Archives For Heart

Focusing on the heart of a worship drummer.

vacation

For most of us we are in the heat of our summer months and that usually means many of us are planning to go on vacation to enjoy some rest and recreation. That’s all fine and dandy, but there are a few things you should do before you head for the beach.

Vacation Checklist for WorshipDrummers

1. Let Your Worship Leader/Director Know In Advance.

Assuming you are a regular drummer at your church (and even if you are not), it is always a good idea to let your worship leader/director know that you will be leaving. Many of your churches may even use Planning Center Online so make sure you block out those dates. You are a vital part of your team and communicating you’ll be away is crucial.

2. Bring Your Bible, Notebook, Highlighter, and a Pen.

As you go away on vacation – away from the noise, and all that is familiar – you may find that your head will be clear from all of the distractions of home, work, and church. As such, this can be a great opportunity to quiet down your busy mind and to connect with the One who created you. Maybe then, you’ll begin to hear God’s still small voice that is longing to speak to you.

Set aside some time, daily, where you will open up God’s word, read it, write about what God’s speaking to you, highlight portions that slap you in the face, and chew on it for a while.

3. Check Out A Local Church.

One of the things that I love to do with my wife when we are away on vacation is find a local church to attend. We enjoy just showing up like visitors, worshiping with God’s people and soaking it all up. We usually feel encouraged, inspired, and blessed by the experience and come home with a few ideas of what we can do to be better (or sometimes we learn what not to do ;) ).

4. Pack Your Metronome and Drumsticks.

Carl Albrecht, a great worshipdrummer and friend of ours, has a great video of how you can practice while being on the road without a drum kit. Using the bed, a metronome and your drumsticks, you can have an intense workout to ensure you keep your chops fresh.

Most of all, have fun and be safe!

Did we miss anything? Are you going on vacation? What would you add to this checklist? 

(pic via Health Care)

 

[this post is part of a series based on a conversation with Mike Webber. Check out Part 1,Part 2, Part 3]

In this last segment Mike shares his heart about playing with humility, fulfilling our calling as drummers and their new CD Heal Our Land.

Continue Reading…

I recently caught up with Mike Webber, the phenomenal drummer for Planetshakers, and had the opportunity to ask him some questions about drums, drummers and worshipdrumming. The conversation was so animated that we ended up with 45 mins of video, chalk full of great advice for worshipdrummers.

We will be breaking up the interview into 3 shorter videos so you will have an easier time digesting them.

In many respects, Mike’s drumming has influenced my playing and has always encouraged me to play from a passionate place. I know you will enjoy these videos!

So without further ado, here’s video number one.

// Part 1: Origins and Influences

[If you want to hear Ps Russell say "Michael, give some devil some pain on that drums" click here and listen from 2:00]

What are your impressions? Have you heard of Mike before? Let’s chat it up in the comments below.

Stay tuned for part two!

Editor’s note: Audio and video quality are not the best as it was recorded through Skype. The audio was out of sync and we are trying to find a better solution for future interviews. Thanks for understanding. Most of all, I pray that the content is highly valuable to you. 

WorshipDrummer.ca is One Year Old

[pic via mjpi]

Wow! Ladies and gents, has it really been one year already? Actually, it’s been one year, one month and one week. How cool is that, I waited to write this post so all the ones would align! :)

Continue Reading…

Happy Easter!

April 6, 2012 — Leave a comment

I know that we are all really busy this weekend but I just wanted to wish you all a happy and blessed Easter and share this scripture and video with you! John 18:37

“Pilate therefore said to Him, Are You a king then? Jesus answered, You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” – John 18:37

Thank You Jesus for the cross!

Every so often I dream about a day when worshipdrummer.ca will grow beyond being just a blog. After all, as worshipdrummers we are real people. I have seriously longed for a day when we could gather an army of worshipdrummers under one roof and spend some meaningful time together learning, growing, and connecting with one another. Putting on such an event is far too big a feat for our humble blog but I’m incredibly grateful for what the guys over at Risen Drums are doing in this regard.

Continue Reading…

[This post is part of a series based on a 25-minute Conversation With Jared Henderson]

This is our third and final video post on my conversation with DBand’s drummer Jared Henderson. We’ve already learned about serving as we play and Jared’s given us his take on volunteering and working at New Life Church, live vs studio drumming, and his experience working with Nashville drummer/producer Paul Mabury.

Continue Reading…

[This post is part of a series based on a 25-minute Conversation With Jared Henderson]

I’m so excited to share the second part of my conversation with Jared Henderson today. But first, be sure to watch part one as Jared drives home the point of serving as we play. In this second part of our conversation we talk about volunteering, working for New Life Church, live vs studio drumming, and Jared’s experience working with Nashville drummer/producer Paul Mabury.

Jared Henderson - Part 2

Here’s part 2 of the conversation.

How about you? What do you prefer playing, studio or live? Lets us know in the comments and if you have questions we’ll tackle them there too.

We’ll wrap up this series with part 3 of the conversation later this week. We will also be announcing a giveaway in collaboration with Jared and the Desperation Band so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out.

[This post is part of a series based on a 25-minute Conversation With Jared Henderson]

As we already announced, Jared and I had the chance to chat about drums, the desperation band, working with Paul Mabury and his role at New Life Church.

Here is part one of the conversation

Here are some things that I took away from this first portion of our conversation:

  • Find the groove and give the bass player something to lock on to
  • Stick to the verse grooves and chorus grooves (core elements of the song)
  • For what we’re doing in the church we need to be really focused on serving:
    • Serving the Lord
    • Serving the Worship Pastor
    • Serving the Congregation
    • Serving the Song
  • Ask yourself, “How is my drumming serving those four things?”

If you have any questions for Jared, leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to have him respond when he gets the opportunity.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the interview!

A few months ago I received a very encouraging email from Jared Henderson. Jared Who?? Jared is the drummer for Desperation Band and is on staff at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO.

In his email, Jared said that he would be willing to help us out in any way possible, so I took him at his word and threw some ideas at him. The result is a new blog series in the form of an awesome 25-minute Skype chat/interview and a giveaway. We’ve split the interview into 3 parts which will become three blog posts, with a fourth post for a blog giveaway that we’ll run in April for Desperation Band’s (April 10th) release of their newest album, Center Of It All.

UPDATE:

Here’s a worship video featuring Jared and the Desperation Band.