Sorry it has been such a long while since I have added a new video… turns out that 9 weeks on the road really takes it out of you. We are in week 5 of 9 of our summer tour. Here is the video and tab on how to play one of my favorite tracks on The Days Of Love, “Still Breathing”. As always, watch the Gear video if you need to reference what guitars and pedals I use on each part. Since the video, I replaced the Boss BluesDriver with a Keeley-modded Blues Driver, added a Cosmic Boost from DMB Pedals, and removed the Flanger for good!
Hey guys, here’s how you play track 3 on The Days Of Love, “No Greater Love”. If you need to reference what gear I’m using, watch the Gear video from this post. The only things I have updated since the gear video was shot are the Boss Blues Driver, which I’ve switched to a Keeley-modded Blues Driver, and the addition of the new Boss DD-7 delay.
Hey guys, Kyle here. We’re going to be posting some videos detailing how to play each track on the new record, The Days Of Love. This first one is for “Closer” and “…And All Else Disappears”. I’ve also posted a video of what gear I am using so you can reference that in the future if you need to know what a certain pedal does, or what sound I am using it for. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section (and not on the YouTube page), and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Kyle’s gear (guitars, amps, pedalboard):
How To Play “Closer” and “…And All Else Disappears”:
Everyone values something. A friend of mine always says “anything of value costs something”. It’s true… there’s not much in life that’s free, and the things that are, aren’t usually worth much. If you really want something of value, it costs you time, sacrifice, sometimes money, or even your own comfort and wellbeing.
I think the same is true for people. I believe that people have an inherent need to feel value. As I’ve thought about this more, I realize that valuing others was a huge characteristic of Christ’s life and ministry. How could I have overlooked this?? Yes, Christ had compassion on the poor, healed the sick, and ultimately died to reconnect us with God, but I can see throughout the Gospels… Christ really just valued people, and it cost Him everything.
I’ve had an interesting week. There have been some unique conversations with some very random people. One thing has rung true through each interaction: people like to be valued by someone else. Most people enjoy being asked about themselves. They enjoy being listened to. Many even enjoy bragging about who they are, and what they’ve done. I talked to Eric who started talking about politics. Instead of sharing my opinion, I politely listened to his. When he realized that I wasn’t going to argue with him, he began to open up about other things… past experiences, a troubled childhood, even his family. I spent a lot of time just listening and asking the occasional strategically placed question. But I value Eric, and want to be his friend. Even more than that, I want him to know Christ. I believe that God will give me the opportunity to share that with Him at some point, but I have to keep in mind, that it’s not my job to save Eric, it’s my job to love him and value him.
I often think that it’s easier to love God than people. People are dirty, they hurt you, and are mean. But it’s our job to love them and to value who they are. As Christians, I feel like we sometime miss the point of value, because we are so eager to get people saved, or because we are so distracted by their disregard for our set of beliefs. I wonder how much more “not-yet believers” would be open to our Christ if we just valued them first?? I also sometimes wonder if God is more glorified when I spend 45 minutes listening to Eric and showing him value or when I spend 45 minutes singing worship songs on Sunday morning?? Both are good and right and true… but one is the cause, and one is the effect. If we begin to value others, and show other believers how to do that as well, isn’t that worship leading in and of itself??
I’m sort of bewildered as I sit down to write the first entry for this worship blog, because I feel as if I have so much to say, but don’t completely know how to say it. I’ve been leading worship for about 10 years now, and I’ve learned so much over the years as my ministry has developed, but I have spent little time putting into words what has been happening in my heart.
I guess about a year ago, I sort of questioned why we do this thing called worship. I began to wonder why these large structured times of corporate worship were so important. I’ve always felt that worship gatherings were a response, but sometimes I feel as if we’ve facilitated response and forgotten to be obedient. Worship is obedience. Until we’ve been obedient, it’s hard to completely understand response.
My two year old son loves to be outside. When he’s playing outside, I will often say “Jaxon, let’s go get the mail”. When he chooses to walk with me to the mail box, something occurs that draws him closer to me. Because he is obedient, spends time with me, and is a part of what I’m doing, his response is to want to be with me all the time. He wants me to hold him and play with him more after we’ve participated in an activity together. How could he respond to me if we never spent time together, or he never took part in what I was doing?
That’s sort of where “The Days Of Love” began. The guys in the band and I talked about it, and realized that we could sing worship songs until we were all blue in the face, but until we started living out the very faith, compassion, and love that we sing about, we were just responding without obeying. We realize that our purpose on this earth is to love God and love people. Singing worship songs is a great thing, but it should be a response to who God is and what He has done. If we haven’t encountered Him or been a part of His work, how can we respond to Him?
More than anything, we want this blog to be a resource to people who are trying to figure out how to live the days of love, and teach others to do the same. Each day is another opportunity for us to love God and to love those who are put in our path. We plan on having some practical videos and instruction on this site for worship leaders, but we also want to help worship leaders discover how they can help people be drawn to obedience and make the response that much sweeter.
