I can hardly stop listening to this new song from the UK.  Well, here's a little secret: the song might have been written in the UK, but it was birthed in Canada.  How do I know that.  Well, Ben Cantelon's dad married Tracey and I back in 1994 in my former home church, Christian Life Assembly (Langley, BC).  In 1993 I traveled around Russia with Brent and Ben (his then 10 year old son) and several others on a missions team.  Ben would probably hardly remember me now.  Needless to say, it is quite awesome to see God taking that young kid and raising him up to be a world-class worship leader.  Ben teamed up with Tim Hughes to write Happy Day, which was a favorite this Easter.  I have a hunch this song is going to make its way around a lot of churches around the world.  I'd love to hear what you think.

Ok guys, shed some light for all of us on your song selection process. Ryan and I had an interesting discussion about this topic. Tell us about why you select certain songs in your place of worship. Answer this:

What are the top 2 things you look for in choosing songs?

I had a 'discussion' tonight with my Worship Team.  The band believes the singers should follow them while singing the worship set.  I have been trained that the band establishes the tempo; but ultimately follows or 'accompanies' the singer or singers.  What are your thoughts to this on going debate?

Give me a little grace here, while I let PraiseCharts get a somewhat personal.  Trust me, I am not one to leverage PraiseCharts to promote my own music.  However, at the same time, you must understand that in order for me to continue blazing a trail with PraiseCharts, the inspiration has to come from somewhere. I get the privilege of supporting an amazing church in Surrey, British Columbia, called Victory Christian Centre.  A few months ago, they recorded their third live worship album, with a title that follows this years theme at our church: ONE. 

I really don't think I am biased to say that VCC Live is really raising the bar when it comes to producing a local, live worship album. The songs are passionate, the recording is amazing, and the video is stunning.  I am so proud to have this music now available in PraiseCharts.  My personal favorite is a simple song I have led many times at Life Group in our living room, called Glorified.  Josh Loeve is the lead worshipper on this project that represents some powerful song writing -- very much in the style of Hillsong United. 

For a deeper look inside the heart behind this album, click here to read an interview I've posted with the Lead Worshipper and main song writer for this album, Josh Loeve.  Enjoy the video montage below to get a birds eye view of the entire album.  If you like the songs, you can download and print the charts here.

I woke up this morning to the news that no daddy ever wants to hear.  This morning, Maria is not just Steven's daughter, she is every man's daughter.  Maria is every woman's child.  Do you feel their pain in your heart this morning?  That is the privilege we have to share the sorrow with the Chapmans.  I woke up, tears started to roll down my face, and I immediately went to my daughter Lydia's bedroom to tell her the news.  Steven's little Cinderella went to be with Jesus last night.  Steven, our hearts go out to you and your family.  May the peace of God that passes understanding settle deeply into your home and your hearts.  Maria, you are a jewel of joy, and your legacy will far outlast the five precious years you had in this world.  To our PraiseCharts family, if you would like to leave some thoughts, reflections, stories, responses or prayers, please feel free to write them here.  Enjoy this little video of Maria that we picked up from Steven's blog.  If you would like to support the Chapman's with a financial gift, they are asking for donations to be directed toward Shoahannah's Hope.

Many of you may know by now, but the daughter of Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck and killed by an SUV yesterday as she was playing in the driveway of their home in Tennessee. My "daddy heart" is broken for his family in this time of terrible loss. I really don't know what else to say, except please read the article and pray.

Two of Chapman's own songs come to mind. My prayer is that the Father will use the words to these songs to, once again, bring His healing to this family:

"Cinderella"
So I will dance with Cinderella, while she is here in my arms,
'Cause I know something the prince never knew;
I will dance with Cinderella, I don't wanna miss even one song,
'Cause all to soon the clock will strike midnight,
And she'll be gone.

"With Hope"
We can cry with hope, we can say goodbye with hope,
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end;
And we can grieve with hope, 'cause we believe with hope,
There's a place where we'll see your face again.

I'm glad to announce the release of MercyMe's song Word Of God Speak, a title we had produced quite some time ago but weren't able to post due to copyright restrictions.  Now, with our recent agreement with Word Music, we can offer this to you and several others over the coming months.  We've also updated this chart to our larger format with an SATB part and a full string section, a welcome change for your string players!  Check it out.

In the worship of our churches today there is a popular movement of moving toward deeper levels of cultural relevancy. Music, styles and preaching formats have changed, along with the design of our environment, landscapes and architecture. Overtime, we as a people have also changed in our forms of relativity, communication and education. Our approach and purpose for worship has also shifted. However, what has not changed is God’s Word and what He says about worship. What has changed is character and make-up of our complex world. Maintaining an accurate biblical model of worship is something that seems to be in competition with style and format issues of worship services.

Do you find this to be true in your ministry surroundings? How do you make the attempt in preserving biblical worship while reaching today's people?

I guess because there are plenty of Wednesday evening activities at some churches, that seems the most logical time to rehearse with the band and vocals.  I mean, everyone is pressed for time and adding 'another' night out for your Worship Team doesn't make sense or does it??  What day works best for your band and vocals?  Do you use certain days to introduce 'new' charts? 

My band is made up of '20Somethings' and they are a fun group.  So, getting them to rehearsal is not a problem, in fact just about any day will work.  But it's not so with some bands and vocals!  I tend to think older adults might have a 'set' schedule they are accustomed to.  Let me know your thoughts...

Our first sessions at GMA this morning featured a number of artists sharing a more personal side of their lives.  On the podium was Bart Millard, lead singer of Mercy Me.  He was asked who is one individual he looked up to, and without flinching, Bart said it was his 6 year old son.  His son suffers from Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes.  They have to check his blood sugar more than 20x a day.  Bart was sharing how they have started this organization called Imagine A Cure to try to find a cure for his son.  But his son, of all people, didn't want the organization to be just about him, knowing that there are many other kids in the world who need cures for other diseases.  A little stunned, and somewhat humbled, Bart shifted the focus of Imagine A Cure to be more general than just Type 1 Diabetes.

Bart is amazing.  He is the real deal.  How do you know?  If not by him, you can always tell by the quality of the generation that follows him.  I wanna be a dad like that!