for several months now, and it’s happening next week! If you’re in or near Houston, I hope you’ll come see us, hear some great music, and support a worthy cause.

DATE: Saturday, July 17, 2010
TIME: 7:00 pm
VENUE: Church of the Holy Trinity, 211 Byrne St., Houston, TX 77009 (MAP)
TICKETS: $10 in advance, $12 at door

Some really talented and wonderful folks are helping out: Randall Goodgame and Ross King.

Your support in any way is appreciated. Here are some ways to help:

• download the flyer, print it out, pass it around, post it at church or where you hangout (DOWNLOAD FLYER)
• blog about it, write a post, link to ShareTheWellConcert.com
• follow us on Twitter (@wellconcert), RTs are appreciated
• RSVP on Facebook, invite your contacts to attend, share the event on your wall

Thanks for the support – together we can improve the lives of others with clean water.

My “Family” EP is now available on NoiseTrade.com. Another way to download it for free – and an easy way to promote my music on facebook or twitter (if you’re inclined).

This is one of the most creative attempts at a worship music video I’ve seen in a while. The low-fi feel is perfect. Lyrics are:

Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity
Sweet Jesus Christ my clarity

Bread of heaven broken for me
Cup of salvation held up to drink
Jesus the Mystery

Christ has died and
Christ is risen
And Christ will come again

Download the chord chart here.

The text for this song comes from the Memorial Acclamation, which is said/sung during the Eucharist. The pastor/priest invites the assembly to “Proclaim the mystery of our faith.” It’s a wonderful, compact Christological statement that captures the heart of who Jesus is in bite-size form.

Helpful article from Technologies for Worship Magazine…

If getting rid of ambient stage noise and raising the comfort level of the musicians is a goal your team is trying to achieve, then you are on the right path with considering IEMs.

The key to success is to know why you are transitioning to IEMs. In-ear monitors make it possible to lower, if not totally eliminate stage volume. This is a huge benefit in any worship setting, and can be crucial in a small church building. Plus, by using IEMs, musicians and vocalists can get a very accurate rendition of what they are doing, and therefore feel more comfortable.

As with anything else, there is a distinct learning curve involved, so the first lesson would be not to put yourself in a pressure-cooker situation where the products are bound to fail your expectations. For example, switching everyone from stage wedges to IEMs for the first time the day before Sunday service is not recommended.

For worshipers sensitive to the aesthetic dimensions of well-
crafted music performed convincingly, experiencing such a
moment in the context of worship can serve as a vivid reminder of
God the Creator, who, in fashioning humankind in the divine
image, graced persons with their own creative gifts. As Robert
Mitchell noted in Ministry and Music, “Through the arts, espe-
cially through music, the transcendent, the ineffable, the
incomprehensible may be encountered as God’s Spirit brings
revelation to our human spirit.”

Furr, Garry, and Milburn Price. The Dialogue of Worship. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 1998, p. 10.

from Bob Kauflin…

In brief, since God’s kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36), we don’t feel any obligation to draw attention to, highlight, or celebrate civil holidays as part of our Sunday gatherings. There are a number of reasons. Our country doesn’t set the agenda and priorities for the meetings of the church – God’s Word does. Also, one country’s celebration may confront another country’s values. For instance you won’t find many Christians in Britain excited about Independence Day. Finally, we gather on Sundays to remember the covenant God has made with us, celebrate the redemption He has provided through His Son, and to encourage one another to live lives worthy of the Gospel. The values celebrated by a particular public holiday may not always line up with those goals.

from Jordan Fowler…

However, every year I receive complaints that we didn’t sing any “America songs” in our worship service around July 4th. I’ll take the complaints yet still won’t slot them, why?

1. America didn’t die on the cross for my sins.
2. Nationalism does not equal being a better Christian. Anytime nationalism and Christianity have gotten too close, it is never nationalism that suffers but always Christianity (ex. Nazi nationalism couched in Christian terms, Constantine’s Christianity, Three Self Patriotic Movement in China). We are called to value our country, serve our country, pray for our country and honor its rulers and laws, but our primary citizenship and allegiance is to a greater King and greater kingdom.
3. We have people from many nationalities at NorthWood and while they greatly appreciate the blessings of America, many of them have no connection to a song glorifying America when they are from Vietnam, Chile, or Taiwan.
4. In worship, the unifying principle is the centrality of Christ and the cross, making “Jew” and “Greek” one. If God is the God of the nations, would your congregation sing an Iraqi patriotic song on Iraqi independence day? The Iraqi Christian is more my brother than the non-believing American, no?

from Harry Boonstra…

I’m not sure that I am willing to concede that not having patriotic songs in a hymnal is a “failure.” If one of the hallmarks of the Christian church is its inclusiveness and universality, then patriotic songs about America, Canada, or any other country do not seem particularly appropriate in public worship. Whenever we do sing “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies,” I find myself hoping there are no French or Mongolian visitors in the congregation.Secondly, patriotic songs often glorify the country or its history, gloss over its faults, and assume that one country receives special perks from God. It seems that me that one can express (national) gratitude to God in more humble ways.

Download the songs from Faith Inkubators HERE:

At Faith Inkubators, we believe in memory work. We also believe that memory work doesn’t need to be work. That’s why all of our ministry resources teach Bible verse memorization with verses—verbatim—set to music.