WORSHIP SONGWRITER
[ GOD GAVE ME THIS SONG… NOW WHAT? | John Chisum ]
God has given you a song. You sat down with to discover where your writing falls and make ‘from their hearts,’ as we say. God’s still giving
your guitar one day, and it started flowing out adjustments if you want to. the songs, it’s just that they have more tools
with which to craft them into a style and form
effortlessly. Or, you were driving in your car
that many more people can enjoy.
when suddenly this incredible melody came to There are many kinds of songwriters from you that felt so powerful that you thought the purely devotional to highly commercial ones like whole world should hear it. Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and all the great I interviewed Jon Thurlow for The Song
songwriters you know and love. The good Revolution Podcast recently, and we talked
Perhaps you’ve been writing poetry since 5th news is that you can decide where you want to about this very thing. As a worship leader at the
grade, and you have about 4,000 poems so far. be on “The Song Continuum.” International House of Prayer (Kansas City) for
many years, Jon would cycle through hundreds
You ask, “Is there a true call to write songs on
my life or not?” It’s hard to believe God would Commercial songs like you hear on the radio of known songs, but a lot of spontaneous
give you so many songs and have no plans to (or even the most popular worship songs) are devotional songs would happen, too. Most of
expose them to anyone else on the planet. highly crafted to appeal to the largest number them were just for that moment, but some of
of people. They’re not ‘better’ than devotional them he felt were destined to be taken and
songs that don’t have memorable hooks crafted into songs that many more people could
But does that mean that your songs are
sing as he shaped and fashioned the original
destined for contemporary Christian radio?
idea or snippet into a fully-developed song.
Well, maybe yes and maybe no.
He knows how to write and flow devotionally
...we make a
KINDS OF SONGWRITERS
as well as craft perfectly singable, memorable
mistake when
I’ve come to believe that God indeed gives
everyone songs, but there are different kinds of
songs and songwriters, with their own unique
function in the Body of Christ.
Paul’s double admonition in Ephesians 5 and
Colossians 3 about, “speaking to one another
with psalms, hymns, and songs from the
Spirit...Sing and make music from your heart to
the Lord,” applies to every believer. We all have
songs rumbling around in our hearts, whether
we think we’re
‘failing’ if we
songs on a commercial level.
CONCLUSION
While I believe God indeed gives all kinds of
songs to all ages, from children to the aged,
these songs are, more often than not, actual
don’t write on gifts to the individual more than gifts to the
a commercial way. Zephaniah says that God is constantly
level. to sing back.
entire world. God is just precious and close that
singing over us, so it’s only natural we’d want
we know it or not, but that doesn’t mean every The rub happens when we think a simple song
believer is going to become a professional in our hearts should be the next big hit on
songwriter.
When I work with songwriting clients, I often
and melodies, and we make a mistake when K-LOVE Radio. If you’re feeling the tug to write
we think we’re ‘failing’ if we don’t write on a more commercially, dig in to how that happens.
commercial level. Get more resources and training to add greater
skill to your writing, and begin to develop your
use a tool called “The Song Continuum” that
places ‘devotional songs’ on the far left and I’ve helped dozens of songwriters move talents for the glory of the Lord. But always
‘commercial songs’ on the far right with all down the continuum towards commercial remember that true devotion is where every
kinds of songs in the middle, like Scripture songwriting. They’re just as inspired by God great song starts.
Memory music, once they move down the continuum as they children’s music, and more. It’s a helpful way were when they wrote by intuition only and
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songs,
liturgical
service
February 2018
John Chisum
Managing Partner of Nashville Christian Songwriters,
a coaching and resource company for Christian
songwriters at...
www.NashvilleChristianSongwriters.com
WorshipMusician.com