At my church we are in a series that is taking us bit by bit through the Apostles Creed.  One of the goals for the church is that we would memorize the Creed.  So I have decided to write a song to help with the memorization of it.  This is not supposed to be the next great worship anthem, it’s simply a song to help us memorize the Apostles Creed.  I’ve already got it memorized, challenge me to recite it the next time you see me.

I’m going to post at each major stage of the recording process so you can see how a recording comes together.  Here is the first stage: acoustic guitar and lead vocals with no effects.  Enjoy and let me know what you think.

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As I sat in my home watching the ball drop, ringing in a new decade while my wife and kids slept I was thinking about all of the new years resolutions people come up with.  The majority of resolutions center around oneself and rarely consider the advancement of the Kingdom of God.  I spent some time thinking and praying and here are some goals I have set for the new year.  Some are a bit personal but also have an impact on my ministry.

1. Restart Freedom and Hymn Sings

I have always wanted to use Freedom and our Hymn Sings to unite the Church.  (Capital “C” is used when I am referring to the whole body of Christ)  I am not only planning to have two of each but my goal is to get some other churches involved in these events.

2. Begin Blogging Again

The goal of this website has always been to encourage and equip worship leaders and the Church.  This has not always been the case and it has also been almost 8 months since I last blogged.  Consistency and quality of posts is what I am shooting for.

3. Year Long Hymn Project

I believe the hymns hold some great theology and truths that need not be lost by the next generation.  So each month starting in February thru November we will be learning one hymn each month to the point that as a church we could sing it without words on the screen.  Why?  So that the truths of Christ would dwell richly in our hearts.  I’m not sure what hymns we are going to do yet, still working on that.  We will also record the hymns in the arrangements we will play them in church and put it on a CD.  If you have any suggestions for hymns to include in this project comment below of e-mail me.

4. Finish The Gift of Prophesy, Read the Way of the Wild Heart, Begin to tackle Bible Doctrine by Jeff Purswell.

For me to be a more effective worship leader and be able to help advance the Kingdom of God I need a better grasp on much of the theology of the christian faith.  I have realized because of the family I grew up in I have a strong grasp of many of the core things I believe but really can’t defend them very well.  I want this to change in 2010.  Reading The Way of the Wild Heart is a bit personal…my Mom gave it to me for Christmas.  (It must be said that I am a slow reader so this is a faith based goal)

5. Monthly worship Podcast

My brother-in-law Brian and I are going to start recording a monthly podcast to encourage and equip worship leaders and the Church with topic discussion, interviews, song reviews, guests and also some randomness.

6. Create at least one more opportunity for the Orchestra to play

Last year our orchestra for Easter was 13 strong, this year it looks as if we will even have more.  One bummer has always been that there has really only been one opportunity each year for them to play.  So I plan to find at least one more opportunity for the orchestra to play at church.

7. Record a Live CD

I get, on a consistent basis, people asking for a CD of us playing the worship songs we do on Sunday mornings.  So at some point this year I’ll gather our church, probably on a Sunday right after church, and record the CD.

8. Help grow our worship leaders lunch

Once a month I get together for with four other worship leaders from the Valley, Jon Payne and Jason Hansen from Sovereign Grace in Gilbert, Aaron Bower from East Valley Bible Church in Gilbert and Alden Powers from Roosevelt Community Church in Phoenix.  It is always a very encouraging time and Jon Payne and myself have discussed a desire to see this group grow.  We both desire to help encourage and challenge other worship leaders.

9. Weigh 220lbs by December

I have struggled with my weight for all of my adult life over the last two months I have suffered with intense back pain and I have also been sick twice for more than a week.  These circumstances may not be caused by my weight but it sure isn’t helping.  I currently weigh 270 so this will put me at a pace of little less than 5 lbs per month, a manageable goal.

10. Go back to School

I need to do this for myself, life forced my to put my education on hold six years ago so it’s about time to pick it back up.