Music Setlist 08.23.08 and 08.24.08

This last weekend, was a tough one for me and some of the staff. Many of you have visited here and know that I lost one of my best friends. While we grieved and celebrated his life, we also continued to do what my friend Todd did... lead other's in a growing relationship with Jesus.

I am very proud of my arts team! While they grieved along with me, they continued to move forward, not only in honor of Todd, but in praise to God. Thank you again to all of you for your prayers, care and support - it has brought strength to all those involved.

So this last weekend was the second week in our series BECOMING. We explored silence and talked about meditating on scripture. You can download Scott's message here.

From a creative standpoint, we used the song In Your Presence, by Jeremy Camp, but rearranged it with some different layers including strings, cello, congas, acoustic guitar and a bluesy-electric lead. We had each layer come in individually then half way through, the musicians began to stop playing (one by one) and walk off the stage. There was some tenseness in the room, which was great! We transitioned from there into a short piece on silence where we led our crowd through a time of silent meditation using only our screens.

The cool part about having the musicians leave one by one is that it gave us a way to lead into the silence in a dramatic way. We ended with Jess on the cello which was amazing! Something in the back of my mind which was later also pointed out by another artist, is that it also showed how important each piece, each musician, is to the group. We did not have anyone on the drums. When each person stopped playing and walked off the stage, that missing piece was felt in a big way. God is awesome in how he uses creative elements to reach people on many different levels.

Here's our music setlist from the weekend (with links for you to purchase them from iTunes):

Belief - John Mayer (instrumental)
Salvation is Here - Hillsong United
Everlasting God - Lincoln Brewster
Center - Charlie Hall
In Your Presence - Jeremy Camp (same song prior to message and after)

Peace.

Coldplay, BBQ, and a Waterpark

What a weekend!

Finished our message series at the Orchard called At The Movies, where we used clips from different films to talk about things like injustice, creativity, courage, prayer, significance and the power of a story. The weekend was incredible! My arts teams did a phenomenal job with lighting, transitions, media, and music.

We used the song Fix You by Coldplay, which was probably one of the hardest songs I've ever sung. It's not just a vocally challenging song but it is so emotionally tied with a video we did in 2006 that it is hard to listen to, let alone sing without tearing up - powerful song. My instrumentalists and vocalists did an excellent job though!

The weekend continued from there.

Teams of volunteers setup for our annual BBQ and Baptism event, with a live bluegrass band, catered BBQ, and a collage of games for the kids. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We had beautiful weather and 600+ people to enjoy it.

After we all ate, we walked over the to the waterpark next door and we baptized around 140 people... men, women, children, couples, moms, dads, entire families. If you've never witnessed anything like this, let me tell you - it was amazing! And the stories! They way that God has moved in the lives of these people is inspiring.

Videos, pics and more on this later.

This Is It!

This is the week where we put together everything we've been planning for our Christmas Eve celebrations at The Orchard! We've spent a significant amount of time praying, planning, dreaming, and preparing for this event.

This Christmas Eve will be the biggest we've ever seen here at The Orchard.

We planned three services, and had to add a fourth because 2 of our services had 'sold out'. We used a ticketing system (free tickets) to help determine capacity at each service and allow us to be able to accommodate as many people as possible. We have a finite number of parking spaces and seating available.

As of yesterday we had nearly 1200 tickets out! Four services, 1200 people, 8 songs and 6 video segments - wow! We're also working on spectacular lighting using some of our new lights along with some additional lights from K B Productions. It's going to be good.

We have a great team of people putting this together and I love seeing all of them putting so much into this opportunity. That's what this is... one of our biggest opportunities to lead people to Jesus. This is one of those times when people will check out the local church when they may not visit any other time. We are ready to make it the best experience we can for them while celebrating the birth of Christ.

You won't want to miss this! By The way, if you don't already have a ticket, stop by anyway. We have saved some room for you!

Peace.

Weekend Setlist (11/10 and 11/11)

We continued our series Suburban Myths this week by talking contentment - being happy with what you've got. The myth we tend to believe is that 'more is better'.

Three things that Scott shared with us to help learn to be content: remember whose stuff it is, be generous with the stuff, and ask WHY before we BUY.

Here's the music setlist from this weekend (with links to iTunes to purchase the original recordings):

* All To You - Lincoln Brewster
* King of Majesty - Hillsong United
* Enough - Jeremy Camp
* (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

See you next Sunday as we wrap up with one of the biggest myths of the series.

Posted by Mike Jones

An Orchard Weekend

I'm sitting here in our tech booth during our 9am service on Sunday. Scott is speaking right now and is really connecting with our crowd on the topic of parenting.

Some very funny stuff.
Some very hard hitting stuff.

It has been an incredible weekend so far. God did some great things with my artists this week during our rehearsals and warm ups. I think that translated into some very powerful moments not only from the platform this weekend but also on the platform.

Hard to describe except that it was powerful and moving.

To my teams, great job! Musically, vocally, and technically you all did a great job! Thanks for following and allowing me to be a part of a fantastic team!

Peace.

Sunday Setlist

10.07.07 Setlist

Let the Praises Ring - Lincoln Brewster
Mighty To Save - Hillsong United
Talk - Coldplay
Lean On Me - Club Nouveau

Today went pretty well considering I think I'm getting sick. My throat is killing me and my sinuses are a mess.

Luckily I don't have a very busy week this week... that's a joke of course.

Screens go up this week, along with new projector and switcher. We also have a couple of other events to schedule around so it will be interesting. Saturday night services start the 20th, and my arts teams are ready! Should be great.

Hope your week goes great!
Peace.

Take All Of Me

I'm sitting here late tonight listening to songs in my iTunes library while watching some goofy movie on tv. I'm not really following either but my mind seems to be resting not being able to focus but drowning everything else out. My mind goes crazy, especially in the silence and I find myself trying to get my brain to slow down and chill out.

Anyway, I hit some Hillsong United tracks in my iTunes library and don't really notice much until I get to a song that seems to grab my attention and bring me to a time of deep reflection.

I have grown to love Hillsong United's music and style over the past few years. They have some incredible songs. But this song, which I love anyway, is Take All Of Me, off their 2004 CD, "More Than Life". This song hit and I ended up going back and listening to it over and over and over, weeping all the while. The melody of the song is so simple. Here are the lyrics:

I love You
All of my hope is in You
Jesus Christ take my life
Take all of me

You broke the night like the sun
And healed my heart with Your great love
Any trouble I couldn't bear
You lifted me upon Your shoulders
Love that's stronger
Love that covers sin
And takes the weight of the world

I love You
All of my hope is in You
Jesus Christ take my life
Take all of me

You stand on mountain tops with me
With You I walk through the valleys
Your grace is all I rely on
Love that's stronger
Love that covers sin
And takes the weight of the world

I love You
All of my hope is in You
Jesus Christ take my life
Take all of me

I love You so, and I give up my heart to say
I need You so, my everything

God I love you so. I have no hope but you. Forgive me for not always giving you all of my life. Forgive me for trying to hold on to those areas I think I can control, yet fail miserably at. You have given me life and I ask you to take all of me, with no reservations. You are my everything.

I haven't wept like that because of a song in quite some time.
There is a lot of power in these words, and in the music of this song.

Thanks for letting me bear some of myself.

Peace.

Tagged for iTunes Party Shuffle

A blog friend of mine over at realyouthoughts has tagged me... so I'm posting the first 10 songs that show up in a party shuffle on my iTunes. So, Tyler, here they are:

Broadcast - Steve Fee
Frontline - Pillar
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Tonight - Jeremy Camp
Try again - Keane
Bad Day - Daniel Powter
Crossfire - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Mind Storm - Joe Satriani
From God Above - Hillsong United
Not Falling Apart - Maroon 5

Who knew? Some of these I haven't listened to in a while. Zach, Kyle, Doug, and Larry - tag, your it! List 'em out gentlemen... your top 10 songs that show up in your iTunes party shuffle.

Peace.

Van Halen Reunited

All you rockers out there knew it was going to happen sooner or later... Van Halen looks like they will be going back on tour this fall (after Eddie gets out of rehab) with their original frontman David Lee Roth. You can check out the article on Billboard here.

According to the article, it appears as though Michael Anthony won't be on bass - Eddie's son, Wolfgang, will be playing bass for the tour. That would actually be a pretty cool thing - playing on stage with your dad.

Anyway, if you're a guitarist you care. If you aren't, well enjoy the trivia anyway. :)

Any of you ever see these guys live in concert? When my wife was pregnant with our first, we caught a show with Hagar as the lead and it was awesome. Never saw them with Roth. What's your story?

Peace.

Church in McD's

A few weeks ago, I shared with my musicians that I had eaten at Taco Bell that afternoon before rehearsal. I wasn't in there for a very long time but of the 5 songs that played over the loudspeakers in the restaurant, 4 were songs we had used in our weekend services with in the last few months.

I thought that was awesome.

My wife mentioned to me this week that she had taken the kids out to lunch to McDonald's and a song came on the loudspeakers that was a 'secular' tune (you might remember how I feel about using that term from this earlier post). My kids remarked, "hey that's a church song!"

I find that very cool! My kids are growing up learning that God can use anything to bring people to himself. Even more that we can have church anywhere we go - we are the church.

Peace.

United Rocked!

Incredible concert last night! United rocked the house, though I felt my age amongst so many youth! Got to share my experience with my wife, my friends Doug and Joni, and about 3500 others... sold out, standing room only.

Pretty cool that they did some tunes from their new CD (which hit the Billboard charts at #60), but they also did some old favorites, most of which we do at the Orchard.

If you get the chance to see them, I guarantee you will enjoy the experience!
More later.

Peace.

Collaborating

Very excited about this Sunday! I was looking for a song that would fit like-a-glove for a message that one of our teaching pastors was teaching this weekend and felt like we needed a song to wrap up the message.

Couldn't find one that really said what I wanted to say.

So, I threw together some ideas I had and started writing one of our own. The most exciting part about the whole thing was taking it to rehearsal and collaborating with my team. Some great ideas came from our session together. While we didn't finish it that night, the ideas we put together fueled the final result and the song came together for Sunday. In my opinion, it is one of the best I've been a part of writing and I believe that's because it was a team effort.

I'm looking forward to hearing how it turns out tomorrow and how it is received.
I'll keep you posted.

Peace.

What Ya Got?

In honor of April also being International Guitar Month, I thought I'd throw this post out there for all of you guitarists. Even if you're not a guitarist, you have to appreciate these fine instruments. There's hardly a tune out there that doesn't have one playing in it somewhere (I said hardly :)

What kind of gear do you got?
What's your favorite axe to jam out on?

Here is what's currently in my gig rig:

* Ovation Celebrity CC026, 2003 Electric-Acoustic
* Ibanez Performer PF-400, 1977 Electric
* Fender Stratocaster, custom neck and pickups, 1969 Electric
* Jackson Performer w/ reverse headstock, 2000 Electric
* Steinberger Spirit, 2006 Electric

I find myself mostly playing my Ovation (which rocks if your an electric guitar guy) and my Strat (gives me a little different tone than my other guitarists).

For you non-guitar owners, you might not understand this but each guitar feels, sounds and plays differently and I have used them all depending on the situation/song/mood.

So, what ya got? Classical? Country? Rock? Metal? Jazz?
Whether you're a newbie, a veteran, a closet guitarist or you play every weekend - what's your fav to play?

Peace.

Hillsong United in Chicago

If you don't know already, Hillsong United is coming to the Chicago area on May 30th, 7:30pm.

I am encouraging everyone on The Orchard Creative Arts team to attend. It should be a great show and I'm told the facility they are using is awesome!

you can go here to buy tickets. The ticket price changes based on the date you buy them so don't miss out on this rockin' event! If you buy before April 15th you get the best ticket price.

Would love to know if you plan to attend here in Chicago.
Peace.

Music Pick: How To Save A Life - Part 2 (long)

If you didn't read my previous post on this, check it out here (I added the lyrics to my blog post).

I'm talking about the song How To Save A Life by The Fray.
Someone asked what the story was behind this song. This is what they say about it on their site:

..."How To Save A Life," was inspired by [Isaac] Slade's experience as a mentor to a crack addicted teen. "I was a sheltered suburban kid when I met this guy. He was a recovering addict, coming out of a really tough teenage life. Thankfully, he was on his way out of that life, so he was able to really look back with some objectivity. The song is more of a memoir about his slow motion descent and all the relationships he lost along the way."

I've listened to this song and heard what The Fray intended. I've heard a wife confronting her husband. I've heard a 'how to' confront check list. I've heard how to be a friend.

This song breaks me. I can picture a friend of mine, who we'll call Mark - though that is not his name. Mark was one of my best friends in high school. We had similar interests in music and both played guitar. We used to hang out a lot, which was a life saver for me because I didn't have a lot of close friends growing up. We were good friends.

One evening when we were hanging out and joking around, Mark got serious and shared some of the personal struggles he battled with, though he was very non-specific. As his friend I encouraged him and offered my support. I reassured him that there was nothing he could do that would ruin our friendship, and even more that God's love for him was unconditional.

I later found out, by accident, what it was that he had tried to share with me. The whole incident was like a slow motion nightmare. Even worse, I reacted horribly. I basically ran because I felt hurt and betrayed. You don't need to know what happened but what you do need to know is that I eventually confronted him on it - and I was harsh, judgmental and stupid. I totally did things the wrong way.

Our relationship was never the same again.

Yes, we made it through that and later reconciled but never became more than just "hey, what's up dude". I know now that I totally screwed up, and lost a friend. What's even more is that he had struggled with his relationship with God and has since walked away from Him altogether.

There have been times in the past where I have blamed myself for his condition - I shoulda, I coulda, I woulda... I know that I had influence over this guys life. I could have made a difference. I should have reacted differently. I could have been a friend.

What I know now is how to confront a friend in love. My relationships are different now than they ever were when I was younger (thank God). I learned from that painful part of my past. I have learned about grace and forgiveness. I have learned about unconditional love.

I talked to Mark about a year ago. We were ok. I know that there have been several others in his life who have shown the care, love and concern that he needed, though he has been unwilling to listen to any of them. He has destroyed his marriage, his family, and his relationships - except with those who will do what he does and suffer with him. I pray for him, his wife and his kids. I pray for future relationships that may be able to open that door and walk with him as a friend should. I pray for his relationship with his Creator.

I don't know if things would have turned out different for Mark had I done things right. But I do know this: you can never underestimate the influence you have in people's lives. If you are a leader, you cannot take the affect you have on those you lead for granted.

Yes, you will make mistakes. Yes, you will sometimes do things the wrong way. Learn from those experiences. You never know who may be watching or listening - who you may be influencing. You never know whose life you might save.

Thanks for letting me bare a little of myself.
Peace.

Music Pick: How To Save A Life

I'm tellin' you - I just can't seem to get away from this song. I've listened to it hundreds of times and I've played it here so you think I'd be sick of it by now.

What's cool is this song is still on the iTunes charts and sounds like it's going to be in the movie Reign Over Me this spring.

This song has had multiple meanings to me depending on where I'm at when I'm listening to it. I know The Fray had specific inspiration when they wrote it but that doesn't seem to apply to me here.

Here are the lyrics (revised - previous link had inappropriate advertising):

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

More on this later.
Peace.

WOW!

Just wanted to give a shout out to some friends of mine. This last week, a family who wanted to remain anonymous blessed my socks off with this very cool guitar. It just showed up on my doorstep and totally made my day!

For those who may not know this is a Steinberger guitar and has a pretty unique look and sound. Its the solid wood version (actually made by Gibson) of the graphite models that Steinberger makes. This axe has really great neck action even right out of the box. It has awesome sustain and feels really balanced, even without a head! The tremolo system on here is sweet.

For those of you who are not guitar enthusiasts, you might not get this post. But I say all of this to say THANK YOU friend for the great gift! It will be played with joy!

Peace.

Great Article About Music in Church

A friend of mine sent me this great article by Tim Stevens at Granger Community Church regarding secular music in church. I think we try to compartmentalize things too much to make it sanitized and safe. I know personally that God has used a variety of music to reach me or teach me and many of those tunes weren't "Christian" songs. Anyway, maybe more about this later, but check out the article and see what you think.

Peace.