and worshipper , how much are you waiting for ‘ the one ’ to come along , and is there any kind of internal tension as you ’ re waiting for it to appear ?
[ Phil ] I definitely haven ’ t passed that level of humanity , You are kind of always looking for those songs with that unexplainable intangible ‘ x-factor ’, ‘ extra-anointing ’, or ‘ God- breathed ’ moment , and that ’ s the chase - to find those songs that are like “ Wow !” There have been songs where I thought , “ This is so special , I can hear churches singing this ” and then it ’ s one of the least popular songs on the record and it falls to the wayside . You just never know in the long run what that intangible anointing , what God is going to breathe into a song beyond your own influence .
The more you write , the more you get this instinct where you go , “ OK , we stumbled onto something that is unique . It doesn ’ t feel like we ’ re just trying to write a song anymore , it feels like there ’ s an extra amount of anointing and Holy Spirit in the moment .” You learn to recognize and chase after that . The search and the challenge to find that and the digging it takes . Those moments of excavating , like someone looking for dinosaur bones when you just see a toe sticking out of the dirt and think , “ We might have just found something special here !” Once in a while songs feel like that . It could even be just one line , one idea , or vision that God puts in your heart . You know what the song is supposed to be , the truth that it ’ s supposed to carry , and have a clear vision for the end result .
“ Living Hope ” // Bethel Music
In every song that has stood the test of time for me , there is always the moment of Holy Spirit inspiration . I call it the anchor of the song . This part of the song will never die or be rewritten . This is the part that the whole song is going to revolve around . Then I try to bring it to life for everyone else as much as it is alive for me in that moment . For every song … there is a certain amount of “ We ’ ve stumbled on something really special here , let ’ s keep running towards it !” and also , “ This isn ’ t quite right . This verse isn ’ t quite right , lets rewrite it . Ok the chorus isn ’ t as good as the verses now , let ’ s rewrite that !” I think there are equal amounts , if not more , perspiration than inspiration .
The more you write , the more your instinct grows to know when you have something special . That ’ s what makes me want to sit down at the piano , it ’ s what keeps me writing . When you stumble into those moments they ’ re so unique and special and far between , that it ’ s a constant chase for that moment and that
8 August 2018 WorshipMusician . com