Creating an Environment of Worship Visually - WorshipVJ.com

I've been wanting to highlight a friend and show some new creative elements that are being used in Visual Worship Arts and I got an email from him about a session he is leading at the Song DISCovery Creative Conference in Nashville. So, I figured I would pass it on. Take a look. This is pretty fascinating stuff and really brings a new element of creativity to our worship.

Thanks for all that you are doing Stephen. Take a look at his website: http://worshipvj.com/

The Church used to be known for being the most creative, artistic force on the planet. Centuries ago, the Church commissioned visual artists to paint its ceilings, create stained glass images, and architect the most provocative buildings in history. Of course, many agendas, motivations, politics and power struggles were involved in the creative process (which is the same case today)...but at the end of the day, some of mankind's most stunning art was created...art that tells the Story of God!

But along the way, something happened. And a large portion of the Church threw visual art out the window. Beauty no longer had a place in the world of theology...and the Word of God was limited to text on a page and the academic preaching of a sermon. But things are changing.

The Church is welcoming art and beauty back home into it's mission & worship. And it's very exciting to see it unfold. And it's pretty messy, as well.

Pastors are trying to figure out how to manage and lead artists. Artists are learning to be pastors and visual prophets. Churches are making films. Worship leaders aren't leading with just songs anymore...they're leading with visual media! More eyes are on HD screens these days than they are on the cross, baptistry, or pulpit. And with "environmental projection," you can turn your once blank worship center into an image-filled cathedral of Story!

A generation of visual artists is rising up... and it's full of storytellers, film-makers, painters, media directors, graphic designers, VJs, lighting designers, photographers & more! The artist is the new pastor. And the media director is now the visual worship leader.

More than ever, there must be time & space to have conversations about what is happening... and to receive training and teaching so that we can lead and create in ways that bring glory to The Creator. And it's important to have these conversations in community with our musical worship leaders, songwriters and authors.

So all you visual worshipers out there, this is the summons. Come to the Song DISCovery Creative Conference in Nashville this April, and interact with others who are in the same boat as you. Click here to register today! And use code "VJ25" when you register to receive $25 off registration!

Sincerely,
Stephen Proctor
General Session Speaker
Song DISCovery Creative Conference


[Text & Images from: Worship Leader Magazine, Email - Subject: Hone Your Craft as a Visual Artist. Copyright (C) 2012 Worship Leader Magazine All rights reserved. Used by permission.]

Great album review blog by rockharborworship

Original Post:

MATT REDMAN’S “WE SHALL NOT BE SHAKEN” ALBUM REVIEW PART 1: INTRO AND FAITHFULNESS 03/30/10 | BY ROCKHARBORWORSHIP

The heavens ring, the saints all sing,
“Great is Your faithfulness”
From age to age we will proclaim,
“Great is Your faithfulness”
How great is Your faithfulness

This is the first of four blog posts I will be composing in order to review fellow worship artisan and songwriter Matt Redman’s newest album “We Shall Not Be Shaken”. These posts will not necessarily be a commentary on every song as much as they will be my findings of key theological threads & content throughout all the songs. Let’s dive in.

In everything from the title of the album, to the track names, to the lyrics and meanings behind them, Redman has imbedded the most prominent theme of this record: God’s faithfulness. God’s unchanging, unfailing, everlasting presence. Songs like “We Shall Not Be Shaken”, “Through It All”, and the anthemic choral cry of “How Great is Your Faithfulness” are really the backbone of the album. This was Redman’s goal for the record. He says,

“This album praises God’s steadiness. We’re being reminded how shakable earthly things are: job losses, home foreclosures. When we traveled to Korea, there were high profile suicides due to the failing marketplace. So it feels appropriate now to address the economy in a worship song. Nothing in the Psalms was ever detached from its era.”

Nothing could be truer about our world and its state today. More than ever people need to hear about a faithful God, a God that has been around through every broken and failing economic system, through every corrupt government, and every natural disaster. For me the only appropriate thing to sing sometimes is “You are faithful! Jesus, You are faithful to the end!”

The track “We Shall Not Be Shaken” uses simple poetic language to declare unbreakable truth in an era of utter brokenness. This intentionally Psalm-like song is one of several that Redman has penned out centering the listeners attention on the unmatchable constancy of the one faithful God. He declares over and over again the resounding message of God’s dependability.
Throughout many verses on the record, Redman contrasts our reality with His reality. In “Through It All” the world is filled with “broken promises and so many empty words”. Listening to the track we get a sense of pleading from the worshiper to God saying, “Have mercy on this world. Be with us.” Then Redman contrasts this to God’s reality: “God of unbroken promises, always You keep Your word”. In a sense he answers the question.

A few verses that really seem to capture this theme are Psalm 136 and Psalm 100. In Psalm 136 David pours out his heart in worship. He sets the call as something that God has done that is deserving of praise and the response is the repetitive, ongoing, never-ending “His love endures forever” or as another translation puts it, “His loving kindness is everlasting”. Psalm 100:5 gets it in one verse, “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations”. From age to age He has always been. Isaiah says that He never sleeps nor slumbers. He his always watching, always loving, always in control. He takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and knows when a leaf falls to the ground. When there is no sign of Him anywhere, He is really all around us.

Right from the get-go of the album with the first few songs, Redman makes a declaration of the faithful God who saves.

Cheers!

____

To see the original post by Rockharbor Worship click here.

Worship Artist Vicky Beeching

Vicky is a great worship leader and musician. She has a well educated deepness to her lyrics and a clean crisp voice to bring it together perfectly.

Vicky has been leading worship for many years but as a short detour she stopped off at Oxford and was able to dig deeper into the bible and strong theology. She writes,

It turned out that my theology degree at Oxford would be my training ground as songwriter – shaping my mind and taking me deep into God’s word. It’s often said that songwriters are the theologians of our day as people remember songs far more than sermons. Songs literally are the soundtrack of our lives – so getting good theology into songs is vital.

She has some great songs to back it up too. Some that she released already and some new ones that aren't fully out yet. On her blog, (I have a link to the right) she has some chord charts available for free. Check them out... if only to read the lyrics and be hooked into buying her next album.

Check out her blog by clicking here.... or you can find her link on the right of my blog ----->