04/25/10 Logan's Worship Blog

We're back! After a couple 20 hour drives across the country, and two weeks away from our home church family, I am finally blogging about another Dutton set list for The Heights. And I am glad to do so.

This week, we will be led to the Word by our good friend, Afshin Ziafat. If you don't know him, you are one of the few, and you should check out his website: http://www.afshinziafat.com/

Here are the songs we'll be singing together this week...

1. Our God (Tomlin)

Some of you have heard me talk about one of my best friends, Daniel Carson, who plays guitar for the Chris Tomlin band. Well, last friday I was able to be a good friend, when Chris Tomlin was playing in Dallas, and Daniel was in need of a guitar for an acoustic set Chris wanted to do in the middle of the show. I put my old chet atkins guitar in the back my old camry and headed out to Bent Tree Bible, where the guys were sound checking for the evening. Soon after I arrived, Chris and the guys started playing "Our God," which is still fairly new to everyone, as it was only written a few months ago. But, having played this song at The Heights several times, I was able to enjoy this sound check time as a worship experience. It was just me, sitting on the 5th row, amidst 3000 empty seats, but I was still singing with everything in me.

When Chris introduced "Our God" to the crowd that night, he said "This song is a new one, but it seems to be catching on quicker than I expected. During sound check today, there was some guy sitting out in the seats, singing every word. I was freaking out!"

When I went to see Daniel backstage after the show, I reprimanded Chris for referring to me as "some guy" instead of "a friend, named logan, who you can worship with at The Heights in Richardson every Sunday morning at 10:50, for more information visit http://1050worship.blogspot.com/." But then I forgave him.

Romans 8:31b (New International Version)

If God is for us, who can be against us?

2. Lead Me to the Cross (Fraser)

This Sunday we are going to recognize the Heights Youth Group's senior class, most of whom should be committed to attending the Lord's school, Baylor University, this fall. Yes, yes I know Ekpe Udoh left for the draft, but we will still have an elite eight caliber team coming back next year. And don't forget our healthy Heisman hopeful, Robert Griffin, will be tearing up the turf this fall. God Bless our football coach Art Briles. Anyway! Anyway. I was given the task of choosing a song to follow the time of prayer we will be having for our Seniors, and I can't think of a better declaration for our students to make than this:

Lead me to the cross, where your love poured out

Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself, I belong to you

Oh lead me, lead me to the cross

1 Corinthians 1:18 (New International Version)

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

3. You are Good (some guy)

I think it's important for worship leaders to spend consistent time in the Psalms. Read them every day. Read different translations. Read commentaries. Make your own commentaries! Pray the words! Put the words to music! Recently, I've been praying through five NIV psalms each day, and today I read through my favorite 5 psalm stretch: psalm 21-25. I try to highlight my favorite parts, and by the end of my reading time today, I realized that I had highlighted every last word of those five psalms. Yes, that may defeat the point of highlighting, but I love the smell of highlighters, so it was still a gratifying task.

I was not only blown away by the poetry of these five psalms, I was broken by their honesty. As much as any man in history, David experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but he gave glory to God at every turn. That is the goal of this song. Honesty, brokenness, and trust. I would encourage you to spend some time with psalm 22 today. Everyone remembers psalm 23, but what is David going through in the previous prayer...

Psalm 22

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David.

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷ All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.

¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.

³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.

³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

Heights Worship Blog: 04/11/10

Worship Leader for this Sunday: Richard Smith

Sunday, April 11th

Majestic - Lincoln Brewster

Here Is Our King - David Crowder

Living for Your Glory - Tim Hughes

You Are So Good to Me - Waterdeep

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) - John Newton/Chris Tomlin

Logan's Worship Blog: Easter Sunday 2010

I write to you from a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio - where we will be leading worship tonight for the Ohio Youth Evangelism Conference. I can't wait to lead thousands of young students in a Good Friday celebration of the cross.

But the cross is not our hope. The empty tomb is our hope. Without the resurrection, there is no justification. And so the real celebration takes place this Sunday morning, when we remember the significance of Mark 16:6 "And he said to them, 'Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him.'"

1. Let God Arise (Tomlin) - We'll play this song as you guys are making your way into the building for the 10:50 SERVICE. Remember, there is no such thing as an "11 o clock service" at the heights. We start at 10:50, and we always lead one song at about 10:45, five minutes before the service starts, as the countdown clock is running. So get out of bed five minutes sooner, tell your Adult Bible Fellowship leaders to let you out on time, get the kids to K-Dog a bit early, do whatever you have to do to make it to worship by 10:45!

This week we'll be singing "Let God Arise" as the countdown video shows the tomb being slowly rolled away from the grave. Don't miss this moment! And let's be honest... it's Easter. You'll have to get there early to get a seat anyway.

"Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee before Him." Psalm 68:1

2. Mighty to Save (Fielding & Morgan) - God works in mysterious ways. He holds time in His hands and sees all of history laid out before Him. He knew that when Australia's coasts were utilized a place of banishment for British criminals in the 18th century, eventually this nation would develop into a hotbed of passionate worshippers who would be writing and singing songs to proclaim God's infinite glory. "Mighty to Save" is one of the many songs we borrow from a church in Sydney called Hillsong. Here's just glimpse of what worship looks like for them: Mighty to Save Video

17 The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph. 3:17

3. When Heaven Came Down (Walter) - We introduced this one at Christmas time as a song about the incarnation. But the song doesn't stop there. The first verse is about God becoming man, but the second verse says:

You were nailed to the Tree of Life

And all creation was justified

When heaven came down and kissed the earth

Son of Man, Redeemer God

The Holy Spirit was sent to us

When heaven came down and kissed the earth

So this Sunday we sing "When Heaven Came Down" as an Easter song, celebrating our Redeemer God, the justifications He gives to us, and the Spirit that he left with us. We remember that if God hadn't sent His Son to stand in the gap for us, there would be nothing standing between us and God's wrath. Ezekiel tells us that we would be consumed!

30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD." Ezekiel 22:30-31

4. Our God (Tomlin & Redman) - These past few weeks, you've been singing this song with all your heart, mind, soul, and VOLUME. I love backing away from the microphone and letting you guys sing this chorus on your own. Don't be afraid to sing out! Let the Spirit lead you! If a visitor, who doesn't know this song, is standing beside you - your passion and willingness to shout praises to God will encourage them to do the same. Sing! Sing! Sing!

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

5. How Great is Our God (Tomlin) - "Our English language only goes so far into saying How Great God is," Chris Tomlin says in this HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD VIDEO INTERVIEW. Watch it.

Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the LORD comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:13

And don't forget to invite everyone you know to church this Sunday. This is one of a few Sundays throughout the year that you may get more "Yes's" than "No's" when you extend an invite!

03/27/10 Logan's Worship Blog

After leading worship for a three day revival at UMHB this week, I took a bit of a songwriting/recording sabbatical out at my parents house in Lorena. So right now I'm feeling refreshed and confident about God's path for my corporate worship songwriting, AND I'm ready to blog...

Here is a little something about each song we are playing tomorrow:

1. Here is Our King (David Crowder) - Oh wow! Just found this recording of Crowder talking about this song's story. It's worth it! Click here to listen

2. Our God (Chris Tomlin) - This was my favorite song to play at the UMHB revival this week. Once again, God has placed a song on Chris' heart that is scriptural, singable, and uplifting. As we were playing this song on Monday, the Tomlin band was entering the studio for the first day of recording on their new album. Be praying for them as they create music that we will all be directing to God soon enough!

3. Bread of Life (Logan Walter) - Written three weeks ago. It wasn't until I was putting together this week's communion set list that I realized "Bread of Life" works well as a "Taking of the Bread" song. Brian came over today and we worked up a little Acoustic-Guitar/Piano version of this song that I hope you will enjoy.

4. The Old Rugged Cross (George Bennard) - I always love reading about the old hymns. And by reading, I mean wikipedia-ing. Click Here

5. Nothing But the Blood (Matt Redman) - This is not the hymn. Not exactly. But it does borrow lyrical themes from "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus." Several years ago, Matt recorded a live worship album of all original songs. The live worship service became the studio album. Here's a clip from that live worship experience: Nothing But the Blood Video

6. Jesus Paid it All (Elvina Hall): Song story...

It was during a Sunday morning service in the spring of 1865 that a hymn was born that pictures so well the finished work of Calvary.

Elvina Hall was seated in her usual spot in the choir of the Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore. Her pastor, Reverend George Schnick, led in prayer, thanking God for such a perfect and complete salvation as found in Jesus Christ. Elvina became so overwhelmed with this great truth that she felt compelled to express her feelings. Unable to find suitable paper, she took a copy of the church hymnal, The New Lute of Zion, and started to compose a poem on the flyleaf of the book. Later that day, she recopied the new poem and it to her pastor.

Sometime later, Pastor Schnick was visiting the church organist, Mr. John T. Grape. A successful coal merchant and a skilled amateur musician, Grape enjoyed composing new melodies of his own from time to time. Knowing this, the pastor inquired if any new tunes had been written recently. Brother Grape replied by playing a new melody he had just finished. Upon hearing it, the pastor exclaimed, "Why you know, Elvina Hall gave me a beautiful set of words some time ago; and if I'm not mistaken, the melody sounded as if it had been written just for her words." With that, he opened his Bible and produced the poem. As the two men started to sing and play the new song, they witnessed a union of words and music as if God had planned the writing of the hymn in the first place.

God does have a plan for the redemption of mankind that began in the Garden of Eden and was completed on the cross of Calvary. This is what Elvina Hall recorded for us when she wrote:

I hear the Savior say, Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness, watch and pray, find in me thine all in all

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.

03/21/10: Logan's Worship Blog

Each week, this blog includes:

I. Songs for the 1050 service at the heights

II. Stories behind those songs

III. Scriptures for those songs

I. Set List

Sing Sing Sing (Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Daniel Carson, Travis Nunn, Matt Gilder)

When Heaven Came Down (Logan Walter)

Our God (Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman)

How He Loves (John Mark McMillan)

You are Good (Logan Walter)

II. Song Stories

1. Sing Sing Sing - We worship God in many ways, but the most re-iterated command in the bible is to "sing." I love reminding the congregation about the scriptural importance of singing as we begin the service with this song. Plus, it rocks. And it is Brian Patterson's (guitar/keys for Dutton) favorite worship song of all time. Check out what Chris Tomlin had to say about the collaborative writing process for this song: "Sing Sing Sing Song Story"

2. When Heaven Came Down - This is slowly becoming my favorite song from our "All Things Fade" album, not because of the melody, the instrumentation, the chords, or even the lyrics, but because of the way the Holy Spirit moves as we play this song at The Heights and around the country. This past weekend we played in Washington DC (click here for a video), and the response to this song was overwhelming. I was especially touched by these words in an anonymous letter I received:

"One of the reasons I was broken this weekend was your song, 'When Heaven Came Down.' Last night I just started crying during that song because for the first time in a few years I finally felt God and His presence. I just wanted to let you know how much you did for me by playing that song."

Since playing in DC, I have received several messages from students who said that "When Heaven Came Down" moved them to tears. This confused me, as I've always thought it was a joyous and uplifting song. Then I realized that it wasn't the song causing this reaction; it was the cross. Our time in DC was spent with speakers Dawson McCallister and Mark Matlock, who took the students on "a walk with Christ to the cross." The teaching was intense, scriptural, and focussed entirely upon the Passion story. By the time we got up on stage to play "When Heaven Came Down," the congregation was ready to surrender everything before the cross and release their emotions of gratitude and joy in a time of corporate worship. The teaching of the cross made room for the Spirit to move!

3. Our God - It's amazing what is happening at Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA and I am so blessed to hear all about it from my good friend Daniel, who plays guitar for Chris Tomlin. For those of you who don't know, Louie Giglio is pastoring a church with some worship leaders you may know: Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels...yeah, pretty awesome. From this core group of church members, a songwriting group has formed, including Louie, Matt, Christy and her husband Nathan, Chris Tomlin and his bandmates Jesse Reeves & Daniel Carson, to name a few. These writing sessions are producing some amazing songs, and this is one of them. If you haven't bought the Passion: Awakening album yet, do it! We'll be playing more songs from this album in the months to come!

4. How He Loves - This song has an amazing story behind it, which I cannot find anywhere on the internet. Someone must have removed the video? I am going to find it and post it next time we play this song, but for now, you should watch Crowder's amazing How He Loves Music Video

5. You are Good - I went to high school and college in the Waco area, and I've come home for a couple days to watch my Baylor Bears advance to the sweet sixteen. Sic em! Right now I'm sitting on my parent's couch, where I wrote "You are Good" late one night in December of '08. I haven't thought about this until now, but I think there's something to be said about "where" a song is written. I love my Duplex in Dallas, but the clubs nearby are allowed to blast hip-hop music until 2am every night, so "late night" song inspiration about God's goodness is unlikely. In fact, it's a reminder of how difficult it is to separate ourselves from the noise of life and allow room for the Holy Spirit to speak.

I have no trouble finding space at my parent's house, on 2.5 acres out in the country, where even the nearby houses are separated by dozens of trees. So, one interpretation of this song could be: "God, You feel so close (when I am listening to Your Spirit) and then so far away (when I fail to block out the noise of life), still you are worthy of my highest praise (and Your worth is impressing upon me right now, out here in the country, on this couch, where i am writing this song), for You remain unshaken (whether i am out in the country or trying to fall asleep to hip-hop music, your goodness is steadily infinite)."

III. Song Scriptures

1. Sing Sing Sing- Colossians 3:16

16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

2. When Heaven Came Down- 1 Timothy 3:16

16Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.

3. Our God- 2 Chronicles 2:5-6

5 "The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?

4. How He Loves- Psalm 36:7

7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

5. You are Good- Psalm 31:19

19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.

03/14/10 Logan's Worship Blog

We (Dutton) are in Washington DC this weekend and will not be able to make it back in time for church on Sunday. This will be one of only 10-12 Sundays that we will be gone throughout the year, but I'm sure some of you are wondering WHERE we go and WHAT we do when we're on the road. Well, that question can be answered by visiting my YOUTUBE PAGE, where I make music videos to document our travels. For example, check out this video I made after our last trip to the nation's capital: "Dutton in DC"

Taking our place this week will be a talented worship leader named Jon Abel. Check out his set list below and find out more about him at www.jonabel.com

Opening Song :
1. Awesome is the Lord Most High

Congregational Worship :
1. It Is well with my soul
2. Be Thou My Vision
3. How Great Thou Art

Offertory Song :
1. Crying Out To You

03/07/10: Logan's Worship Blog

Each week, this blog includes:

I. Songs for the 1050 service at the heights

II. Stories behind those songs

III. Scriptures for those songs

I. Set List

You are Here (Logan Walter)

Changed (Logan Walter)

Call to Action (Logan Walter)

You are Good (Logan Walter)

Bread of Life (Logan Walter - never been played! wrote it this week! yikes.)

II. Song Stories

1. You are Here - I'll write about the theology of this song in a later post. For now, all you need to know is that this song has been played in space, thanks to our good friend, astronaut Shane Kimbrough, and his lovely wife, Robbie, who chose the music for Day 9 on the international space station. It is probably the coolest thing that has ever happened to us. You can hear Shane give us a shout out from space at 1:02 on this YouTube clip: Dutton in Space

2. Changed - Before we step onto stage for a time of worship, I often pray that we will simply encounter God's presence, because I know that if we truly encounter the Living God, our lives will be changed. It seems elementary, but how many times do we leave church with changed hearts and minds,? How many times do we allow the face of God to burn a new imprint of Holiness upon our souls? Most of the time we leave the same way that we came: thinking about lunch, craving a nap, dreading Monday morning. We find out in Isaiah 6 that a true encounter with God demands better of us: Isaiah 6:1-8

3. Call to Action - Part of being on staff at "The Heights" is having accountability, which we have with John Wills (executive pastor) and Dave Rogers (too many job titles to list). We respond to questions about our lives as we read through books, such as "Jim & Casper Go to Church." In this book, Jim Henderson (a pastor) visits several American churches with a guy named Matt Casper, who is an atheist.

Throughout the book, Casper keeps asking Jim (and this is a paraphrase): "Jim, this Jesus I've heard about and read about...He doesn't just believe in something, he does something about His beliefs. He heals the sick, feeds the hungry...Jim, where's the "call to action" ** in the church?" Last year, our church focussed on "Serve," reaching out the the communities around us. So the song was inspired both by the book and what was happening in our church community.

**Jim visited our church this summer and we had the honor of playing this song for him. He loved it! And he said, "Casper's a total music buff; he will be so stoked to find out that he helped inspire a rock song."

4. You are Good - We played this one for the first time last week, and nobody filed a complaint, so we are playing it again. Do you want to know a little worship leading secret? There's a formula to introducing a song. It goes like this:

a. week one: introduce the song

b. week two: if the song goes well, play it again to familiarize the congregation with the lyrics and melody

c. week three: give it a rest. nobody wants to hear the same stuff three weeks in a row

d. week four: play it again, in hopes that the church will be able to internalize the song.

Ok, ok. There's not really a formula, and if there is, I don't follow it very well. Worship is not meant to be formulaic, but that doesn't mean that worship leaders can't use reason. Common sense is of God, and as people of God, we are called to use Common Sense well! Dave Rogers, Heights staff member and accountability partner, once told me that people need to hear something three times before they remember it. This is another unofficial statistic, but I usually adhere to it. That's why we don't introduce a song at a church camp, unless we can play it at least three times throughout the week.

Great. Now that I've told you the secret formula, I don't want to use it anymore. "You are Good" next week. Three times in a row. Deal with it.

5. Bread of Life - I've never done this before, but I am going to have the congregation be seated and introduce this song to them, just me and the acoustic guitar. The band hasn't even heard it!

It's inspired by the 19th century hymn, "Break Thou The Bread of Life"** and chapter two of Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology," which my small group discussed this week. Some songs, such as "You are Good," are simply meant to be songs of praise. Other worship songs have a function (ex: "You are Here" and "Welcome Here" function as a Call to Worship). "Break the Bread" has a specific function in a worship set. It's meant to be played before the sermon, as we ask God to speak to us through His Word. In the spirit of the hymns, the music is simple and singable. Very simple. In fact, don't get your hopes up. It's the most simple song I've ever written.

But the words are True:

Break the bread of life, o Lord

break the bread to me

as you broke the bread, o Lord

that day beside the sea

throughout your word i seek you Lord

my spirit longs for thee

so break the bread of life, o Lord

break the bread to me

bless your holy word, o Lord

bless your word to me

as you blessed the bread, o Lord

that day by galilee

then all my chains shall fall away

and i shall find my peace

so bless your holy word o Lord

bless your word to me

Bread of life

You are the bread of life

you became flesh, my righteousness

Jesus you are

Bread of life

You are the bread of life

you became flesh, my righteousness

Jesus you are

throughout your word i seek you Lord

my spirit longs for thee

so break the bread of life, o Lord

break the bread to me

Break the bread to me

Break the bread to me

**I've actually never heard "Break Thou the Bread of Life." The lyrics were written at the end of the second chapter in Grudem's book, so I wrote some words and music, using the lyrical themes from the hymn.

III. Song Scriptures

1. You are Here - I

Psalm 99:3

Let them praise your great and awesome name—
he is holy (set apart).

Isaiah 7:14

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us).

2. Changed -

Isaiah 6:5

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

3. Call to Action -

Matthew 25:40

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

4. You are Good -

Psalm 25:8

8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

5. Bread of Life -

John 6:35

35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.