For a long time I’ve dreamed a bit about leading worship regularly.  To stand in front of many people and lead them to sing out not to me, but to God.

I have had my moments, memorable ones such as leading on bass in high school youth group for one song (that was before I knew how to play guitar), playing piano for a worship set with a bunch of youthful talented dreamers called Accounted 4, leading every Friday with Heather for C4C at Guelph for a year, singing at Trevor and Lauren’s wedding, leading in Sudbury which was broadcast over the radio, singing around campfires, leading at various staff trainings and campus days, leading at Priory Park.  It is almost surreal to think back and remember how many people have been affected through that.

Is it a bit unrealistic to say that I would like to do that full-time?  I have a lot to work on, but maybe one day that would be my job.  And it would make me very happy and satisfied.

There are days when I think this is just another passing phase.  However, I remember when I was 14 or 15 and attended a worship conference and Tim Hughes was there — he didn’t do much talking but he directed the whole time with his music and passion.  That was the first time I had heard the song “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman; since then I’ve had to sing that song with a lot more experience in my belt having had more given and more taken away.

Recently, as in for the past couple months, every single week that I’ve been able to attend church on Sunday I’ve had someone compliment my singing.  One lady came up to me to ask if I could sing at a memorial service (Judy).  A man wanted to sit near me because he enjoyed listening (Victor). Another lady, who has a husband and two kids sitting near the front row, turned to me after service and thanked me (Rose).  Another older lady encouraged me to join the choir (not my cup of tea).

You see, someone in my small group commented on how he needed to prepare himself to be ready for worship on Sunday by playing worship music in the car on the way to church.  He would actively orient himself to God to be prepared once he stepped into the Lord’s house.  I have been consciously doing this a bit more lately and it has helped me to realize that it doesn’t matter who’s around me, that I can sing loud or sing harmonies or just listen to the congregation, and God knows what’s in my heart.  In the end that’s what matters, more than the comments I may get from others.

In January I had cut back from helping out with playing bass for Sunday worship.  I think the time is coming when I return to help out but ask to serve in leading.  We’ll see how that goes and if it is in God’s plan. Maybe this will become more of a reality in the next year.

One great benefit from the Olympics is the world-class advertising that gets featured… that’s right, I’m not kidding.

Somehow Sarah Brightman makes it into almost every Olympics, somehow!  Hehe.

Can you pick out the commercial?

The opening band was “Paper Tongues” and they were pretty hype, almost a hip hop rock band.  They were actually really loud, I would say louder than Switchfoot.

The Switchfoot portion of the night was also pretty epic.  They played through their new CD “Hello Hurricane” in entirety, and then played through some old material.  I realized that my ears weren’t fuzzing out because of the sound mix necessarily (the cymbals were a tad loud maybe) but rather from the cheering of the crowd.  It was a small venue (Just Pour Rire Montreal) and so it wasn’t hard to fill that place with volume.

The new CD is really quite epic on its own.  The songs aren’t too complicated, but the words are jam packed with passion and every instrument had marvellous tone.  And they are very singable, despite being in the very top of Jon Foreman’s vocal range.  There was a dude in front of me who sang almost every one of the new songs.  Somehow, Switchfoot is able to take a crowd (consisting of many macho guys actually) and lead them in singing songs of desperation, hope, and reflection.  This is still pretty unheard of; there aren’t many huge bands out there that succeed in putting out reflective material.

I’ll be buying this CD and pumping it really loud in the car, and trying to hit every note with them.

I am really getting into this song.  “He is coming back again”.

I taught a guy how to learn how to listen to music better as a soundguy.  “Listen to the strings come in now”.  “Can you hear the snare drum?” “That sound is a tambourine.”  “The toms go like this…”  “That is a hi-hat sound.”

Sometimes I don’t realize how little other people listen to music and how music sounds and is put together.  Sometimes it’s impossible for me to ignore the fact that a hi-hat opened or the timing of the entry of an instrument.  Or the tone of a keyboard or guitar.  Not that I’m even an expert in tone, haha.