Today was a jam packed day to say the least. We began it early, with a session with Randy Vader and Jay Rouse. Randy shared a story-telling style devotional laced with much humor, and Jay led in worship. They led the reading session from PraiseGathering that followed, but I'm not sure I found anything there. They did introduce a new Christmas cantata, but only did one piece from it, so I'll have to go back and listen to the rest later online. Mike Harland, the LifeWay Music "Czar", is the speaker for the week, and he did a pretty nice job with the "sermon," while Jay Rouse led more worship songs. I never thought I'd say this, but the music was TOO LOUD. Despite that, Jay was an excellent worship leader.
After morning worship, I had two hours with Michael Adler, a former TRUTH alum, I believe, who I had actually seen leading worship at Ridgecrest several years ago. It was good to see him back in a teaching role. He talked on methods of retooling traditional hymns to make them fit more in services that demanded a more contemporary style. He also gave some tips as to how to combine songs into medleys in creative ways. Some usable tips that I'll definitely put into practice. I also went to a LifeWay Worship Project course, which ended up being just the same "commercial" I had heard two years ago when the new hymnal first came out. I had REALLY hoped that they would have updated it with some more current info. Still, it was worth going, as I got a free embroidered Polo shirt, and they actually had MY SIZE!! That, my friends, is a miracle, and worth the sales pitch. The afternoon concluded with another reading session from Lillenas, Word, and Brentwood. Word, who usually has consistently quality stuff was a disappointment. All in all, there were a couple of potential anthems I could see myself using, but nothing I'm running out to buy. It seems to be a big year for ballads, and although I'm a big ballad fan, all of the publishers have really got some "sleepy" pieces this year.
The evening's feature was the Mississippi All-State Youth Choir, who did a nice, surprisingly very classical program. They incorporated a few creative movements in as well that were very touching. The second half of the program was a worship concert by Dennis Jernigan. It was outstanding. I've seen him a few times before, and he seems to get better each time. The heart behind his music is very inspiring, and his testimony is very moving. Although much of Dennis' music sounds the same after a concert of this length, you can't deny he is a man with a heart sold out for Jesus and a passion few artists can deliver. He introduced much new music tonight, in addition to the standards "You are My All in All," "The Lord Reigns," "There is a Fountain," and my personal favorite "When the Night is Falling."
Usually I force myself to skip a class just to get a break during the day. However, there was just too many good choices I didn't feel I should miss. Tomorrow for the first time we have an evening off. That will feel weird. We may be using that time to go connect with a friend in Asheville I haven't seen in years.
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