The Worship Homestead

In Deuteronomy God commands the Israelites to build an altar of uncut stones when they enter the promised land. But did you know it contains the blueprints for the church today? In this video series we look at the prophetic message hidden in the altar of uncut stones. We discuss: -The meaning of the stones. -Why they had to be uncut. -What the altar was covering in, and why it matters. -What was w...

Recording an album is a big lift. Before you hit record, you should ask, "Are the songs ready?" In this episode I give you three tests each song must pass. You'll learn: - What weakness plagues most amateur songs, and how to avoid it. - Which instrument needs special attention before you add anything else. - What mistake can sink your song no matter how good the bells and whistles are. To access m...

We all know we should worship. We are commanded to.  We all know God doesn't need our worship. He doesn't need anything. So what does God use it for? Does it have a purpose?  Yes, actually. Worship and praise has a purpose, and it would be good to know.  Find out. 

We need more worship songs that resonate with men. In this episode, I show you three ways to write a song that men want to sing. You'll learn: -Which aspects of God men respond to. - What kind of language men use, and more importantly, what language they don't use. - Why you must compel your listener to DO something. To access my free worship training bundle visit: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/...

If you're like me, you want to record new music this year. But before you hit record, remember to keep tabs on everything you're about to learn. In this episode, I open up the journal I kept while recording my last album. It contains: - The notes from all the courses and tutorials I watched about mixing and producing. - My goals and progress during tracking and mixing. - Some of my important failu...

No, multitracks isn't the problem. But there is an attitude in the Western Church that is opposed to the Great Commission- powerlessness.  In today's episode, I show you why God intended authority to be spread out, not hoarded.  I show you how churches leave the hard work to other ministries and businesses, and why it keeps the cycle of powerlessness going.  Finally, I show you how...

There are so many new worship songs out there. How do you pick the best songs for Sunday?  Choose songs that groove over songs with gimmicks.  In this episode, I show you how groove songs work with just two instruments.  Songs with no groove have to rely on gimmicks to make up for what they lack. They may sound current now, but they will age poorly. We'll talk about old and modern g...

The worship industry has a problem. Moral compromise. In today's episode I share my reactions to an interview with Banning Liebscher and Rita Springer. I respect Rita and Banning so much for their candor in discussing what they see in worship culture. I'll cover: -The problem of celebrity, moral compromise, and denial in the worship industry. - The problem of "Gatekeepers" in Christian music and w...

Have you had the sneaking feeling that worship music has become soft?  There are a few reasons for that. One of them is money. I'll explain.  I'll also tell you what worship leaders and songwriters can do about it. Get ready to roll up your sleeves.  To access my free worship training bundle, visit:  https://www.blueprintsounds.com/worshipboosterpack

I was leading worship a few weeks ago, and afterward a man asked me a question. "How did you learn to write songs the way you do?" Today, I want to share with you my songwriting story. The punchline is that God knows how to train us, if we'll stop fighting the order of events. If you have been working hard and feel hidden, I get it. But maybe God isn't holding out on you. Maybe He is being kind. T...

What is praise, and what is worship? Is praise the fast songs, and worship the slow ones?  Don't you wish there was a book where you could find out for sure? Hm.  Today, we talk about the difference between praise and worship, and why it matters. You'll learn:  - Why the concepts of praise and worship are so fuzzy, even for Christians.  - What God's original intent for praise a...

In this episode I ask: Are we in the end times? Why are people leaving church? Why is homesteading such a big deal? Along the way, we'll talk about the Civil War, the crisis of 2020, and God's big plan. Spoiler alert: This is a great time NOT to be afraid! To access my free worship training bundle visit: https: //www.blueprintsounds.com/worshipboosterpack

I've lead worship for years, and often with little accompaniment. In this episode I show you the techniques I use to get a full sound out of one guitar. You'll learn: - How you can be your own bass player, and why it matters. - How arranging your chord voicings takes your playing from "meh" to "wow!" - How embellishments enhance your playing and keep your listener's attention. Enjoy! To access my...

If I could give a young worship leader advice about songwriting, it would be to write for the whole person: body, soul, and spirit. What does that mean? In this episode, I share with you: - Why writing songs people can move with isn't just more fun, it is more biblical. - Why improving your craft is more about transparency than being a show off. - What it means to write with your spirit. Spoiler a...

I've lead worship in a house church for over ten years. The top thing I've learned is to trust my human spirit over my soul. What does that mean? In this podcast I explain: - What the human spirit is. - Why we so often aim for excellence in our soul and forget to develop our spirits. - How the human spirit was designed to lead. - How God uses our spirits to lead the church His way. - Why excellenc...

Welcome to the Worship Homestead! But what is it? This podcast explains the term. Whether it is a home group, a house church, bible study, or worship night, God is doing something new in addition to the institutional church. This movement is decentralized, specialized, nimble, self-sufficient, and they know God for themselves. In the coming weeks we will cover a lot, but the first step is this: va...

We're moving! I'm starting a new project called "The Worship Homestead", and I want everyone to come over. If you have been listening to "Worship Answers" don't worry, all the old episodes are coming. But this new project needs a new name to go with it's new focus. Again, just type in "The Worship Homestead" to find it. You can also go to my website to get the link: https://www.blueprintsounds.com...

A sound engineer should be the best friend of any worship team. But tension is so common in the sound booth that it's become a stereotype. Today explain the "Mad Sound Guy" syndrome. Some of the fixes are easy. Some are more difficult. But your church deserves a competent, joyful tech team. And it is possible. To access my free guide "25 Chart Topping Arrangement Tricks" visit: https://www.bluepri...

Not all bands are created equal. I played with an exceptional group of musicians a few days ago, and there were several reasons why this group stood out. Today I want to share with you three things that make a worship team great to listen to and even better to play with. You'll learn what important roles need to be filled in your team. You'll find out what you need to bring to the music that isn't...

A lot of churches are doing acoustic sets for worship. Enter the cajon. But if you don't mic it correctly, you can get distortion and pops in your signal. This week, I explain how to properly mic a cajon, why doing it wrong results in distortion, and what simple fix can keep your signal clean no matter what your cajon player does. To access my free guide "25 Chart Topping Arrangement Tricks" visit...

The American church divides into 2 camps. One worship team has flawless transitions, great sound, and coordinating outfits. Coordinating with God? That's optional. Their service would go pretty well without Him. Another team wants to follow the Holy Spirit everywhere, but has trouble coordinating themselves. Communication is atrocious, systems are spotty, but they are flexible. God shows us in scr...

It's quite a finding. Worshipleaderresearch.com found that from 2010-2020, only 38 songs shared the top 25 spots in Worship music. Nearly all over them were either written by, or popularized by, 4 large ministries. I have a different perspective on this finding than most. I don't think these results are unusual. I explain why. I also don't worry much about it. It has to do with farming, and freedo...

It's August. Everyone is getting in that last weekend trip before school starts. If you are a worship leader you are likely anticipating the return of your full team, and a fuller sanctuary. As you prepare, I encourage you to think about how you gather your team. It is crucial that you have a new beginning, and celebrate it. Today I share a story about what can go wrong when you try to burn rubber...

When you can't see resources around you, that's the poverty spirit. When you are convinced that resources only exist outside of you, that's the welfare spirit. Worship teams and tech teams live under this spirit. We play someone else's synth and guitar patches while using someone else's backing tracks, reading someone else's charts, and singing someone else's songs. We accept that as normal. But t...

This week I want to share my song "That Place" as well as some tips for songwriters as you work on your next song. To access my free guide "25 Chart Topping Arrangement Tricks" visit: https://www.blueprintsounds.com/25tricks Here are the tips: 1. Widen your music genre. Unlike many of my songs, this has a lot of jazz influence. Some the chords aren't typical worship song chords. That helps throw t...