mike jones

One of the best things about planning is preparing artists. Artists love preparation.  Planning allows for more creativity, more thought and consequently more impact a piece might have on an audience.

During our recent message series titled The Gospel, I spent some time with some highly creative people about eight weeks prior to the start of the series planning and brainstorming possibilities.  Several ideas came through that session and proceeding sessions that I believe were highly artistic and memorable.

This is one.

The series would be four weeks long, take us through Easter weekend and be composed of four main ideas: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration.

We chose to have an artist paint live during the services, which has become a semi-normal element in The Orchard’s weekend gatherings.  In a conversation with the artist, I outlined the process we wanted to take for each week of the series, each week building on the next, to create a piece that would be unique to anything we had done before.

	We had Julie Vogt paint a picture that depicted the creation. Julie was very gracious as an artist and after collaborating together, painted a representation of a familiar art piece – Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo.  She did an amazing job and because the paintings she did (one for each of our three weekend gatherings) were a part of the weekend experience, many wanted to buy the paintings. Creation shown through art.
	The next week we displayed the piece she had painted during the corresponding weekend services the weekend before, and at the end of the service, had our lead Pastor Scott Hodge take a knife and cut the paintings between God’s outstretched finger and Adam’s.  The service ended abruptly at that point and we told people the story we be continued on Easter. The fall had occurred bringing damage and separation in our relationship with God.
	The next weekend, during our Easter gatherings, we had another artist (Lisa Price), use a thick red thread to sew the cuts in the paintings back together to illustrate the redemptive power of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
	The last week of the series, we again had Julie take the sewn canvases and paint on them to show the healing that we are a part of in restoring humanity and creation to what God had intended it to be.  She also depicted a city to show the progression of the story which began in a garden and will one day end in a city.

There were a lot of creative ideas, planning and artists that helped put this together and it was a powerful piece.  So much so that I have heard several families explaining the art to friends and family they have invited to our gatherings since – all without anyone telling them about each piece of the puzzle.  The story and purpose behind the art was a clear message on it’s own.

Thank you to all of you who were a part of bringing this piece, from idea to conception, to life for our church community!

Now go plan and dream the next big idea! 

As part of a very creative team at The Orchard, artistic expression is a key element.  Photography, film, artistic painting, music, and poetry (to name a few) all play a key role in influencing the creative pieces we use during our weekend gatherings.

One of the things I’ve learned (and continue to learn) is that exposure to a variety in these expressions of art changes your perspective and the tools you use as a part of your team’s articulation of art during your worship gatherings.

Music, for example, is an easy one for us to get stuck in.  We all have a tendency toward a particular style or genre of music.  Music has the ability to influence and move us – to change our mood or attitude, to motivate or inspire us – and the people we relate to as well.  I like a lot of different types of music and listen to, what I would consider to be, a pretty broad range of tunes. It’s still just a drop in the bucket of all that is out there.

If music has the ability to move me and affect me, and if I know that it has the same capacity to motivate and inspire others, wouldn’t it make sense that I would want to be exposed to as many different styles and types of musical expression as possible in order to better relate to those around me? Not everyone is motivated by 80’s music or indie (more than a genre itself) or rap or hip hop or rock or… dare I say… country.

So, are you under exposed?
What music are you listening to?
What architecture are you examining?
What sculpted works or paintings are you really trying to see differently?
What magazines or films or literature or poetry are you exposing yourself to?
What types of theater or film are you allowing to broaden your creative palette?

Our Creator is a creative God and is not limited to His expression of art.

Are you?

This is the first in a series talking about what I’ve seen or experienced in my journey leading worship as well as what I am learning again. Sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics and remember some of the fundamentals in leading a church community in worship.

1. Connecting With God
   As a worship leader, I’ve found that my prep time and connection with God is the most critical element in creating an environment that allows others to connect with God. If I am not spending time just being quiet and listening for His voice, then how can I be ready to follow where He leads?  It is our prayer as staff at The Orchard that we will always hear God’s voice and then have the courage to obey Him.  A lot harder to do in a corporate setting if I have missed this crucial step in connecting and listening to Him lead before the weekend experience.How do you connect with God personally? I don’t know about you but I usually like to go to my journal and my bible.  Spending time praying and just being quiet, listening for what God has been saying to me over the last week.
   Where do you want me to lead your people this week God?
   What words do you want me to speak that will touch and influence your church in a way that connects them with Your spirit, Your plan and direction for their lives?
   What is in Your heart God that you desire to be on ours?

   These are the things that I journal about and listen for in my prep time before I even walk into rehearsal for the weekend.

2. Connecting With The Songs
   There have been, unfortunately, many times where I have chosen songs that sound great, are fun to play, but that I have not spent time trying to connect with myself. If I cannot internalize the song I’m leading, how can I expect to be able to interpret and connect others with the song?I try to spend time going through the lyrics of every song I am going to lead and try to determine:
   What is this song saying to me?
   How does this song impact me and move me?
   Is it theologically accurate (especially if it’s supposed to be leading us into a greater level of worship)?
   God, what are You saying to me in this song?
   What do You want us as a church community to learn, celebrate, proclaim or meditate on in this song?
   What do you want me to try to get across to Your people?

   If I cannot connect with a song and understand why I’m singing it, I can’t expect others in my church community to engage in it beyond just mouthing the words.

3. Connecting With The Crowd
   I have had great personal worship times and connections with God that I haven’t always taken into the weekend gathering.  It seems too personal.  What I forget is that sometimes these times are exactly what others need to experience as well.  Sure there are things that are still meant to be between God and I but there is a vulnerability that I have had to learn and am still learning to have in order for me to be able to connect with those I’m leading.  I want them to feel me and get to know me through those times.  That’s when they learn to trust me as a leader.  i think those are the times they see me most as a leader.  When I connect my pain, my struggles, my hurts my observations and journey with theirs – those are the times when engagement during the worship time is at its best.

This is obviously not all inclusive but this is what I’ve really been honed in on lately in my worship leading.

What about you as a worship leader?

This is the video we showed this last week at the Orchard.  We wanted to use the idea of regifting and get people thinking toward something we are calling Compassion Weekend -  a chance to make a difference in the lives of children around the world.  We had a great time during the shoot and I think it turned out great!

Enjoy!

We’ve been in the middle of a message series at The Orchard called Yesterday.  It’s a series that takes a look at the spiritual leaders from the past, from Yesterday, and learning what we can to help us on our journey forward.

It has been a powerful series.

A few weeks ago, our church community took a look at Saint Benedict of Nursia who had some great teachings on Humility.  In response and preparation for the weekend gathering,

I wrote a poem which we had Chris Rayford do a dramatic reading of at the end of the service.

Humility

we gathered together
the night before
did a lot of walking
listened to some talking
electricity in the air
time to remember
a time to eat and drink
my feet were dirty but now they’re clean

I expected a lot
the night before
I was a nobody before I met him
right-hand man now I’m hoping
time for a change
he’ll take the reins
show us how to lead
my feet were dirty but now they’re clean

we met in that room
the night before
to praise what God had done
how he had once saved us
now we have a king
“Hosanna!” they did sing
is it really God’s son we’ve seen?
my feet were dirty but now they’re clean

as we sit at the table
the night before
who will wash us? who will serve?
was anyone for this job secured?
for certain not me
get on hands and knees
to make us ready to eat
my feet were dirty but now they’re clean

then it happened
that night before
he picked up the basin of water
picked up the place of no honor
as a servant he knelt
I did nothing to help
what could it possibly mean?
my feet were dirty but now they’re clean

he washed our feet
the night before
washed us all one by one
in a servants place, God’s own Son
I couldn’t believe it
“master please stop it!
you’ll never wash my feet”
but they were dirty and now they’re clean

with tears in my eyes
that night before
I watched the master, the Son
wash our feet, one by one
me and the others who stayed
even the one who betrayed
“do for others as you have seen”
my feet were dirty but now they’re clean

so much humility
that night before
the next day showed even more
he died in my place, my Savior
put me above himself
could I do for someone else?
lift others as greater than me?
your feet were dirty but now they’re clean

Thanks for the encouragement from my team and fellow leaders and for God’s inspiration. Now go in humility.