Worship Podcast
If I’m living life with no margin and no time set aside to reflect, I can’t expect to be writing songs.” – Laura Story
Today we welcome Grammy winning songwriter & worship leader Laura Story to the podcast. Laura’s new album, Open Hands, is a great one – filled with great new songs of hope. And they’re just so good!
In this interview we talk songwriting, leading worship, the new album, and raising kids. Enjoy!
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Let’s be real. You’re not the best worship leader there is. Neither am I.
There will always be a better musician, a better singer, a more charismatic personality, a more organized leader. You’re not the best.
But isn’t it good to know that leading our churches isn’t about being the best? Because worship class worship leading is more about being hidden than being noticed. Let me explain what that means.
It’s important to distinguish what we actually do and facilitate as worship leaders:
Ministry is anything but easy. Especially when there are big events to pull off and busy weekends to make happen.
For some of you, this is all the time. Over the years I’ve found these heavy seasons can be very fruitful – many people coming to Christ. Creative teams rising to the next level.
But I’ve also found it to be a strain – a strain on physical health and family health. Holiday weekends can fly by without hardly seeing your family. If you’re in ministry you know the tension.
If you lead worship, you know who Elevation Worship is. Over the last decade they have led the charge on building great team culture and writing powerful original songs for churches.
Today, we welcome lead producer/songwriter Mack Brock to the show. It takes so many people to pull off large projects like Elevation’s new “There is a Cloud” but Mack, more than anyone else, sees the project through from start to finish.
In this chat we talk about the new album, writing for church, picking songs & sets, worship culture, & more. Enjoy!
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For anyone who creates, inspiration is gold.
When we feel inspired, we make things. It’s like a jolt of energy, a spark in the darkness. What once felt so difficult seems to flow with ease.
The problem with inspiration, though, is that it hardly ever comes. When we look at world class works of art, we imagine that it just happened upon brilliant people because they were born, well, brilliant. Songs coming out of thin air in a massive LA studio. Book writing over a balcony off the coast of Italy.
That’s the story we want to hear. But the truth is, it’s plain old work. Hard work. What actually makes art world class is the tenacity and scary commitment an artist has to creating. They can’t be stopped. Their vision won’t be interrupted.
When I asked Brian Johnson about his songwriting process, he said, “I work my butt off.” While you don’t necessarily need to lose your gluteus maximus in the process, you do need to expect work. Time. Sweat. Wrestling.
Aren’t you glad you read this today?