AndyRogersMusic.com

Here are two different models for Leading Worship in Bars, Night Clubs and Brothels that I have experienced recently.

Last year I had the opportunity to do two trips within weeks of each other, one to Lithuania the other to Thailand.

On both occasions we were scheduled to do music/worship in bars and night clubs but both situations were different.

In Lithuania our brief was to work with the local Vineyard church initiative in helping engage the arts and music culture of the city. We got booked to play the premier music night club in the area - we were there to entertain the paying customers. However, we really wanted to do a set that was infused with worship so we put together a set that was a mixture of covers, worship songs and one song that we had written for the occasion.

Hi Folks Here’s song 18 of the project (a little late!). It’s one that I have rewritten a few times and now I have this “can’t see the wood for the trees” feeling! As before - let me know if you see any improvements that could be made.[song video at http://blog.andyrogersmusic.com]

There’s just so much to tell these days that I sometimes don’t know where to start so I’ll talk to you about this week’s song and some of the headlines. Before I do that let me say thanks for the response to last weeks effort and the contributions that have come in - I’m already behind in processing and replying to them. Bear with me and I will get back to you soon!

Ok folks, let me tell you how helpful you've been in this songwriting process.

Last night I had the privilege of leading worship at our first Engage event after the summer break and this time around we had a guest speaker, Peter Stott. Peter is well known in the UK and further a field in 24-7 prayer circles.

As I was preparing my set I had this last minute thought that this would be a good opportunty to try out, live, one of our new songs (yep, my planning wasn't any more 'spiritual' than that!).

Well, here we are at week 16 of the project an this time I've come up with a simple Gospel song with an Americana ballad feel, something I haven't really done before.

I'd like to throw this song open for co-writing, I've got a verse and pre-chorus going on here but not much else at this stage.

I haven't fully articulated what I'm about to share with you before, but this seems like a good opportunity to unveil an idea that I have had for a while.

Howdy folks,

Thanks to all of you who emailed over the last few days - your encouragement and generosity are amazing.

The good news is the Laptop is fixable and should be up and running later this week, the guitar is repairable and will go into the capable hands of Geoffrey Craig (a local guitar tech genius with a client list that includes; Nancy Griffiths, Van Morrsion band members, Ash and many others).

A few years ago I was in Iceland at a worship conference when I saw something in a very familiar piece of scripture that I hadn’t noticed before.

Iceland, and other countries on or above the Arctic Circle, face some challenges in wintertime when there is very little daylight whereby many people can be affected by depression related to Seasonally Affected Disorder (S.A.D.). This sometimes manifests itself in increased suicide rates.

This week's song is a collaboration between Leigh-Ann, my eldest daughter, and myself.

I asked Leigh-Ann to created some music that we could hang a song on, so she came up with a chord sequence and rhythm that is the basis of song number 12. As a piano player she has come up with something that I probably wouldn't have done on the guitar, which is great.

It's a first draft that I think it needs another chorus, so this week I'm opening it up again to lyric suggestions for a second verse.

This week I have done things a little differently. Instead of a song that I have initiated this time it's one created by my good mate Mark Rainey who has invited me into the co-writing process. Like the others it's at the 'formative idea stage'.

Also because it doesn't require me to play and sing it I thought I'd do an 'outside broadcast' and feature some of the beautiful scenery from my 'door step' on the Causeway Coast here in Ireland.