carry actually begins to flourish?” I think that’s
my main job right now.
[WM] Do you enjoy songwriting collaboration?
How does the process best work for you?
[Rita] Absolutely, its actually become one of
my most favorite things because of the ministry
that happens prior to the writing. For me I prefer
face to face, it takes a little bit longer on Skype
to do something like that. I love the face to
face because you’re with a familiar face and
then someone new comes into the mix, and
its really exciting to me as a Mom and as a
mentor on the way to the write, to start asking
the Holy Spirit about these people and what
they need that I can bring to them first… before
their gifts are on the table. I think if we come in
first breaking the bread and not come in first
trying to get our talent across, then communion
becomes what we break together, the bread
of community is what we break together, then
how can God not give you something beautiful
in the midst of that?
So, every write for me so far has had this
beautiful iridescent oil on it, that whether or not
it becomes the song the church sings, it’s got
life all over it.
[WM] Rita, we met over 20 years ago during
my Vineyard Music tenure. We were all on a
huge learning curve in worship. Hopefully that’s
a learning curve that will never be over. What
are some things that remain just as true and
just as fresh about worship today, as they were
because the building was beautiful, or because I witnessed that more in the last three days in
the band was the coolest. We were coming a community that put aside any belief other
to the building because people were getting than we believe that the God that we serve
never forget? healed, hearts were becoming softened, and is powerful, and musicians and worshippers
salvation was occurring. There was a raw gathered to say all of it is on the table. Were
[Rita] I just flew back from Redding last night, beautiful thing in those early days where hymns going to put everything on the table for the one
turned to choruses and where it was really just thing, and the one thing is “Jesus be glorified”.
about the presence of God. It was simple, it I think that is what is essential in the core of
was pure, it was refining, and we were fumbling my being that I have never released, that I have
around like Helen Keller trying to find her way in never let go of, the pain has never eroded that
a blind world. I miss those days, but there are belief out of my heart. I’ve never allowed agony,
these moments when I realize those days are betrayal, death, encounters with the world to
with me inside and always present. erode or steal the core essence of what its all
20 years ago in Anaheim, California? What are
some worship underpinnings that you hope
practicing and aspiring worship leaders will
and I was in the midst of the whole belief that
a child gone can actually be resurrected. What
I witnessed in the worship community is that
the most familiar thing, it was very intense and
probably more intense than I had ever felt it. It
reminded me of those early beautiful Vineyard
days where we were not coming to the building
22
January 2020
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