Back to Archives Back
to FW Home
Tip - rather than spend time online reading this, select all the text (Ctrl A), copy it (Ctrl C) and then paste it (Ctrl V) into a blank document in your word processer (eg. Word, Microsoft Works or Wordperfect) and then read it offline at your leisure. Or, we've formatted the page with a blank background and no graphics to make it quick and easy to print.
Welcome to the 13th Family Worship Newsletter, 31 January 2000
http://www.familyworship.org.uk
Previous newsletters are available on the website archives at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/newslett.htm#archive
Contents
========
With relentless "Humour spots" in-between every item...
FW Site stats
Recent site additions
Coming soon
Story behind the song - Lion King special
Contemporary worship trends
Songwriters' encouragement
Check out...
Newsletter information
FW Site Stats
-------------
Visitors to the site have averaged around 400 a day through January
Subscribers are now up to around 1,100 - welcome to new subscribers.
Recent site additions
---------------------
NEW THEME
The FW website was one year old in January, and to celebrate it's first birthday,
the site has been given a whole new look and feel. The page background and design
is simpler and cleaner, and the new graphics in yellow and black have a contemporary
"scribble" theme. Do visit the site and send me an email if you have
strong feelings on the new look - positive or otherwise. My children love it,
but I'm always nervous about change, so check it out and reassure me...!
SONG-BY-EMAIL AUTOMATED
The song-by-email service has been so well used over the past year that it's
been a huge task to keep up with demand. We're very pleased, therefore, that
as mentioned in the last newsletter, the facility is now fully automated, which
means that the emails containing lyrics, guitar chords, sheet music, audio files,
etc. will be sent to you within a few minutes of the request being made. Also
available for the first time are lyric files in Powerpoint format for those
hi-tech churches using song
p
rojection facilities. (Still available for the rest of us who remain in the
lower-tech 20th century are lyrics masters for copying onto overhead transparencies...)
Try the new facility out at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/songsby.htm
LION KING SPECIAL
An interesting new addition to the site in January has been the Lion King section
- see the story behind the songs below, and visit the section at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/lion_king.htm
Humour spot
===========
How are your new year resolutions coming along? Do your knees buckle but your
belt won't? For those who have blown the diet already, here are a few helpful
thoughts on exercise:
I don't exercise at all. If God meant us to touch our toes, he would have
put them further up our body.
If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.
My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60.
She's 93 now and we have no idea where she's got to!
Coming soon
-----------
SONGWRITERS' SHOWCASE
We're putting the finishing touches to the first batch of pages in the new Songwriter's
Showcase section, and are very excited about the quality and diversity of the
songs that have been submitted so far. The first pages will be available towards
the end of February at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/showcase.htm
Humour spot
===========
Some people have asked what happened to the musician series of jokes that ran
last year for a few months, and the truth is that having exhausted my supply
of drummer, guitarist, viola player, etc. jokes, I had not come across any new
ones for a while. This month, however, I'm re-launching the series with a well-deserved
barrage aimed at jazz musicians. (If you have any good musician jokes,
please email me!)
How do you make a million dollars playing jazz?
Start with two million
How many jazz musicians does it take to change a light bulb?
None - jazz musicians can't afford light bulbs
OR "Don't worry about the changes. We'll fake it!"
Son: Mother, I want to grow up and be a jazz musician
Mother: Now son, you have to pick one or the other - you can't do both...
A Jazz musician was told by his doctor, "I am very sorry to tell you that
you have only one more year to live."
The Jazz musician replied, "Oh great - what am I going to live on
for a whole year?"
Story behind the song...
------------------------
Just added to the FW website are 3 songs which are alternative versions of some
of the most popular songs from the Lion King. When the Disney movie first came
out a few years ago, it was a big hit with children The release of the video,
then Lion King 2, and finally the stage show on Broadway and now in London,
have all kept the story and music fresh.
When we were launching a new children's club in London, we were looking for
songs that would be accessible to children from a non-church background, but
that would also convey a christian message. One of the team, Simon Matthews,
hit on the idea of putting some alternative lyrics to "Just can't wait
to be King", and re-wrote it as "I just can't wait to see the King"
- lyrics that overtly focused on Jesus. Children absolutely loved it, and
a simple dance routine added to the fun. Two more songs were modified: "Circle
of Life" became "Giver of Life" and "Can you feel the love"
became "Can you feel His love".
Whilst the philosophy and message of the original Lion King is somewhat wishy
washy, and certainly not christian in its ethos, these alternative versions
take something that most children already love, and add a positive, truthful
message - a winning combination.
Check out the alternative versions at http://www.familyworship.org.uk/lion_king.htm
Humour spot
===========
Ambition...
There was once a young man who, in his youth, expressed his desire become a
great writer.
When asked to define "great" he said, "I want to write things
that the whole world will read, things that people will react to on a truly
emotional level, that will make them laugh, cry, and howl in pain and anger!"
He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.
Contemporary worship - trends
-----------------------------
This month's main article is an interview with Ian Mizen. Ian is part
of one of the UK's hardest-working (and quietly very successful) contemporary
christian bands, "Brown Bear Music", also manages the office for Graham
Kendrick, so has an excellent broad perspective on worship trends in the UK
and elsewhere.
1. Is it important to have worship that is "culturally relevant"?
Yes and no! The most important thing is to have worship that is in 'spirit and
truth' and any form of worship is worth very little if it does not fall into
this category. However if we are to be able to express our worship, thanks,
adoration and praise to God it is generally easier to do this in a way that
we are used to and comfortable with. It is also helpful to be able to understand
what you are singing. When we first started leading worship at the Bear (a youth
church in South East London)
we soon discovered that the young people from unchurched backgrounds did not
have a clue what some of the songs that we were singing meant. Phrases such
as 'worthy is the Lamb that was slain' convey little or no meaning to those
without some kind of church background. In response to this problem we started
to write songs that were 'lyrically relevant' the people we were trying to lead.
2. Is that more important for younger people than older, and for non-Christians
than Christians?
Most people think that it is more important for young people because style (especially
musical style) is very important in youth culture and I believe we must provide
opportunities for younger Christians to express their worship to God. However
in my experience I would say that young people often seem more willing to go
with the flow and worship in whatever setting they find themselves in - whether
it's a thumping drum & bass youth meeting or a more traditional service
-than adults who often find it more difficult to adapt to a new style and end
up grumbling about the noise and flashing flights!
In one sense it's impossible to be culturally relevant to non-Christians because
of course they come from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. However I do
think we need to make the gospel accessible and understandable to people, this
does not mean watering it down but faithfully retelling the story using today's
language and communication tools. The answer to the age-old question,
'is church for the saved or the yet to be saved' is of course BOTH and therefore
it's a tough job for worship leaders to lead their congregation in praise and
worship in a way that attracts people who don't yet know Jesus. I guess if we
are attracting the presence of God in our worship then people will be drawn
in and their musical tastes are hardly going to be a stumbling block to them
!
3. What advice would you give a church that is struggling to introduce new songs
and styles where there may be some resistance from some church members?
Communicate. People need to know that their views and preferences are valued
and that it's not a battle between the new and old but there is room for both
and that a mixture of the two will enhance the worship life of the church greatly.
This may seem a very simplistic view but it's right!
4. What's wrong with the old hymns?!
Nothing! Most of them are fantastic and we still use them a lot at our church.
It's all about balance.
5. Is it more important to have a style of worship that keeps youth from leaving
the church, or attracts new youth to join?
The answer to Q3 covers this but I will add that recently a student with no
church background came to one of our worship meetings. At the end he was so
excited by the music and 'vibe' of the evening that he was desperate to find
out when the next one was taking place. After a few visits he joined a cell
group and shortly after committed his life to Christ.
We were just being ourselves, worshipping in a a way that is natural to us (this
generally involves loud guitars, drums, samplers,etc!) and not trying to be
evangelistic or trendy. I think the Holy Spirit can work through us best when
we are being true to who we are and opening ourselves up to Him to flow through
us. Perhaps this is worship in spirit and truth?
6. Where do you see worship music in 5 year's time?
Over the past ten years we have seen worship music diversify greatly. My guess
is that this will continue over the next few years. Society is becoming more
fragmented and it is almost inevitable that as churches grow out of different
areas of our society that the style of worship will reflect those differences.
I don't think that this is anything to be afraid of and in fact it helps to
generate more grassroots songwriters and worship leaders rather than relying
on the international superstars we have relied on up to now.
We are united in following Jesus but this does not mean that we all have to
like the same kind of music, sing the same songs or speak the same jargon. As
Christians we often settle for the lowest common denominator in terms of musical
style in order to encourage unity. The sad thing about this is that we end up
with very little room for creativity in the church. Perhaps it's time we really
embraced the concept of 'unity in diversity' and celebrate the vast range of
music and arts that God has given us and offer our worship to our creator through
all of them.
Many thanks to Ian Mizen for sharing these helpful thoughts and perspectives.
You can check out Brown Bear Music at http://www.brownbearmusic.co.uk
and download their songs from http://www.mp3.com/brownbearmusic
Their albums are now also available in the USA for the first time from http://www.riveroflifecbs.com
Humour spot
===========
Notice in a church bulletin: The Lord loveth a cheerful giver.
However, He also accepteth from a grouch.
Songwriter's encouragement
--------------------------
One of my best friends is a brilliant singer-songwriter from New Zealand, now
based in the UK, David Lyle Morris. David has been writing songs for many years
now, and has been faithfully plugging away, playing worship and evangelistic
concerts in the UK, Finland, Ireland, and other parts of Europe. He tells me
that it was several years before any publishers showed an interest in any of
his songs, and in that situation, the temptation to give up can be strong. However,
he has persevered, and a number of his songs have recently been picked up and
widely used, and one song in particular, "Revealer of mysteries" has
been on the main playlist at UK christian radio station, Premier, for several
weeks now. In April David will be recording a live album of worship with Kingsway,
which should be out in the Summer.
David has been a huge encouragement to me, and one vital lesson that any aspiring
songwriter could learn from his experience is the value of perseverance, hard
work, and a dedication to follow a vision. In the secular environment, songwriters
and musicians are told that they have to "believe in themselves".
As christians, we have a much better alternative, which is to believe that Christ
dwells in us, and to believe that the same power that raised him from the dead
is also at work in us. That creative power is a sustaining thing, and whatever
it is that you are called to, whether it is to write songs or something completely
different, do it faithfully, with all of your heart, and don't give up!
You can hear one of David's songs that was used on FW2, "Let us run with
perseverance" at http://www.familyworship.org.uk/songs.htm
and a number of his songs are now at http://www.mp3.com/davidlylemorris
Humour spot
===========
For those who speed when driving, a few hymns for you:
45 mph.................God Will Take Care of You
55 mph.................Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
65 mph.................Nearer My God to Thee
75 mph.................Nearer Still Nearer
85 mph.................This World Is Not My Home
95 mph.................Lord, I'm Coming Home
and over 100 mph.......Precious Memories
Check out...
------------
Don't forget to check out the newly-released Millennium Chorus, featuring an
amazing line up of vocalists, singing some of the best new contemporary christian
songs I've heard in a long time...
http://www.grahamkendrick.co.uk
http://www.millenniumchorus.com
If you have a website that you would like us to cover in future newsletters,
please email
newsletter@familyworship.org.uk
River of Life Discount Christian Bookstore, US distributors for the Family Worship
resources are online with a great site featuring an ever-increasing range of
worship recordings, songbooks, etc. (including soon, for the first time in the
USA, Brown Bear Music) Check it out at
http://www.riveroflifecbs.com
Don't forget that Family Worship, as well as loads of other "grass roots
level" ministries are featured in the christian sections of mp3.com - http://www.mp3.com/familyworship
and new this month, http://www.mp3.com/davidlylemorris
Newsletter information
----------------------
This newsletter is written by Mike Burn and is published by Family Worship Resources,
part of Ichthus Christian Fellowship, London, UK Copyright 2000, Mike Burn.
Inclusion of links and quotations does not imply full endorsement of the
contents. The newsletter may be forwarded or reproduced in full or in part providing
that the source is acknowledged.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to
newsletter-subscribe@familyworship.org.uk
with subject blank, and subscribe in the content, or go to
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/newslett.htm
To unsubscribe send a blank e-mail to
newsletter-unsubscribe@familyworship.org.uk
Send comments or queries, or suggested articles or links for
inclusion in future newsletters to
MikeBurn@familyworship.org.uk
Thanks for reading, and if you've made it this far, or even if you
just skipped to the end before hitting delete, blessings to you in
Jesus' name
Mike