CHERYL SHEPHERD COLLABORATES WITH SPEAK, BROTHER FOR HER DEBUT WORSHIP RELEASE Worship leader Cheryl Shepherd has teamed up with songwriting husband Jonny Shepherd and brilliant indie folk band Speak, Brother on her debut worship EP titled ‘Bright Light’, due for release on 20th April 2017. The 4 track release is a beautifully recorded, acoustically charged recordingRead more about New EP Bright Light Coming Soon[…]

Sales of Christian music are down between 16-19%  in the first quarter of 2014. This is a reflection of the whole music industry, where almost every genre of music in both physical and digital formats is decreasing in sales.  There is a massive shift towards streaming music sites like Spotify, but did you know that theRead more about The Future Death Of Worship Music[…]

So, this is unusual in the fact I’m reviewing something not directly related to worship music. However, as I’ve written about so often in the past, worship isn’t just what we sing on a Sunday morning, but our entire lives lived out in passion and honesty before God, faithful to his call. Speak, Brother firstlyRead more about Review – Speak, Brother – Dry Bones EP[…]

Wake Up is out now. A five track worship EP marinated in dance, pop and rock with some ambient and experimental seasoning, for anyone tired of the same old worship music sandwich. Available now to order from Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, Play and other stores. Tracks included are: Wake Up Whom The Son Sets Free WhenRead more about Wake Up – Available Now[…]

Whether you’re just starting out leading worship, or you’ve been leading for years, it can often be a daunting task.  Sometimes you can feel uninspired and lacking in creativity, or frustrated and unqualified to do the job.  Here’s three simple tips for starters to keep you on the ball, and help you when you lead:Read more about 3 Simple Tips For A Worship Leader[…]

Worship is not music.  We know that.  Worship is a full-life offering, encompassing all our living. I was thinking recently as to what our Sunday morning sung worship times should look like, and decided one of the best pictures I could come up with was SWALK.  Do you remember the times when you were atRead more about SWALK (Sealed With A Loving Kiss)[…]

In writing a pop or rock song…in fact any genre except congregational worship songs…anything goes. You can write from any experience, any viewpoint, use any language or emotion that you see fit.  Worship song writing is very different. While there is no standard to measure your lyrics against in secular music (although it is clearRead more about Worship Songwriting – Tip No.2 – Lyrics – The Plumb Line[…]

Good worship songwriting is critical in playing a part of the Church’s growth, health and maturity.  It is a big responsibility. One really important process that has helped increase the standard of my songwriting is that of self-critique.  In my experience it is sometimes difficult to find the right people to really say what theyRead more about Worship Songwriting – Tip No. 1 – Self Critique[…]

So often we can sing songs, without fully appreciating the meaning – especially common with old hymns, where the language can be old fashioned or complicated.  Sometimes words are used that are no longer in common use.  Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing is a good example where we sing ‘Here I raise my Ebenezer’Read more about Do You Noel?[…]

One of our worship leaders sang Matt Redmans Heart of Worship this week and changed the lyrics to “I’m coming back to the heart of Christmas and it’s all about you, all about you Jesus”. Once the interruption to my ‘auto-worship’ mode had settled, the stinging truth of that one-word alteration began to settle inRead more about Coming Back To The Heart Of Christmas[…]