I was asked to shoot a video with three of our students sharing their faith stories for an upcoming "outreach night" for our youth group. I was very impressed with what they shared, and am also very happy with how the videos are turning out (I think they may be my best "interview" style videos yet). Here's the promo video that we'll show this Sunday morning.
Nate
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Song Repertoire Equation
I was talking with a friend the other day who has recently taken over leading her church's worship team. She was asking for a few quick tips on song selection. I was sharing some of my suggestions I've written previously about Repertoire, when I realized that I'd basically come up with a simple song repertoire equation that works well for most churches.
# of songs your band uses on average per week x (times) 10 = # of songs in your band's repertoire
For example, our church band uses about 6 songs per week on average, which means our repertoire should have about 60 songs in our repertoire at any given time. 60 songs gives us just the right number of songs...not too many so that we're forgetting how to play songs, and not too few that we're getting tired of playing songs over and over.
You may need to adjust the second number slightly up or down to fit your church, but in general, I'd suggest that this equation will work well for just about any church band. You can thank me later.
Nate
# of songs your band uses on average per week x (times) 10 = # of songs in your band's repertoire
For example, our church band uses about 6 songs per week on average, which means our repertoire should have about 60 songs in our repertoire at any given time. 60 songs gives us just the right number of songs...not too many so that we're forgetting how to play songs, and not too few that we're getting tired of playing songs over and over.
You may need to adjust the second number slightly up or down to fit your church, but in general, I'd suggest that this equation will work well for just about any church band. You can thank me later.
Nate
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Christmas In Our Hearts
We began a new series titled "Christmas In Our Hearts" (thanks Downhere). We're focusing on a few of our most treasured US Christmas traditions and refocusing them on Christ. Here is the teaser that we showed the Sunday before the series began.
The Contagious Band
When I was first approached 9 months ago about helping to restart our youth band, I admit I wasn't incredibly enthused...we actually had a youth band a few years ago, but shut it down because the youth group just wasn't that into it. I was leading on stage, so it was more work than what I felt was worth at the time.
But, I've been pleasantly surprised by this experience with The Contagious Band. I decided, instead of helping to lead on stage with a guitar and a mic, I was only going to coach, which has been a great decision. Our band, keys, drummer, electric guitar, bass and two vocals (one male and one female) is made up entirely of students, except for our bass player who is one of our adult youth leaders (and we'll gladly replace him if we find a student who's got what it takes).
And, no joke, these kids are really good. They're still working out the kinks that come with leading worship for the first time, but they've done a great job and it's been a lot of fun to work with them.
Here are a few videos.
Nate
But, I've been pleasantly surprised by this experience with The Contagious Band. I decided, instead of helping to lead on stage with a guitar and a mic, I was only going to coach, which has been a great decision. Our band, keys, drummer, electric guitar, bass and two vocals (one male and one female) is made up entirely of students, except for our bass player who is one of our adult youth leaders (and we'll gladly replace him if we find a student who's got what it takes).
And, no joke, these kids are really good. They're still working out the kinks that come with leading worship for the first time, but they've done a great job and it's been a lot of fun to work with them.
Here are a few videos.
Nate
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Green Room (Willow Arts)
Willow Arts, a ministry of the Willow Creek Association, is running an event for artists and creative type people who serve in the local church called The Green Room. This one-day event will take place on Friday, February 19, 2010.
We're very stoked that Nags Head Church will be one of the satellite host churches for this event. We are looking forward to gathering together artists other churches in northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia to learn together.
If you're a creative person in a local church and are interested in attending this event in Nags Head, pleaser leave me a comment or shoot me an email to inquire about a few super-cheap tickets I have in my possession. Visit The Green Room website to check out the schedule and other information.
Nate
Unspeakable Joy Setlist
We haven't done anything "special" for Christmas here at Nags Head Church for several years. Of course, we always gather together on Christmas Eve to worship, but it's been a long time since we've had a special gathering in December for Christmas music/worship [you'll never read the word "cantata" on my blog (except for right there)]. Because we've changed the format of some of our other Christmas "traditions" at NHC this year, we thought it would be a great time to try something new.
Here's our (maybe) finalized setlist for our Christmas Concert on Friday night. If you're reading this and planning on coming to Unspeakable Joy on Friday, you may want to stop yourself here just so you can enjoy the fun without knowing what to expect! (songs are italicized)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Welcome
Scripture – Isaiah 9:6,7
O Come Let Us Adore Him
My Soul Magnifies The Lord (a new one from Chris Tomlin)
Scripture – Luke 2:8-20
Gloria
Glory In The Highest (an NHC favorite from Chris Tomlin)
Scripture – Philippians 2:6-11
Silent Night
Hark The Herald Angels
O Holy Night
Christmas Time Is Here (the Vince Guaraldi classic)
Joy To The World
Closing
Scripture – Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice (another NHC favorite from Chris Tomlin)
Here's our (maybe) finalized setlist for our Christmas Concert on Friday night. If you're reading this and planning on coming to Unspeakable Joy on Friday, you may want to stop yourself here just so you can enjoy the fun without knowing what to expect! (songs are italicized)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Welcome
Scripture – Isaiah 9:6,7
O Come Let Us Adore Him
My Soul Magnifies The Lord (a new one from Chris Tomlin)
Scripture – Luke 2:8-20
Gloria
Glory In The Highest (an NHC favorite from Chris Tomlin)
Scripture – Philippians 2:6-11
Silent Night
Hark The Herald Angels
O Holy Night
Christmas Time Is Here (the Vince Guaraldi classic)
Joy To The World
Closing
Scripture – Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice (another NHC favorite from Chris Tomlin)
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Only One Did That For Me
Christmas is a time of wonder…a time when many of us are reminded of Christmases past, of Christmases from a more innocent time in our lives. For most of us, our mental images of the first Christmas are molded at an early age, with thoughts of silent nights and angelic singing and idyllic shepherds, and lavish gifts of wise men and farm animals all kneeling at the manger. Even as adults, when we hear songs about Jesus birth, and the Baby laying in a manger, we often imagine the scene as one of calm and beauty, of joy and perfection.
But, it’s important that we also remember that God coming to earth was not necessarily as serene as we might like to think.
The Message translation of Philippians 2 describes Jesus’ descension to earth this way:
He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.
Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human.
It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges.
Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
To truly appreciate Christmas we must understand the entire story of Christmas, the beautiful and the ugly. Although it was certainly a holy night, it probably wasn’t quiet, being born in a stable with farm animals. It definitely wasn’t clean, and it probably didn’t smell very nice either. The baby Jesus more than likely spent just as much time crying as he did asleep in the hay.
For Christ to humble Himself to become human, born to homeless parents, placed in the feeding trough of filthy animals, acknowledged only by the lowliest outcasts of society, pursued as a criminal to be put to death...it required an incredibly amount of sacrifice and humility, poured out from a heart of love and mercy.
How many kings have stepped down from their thrones, how many lords have abandoned their homes, how many greats have become the least for you and me? Only one did that for me.*
As we share the story of Christmas with others this year, as we paint the picture of that nativity scene, let’s not forget to tell of the sacrifice that the God of the universe made for us.
Nate
*Borrowed from the song, "How Many Kings" by Downhere.
But, it’s important that we also remember that God coming to earth was not necessarily as serene as we might like to think.
The Message translation of Philippians 2 describes Jesus’ descension to earth this way:
He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.
Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human.
It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges.
Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
To truly appreciate Christmas we must understand the entire story of Christmas, the beautiful and the ugly. Although it was certainly a holy night, it probably wasn’t quiet, being born in a stable with farm animals. It definitely wasn’t clean, and it probably didn’t smell very nice either. The baby Jesus more than likely spent just as much time crying as he did asleep in the hay.
For Christ to humble Himself to become human, born to homeless parents, placed in the feeding trough of filthy animals, acknowledged only by the lowliest outcasts of society, pursued as a criminal to be put to death...it required an incredibly amount of sacrifice and humility, poured out from a heart of love and mercy.
How many kings have stepped down from their thrones, how many lords have abandoned their homes, how many greats have become the least for you and me? Only one did that for me.*
As we share the story of Christmas with others this year, as we paint the picture of that nativity scene, let’s not forget to tell of the sacrifice that the God of the universe made for us.
Nate
*Borrowed from the song, "How Many Kings" by Downhere.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Recent Graphics
Here are a few graphics I've produced recently. As always, istockphoto and Illustrator are my friends!
Title PPT graphic for a recent sermon series on Holiness.
Title PPT graphic for a recent testimony by my friend Sam.
Poster for Thanksgiving Worship Gathering.
Poster for our upcoming Christmas Concert.
Title PPT graphic for our current sermon series on Christmas Traditions.
Nate
Monday, November 16, 2009
Scott's Story
In the video below, my uncle, Scott, tells the story of his life, how he has always been a good and religious man, even as much as playing in his church band, but never had an authentic relationship with God until just a few weeks ago. It was an honor to be present at his baptism yesterday...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
(Bump) Halloween?
I doubt I'm about to say anything that you can't find thousands of other people saying on the internet this week...and, I doubt that you have much doubt about my views of Halloween if you've been reading my blog for more than a few days...and, I am certainly NOT posting this in an attempt to get a theological discussion going about Halloween...nor am I trying to persuade you to change any opinions about this or any other holiday...trust me, I know that if you believe that Halloween is the devil, there ain't nobody going to be changing your convictions anytime soon.
But, I’m sharing this with you because I have had a few people ask me why we celebrate Halloween.
First, let me share with you my history with Halloween. When I was very young, my parents would take my sisters and I out every year trick or treating (totting). I remember Halloween as lots of fun...my mom would even make our costumes (before the days of Wal-Mart). One year, I was Kermit the frog...another year, all three of us were the pink panther [those were some HOT (not sexy hot, but sweaty/stinky hot) costumes...].
The biggest thing I remember about those early years of totting (beyond the requisite candy-trading with my sisters at the end of the bountiful evening) was a very real fear of dying from eating a poisoned or razor blade embedded piece of candy...I don't know why my parents thought it was OK to warn me about such things... So, from early on, I was taught that Halloween was not all fun and games.
When I was about 7, my parents made the decision to stop allowing us to participate in traditional Halloween festivities...namely the evil and dangerous totting. I'm guessing that this decision had as much to do with the fact that my father was a pastor of some “convicted” people as it had to do with my parents’ own convictions, but regardless, pink panther was long gone.
In it's place, we began having the wonderful Baptist (although I hear it's not contained to one denomination) alternative called, "Harvest Party". If you've never been to a harvest party, think of it as the alternative prom...the one that all the lame people who didn't want to have any fun went to. I'm not saying our harvest parties weren't any fun...I have some good memories of all of the Bible characters I dressed up as and all of the sword drills I won for candy. But, Halloween for us was definitely not the same as Halloween for the rest of the known world.
Fast forward to present day. Harvest Parties are long gone at our church. I haven't done a sword drill in years. In a few days, my dad is going to be grilling hundreds of hotdogs for a few thousand unchurched guests (about 500 families) who come through NHC's TRUNKorTREAT. My mom is going to be trying to up her costume from last year (see pics below). I have been plotting my own costume since last spring. About 80% of our church is going to be volunteering to pass out candy, man our giant inflatable games, serve food and drinks, etc.
My Dad:
My Mom:
At some point, my parents finally saw the light...and, I got past my deadly fears as well.
All that to say, here's what we believe about Halloween:
> There is nothing evil about October 31 in and of itself. Nor is their necessarily anything evil about dressing up, buying candy, passing out candy, receiving candy, eating candy, hanging out with friends, carving a pumpkin, etc.
> There are people in the past and in the present who choose to use October 31 as a day for evil. Vandalism, substance abuse, sexual "fun" (have you seen some of the costumes these days?), imitation of blood and violence have all, among certain groups, become closely associated with Halloween.
> There are also people who choose to use October 31 for neutral reasons…hanging out with friends, eating candy, staying home to watch the World Series, etc.
> There are some people who choose to isolate and insulate themselves from everything related to Halloween, fearing the possible evils and harm that could come their way if they were to participate in the day.
> And, there are people who choose to use October 31 for God-centered purposes.
We choose to use Halloween as an opportunity to reach out to our community and show them, not that there is an alternative to Halloween, but that there is an alternative to life. While we do stay away from using witches and ghosts and axe murderers in our Halloween celebration, we don't put Halloween or those who celebrate it differently than us down in any way. Instead, we invite people to come and celebrate October 31 with us (even if they dress up as a witch), hoping that they'll see and hear about our alternative way of life.
I realize that a lot of people disagree with how we view Halloween, and that's OK with us...most of those people are not who we are trying to reach. In fact the cool thing about ToT is that, because so many other churches/Christians disagree with our view about October 31, we almost exclusively attract unchurched people in our community with this event. I also understand that Halloween is celebrated very differently in other cultures (even in the states), which makes what we do a little easier. We see very little of the violence and vandalism that many other cities and towns deal with on October 31...we see less neighborhood totting as well. TRUNKorTREAT is actually not just another stop for our community on October 31, it has become the place to be...this year we're expecting upwards of 2500 people.
Nate
But, I’m sharing this with you because I have had a few people ask me why we celebrate Halloween.
First, let me share with you my history with Halloween. When I was very young, my parents would take my sisters and I out every year trick or treating (totting). I remember Halloween as lots of fun...my mom would even make our costumes (before the days of Wal-Mart). One year, I was Kermit the frog...another year, all three of us were the pink panther [those were some HOT (not sexy hot, but sweaty/stinky hot) costumes...].
The biggest thing I remember about those early years of totting (beyond the requisite candy-trading with my sisters at the end of the bountiful evening) was a very real fear of dying from eating a poisoned or razor blade embedded piece of candy...I don't know why my parents thought it was OK to warn me about such things... So, from early on, I was taught that Halloween was not all fun and games.
When I was about 7, my parents made the decision to stop allowing us to participate in traditional Halloween festivities...namely the evil and dangerous totting. I'm guessing that this decision had as much to do with the fact that my father was a pastor of some “convicted” people as it had to do with my parents’ own convictions, but regardless, pink panther was long gone.
In it's place, we began having the wonderful Baptist (although I hear it's not contained to one denomination) alternative called, "Harvest Party". If you've never been to a harvest party, think of it as the alternative prom...the one that all the lame people who didn't want to have any fun went to. I'm not saying our harvest parties weren't any fun...I have some good memories of all of the Bible characters I dressed up as and all of the sword drills I won for candy. But, Halloween for us was definitely not the same as Halloween for the rest of the known world.
Fast forward to present day. Harvest Parties are long gone at our church. I haven't done a sword drill in years. In a few days, my dad is going to be grilling hundreds of hotdogs for a few thousand unchurched guests (about 500 families) who come through NHC's TRUNKorTREAT. My mom is going to be trying to up her costume from last year (see pics below). I have been plotting my own costume since last spring. About 80% of our church is going to be volunteering to pass out candy, man our giant inflatable games, serve food and drinks, etc.
My Dad:
My Mom:
At some point, my parents finally saw the light...and, I got past my deadly fears as well.
All that to say, here's what we believe about Halloween:
> There is nothing evil about October 31 in and of itself. Nor is their necessarily anything evil about dressing up, buying candy, passing out candy, receiving candy, eating candy, hanging out with friends, carving a pumpkin, etc.
> There are people in the past and in the present who choose to use October 31 as a day for evil. Vandalism, substance abuse, sexual "fun" (have you seen some of the costumes these days?), imitation of blood and violence have all, among certain groups, become closely associated with Halloween.
> There are also people who choose to use October 31 for neutral reasons…hanging out with friends, eating candy, staying home to watch the World Series, etc.
> There are some people who choose to isolate and insulate themselves from everything related to Halloween, fearing the possible evils and harm that could come their way if they were to participate in the day.
> And, there are people who choose to use October 31 for God-centered purposes.
We choose to use Halloween as an opportunity to reach out to our community and show them, not that there is an alternative to Halloween, but that there is an alternative to life. While we do stay away from using witches and ghosts and axe murderers in our Halloween celebration, we don't put Halloween or those who celebrate it differently than us down in any way. Instead, we invite people to come and celebrate October 31 with us (even if they dress up as a witch), hoping that they'll see and hear about our alternative way of life.
I realize that a lot of people disagree with how we view Halloween, and that's OK with us...most of those people are not who we are trying to reach. In fact the cool thing about ToT is that, because so many other churches/Christians disagree with our view about October 31, we almost exclusively attract unchurched people in our community with this event. I also understand that Halloween is celebrated very differently in other cultures (even in the states), which makes what we do a little easier. We see very little of the violence and vandalism that many other cities and towns deal with on October 31...we see less neighborhood totting as well. TRUNKorTREAT is actually not just another stop for our community on October 31, it has become the place to be...this year we're expecting upwards of 2500 people.
Nate
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