On Songwriting & A Worship Album

I am so excited to tell you guys, finally, about the new worship album we have been writing! First I must preface with how songwriting worship albums work in our home. Tyson is the songwriter and I am the song editor. He comes up with the crazy good melodies and content and I edit the crazy good melodies and make the words sound a little sweeter. 


But it's not as cute of a partnership as it may sound. It's gruesome sometimes and it takes a lot of work and a lot more patience. 


Also, we write two different types of songs and both processes are different. The first type is congregational worship (songs that are meant for the Church to sing along with) and the second is everything else. This new album with be the first type: congregational worship.


We are not experts in songwriting by any means. We didn't go to school for it and we don't do it as often as we should, but one thing is for sure: when this type of song does come, they are fully and completely from God. Like, 150%.


However, it's less spiritual than it sounds. Let's back up to 6 months ago.


We knew we were moving to LA. We knew we wanted to start a type of church movement that clearly integrated the foundation of solid biblical truth question raising/answering truth with the emotion-full proclamation of worship through music. Our hearts were there, our minds were there, our passion and desire and studies were there, but we were dry. No songs would come. 


Ty would sit down to write but nothing sounded right and everything was pretty messy. It was frustrating to say the least. Mostly for him as he sincerely begged God to give him songs for the church. 


Yet month after month, nothin'. (Sound familiar ;)


But still we prayed. And prayed. And asked. And begged. And lived. And prayed some more.


Then, as if on a divine ticker, one day, the songs came. A flood of them. Day after day new melodies were being hummed into iPhone voice recorders and concepts were coming out of both random and purposed circumstances. 


Even as I write about it now, it brings tears to my eyes because these aren't our songs. There is nothing in us that can or will claim them as a byproduct of ourselves. 


We are just the means to a beautiful end. 


I heard it said once, that everyone has a "genius" or power outside of themselves that they grasp from to create beautiful things. The woman said that when beautiful things come out of a person they aren't really able to take credit because it didn't come from them. They had to give credit to their "genius." 


I wonder if she knew what she ways saying. I wonder if she knew, the "Genius", the Creator of the Universe, the Power she was describing was God Himself. 


C r a z y.
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We'll be posting an acoustic music video for the newest song soon. I can't wait for you to hear it!