…in case you guitar players are looking for a new gig bag. this one is definitely in the running.

ht – mr. shepherd

both of these songs have been getting a lot of airtime on my computer recently. i love the new arrangements/additions to these classic choruses.

both hillsong and mr. hughes have, in my opinion, a wonderful sense of musicality and dynamics in worship and i think each of these tracks are absolute homeruns.

the question is: which song would you be more excited about singing on a sunday morning?

pick one.

vote in the comments.

hillsong brings it.

ht//mr.mundy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NjOaV515iQ[/youtube]

worship leaders: here’s a new way to set the mood in your set.

ht: worship central

today’s post has a soundtrack as you read
if you’re in a reader, come on over to the real post

i wasn’t always a Delirious? fan. in fact, like this blog post (if you didn’t know, Delirious? has officially retired), i was pretty late to the party.

i always knew they were around, even went to a show of theirs back in high school. but i think i was only there for whoever was opening for them.

back then the only album of theirs i had was King Of Fools and, to be honest, the only track i found myself listening to was King Or Cripple, a favorite of mine to the present date.

but it wasn’t till after college that i started to really pay attention to their music.

it was their song Jesus’ Blood on the Glo album that first drew me in. there was something striking about the simplicity of the song itself countered with the incredible complexity of the production. i remember listening to that song on repeat driving from fresno to hanford in the final weeks of my senior year, each time finding myself enjoying it more and more.

when i got my hands on The Mission Bell, their 2005 album, it stayed on a continual ipod loop for weeks and weeks. it was in those weeks where i realized how special and unique their song-writing was. even the songs that i didn’t love were meaningful and thought-provoking…all of them were, most of all, worshipful.

as i dug deeper into their catalog i was always impressed at how they could grow in their music while never losing the atmosphere of praise in the songs. each record was so unique it was not always easy to tell which was from 2005 and which was from 1995.

then, in 2008, came Kingdom Of Comfort, their final studio album.

to me, it exemplified everything that inspires me about their music. originality. incredible production. challenging musicality. beautiful arrangements. lyrical variety. show-stopping performance. and a worship that is personal and powerful.

that’s where My Soul Sings comes in.

this song (that is hopefully playing as you read this post) demonstrates who Delirious? is in my listening. the song is perfect. i am hard-pressed to find a more lush and composed piece of music that glorifies the Lord.

i could listen to this song (and several others from this band) forever and ever. it really does make my soul want to sing.

if you happen to be one of the few people out there who hasn’t yet discovered these precious praise songs from across the pond, it’s time to join in.

and if you are a fan already, i would urge you to return this week to a Delirious? playlist.

very seldom do i find music that makes me want to love the Lord more, but these guys do it every time.

what’s YOUR favorite Delirious? song?

tomorrow i’m headed out early to utah where i’ll be leading worship at calvary chapel salt lake city’s weekend services.

i’m a little apprehensive, as this is not something i usually do.

in fact, in the last…oh…10 years i’ve only traveled a few times for something like this. once in 2003 to estes park, colorado with my college’s worship team to play at a youth conference. once in 2005 the mrs and i drove to montana to play at a calvary in the bitterroot valley and now, it’s 2010 and i’m headed to salt lake.

also, i’m worried my guitar is going to be exploded by TSA. we’ll see.

in all honesty, i’m excited. very excited. it’s an honor to be asked to do something like this.

will try to give you updates, but when you don’t have an iphone it gets hard sometimes.

wish me luck.

sometimes i write songs.

the vast majority of those songs never see the light of day. a small selection have made it to the congregation here @calvaryhanford, and an infinitesimal number have made it a little further than that.

i like writing songs, despite the fact that i don’t end up really liking most of the songs that i write.

i don’t mean that in some tacky, self-deprecating way. i simply mean that i would honestly rather sing other people’s songs, rather than my own, like…98% of the time.

if you listen to your favorite worship leader or songwriter talk about how they write songs you’ll hear a wide spectrum of methods. from a sort of stream-of-consciousness where the song comes out faster than the pen can transcribe it, to the thoughtful, labored polishing of an idea over a long period of time. everyone seems to have a different method and, even then, their songs don’t always come the same way every time.

most of the time when i’m writing a song i find myself feeling like the picture above.

inside it’s as if my heart knows the song already, but my brain can’t always figure out where to find it. then i circle and cross around for a long time until i finally discover what my heart knew all along.

…either that or i just give up.

i’ve got a song that i’ve been working on for a couple of weeks that feels this way.

i think i’ve found where the X is, but i must be digging in the wrong direction. i think i’ve found a doubloon or two, but i’ve still to discover the big chest of gold.

my question for you is: what is a song that has been like treasure for you recently and what about it is speaking to your heart?

let me know.

it’s back.

are you going?

$10 at the door.

check the dates here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-5T2UAZoPU[/youtube]

going to introduce this one to @calvaryhanford this sunday.

what’s your favorite worship song right now?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk9qNOQVqhI[/youtube]

i think they probably have a pretty good practice routine…

ht: mr. brown