Recruiting to Vision: That All May Sing
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. - 1 Peter 4:10
We are uniquely gifted by the grace of Jesus for the building up of the church through the gathering of God’s people (1 Peter 4, Ephesians 4). We want to constantly be looking for who God is bringing us. God knows our needs and we should expect him to provide for us and when someone in the church uses their gift to encourage and build up the body of Christ, it is a kingdom moment! It’s the people of God functioning the way God designed.
“...from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” - Ephesians 4:16
When we are attentive to who God brings us and are shepherding first those around us, we also get the opportunity to not just find a vocalist or a guitar player, but another brother or sister in Christ that has a story and a unique background and experience of the Lord that we all can benefit and learn from and that someone in our church might need to be led in worship by. Whether their background is a gospel choir, a rock band, bluegrass, or worshiping in another language, we all have a place in his church, in his family, in his song. Everything we do is “That all may sing!” The people make the church, the people make the sound of our worship, so we desire to be led and served by all the people that God supplies and gifts to Paradox.
All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. - Psalm 86:9
What are we looking for?
For the Worship Team at Paradox, here are two recruiting anchors that we want to be attentive to when we are seeking new team members:
Paradox Culture of Worship: Who has the characteristics and posture that supports the culture of worship at Paradox (Spirit-led, Gospel-Driven, Joy-Filled)? When you see them worshiping in the congregation are they “leading” the congregation already? Do they look engaged with God and those around them? Are they physically expressive and joyful in their worship? Are they singing? Are they passionate about seeing others worship Jesus?
Gifting: Who has God brought to Paradox that we can encourage, equip, and empower to serve and lead as a part of the Body of Christ? Could they lead songs, sing in a choir, or play an instrument of any kind? Do you know someone that has a strength where we are weak as a team?
What do we do when we find someone?
Encourage them by honoring them in light of the gift of God you see in them! Affirm that you see Christ at work in them and let them know they have a valuable place in the church
Ask them to join our team by applying at prdxmusicandarts.com/apply and/or introduce them to your Team Leader and other team members.
Invite them to join us for our next Choir Sunday! They can do this before they join the team, it’s a great way to connect new people to the worship team before they are even on it!
Where do we find them?
Sunday & College Gatherings (When you hear someone around you or hear someone talking about music/singing)
City Group (Let the Group know we are looking and there is a place for them)
Discipleship Group (Let the Group know we are looking and there is a place for them)
Redemption Groups (Let the Group know we are looking and there is a place for them)
Friend Groups (Let them know we are looking and there is a place for them)
Remind Your Teammates (Check-in and encourage one another)
*Always invite those above to help you find people!
Written by Matt Shelton | Pastor of Music & Arts at The Paradox Church
Song Story: Make Your Glory Known
“Make Your Glory Known” was written to sing in times of seeking God through the Spiritual disciplines (Verse 1), Gifts (verse 2), asking the Lord to make Himself known to us (Chorus), confessing that we often live out of our own strength instead of seeking God’s help (Bridge 1), and confessing our desire for God to outshine the things of this world in our everyday lives (Bridge 2).
One morning in California with my family, I was up early with my guitar and wrestling through this song in particular. We didn’t have a bridge yet and it seemed like something important was missing. So far the lyrics addressed how we are pursuing Christ, what we are doing, and how we want to see and know more of God. I wa starting to get frustrated that I couldn’t figure out what the song needed. I was disciplined and working hard to write this song, and God had led us so clearly in the verses and chorus, but I felt like we were hitting a wall. In my mind, he wasn’t “making his glory known” to me yet, which was the whole point of the song. I started praying and sharing this with the Lord, but the the Spirit interrupted me and then I said these words, “The hardest part of waking up, is knowing I need you.”
It wasn’t said with disdain for needing God. It was a confession. A confession that I had woken up and thought that I could do something without him. Not theologically. But practically. I could pick up my guitar and need to write a song. I could get in my car and need to get coffee. I could get to work and need to knock out tasks. I could minister to people and need to serve them. I could go through my day and need to do a lot of things. That’s easy. What’s hard is remembering each moment that the thing I need most is the Spirit of God. To see God not just as my eternal savior, but also my present help and breathe of life. Throughout the psalms, we see the significance of our posture towards God in the morning. This isn’t a head issue. It’s a heart one. That’s what this line addresses. It gives us a song to sing that reminds us of our wandering. A song of repentance. One that quickly turns from an awakened soul to a desperate one... “come and steal my heart, come and lift my soul, I am yours and you are mine!”
Similarly, in Mark 9:24, we see a desperate Father call out to Jesus and say, “I believe, but help my unbelief.” We aren’t saying in this song that it’s hard to believe theologically that we need God, or that we hate that we need him, but that we often forget, act as if we don’t, or fail to see how we would need God for “even this.”And it’s important that we confess these things corporately because they aren’t just private struggles, but sometimes familial ones as well.
It’s helpful to know, that for some of you this is not an “I feel this way all of the time,” type of line. But nothing we sing is how we feel all of the time. Instead, we sing about what we know. What we know to be true about God, what we know to be true about man, and what we know to be true about our relationship with God through Christ.
Our hope is that wherever you are (in the song), you can lift your voice in praise of Jesus with those who are in other places (in the song), testifying to one another the beauty of the whole gospel together, with one voice to our one God.
Matt Shelton
Pastor of Music & Arts
The Paradox Church
Songs in the Night
“No one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night.” [Job 35:10]
God in his kindness, does not leave us alone in our times of trouble, he meets us in them. One of the unique and beautiful ways he does this is through song. As artist and Pastor Trip Lee says it, “God has granted music unique access to our souls.” It’s something we have all experienced at some point, meeting with God through song. Sometimes it’s not even a “christian” song or a “worship” song and so we don’t know what to make of it other than we know we needed it. It gives us both, the words we didn’t know we needed to say and the words we didn’t know we needed to hear. The right song at the right moment is a deep breath to our soul. A tangible grace and a glimpse of the glory that awaits us. We need these “songs in the night,” not because we need more music, but because we need more Jesus! Do you look for God in times of trouble or is God only present in times of peace?
Charles Spurgeon says it this way:
“The great cause of the Christian's distress, the reason for the depths of sorrow into which many believers are plunged, is simply this—that while they are looking around, on the right hand and on the left, to see how they may escape their troubles, they forget to look to the hills where all real help comes from; they don’t say, “Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?”
- C. H. Spurgeon
By the varied grace of Jesus and power of the Holy Spirit, God gives us songs in the night that he might sing over us, quiet us with his love, and remind us in that “midnight hour,” that he is with us. It turns out, there is a melody for the madness of this world and there is a voice to our deepest need.
In Hebrews 2, we see that it’s Christ singing in the midst of the congregation and it’s Christ who is leading us in praise, proclaiming:
“Again, I will put my trust in him.”
What songs has God given you in the night? What songs do you hear in times of trouble? When you listen, look to Jesus, he is singing, too. The one who knows you better than you know yourself, who loves you more than you can imagine, and who is with you in the darkest nights. Reminding you again, to trust in him. He is our maker, who gives us songs in the night.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
-Psalm 42:8
Matt Shelton
Pastor of Music & Arts at The Paradox Church
LISTEN. SHARE. REPEAT.
Songs in the Night by Paradox Music
Creative Collaboration
How we position our hearts and minds for serving through creativity and expression is ultimately about worship. It can be the difference between shaping us into Joyful Worshipers freed by the grace of God or begrudging task doers enslaved to an audience or critic. For your sake and for our sake as the body of Christ, we need a unified approach to creative collaboration in order to lead each other towards our prize in Christ Jesus. Here are some helpful tuths that we can learn from scripture that will help us work together to tell God’s story.
All Good Things Come from God.
Any good gift we have comes from God (James 1:17), we may be really good at what we do, and maybe even work really hard to be good at it, but even the ability to work hard comes from our gracious Father (Philippians 3). That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have confidence, but that our confidence should be in the giver of all good things (2 Corinthians 3).
You are a gift.
You are a gift intended for the Church and we need you. We have each been gifted uniquely, according to measure of Christ’s gift for the building up of the church (Ephesians 4). This means we have been entrusted with serving the church and using our gifts to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10). It’s very easy for us as artists to complain about the lack of creative culture in our church or others, and sometimes our complaint is valid. But standing on the outside, throwing rocks at stained glass windows is very different than committing on the inside to create new windows that spawn redemption and reflect the glory of God’s creativity.
Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Adventure.
Our aim in stewarding these gifts is not simply that we try hard, though we should (Colossians 3:23). The aim is not to create Christian art that is a version of secular art. It is simply to create excellent, thoughtful, and meaningful art that is rich with the characteristics of God and his story (See the characteristics of the skilled worker in 2 Chronicles 2:7;13-14). We want to be effective in capturing the imagination of the church and the city by making art that sheds light on the kingdom of God and pushes back the darkness of the city. Our quality mark should not be in light of other “church” art, but in light of God’s creation, in light of His glory and grace. God has empowered us to created and cultivate. That means that our work should be inspired and influenced. It’s tempting to see something and think, “let’s do that and just put our name on it.” But that’s not stewardship of the inspiration or your gift, it’s stealing… and it’s not thoughtful, it’s not honest. Use what inspires you, that’s part of the process, and make something new that serves the story you want to tell.
We Are All Right, All The Time, On Everything.
Think of your ideas and vision as a piece to the whole, but not the whole itself (Romans 12). God is building us up as one body, not individual parts (1 Corinthians 12), so go into the creative process looking to play a role. Don’t be a hero. Jesus is a better hero. And a hero that shares in his victory. Collaborating with other artists can get messy, so approach each other with humility and grace, submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:21), just as Christ has shown us. And He is right all the time, on everything.
Be Bold or Font Weights for 500.
Be bold! You are not what you create and definitely not what you or your critics think. Your identity is firmly planted in the righteousness of Christ (Philippians 3). This is GREAT news for creatives. It means we don’t need the recognition of others to have joy, satisfaction, and acceptance. If someone doesn’t like what we create, or suggests revisions or edits, it doesn’t change our position with God and we are not rendered useless or unwanted. So relax. Be bold. Create as someone who has been freed by the grace of God without the need to defend yourself when your art is rejected or glorify your art when it is accepted (2 Corinthians 3). Christ has given you the ultimate acceptance and made you righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21) Now party hard.
Our Story is God's Story
History does not bend towards you and me. Ultimately, our goal is to tell the story of God (Mark 16:15). God’s kingdom is not painted with self-expression. It is painted with the glory and grace of God (Mark 5:19). It is built on His redeeming purpose, not our own. We want people to sing “How Great thou Art” to God, not us. This is done through the stories we tell (Luke 8:39). Our story is God’s story.
This means that you are not insignificant, but as part of the Church you are essential to how God plans to tell the world His story! The good news is that God, in his goodness, he invites us into his story to redeems ours! The good news is that we don’t have to go at it alone, we are now a part of one body in Christ! The good news is that we can be bold, take risks, and dream big of a God who is able to do far more than we ask or think because Jesus has made us His! The good news is that history bends towards Jesus who will reign forever, over all things, as King of all creation!
All creation. Even ours.
Written by Matt Shelton | Pastor of Music & Arts at The Paradox Church
Songs for the Saints
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. - Colossians 3:16
Have you ever wondered why singing is so important to Christians?
Maybe you haven't. Maybe you think singing is for the “gifted.” Or maybe (especially on Sunday morning) you just don't ever feel like singing.
This Sunday, with a single guitar and our voices we will remind ourselves that each week when we sing something amazing is happening. Something miraculous. The Spirit of God is placing His word into our hearts so that it will take root and echo throughout our week the good news of Jesus! Sweet melodic ammunition to fight off lies of the enemy. Songs that remind us that God is with us and for us, that He hears us, that we are His and He will defend us. And all this takes place through the lifted voices of the saints.
Singing is important to us, because it is important to God. It is important to God because it is His truth for us, given to us in love.
The Lord has gifted us with many musicians and artists to build up the Church in love and beauty, stirring our affections towards Jesus, helping us to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, and all of it is in service to one thing. The singing of God's people proclaiming the hope of Jesus for all to hear, so that all may sing!
So join us in praying for our time of singing. Pray that the word of God would dwell in us richly through the songs that we sing!
Whether for hope or from hope, from faith or for faith, from joy or for joy...may we sing loudly and boldly, never forgetting the glorious grace of Jesus Christ our King!
Matt Shelton
Pastor of Music and Arts at The Paradox Church
Genesis: The Design in the Design.
Take a look into the design process for a "Genesis" branding project.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1
When you hear “Genesis” what do you see? Do you see a garden with Adam and Eve in leaf briefs, befriending serpents like “Sir Hiss” in the classic 1973 Disney film “Robin Hood.” Noah’s Ark portrayed as a floating zoo, (meanwhile, God was destroying the rest of humanity), or maybe you think of Joseph and his “Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” There are so many images living inside us. These cultural cues shape our imagination for how we read and see God’s Word. Some are helpful, some harmful.
When I was tasked with the branding (visual identity) for Genesis, it led me to think about Genesis in a new light. What is Genesis actually telling us? There are a lot of sub-stories in Genesis and so I didn’t want to create imagery that would turn us away from the main story. Genesis is, for us, Act I. It’s in Genesis that we are introduced to the Grand Story we are in and what role we will play; and God is the one who is setting the stage for us. He is the Author and the Hero in which all the other characters and subplots point to. He is the Promise-Maker and the Promise-Keeper, the Beginning and the End, the Creator and the Redeemer. It’s important that the images we attach to the book of Genesis (or any of our doctrine and theology) stir our imagination to be filled with the story of God, not manipulate it.
Disclaimer: Everything means something, but some things don’t have to mean everything. It’s important when approaching creation and culture to ask, what does this tell me about God, His character or His story? Or what does it reveal in me and my need for Jesus? It is far less important to ask “why did the artist do it this way?” Though, it can be of some insight to learn an artist’s perspective in the same way a commentary might help you understand certain truths of scripture. That’s how we want to approach this artwork. How does it help you dream of God and His story? How does it illuminate God’s word?
We decided that with such a long series that we should split it up into sections. The problem with this is that whatever concept I came up with, it would need to be flexible and open enough to allow us to grow into it, but still with direction and purpose. The hope of what it will become, not just what I intend for it to be. It had to be a living adaptation. I knew where I wanted to start, but where would it go?
I began to look at Genesis in the light of this “Act 1” concept, and split it up into four major themes, the initiation of God (In the beginning-with God), the introduction of man (creation of man-with God), the broken relationship between God and Man (fall of man-away from God), and the hope of reconciliation (covenant renewal of all things-with God). This helped to give better direction for each portrait. I was fairly dedicated at this point to not show any action or movement in any individual design, but wanted to allow the movement to rise throughout a series of designs. So you might not get a sense of what’s happening in each frame, but when viewed together your imagination would begin to fill the space with the scriptures and see a more vivid picture of God’s redemptive story and plan. God’s presence and faithfulness are marked by the overwhelming beauty and majesty of creation in each graphic. It was important to show the steadfast love of God in each scene. And if you notice, even in the brokenness of man (in graphic 3), in all the darkness and solitude, there’s a lit path that leads back to the open skies to remind us of God’s presence, faithfulness, and steadfast love to see us through. Even in our brokenness, God is present and active in bringing new life.
With the logo, I was able to be a little more straightforward in my approach. I wanted to customize a typeface that would push our thoughts towards eternity. It’s easy to read Genesis and see the past, but what about the future? Where do we turn our eyes now in the present? Going with a soft sans-serif font gives a futuristic or galactic appearance, and the extended arms of the letter “N” show the interaction between heaven and earth. It suggests that there is more to the picture than what you see, leading your imagination to wonder and awe at our God who is over all things, and out of His love for us is making all things new.
Matt Shelton
Pastor of Music & Arts at The Paradox Church
SUGGESTED LISTENING:
Tomorrowland (2015) Soundtrack