jasondunton.com

Here for You

2011-04-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Been singing this song alot lately at our church. Here's some good background info behind it.

The Beautiful Lamb

2011-04-03T14:56:00.001-07:00

I just finished writing an original hymn for one of my grad classes. I really enjoyed this challenge and wanted to share the lyrics with you. Enjoy!

'The Beautiful Lamb'

God of all power and wonder and might
None can compare to Your worth
The fairest of thousands, The author of life
The Lord of heaven and earth

Descending from heaven the Word became flesh
To dwell with the wretched unclean
Unsearchable mystery, unthinkable grace
Of Jesus the ransom for me

Chorus:
Hallelujah, praise to the One
Who has conquered the power of the grave
Hallelujah, my chains are undone
By the beautiful Lamb that was slain

In His compassion He came to our aid
The beggar, the blind, and the lame
His grace has no boundary, His power no end
To the one who will call on His name

Chorus

With joy set before Him, surrendering all
To the will of the Father above
Pierced for our failures, crushed for our sin
Oh the depths of His wonderful love

One day the skies will break open with light
The invasion of eternity
And the unending praises of Jesus Christ
Will sound from His glorious redeemed

Chorus (2x)

Idols and the Living God

2011-03-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Just read this this morning after a prompt (tweet) from a friend of mine. What an illustration of the power of the living God contrasted to the outright worthlessness of man-made idols. I'll let the text speak for itself. Buckle up.

Jeremiah 10

Idols and the Living God

1 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.

2 Thus says the Lord:

"Learn not the way of the nations,

nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens

because the nations are dismayed at them,

3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity.t

A tree from the forest is cut down

and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.

4 They decorate it with silver and gold;

they fasten it with hammer and nails

so that it cannot move.

5 Their idolst are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,

and they cannot speak;

they have to be carried,

for they cannot walk.

Do not be afraid of them,

for they cannot do evil,

neither is it in them to do good."

6 There is none like you, O Lord;

you are great, and your name is great in might.

7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?

For this is your due;

for among all the wise ones of the nations

and in all their kingdoms

there is none like you.

8 They are both stupid and foolish;

the instruction of idols is but wood!

9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,

and gold from Uphaz.

They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith;

their clothing is violet and purple;

they are all the work of skilled men.

10 But the Lord is the true God;

he is the living God and the everlasting King.

At his wrath the earth quakes,

and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

11 Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens."t

12 It is he who made the earth by his power,

who established the world by his wisdom,

and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,

and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning for the rain,

and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

14 Every man is stupid and without knowledge;

every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,

for his images are false,

and there is no breath in them.

15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;

at the time of their punishment they shall perish.

16 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,

for he is the one who formed all things,

and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;

the Lord of hosts is his name.

17 Gather up your bundle from the ground,

O you who dwell under siege!

18 For thus says the Lord:

"Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land

at this time,

and I will bring distress on them,

that they may feel it."

19 Woe is me because of my hurt!

My wound is grievous.

But I said, "Truly this is an affliction,

and I must bear it."

20 My tent is destroyed,

and all my cords are broken;

my children have gone from me,

and they are not;

there is no one to spread my tent again

and to set up my curtains.

21 For the shepherds are stupid

and do not inquire of the Lord;

therefore they have not prospered,

and all their flock is scattered.

22 A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes!—

a great commotion out of the north country

to make the cities of Judah a desolation,

a lair of jackals.

23 I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself,

that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

24 Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;

not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not,

and on the peoples that call not on your name,

for they have devoured Jacob;

they have devoured him and consumed him,

and have laid waste his habitation.

Thundering Thoughts (2 AM Edition)

2011-03-30T01:14:00.001-07:00

It's 2:24 am and I'm wide awake. I woke up about an hour ago to a deafening and an outright frightening thunderstorm. Thunderstorms have always been a paradoxical experience for me.

I love the experience of rain. The sheer beauty of it is one of my favorite things ever. I love the soothing sound of the drops hitting the roof. The smell of the air and the refreshment that it brings as it washes and waters everything it comes in contact with. I love the symbolic connection of rain and the Holy Spirit. Even now as I'm watching the rain pelt my truck from my window, I'm asking God to rain down His presence and power over my heart and mind. I also love playing in the rain. There's something about the entire experience that is exciting, unpredictable, and captivating. I also enjoy watching the lightning. Tonight it's ripping across the sky every few minutes, shattering the darkness with it's brilliance and then vanishing just as instantly as it appears. I heart it.

Thunder is a different story. Thunder absolutely terrifies me. The hair on my neck stands up. I get goosebumps, and I'm not talking about the 'I just kissed a girl and I liked it' kind either. What's a blog post without a Katy Perry reference, am I right? The goosebumps that I'm referring to are the kind you get when you're about to get into a fight, or pulled over by the police, or sent to the principal's office. Or looking over the ledge of any platform higher than 10 feet. I don't do the heights thing very well... at all. Maybe thunder scares me so much because of the connotation that thunderstorms have always had in movies. It seems like something shady or scary is always going down during a thunderstorm. Animated movies are the worst. Remember the scene in 'Lady and the Tramp' where the Tramp fights the rat? That junk still makes me wet myself. Or what about the storm scenes in the 'Secret of NIMH'? Maybe my problem isn't with thunder but with rats. Stupid thunder rats.

Anyhoo, good night...err, morning.

New Project!

2011-03-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I have been writing my head off these last few months and am in the beginning stages of working on a new EP. Three of the four songs that will be on the project are already in rotation at HBC and God is using them to stir our people towards Him (amazingly!) The record will be titled 'Wonder and Awe' and will be out and available for your ears sometime in October. I've also once again employed the talents of Steve Olesky, who did the art for H&C, to design the cover. So excited!!

my writing nook

The New Songs We Sing

2011-03-29T15:56:00.001-07:00

"God you are my God and I will ever praise you. I will seek you in the morning, and learn to walk in your ways. Step by step you'll lead me, and I will follow you all of my days."-- Rich Mullins

As far as I can remember, this was the first non-hymn I ever sang in a congregational setting. I can clearly recall this for a couple of reasons. First of all, it was the first song I had ever sang corporately that didn't begin with the pipe organ and the Minister of Music instructing me to find it in the hymnal. Second of all, I remember feeling something as I heard it. The feeling was unique and strange in that context. The best way I know how describe the feeling is to equate it with taking a shower after mowing the lawn, or brushing my teeth after eating something with onions in it. But to a much greater degree, of course. It was simply refreshing. Yeah that's a good way to put it.

I have always loved singing and singing hymns was no different. But as I stood there and listened to the melody and the words to Mullins' "Sometimes by Step", I was utterly captivated by it. It was written in the way that I would speak it, (which is quite a departure from 'Great is Thy Faithfulness') and was sung in a way that was so creative, intimate and expressive. It planted a seed within me that would ultimately grow into a deep affection for modern worship music.

Much to my delight, this generation has seen an outright explosion of creative expression in the church especially in the corporate worship arena. Artists and Worship Leaders have come face to face with seemingly endless and unprecedented avenues to create and distribute music. Churches have access to resources that allow them to write, record, publish, and distribute songs from their own congregations and share them with literally anyone who has internet access. There also seems to be a vibrant heartbeat among the Worship Leaders in this generation to write songs that will lead God's people into deeper and more passionate worship of Him. These are truly amazing times we live in.

My prayer is that as a Worship Pastor I would cling to the Word of Truth for inspiration in my writing. That I would be steadfast in my pursuit of the incorporation of teaching sound theology and doctrine. And that I would use my creativity to stir up passion, wonder, and awe of our incredible God.

God at Work

2011-03-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21 Watch this video and see the transforming power of God's Word in a man's life, family, and community.

God at Work - Scott Faulkner from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

Camp Harvest 2011

2011-03-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

This summer the HBC's of Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin) will be coming together for the first annual Camp Harvest! I just finished the logo for the camp, our theme for this year is joy. Check it!

The Newest Chapter

2011-03-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, just wanted post some pics from our first Sunday in Spillane Middle School. God has been wonderfully working in our midst and opened up some great doors for us, literally. Our launch day in the school was on Feb. 6, 2011 and I just wanted to share some of the photos with you. God is at work!

Here's some shots of us setting up:

Shots of the Children's Area:

Shots of the Main Hallway:

Some shots of worship (pre and during):

Current Listening

2011-03-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here's what is currently revolving in my iPhone.

God at Work and Why I'm a Worship Pastor

2011-02-28T15:48:00.000-08:00

What are your plans for your music? Are you ever going to tour? Where do you hope this takes you?

I get asked these questions alot, at least various versions of them. It's most always from a well intentioned church member or visitor and is a fairly innocent inquiry. It's also a bit flattering in a way, to think that someone would want to (or at least think that others would) buy a ticket to hear me play, sing some songs, tell some stories, put on a show. When I was younger I used to conjure up elaborate day dreams of touring with my own band. I'd sell out arenas, performing arts centers, and churches. I dreamed of having the big merch table and signing autographs from all of my adoring fans. Then something wonderful happened: Jesus put a new song in my heart. Literally.

Now before I go any further, I want to make something very clear. I am in no way condemning artists who take their bands on tour, sign record labels, or have success in the music industry. If God ever chose to open doors to some of these platforms in my life, I would definitely (and prayerfully) consider them. In fact, many of my closest friends are touring artists who glorify God through their music and their lives. Simply put, my heart was one that desired the fame for myself. The tours, the shows, the music wasn't about Him for me. I wanted my name to be the name that was shouted and adored. He changed all that for me.

About 4 years ago God began to stir up within me something that was only from Him. In 1 Timothy 3:14-17 it says:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whomt you learned it15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17 that the man of Godt may be competent, equipped for every good work.

His Word is so wonderfully alive! God gave me a ferocious hunger for His word and like never before I began pouring over it daily. Through this daily devouring, He also gave me something that I had never really tried or even though about before: songwriting. My mind and my heart began to be filled with hundreds of melodies and lyrics that were all pointing straight back to the One who inspires and breathes life into His children. I picked up the guitar that my parents had bought me for my 18th birthday and began teaching myself how to play. I remember thinking "how am I going lead worship without a guitar? Nobody leads from the piano anymore. Except Michael W. Smith. But I don't want to be compared to Michael W. Smith." No joke, this is what was going through my mind.

My songs were bad at first. Ok they were really bad. I remember playing some of them for my roommate at the time (who is a fantastic writer) and him saying things like "yeah... it's definitely a song". Just kidding he wasn't that bad. He was actually very supportive, and quite gentle in his criticism and assured me that like all things it would just take more practice. More advice from another friend (who is also a fantastic writer) said "The key to songwriting is trial and error. Write and write and write. And then when you think you're done, write some more. A song is like a bent up car bumper. You have to hammer all the bumps out." So taking his advice, I began to write. A lot.

I also came to notice that when I would try to write songs that weren't about Jesus, they would come off the end of my pen completely lifeless and empty. The opposite has been true when I do write about my God and my relationship with Him. He has literally captivated me to the very core of who I am and made me want to write songs that the Church can sing. Around the time that God was beginning this work in my life, He was also moving me towards something else that He had breathed into me years before that.

When I was 17, I spent half a summer in Berlin, Germany on a mission trip with 7 others from our church. The trip had it's ups and downs and for the most part it was all kind of a blur, but there was one night that I will never forget. We were staying in a Hostel (German hotel) along with another group from the States. It was a particularly large group, probably about 50 and about mid-week we all gathered in the big meeting room of the Hostel and had a worship service. At that point in my life, I hadn't really been exposed to a whole lot of "worship music". My taste in music gravitated more to utterly random likes of Eminem, the Backstreet Boys, O.A.R., and Papa Roach. I told you it was random. We would sing some CCM Top 40 stuff at church sometimes but nothing like what Dan (the worship leader for the group) rolled out for us. The songs that he sang that night were so intimate, honest and vertical. They reminded me of the Psalms. The way that he led us in prayer and instructed us to open our hearts to the Lord was something I had never experienced and for one of the first times, I witnessed God use someone to draw me into His presence. I was set ablaze. After the service, I remember bolting to the phone in the lobby, pulling out my phone card, dialing like 19 digits and hearing my mom answer the phone at our house in Texas. "I think I want to be a worship leader" was the first thing out of my mouth.

Four years ago, my heart was once again beckoned to this call. God was planting within me the heart of a Pastor; to minister, to encourage, and to stir the affections of His people towards Him. Today, I find that there is no greater joy than for me to do this work. To see the man in the fourth row finally raise his hand in praise after months of crossing his arms and scowling at me and the rest of the congregation. To see the single mom weeping in the back row as she confidently sings "I can see the light that is coming for the heart that holds on". To see the family that is dancing, echoing, and lifting their hands as the entire room shouts to one another "We know where the Spirit of the Lord is. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty!" Week after week, I get to see God's people overflowing with joy, persevering in hardship, loving as Christ has loved them, and giving with glad and sincere hearts to God and others in need. I cherish these relationships, and the opportunity to continually point people back to the only one who is worthy of adoration and praise.

Revelation gives us snapshots like this of our eternal reality, and in these shots we are losing our minds as we worship our God. This is what it is about for me. To see hearts won over and transformed into the radical worship of Jesus Christ. To see the unbridled passionate joy flowing from the body of Christ in a Sunday gathering, knowing that it is just a glimpse of a heart totally surrendered to Jesus. This is why I do what I do. This is why I am a Worship Pastor.

Imago Dei

2011-02-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

I started this last week, but got busy and forgot to post it.

I was blown away by God this morning. I say this like it's unusual. I'm always blown away by God. Yesterday I finished my 'Bible in a year' plan and began again this morning with Genesis. As I was reading and recounting the creation story that I have probably read over a hundred times, I was filled with a brand new sense of wonder and awe at the majesty of God. I love how His Word is alive!

It is mind boggling how the story of God conjuring up the created order out of nothing could ever be read with the same enthusiasm that one reads the 'finance' section in the newspaper, (I don't read the finance section, but I can imagine that it's fairly riveting), but I confess that I was guilty of it this morning. I found myself blazing through the first chapter and I was halfway before I felt the gentle nudge of the Spirit's conviction of my complacent behavior and His leading to immediately confess it. I was almost scanning over one of the most wonderful truths EVER and was giving it hardly any mind whatsoever. (In fact, I was checking off that I had read that chapter in my YouVersion app as I was reading, if that tells you where my heart was at during this particular moment) I confessed my heart to God, and asked for forgiveness for my legalistic, box-checking approach to the living Word of God. I also prayed that God would breathe new life into these words, and that He would transform my heart and mind to that of His Son. That's when it all came alive. Shocking, I know. I pray and God listens and answers. Why do I not start EVERYTHING that I do like this. It brings to mind a lyric that I have quoted a few times in this blog from Elevation Worship, "give me faith, to trust what You say, that You're good and You're love is great. I'm broken inside, I give you my life."

Anyways, back to Genesis 1. This passage blew me up today:

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

We are created in God's image, meaning that we bear witness to the nature and character of our Creator! The details of this mystery are unknown and will remain so until that wonderful day where we stand with Him face to face. What we CAN see, however, is our Creator all over us or rather, in us. Because of the Fall, the creative order was tragically cracked and perverted from the top down, but we can still see the beauty of God's design pouring from us in everyday circumstances. Our emotions, our desire for community and intimacy, even our own imaginations were given to us to express our love and adoration to an infinitely intimate and imaginative God. Even as I write this, I am reminded of how He shaped me. From my body type to my eye color, from my sensitive soul to my goofball personality. I was etched with the mark of my Creator, and through Christ I was made a son of His glorious inheritance!

It's amazing how infinitely life-giving His Word is. Praise God for opening my heart and mind to the truth of the Gospel, and that I am His child and He is my Father!

My Psalm Song Assignment

2011-02-19T06:33:00.001-08:00

So for my 'Worship Through the Ages' course that I am taking this semester, we were given the assignment of writing a metrical psalm. As I studied the history of the metrical psalm I had no idea the hand that John Calvin had played in popularizing it through the Geneva Psalter (probably the most published song book of all time) and that he had influenced the face of corporate worship as much as he had. I knew him very well from his influence into what is known as Calvinism. Well I guess when something is your namesake, it is going to be attributed to you the majority of the time, but I had no idea that Calvin was so passionate about music and the psalms.

Basically, Calvin hired a professional musician and a poet to give all 150 Psalms meter and melody, while keeping the integrity of the scriptures intact. The idea was not only a way for the people to worship together in a corporate setting through song, but Calvin believed that this would help the people "hide His word" in their hearts. Sure enough, it proved to be an amazing tool in memorizing the entirety of the psalms for many people, as well as enriching and encouraging them during times of extreme difficulty and oppression. Mary Tudor anyone?

Anyways, our assignment was to take a Psalm and give it meter, melody and keep the integrity of scripture, just as Calvin did. We were given the option of choosing an existing melody, or creating our own. We were also encouraged to write in the style of our congregations (i.e. traditional, contemporary, etc). So here are the lyrics for my Metrical Psalm Song: Psalm 100 Enjoy!

Verse:

Make a joyful noise

Gladly serve the Lord

Come into His presence

Sing unto the Lord

PreChorus:

We are His and

He is ours and

As is His own

We lift our hearts

Chorus:

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise

Give thanks to Him and praise His name

The Lord is good, His steadfast love endures

It endures, and we stand secure

Verse:

Make a joyful noise

Gladly serve the Lord

Come into His presence

Sing unto the Lord

PreChorus:

We are His and

He is ours and

As is His own

We lift our hearts

Chorus (2X):

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise

Give thanks to Him and praise His name

The Lord is good, His steadfast love endures

It endures, and we stand secure

Tag:

The Lord is good, His steadfast love endures

It endures, and we stand secure

The Best Seat in the House

2011-02-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

A great message. I pray this blesses you like it blessed me.

God at Work - Rob Weincek from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

The Wonder of the Cross

2011-02-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

I love it when I re-visit an old unfinished song, especially one that I seemed to have so much trouble with lyrically, and everything finally clicks into place. This happened to me today. I started writing some lyrics to a melody that I had a few months back, but nothing seemed to sit right. I wrote this song as celebration of the wonder that is the cross of Jesus Christ. He has done for us the unthinkable, unimaginable, and the impossible. He is our hope.

The Wonder of the Cross

You came to us to free us from a debt we couldn't pay

When we were without hope, dead men in chains

You reached and pulled us from our graves

By grace You saved and we're singing

The war is won, all the horror is undone

The wonder of the cross has turned the sinners into sons

This grace You gave is more than strong enough to save

The wonder of the cross, is Jesus Christ who we proclaim!

You bore all the weight, all the pain, even the grave and then you rose

The only way, the only truth, the only life
oh love divine, oh love divine and we're singing

The war is won, all the horror is undone

The wonder of the cross has turned the sinners into sons

This grace You gave is more than strong enough to save

The wonder of the cross, is Jesus Christ who we proclaim!

We're in awe and we're in wonder

We're amazed by Your great love

By Your stripes we're sons and daughters

Brought to life by the power of Your blood

The war is won, all the horror is undone

The wonder of the cross has turned the sinners into sons

This grace You gave is more than strong enough to save

The wonder of the cross, is Jesus Christ who we proclaim!

lyrics by Jason Dunton

Give Me Faith

2011-01-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

I love this song from Elevation Worship. The bridge is absolute gold: "I may be weak, but Your Spirit's strong in me. My flesh may fail, but my God You never will." So good! Enjoy.

New Harvest Student Poster

2011-01-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

I just finished this for our youth group. I really liked how it turned out.

Carpet Cleaning and the Grace of God.

2011-01-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

I love my bulldog, I really do. But he has (well had) a problem. Actually he has multiple problems but this post is only about this particular one. Now before you're like "O- M -G what's wrong with him?" let me clarify by saying that this is a very common problem, it's not like he steals money or eats his own foot, so take a deep breath.

Ok, here it goes... he has (until quite recently) had a problem with going to the bathroom in the house. I have had him for a little over year now and despite my use of several methods I couldn't get him to stop one and two-ing all over the place. Every time I would think that he was FINALLY house trained, we would go visit friends or family. Apparently you can't visit other peoples homes without temporarily losing your mind along with your facilities. I'm speaking for both me and my dog on this one. Just kidding, but seriously there was one incident with a shag throw-rug in one of my best friends living rooms. Two was everywhere. I was horrified. The carpet (now crapet) was thrown away. Grubbs looked at me and then shamelessly proceeded to eat all of their dog's food. It was a splendid evening. I am sarcastic.

Anyways, I share this with you as a precursor. For over the past year Grubby has effectively waged war against the carpet in my apartment, and sad to say, it's been an absolute bloodbath. I have a long narrow stairway inside my apartment leading down to the outside door, and he has literally nuked the thing to kingdom come. So why am I sharing this with you? Why am I painting on your brain canvas with pet waste? Because I cleaned that carpet this morning. THAT'S RIGHT. I actually got up early, with the pure and righteous intent of killing every stain in that hallway.

So I arose, went to the store, got multiple bottles of carpet cleaner, a couple of those air fresheners that you twist and adjust how much apple and cinnamon you want to unleash ( I unleashed it all), downed some Bux (that's Starbucks for the novice), and came back with with mindset of a Samurai warrior. The stains, the odor, the dirt, the grime... it was all going to die. And it did, big time. I'm not saying that I didn't take some shots on the chin along the way, but that junk suffered. There were a few times that I gagged from the stench as I was inches away from the surface. It's hard work scrubbing pure evil out of a carpet.

As I was kneeling there scrubbing, apart from the pockets of Grubby-resentment that occasionally bubbled up to the surface of my soul, I experienced an incredibly sweet moment with my Savior. It was almost like the Spirit whispered: "Even though you were covered with everything evil and disgusting, I wasn't afraid of your stains. I wasn't repulsed by your stench. Though your sins were as scarlet I washed them white as snow. You are mine and I love you." Needless to say, I wasn't expecting that as I was cleaning the carpet this morning. I would love to come to a place where I do expect it. He continues to prove over and over again that He is good. He is love. He is peace. He has washed me clean. Praise God for His unfathomable grace.

Churches Helping Churches Rally

2011-01-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

Check this out!

The 'Abba' Cry

2011-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

I am currently working my way through Russell Moore's "Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches", and to say that the Spirit is stirring my heart would be an unbelievable understatement. It is an incredible book that has driven me to tears several times already. The book itself approaches adoption from two fronts. The first of which is the author's personal journey of adopting two boys from Russia. The second is how God's redemptive plan of adoption is at the very heart of the Gospel. This truth shapes (or should) the heart of the believer to the heart of the Father. I just finished a chapter in which Moore was detailing our spiritual inheritance as 'sons of God through Christ' and how the subject of God's adoption of us should be continually breaking our hearts to the compassion and grace of God, as well as the reality of who we were and the magnificence of what our adoption really means.

Here is an excerpt from Moore's book that I found particularly powerful:

"The Abba cry just might be the most easily misunderstood and misinterpreted aspect of the biblical revelation of our adoption. How many of us have heard Abba described as an infant cooing out the words "Dada" or "Papa"? This cry though, in the context of the Scriptures, is not an infantile cooing. The Abba cry is a scream. It's less the sound of a baby giggling up in his father's face, and more the sound of a child screaming "Daddy!" as his face is being ripped apart by a rabid bulldog. It is primal scream theology. The Bible tells us, "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of His reverence" (Heb 5:7). Jesus in the Garden of Gethesemene isn't placidly staring, straight-backe with hands against a rock, into the sky as a shaft of light beams down on his face, as in so many of our paintings and church stained-glass window artistry. He is screaming to his Father for deliverance, to the point the at veins in his temples burst into drops of blood (Luke 22:39-44). That's the Abba cry. It's the scream of the crucified.

Of all the disturbing aspects of the orphanage in which we found our boys, one stands out above all the others in its horror. It was quiet. The place was filled with an eerie silence, quieter than the Library of Congress, despite the face that there were cribs full of babies in every room. If you listened intently enough, you could hear the sound of gentle rocking--as babies rocked themselves back and forth in their beds. They didn't cry because no one responded to their cries. So they stopped. That's dehumanizing in its horror.

The first moment I know the boys received us, in some strange and preliminary way, was the moment we walked out of the room for the last time on that first trip. When little Maxim, now Benjamin, fell back in his crib and cried--the first time I ever heard him do it--it was because, for whatever reason, he seemed to think he'd be heard and, for whatever reason, he no longer liked the prospect of being alone in the dark.

That's where the Spirit is leading us, in Christ. The Holy Spirit doesn't lead us to be the toothy, giddy caricature of a "Spirit-filled" Christian. The Spirit leads us to see when we are in enemy-occupied territory, and he teaches us to rage against that machine. We're frustrated right now when we see images of a python swallowing a pig on a nature program on television, when we see a billboard for a divorce attorney, when we hear of children swept away by a mud-slide in the Third World, when we find ourselves gossiping about an acquaintance. The Spirit leads us to cry out with the rest of the universe, "O God, deliver us from this! This is not how it's supposed to be!"

Needless to say, I can't put this one down.

May God stir your heart towards Him today and what He has done!

Bearing the Image of the 'Father to the fatherless'

2011-01-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

It has been so incredible to see how God, (through my relationships with friends who have adopted as well as stories and books that I have read), has created in me such a tender heart for orphans over the last couple of years. It's been my ever-growing understanding of who I used to be before Christ (a hopeless, wrecked, sin-mired enemy of the Most High) who I am now in Christ (a free, holy, redeemed, spotless son of God), coupled with the regenerative work of Holy Spirit in my life that has not only brought me to a place of utter humility at the work and power of His grace, but also a place of unbridled compassion for the fatherless.

I would argue that is virtually impossible (unless you're not in Christ) to read and grasp Scripture and not have a heart for adoption. The very nature of the Gospel screams it at us. As a result of the Fall, we are cursed as orphans. We are fatherless, having no inheritance and are in fact slaves to ourselves and to sin (Rom. 1-3; Gal. 4:8; Eph. 2) . But God, (such a beautiful 'but'), in His grace and mercy adopts us into sonship. We become heirs into the inheritance promised to our fathers (Abraham- Gal 3:29) and are altogether "brothers"(Rom 8:12; Heb 2:17) as God's chosen people. Jesus even calls us 'brothers'(Heb 2:11)! "The Spirit himself' Paul tells the Romans, "bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom 8:16). We even share the same Spirit with Jesus and cry out with him to the same Father! (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6) And since we are united in the Spirit of Jesus, we share a common family with all those who also have this Spirit ("one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all" Eph. 4:5-6). That's adoption! We are part of a brand new family, a new identity, a new story. Oh yeah and it's all undeserved. What!?

When I understood this, I mean really understood it (through the Spirit, I didn't muster this up through my own intelligence) I found myself wanting to go after the orphans and give them a home. It's what God has done for me, and I can't but bear the image of my Father.

26 in 2011

2011-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it's been a really long time since my last post. I am finally getting back into the full swing of things after two wonderful weeks of time spent with friends and family. These times are refreshment to my soul and leave me with nothing but gratitude for my life. God is so good.

I absolutely love the new year. It's a time of reflection, rest, and renewal. In this regard, I have always embraced the "out with the old" mantra (with great vigor I might add), and greatly enjoy delving into the tradition many Americans deem as 'resolution-making'. Shockingly, I know many people who scoff at resolution making, but I definitely think there is something admirable about wanting to better yourself, especially as it plays a part in God's redemptive purposes. While most resolutions typically deal with losing weight or something in the same vein, I wanted to do something different this year.

This past semester my 'Theology of Contemporary Worship' Professor, Dr. Rock (that's really his name), challenged us to become 'masters of our language'. He stressed to us the power of language, and how our ideas and illustrations could only be as powerful as the language used to convey them. He likened a 'master of language' to a person using a 64-Crayon box as opposed to one using a 6-Crayon box. Instead of just a 'red', you now have 'magenta' or 'maroon'. Instead of 'green' you now have 'emerald' or 'clover'. You get the picture. As a Worship Pastor and songwriter, this challenged me greatly, and became something I greatly desired to achieve. "With a firm grasp of language", he would say, "you can convey more accurately what you thinking, what you're feeling. You can paint in much broader, and louder strokes." This is one of my favorite things about the prophet Isaiah. His use of language, paints us an unbelievably vivid picture of God and His work throughout his book. His use of beautifully complex metaphors and illustrations gives us explicit pictures of otherwise indescribable events (i.e. the throne room). Another thing Dr. Rock said often was "read whatever you can get your hands on. Read a lot of history and philosophy. It will give you perspective." All that to say, Dr. Rock's statements definitely left an impression.

So, this year I have set before myself a challenge. Apart from my daily Scripture reading (I made it through the whole Bible last year! and plan to do so again this year), I am going to read 26 books in 2011 (26 is for my age. I am toying with the idea of the yearly amount directly coinciding with my age from here on out, but we'll see. I'm not ready to commit to that yet).

I actually just finished my first book, 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell. It's an incredibly fascinating book about how we make decisions. I highly recommend it, especially if you're a psychology fan.

Christmas Eve w/ Harvest

2010-12-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night will be my very first Christmas Eve w/ Harvest Houston and I'm so excited about this that I wanted to share our set list with you guys. So here's the rundown for tomorrow night at 6 pm.

Pre-service music

(at 6 pm the lights drop to black dramatically, leaving everyone in darkness)

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

(sung a cappella, very slow, almost mournful. children's choir processes with a single candle symbolizing Christ as the light of the world shining in the darkness)

Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)- Chris Tomlin arr.

(band w/ children's choir. The lights spring to life after the drum clicks us off and begins the intro)

Luke 2 Video (preview it here)

Angels We Have Heard On High- Chris Tomlin arr.

Isaiah 9:6-7
(read by selected youth )

O Holy Night- Jason Dunton arr.

O Come Let Us Adore Him- Shane & Shane arr.

Sermon

Silent Night- Jason Dunton arr.
(w/ candlelighting)

Post Service Music

10 & 20 in 2010.

2010-12-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all during this Christmas Season. It's the time of year that I like to look back and acknowledge the music that has moved me, grooved me, and led me to the Throne room of God in worship. So without further adieu I present to you my top 10 Worship Albums (Live and Studio) of the year. These albums (among the hundreds that are put out each year) drove me to amazing places of adoration and praise of our great God. These are ranked in order from my favorite to my least favorite (an amazingly slim margin I assure you), and give credit to songwriting, style and overall quality.

I also thought it would be fun to transparently provide (outside of the worship albums mentioned) my top 20 "most listened to" albums from 2010, according to my play counts in iTunes. This should give you a picture of how eclectic my taste is in music, and honestly be a little embarrassing for me. But that's just good fun right? ..... right? Alright here we go:

Top 10 Worship Albums of 2010

1. One- One Sonic Society

2. Name Above All Names- ALM:UK

3. God Be Praised- Gateway Worship

4. Awakening- Passion

5. Love Came Down- Brian Johnson

6. Miracle- Robbie Seay Band

7. Eternity Invades- Vicky Beeching

8. Kingdom Come- Elevation Worship

9.Yahweh- Hillsong

10. My King is Coming- Joshua Seller

Top 20 'Most Listened To' of 2010

(in no particular order, but all in top 20 plays)

1. Go- Jonsi

2. Come Around Sundown- Kings of Leon

3. Flags- Brooke Fraser

4. Kaleidoscope Heart- Sara Bareilles

5. Now is the Winter- Jason Poe

6. Speak Now- Taylor Swift

7. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy- Kanye West

8. Let it Burn- Matt McCloskey

9. Recovery- Eminem

10. Poison and Wine- The Civil Wars

11. Hands All Over- Maroon 5

12. Flamingo- Brandon Flowers

13. Counting Stars- Andrew Peterson

14. The Medicine- John Mark McMillan

15. Shout it Out- Hanson

16. Stone Temple Pilots- Stone Temple Pilots

17. God Willin' and the Creek Point Rise- Ray LaMontagne

18. Broken Bells- Broken Bells

19. Need You Now- Lady Antebellum

20. Adoration- Brenton Brown

I was, but then God

2010-12-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

This sunday we used this video as a testimony of how God has changed the lives of the staff at Harvest Houston. Love how amazingly powerful God is, and that through His mercy He transforms the lives of those who trust in Him!

I was, but then God from Jason Dunton on Vimeo.

Praise to the Lord (Wonder and Awe)

2010-12-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

Just finished an adaptation of the hymn Praise to the Lord, the Almighty and wanted to share the lyrics with you. I'm unbelievably pleased with how this came about. Hymns are so timeless!

PRAISE TO THE LORD (WONDER AND AWE)

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation

Oh my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation

All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near

Praise Him in glad adoration

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee

Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do

If with His love He befriend thee

Chorus:

Lord of all grace we pour out our praise to You

Our King, Our God, Our Savior

In wonder and awe we surrender our all to You

Our King, Our God, Our Savior

Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding
Who, when the godless do triumph all virtue confounding
Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night
Saints with His mercy surrounding

Chorus:

Lord of all grace we pour out our praise to You

Our King, Our God, Our Savior

In wonder and awe we surrender our all to You

Our King, Our God, Our Savior

Bridge:

In wonder and awe, amazed by Your love

By the power of Your blood, we are daughters and sons

In wonder and awe, amazed by Your love

By the power of Your name, You put death in it's grave

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him
Let the amen sound from His people again
Gladly for aye we adore Him

Chorus:

Lord of all grace we pour out our praise to You

Our King, Our God, Our Savior

In wonder and awe we surrender our all to You

Our King, Our God, Our Savior

Lyrics by Joachim Neander and Jason Dunton

Two Years and Counting!

2010-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is an update that I have been wanting to write about for a while now. We finally got the pictures from our 2nd Anniversary Celebration at Harvest Houston and I wanted to share them as well as the service break down with you!

Our new sermon series banner

On Sept 12. we celebrated the 2nd Anniversary of Harvest Houston, along with kicking off the new sermon calendar. This year (as well as some of next) we will be taking on the Gospel of John verse by verse in a series called 'Revealed: A Glimpse of the Almighty'. There's a full description of the series here.
Being that it was such a big day in the life of our young church, the staff wanted to put together a special service to truly celebrate all that God had done in our brief history and all that we expect and are excited for Him to do in our future. It really was an amazing day of worship and fellowship with the body of believers.

Our newly designed bulletins
(with sermon notes pages inserted)

The service itself was designed with the specific intention of pointing people to the truth of God's glory and transcendence. We wanted our people to grasp that He is Creator, above all, and that everything was created BY Him and FOR Him. The title of the message was 'Glory Beyond Our Comprehension' from John 1:1-18 and can be listened to here. The sermon points (in case you wanted to follow along) were that God's glory is:
i. Eternal (vv. 1-3)
ii. Brilliant (vv. 4-8)
iii. True (vv. 9-11)
iv. Life- Giving (vv. 12-13)

New offering bags

v. Visible (vv. 14-18)

When planning this service we decided to implement several unique elements, which for me turned out to be a lot of fun (lots of work, but fun still). Back in April I had been a part of an 'Impromptu Choir' during a service at Harvest Elgin, IL while I was there for Harvest U (the annual Harvest training conference for Harvest Churches). The idea behind an 'Impromptu Choir' is to invite members from the congregation to join the worship team in leading the worship set that day. One of the purposes behind this is to continually teach your people that worshiping God is something you participate in, not something you spectate. So during the weeks prior I had asked a few key members to be 'instigators' and come forward as soon as I was done with the invitation and instruction for the choir. The response we saw was incredible! We usually run anywhere from 95-125 people on a Sunday morning, so I was expecting 6-8 people to come forward (apart from the 3 that I had asked ahead of time). Instead, we had close to 20 people come forward and take part in this act of worship. I was blown away. Thats 20% of our people!

Another element that was unique to this service was a video that I made as a sermon opener called "How Great You Are' designed to magnify the greatness of God. You can check it out below:

How Great You Are from Jason Dunton on Vimeo.

The last element that was used in this service was a song that I wrote called 'The Name of Jesus'. This was used as the closing song of the service. At Harvest we always stress the "power of the close" in that it really brings everything that has gone on that day to a head and nails it down with a response. At Harvest Houston, my Pastor and I always discuss the close and plan it together every single week. is The story behind the song (as well as the track so you can listen to it) is in a previous post so you can check that out if you'd like.

Here's the run-down (w/ pics) for the service:

WELCOME VIDEO/ COUNTDOWN

WORSHIP SET:

The Lord Reigns w/ greeting during (Gateway Worship)

The Greatness of Our God (One Sonic Society)

Worship Rises (Joshua Seller)

Our God (Chris Tomlin)

Glory to God Forever (Steve Fee)

ANNOUNCEMENTS/ OFFERING

OFFERING SONG:

Hosanna (Hillsong)

HOW GREAT YOU ARE (video introduction for sermon)

SERMON:
Glory Beyond Our Comprehension
John 1: 1-18

CLOSE:
The Name of Jesus (Jason Dunton)

YOU ARE LOVED

Ushers and Greeters getting everything ready

The Worship Team praying before the service

Some shots from worship

Impromptu Choir!!

Pastor Buddy bringing it!

Chains Shall HE Break

2010-11-29T16:02:00.000-08:00

As we come upon the precipice of another insanely busy holiday season, I wanted to share this verse from one of my favorite songs. A song that is mostly sung at Christmas, but contains arguably some of my favorite lyrics ever. May we let this rest on us as we get going this time of year, and may we never grow weary of hearing it.

from 'O Holy Night':

Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love, and His gospel is peace

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother

And in His name all oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy, in grateful chorus raise we

Let all within us praise His holy name!!

giving thanks by giving music

2010-11-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

This year has been incredible, as well as incredibly hard. I thought these lyrics were fitting to share during this time of thankfulness, because it all starts with what God has done.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus, His righteousness

When all around my soul gives way

I will trust in Jesus name

(from One Sonic Society's 'In Jesus Name')

I heard a statement recently from a pastor that has rocked me in the thankfulness arena. He said 'the blessing of God is that we (in Christ) get God, everything else is grace upon grace'. If that doesn't stir up a heart of gratitude than I don't know what will!

Anyways, I wanted to give thanks this year by giving music. Here's a free track from my new album 'Heartbreak and Chainfall'. My prayer is that it stirs up some 'thanks giving' for you.

'The Name of Jesus' was written with great inspiration from a sermon preached by Dr. James MacDonald. When I was at Harvest U (the annual conference held by Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, IL) this April, Dr. MacDonald delivered the final message of the conference from the book of Revelation. In the message he constantly reiterated the truth of the transcendence of Jesus Christ and how one day EVERYONE, believer or atheist will bow before His Lordship as the King of kings. This truth instilled in me (as it always does when I actually sit down and think about it) a great sense of fear and trembling. What power and authority! But along with the fear and awe, the message stirred up within me praise and joy, not only that I knew this Jesus, but that He purchased me on the cross and washed me clean! He is my victory and my defender. Needless to say, it was a good sermon :) And it was out of that sermon that this song was birthed.

Here are the lyrics:

Jesus, Your name has stood through all the ages with an unending fame

Jesus, Your name consumes all of our praises

What can stand up to Your name?

For high above time and space the Name of names is seated

For there is none, there is none above the name of Jesus

Majesty, wisdom, and might are all Yours alone

All glory ascribed, and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

Jesus, the knees will bow and tongues confess that You're the King of kings

Jesus, the darkness runs and evil trembles

Your name is victory

For high above time and space the Name of names is seated

For there is none, there is none above the name of Jesus

Majesty, wisdom, and might are all Yours alone

All glory ascribed, and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

In all heaven and earth there's no greater name

Creation sings it out, we'll join in the refrain (x4)

Majesty, wisdom, and might are all Yours alone

All glory ascribed, and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

lyrics by Jason Dunton

copyright Basilea Music 2010

Forever Reign & The Greatness of Our God

2010-11-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

These two songs have been heavily worked into our set rotation over the last few months at Harvest Houston. Great songs from great writers. Check out the videos below for the stories behind the songs.

Current Listening

2010-11-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

Loving the music scene right now, here's what I'm currently listening to:

The "Jesus Juke"

2010-11-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share this post from stuffchristianslike.net. Really funny.

The Jesus Juke.

Weird things happen to me when I fly. If you followed me on Twitter you would know this because I tend to have “tweet explosions,” when I’m at airports.

Last Sunday morning, as our plane lifted off the ground, the person behind me started to play what sounded like a pan flute. Just as we began to soar above the clouds, we were greeted with a Zamfir melody from what I can only assume was some sort of satyr. In his defense, the flight attendant did not say, “Please return your seats to their upright position, carefully stow your carry on luggage and put your pan flute back in its elk skin satchel.” He had every right to play that beautiful wooden instrument and play he did.

At another airport I went to, a humongous bodybuilder spent his time in the terminal doing ferocious push ups right beside me. I tweeted about it and folks told me to prove it with a photo. Not likely. One of my rules for twitter is never snap photos of people who can snap you. And this guy could have broken me in half like a thin blogger branch.

But in all the responses from people asking me questions about the terminal B2 bodybuilder, one stuck out. It was different than the rest, but is something I am growing familiar with.

I call it the “Jesus Juke.”

Like a football player juking you at the last second and going a different direction, the Jesus Juke is when someone takes what is clearly a joke filled conversation and completely reverses direction into something serious and holy.

In this particular case, when I tweeted a joke about the guy doing pushups, someone tweeted me back, “Imagine If we were that dedicated in our faith, family, and finances?”

I was fine with that idea, I was, but it was a Jesus Juke. We went from, “Whoa, there’s a mountain of a man doing pushups next to the Starbucks at the airport,” to a serious statement about the lack of discipline we have in our faith and our family and our finances.

I don’t know how to spell it, but in my head I heard that sad trumpet sound of “whaaaa, waaaa.”

And that wasn’t even a bad Jesus Juke. I didn’t mind that statement at all. That guy seemed fine. I’ve heard much worse. I once tweeted about going to see Conan O’Brien live and how big the crowd was. Someone wrote back, “If we held a concert for Jesus and gave away free tickets, no one would come.” Whaaa, waaaa.

Chances are you’ve experienced this. Someone pulled the Christian version of the Debbie Downer, they threw out a bit of Jesus Juke on you. If you have, or even if you haven’t, there are three things we all need to know about this particular move.

1. It generates shame.

The Jesus Juke is a great way to tell a friend, “I wish you possessed the uber holiness I do and were instead talking about sweet baby Jesus in this conversation.” It’s like a tiny little “shame grenade,” you throw it into an otherwise harmless conversation and then watch it splatter everyone in guilt and condemnation.

2. It never leads to good conversation.

I’ve been Jesus Juked dozens of times in my life and I’ve never once seen it lead to a productive, healthy conversation. You might think it will before you juke, but what usually happens is just raw amounts of awkwardness, similar to how I felt sitting in a theater watching the Last Airbender.

3. I’ve never met someone who was “juked to Jesus.”

I once tweeted, “No one’s ever said: ‘The way you bitterly mock other Christians helped me begin a life-changing love of Jesus’ (Be kind).” I wrote that because I wanted to remind us that our jerkiness never led folks to Christ. I don’t think our jukes do either. I don’t really see it as a conversion technique. It’s more of a conversation killer technique.

I hope we all keep talking about Jesus. I hope we talk about him lots and lots. I hope he defines our life and conversations. But if I tell you that when it comes to My Little Pony, I tend to prefer Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie and that Toola Roola has been riding their coattails for years, please don’t respond, “You know who created ponies? Our Lord God did, that’s who.”

Has anyone ever pulled a “Jesus Juke” on you?

newness

2010-11-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

I've been writing a TON lately and thinking about future projects, there are so many different things that God has been laying on my heart.

Here's a snippet of some lyrics from one of the new songs, not sure what it's titled yet, enjoy!

Lord of all grace

Jesus, we pour out our praise

we're singing holy, holy, holy are You Lord

in wonder and awe

amazed by Your love

by the power of Your blood

we are daughters and sons

in wonder and awe

amazed by Your love

by the power of Your Name

You put death in it's grave

MORE TO COME...

IT'S HERE!!

2010-11-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

It's here! It's here! After 2 years it's here!! My new album 'Heartbreak & Chainfall' is finally out today and available on iTunes!! Check it out, buy one or several, and tell your friends!

Here are the liner notes for the album:

all thanks, praise, and glory to Jesus Christ. the only way to truth and life

recorded at the audio village in austin, tx by kyle lent (theaudiovillage.com)

mixed and mastered by kyle lent

produced by kyle lent and jason dunton

jason dunton: vocals, guitars, keys, percussion

kyle lent: guitars, keys, bass, programming, vocals

aaron cauble: drums, cello, percussion

philip ellis: drums on "see you lifted" and "the god who saves"

lamar stockton: upright bass on "your love shines"

emily ward: vocals

music and lyrics by Jason Dunton

artwork by Steve Olesky (steveolesky.com)

copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: The Name of Jesus

2010-10-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

'The Name of Jesus' was written with great inspiration from a sermon preached by Dr. James MacDonald. When I was at Harvest U (the annual conference held by Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, IL) this April, Dr. MacDonald delivered the final message of the conference from the book of Revelation. In the message he kept hitting on a truth that I hadn't heard (or it least it never hit home in the way that it did that day) preached on a whole lot, the transcendence of Jesus Christ. How eternity is invading as we speak and one day EVERYONE, believer or atheist will bow before the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the King of kings. It was out of that sermon that this song was birthed!

Here are the lyrics:

Jesus, Your name has stood through all the ages with an unending fame

Jesus, Your name consumes all of our praises

What can stand up to Your name?

For high above time and space the Name of names is seated

For there is none, there is none above the name of Jesus

Majesty, wisdom, and might are all Yours alone

All glory ascribed, and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

Jesus, the knees will bow and tongues confess that You're the King of kings

Jesus, the darkness runs and evil trembles

Your name is victory

For high above time and space the Name of names is seated

For there is none, there is none above the name of Jesus

Majesty, wisdom, and might are all Yours alone

All glory ascribed, and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

In all heaven and earth there's no greater name

Creation sings it out, we'll join in the refrain (x4)

Majesty, wisdom, and might are all Yours alone

All glory ascribed, and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

and the nations will bow at the transcendent power of Your name

lyrics by Jason Dunton

copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Your Love Shines

2010-10-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

'Your Love Shines' has a unique story behind it. I wrote this song while on staff at my last church in response to a story our administrative pastor told me about her childhood. Without going into all of the details, her and her family were almost killed by a man planting bombs at all of the doors of their house. Miraculously the bombs didn't go off and they were able to escape their house unharmed. The part of the story that impacted me the most (it was all very heavy) was that she said she remembered her dad gathering all of the children in the living room and telling them to forgive the man. I remember her telling me that that was an amazing example at a very early age of the love of God for us. Umm, understatement!

In our sin we are called objects of God's wrath, enemies of God, and participants of treason against the highest authority. But God's grace through Jesus Christ covers us, forgives us. and cleans us up. WOW! What a promise, what a God! Here are the lyrics:

From homeless to home again

From enemy to intimate friend

From wounded to unscathed

In the light of Your wonderful name

Against all hope Your hope prevails

Against all hate Your love shines

So with our hands held high

We lift Your name we cry

Let justice prevail, let Your love sail to the broken

And our hearts break for the God who is so much more

The nations will bow adore You King Jesus

From beaten to victorious You raised me

From dead to alive You called my name

From hideous to glorious You transformed me

From adulterer to beautiful bride

Against all hope Your hope prevails

Against all hate Your love shines

So with our hands held high

We lift Your name we cry

Let justice prevail, let Your love sail to the broken

And our hearts break for the God who is so much more

The nations will bow adore You King Jesus

To we who are beaten, broken, accused

You are salvation, redemption, refuge

Our shame and our sorrow

Our chains and our sin

Were traded for beauty and glory within

In the face of all evil, in the face of all hate

We lay down our burdens, we boldly proclaim

Your love shines

So with our hands held high

We lift Your name we cry

Let justice prevail, let Your love sail to the broken

And our hearts break for the God who is so much more

The nations will bow adore You King Jesus

Lyrics by Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Real Jesus

2010-10-28T06:10:00.000-07:00

There's not a whole lot I can say about the song 'Real Jesus' that isn't being said in the actual song itself. It's one of those songs that moves me every time I listen to it because it's tied to some very deep emotions. I wrote this as a prayer of honesty, brokenness and humility. Here are the lyrics:

Spirit fall, Spirit call me into you, I want to feel all of you

Spirit fall, call me by the grace of Christ and His sacrifice

Tear down the walls, of all these things I try to do for You

Come claim my heart for only You

I want to breathe the breath of freedom

I want to see Your glory and Your kingdom come, so come

I want to see the chains fall off Your people, so all the world would know
and see the real Jesus

So come

Jesus You're all, Jesus You're more than all I'll ever need

So come and waste me for Your glory (x2)

Tear down the walls, of all these things I try to do for You

Come claim my heart for only You

I want to breathe the breath of freedom

I want to see Your glory and Your kingdom come, so come

I want to see the chains fall off Your people, so all the world would know
and see the real Jesus

So come

And consume me with this one thing: Your fame.

I want to breathe the breath of freedom

I want to see Your glory and Your kingdom come, so come

I want to see the chains fall off Your people, so all the world would know
and see the real Jesus

So come

Lyrics by Jason Dunton

copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Brink

2010-10-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

'Brink' is my "try to explain what I am feeling now that I have been transformed by the God of the universe" song. I remember sitting down and thinking, I want to write an honest song about the way I feel about the Christian walk. Unfortunately, the thing about feelings is that they change. Thankfully, God doesn't tell us to trust feelings, but to have faith in Him, the God who was, and is, and is to come. He is the the unchanging One. So as I continued to wrestle with this concept, I also began to wrestle with the 'death of self' passages in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians and began to see that I am at war with sin and with my flesh. I have been made alive in Christ and now I am charged as a holy, beloved, chosen child of God to put on a compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. (Col. 3:12)

'Brink' is my proclamation to do that. The chorus "on the brink, I'm ready to let go" is the cry of my heart, an act of submission and obedience. My favorite line in the song is "there's a sweet cruel line found in the bread and wine, and on the brink of me is where I find you". The seemingly paradoxical phrase portrays our lives in Christ. We are freely given, through Christ's sacrifice, freedom, salvation, redemption, and life. But God also gives us new hearts to love him, new eyes to see His truth, new ears to hear His voice, and we are charged to give Him EVERYTHING and as believers He WILL take it. He is our LORD and SAVIOR. Shockingly, that's not a very popular view even among evangelicals today. They want salvation without lordship. They want forgiveness without repentance. That's not transformation, that's not heart change. It's trust AND obey. The amazing thing is, for those who are really in Christ, is that by the power of God, we want to obey. He gives us a new nature that hates sin and loves His ways. (Ezekiel 36:26)

To conclude, I offer this prayer, which is also the bridge of 'Brink':

"That You would be the only thing they see, Christ alone. Let the overflow of my heart be Christ alone. All You are, all You are is more than enough for me."

Here are the Lyrics:

I'm running, I'm running as fast as I can

There's a revolution going on inside

I'm falling, I'm falling so fast that I can't think or speak or move but I know

I've never felt like this before

Here you are at my front door

On the brink, on the brink I'm ready to let go

Ready to live, so ready to live and I know

That there's a sweet cruel line found in the bread and wine

And on the brink of me is where I find You

Broken, so broken I lay at Your feet

Shattered by this King of Glory

Hungry and thirsty, would you come fill me?

Let the overflow of my heart be the light of the One

Whose glory outshines the dawn

On the brink, on the brink I'm ready to let go

Ready to live, so ready to live and I know

That there's a sweet cruel line found in the bread and wine

And on the brink of me is where I find You

That You would be the only thing they see, Christ alone.

Let the overflow of my heart be Christ alone.

All You are, all You are is more than enough for me.

On the brink, on the brink I'm ready to let go
Ready to live, so ready to live and I know

On the brink, on the brink I'm ready to let go
Ready to live, so ready to live and I know
That there's a sweet cruel line found in the bread and wine
And on the brink of me is where I find You

Lyrics by Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: The God Who Saves

2010-10-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Inspired by William Cowper's "There is a Fountain", 'The God Who Saves' is a proclamation of thanksgiving to, you guessed it, the God who saves. The entire meta-narrative is littered with God laying out the plans of salvation for his people. From Genesis to Revelation, it is revealed over and over and over again that GOD is the author of salvation, it is his work to do, and it is an act of wonderful grace to us. From the Old to New Covenant, story after story of Him offering himself to us is clearly laid out. This song celebrates that. Along with saving us from eternal separation from him he also makes us into new creations. He replaces our old hearts with new ones, old ways with new ways, and our own righteousness with Christ's. What an amazing truth from THE amazing God!

Here are the lyrics:

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's vein

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains

Lose all their guilty stains

Dear dying lamb thy precious blood shall never lose it's power

Til all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more

Be saved to sin no more

And all of our stains are washed away and we have no more chains

We're not the same as we were

We have come face to face with the Holy One

Whose overwhelming grace claimed us from the grave

You're the God who saves

When will the church arise and be the anthem of His grace?

Then will we shine forth and see salvation of this place

Salvation of this place

And all of our stains are washed away and we have no more chains

We're not the same as we were

We have come face to face with the Holy One

Whose overwhelming grace claimed us from the grave

You're the God who saves

Holy, Holy Lord, worthy of worship we adore

You're the God who saves us

The God who claims us for Your fame alone, by Your grace alone

And all of our stains are washed away and we have no more chains

We're not the same as we were

We have come face to face with the Holy One

Whose overwhelming grace claimed us from the grave

You're the God who saves

Lyrics by William Cowper & Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Isaiah 58

2010-10-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

I was so greatly impacted by this passage, I had to write a song about it! Check it:

Isaiah 58
Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it? Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Lost

2010-10-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

It was my first date w/ my girlfriend Joanna. We had been invited by a friend to attend a worship service that he would be playing drums at. We arrived a few minutes early, met some of his friends and then took our seats. What happened next was pretty incredible. The entire service was being led by the church's youth worship band, which is not always a home run, but this time was definitely something special. As the music started, the youth of the church stood to their feet, moved out in front of the stage and started to dance. The entire congregation was immediately moved into the presence of the Lord. It was awesome. At a particular point towards the end of the set, the girl who was leading the singing asked us to repeat this one phrase "I just wanna get lost in your eyes". Now understand this, I'm NOT a fan of 'Jesus is my boyfriend' songs, in fact I think they cheapen the majesty and might of Christ, and do a major disservice to the men of your church. But during this time God was doing something really cool in my heart. The phrase wasn't a romantic thing but one of fresh perspective. I was seeing it as through the eyes of Christ. Seeing the world as a dark, broken, devastated place in need of a Savior. Seeing God's people as His children that he loves, rejoices in, rebukes, disciplines, protects and preserves. Seeing the world through the eyes of Christ. In that sense I could definitely say "I just wanna get lost your eyes." It was a great time of worship, and a killer way to start a first date!

When I got home, I couldn't shake the phrase and the reality that God had reminded me of that night. What God sees, if we are believers, is the atoning work of Jesus Christ in us. He sees His people as His bride, and His light to a dark world. If we are believers, Scripture tells us that we have been transformed into the likeness of Christ and have been given new eyes to see the realities of God through the Spirit of God. Ephesians 4 even goes as far as to tell us to put off the old self and put on the things of God unto to holiness and righteousness.

Lost is about seeing things through the eyes of God. Seeing that His ways are not our ways, but they are the best ways and the realization of that fact is astounding. It brings the reality of eternity into a clearer focus, that God is our ultimate blessing and the fact that he has given us eyes to see this truth is amazing.

Here are the lyrics:

Who is like You God Almighty?

Maker of the skies

Father of infinite mercy, who is like You God?

I'm on the brink of something new I'm so enthralled by You

When I am lost in Your eyes, when I am lost in Your eyes

I finally see what it means to gain by losing my life

I hear the song of Your love, I feel the strength of Your arms

I'm utterly lost and never want to be found

I just wanna stay lost in Your eyes

Jesus, Savior, Life-Redeemer. Lover of my soul

Your grace sufficient for my weakness

Your mercy new with the morning glow

I can't believe that You'd want me I come crashing to my knees

When I am lost in Your eyes, when I am lost in Your eyes

I finally see what it means to gain by losing my life

I hear the song of Your love, I feel the strength of Your arms

I'm utterly lost and never want to be found

When I am lost I am found in You

When I die to myself there is life anew

This is my prayer

This is my plea

Make me lost so I finally see

When I am lost in Your eyes, when I am lost in Your eyes

I finally see what it means to gain by losing my life

I hear the song of Your love, I feel the strength of Your arms

I'm utterly lost and never want to be found

I just wanna stay lost in Your eyes

I just wanna stay lost in Your eyes

Lyrics by Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Holy, Holy Lord

2010-10-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

'Holy, Holy Lord' is complete ascription. As I have come across passages of scripture that are revelatory or prophetic, they portray angels and majestic creatures singing one thing : "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is filled with His glory". That's what will be so incredible about heaven. 24/7 God consuming, unending worship of God, forever. I couldn't think of a better way to end this record. Glory to God forever!

Here are the lyrics:

Jesus, Jesus

To You our hearts will rise

To You our praises rise

And we sing Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord

Jesus, Jesus

To You our hearts will rise

To You our praises rise

And we sing Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord

Holy, Holy Lord

Lyrics by Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: All I Want

2010-10-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

'All I Want' is a culmination of confession, declaration, and earnest prayer for transformation. I had been wrestling quite a bit with passages like Matt 10:38, Luke 9:23, Mark 8:34, and Luke 14:27 (the die to self/take up your cross verses)Through prayer and A LOT of scripture, I realized that my priorities were changing, and that the things that I once held so close, didn't really seem to bear much weight in my life anymore. I began resonating with scripture so much, and began rejoicing in the truth of Ezekiel 36:26. I started praying crazy things like "break my heart God, for the things that break Yours" and "ruin me for Your glory and fame". Now don't get me wrong, I know to people outside of the faith this sounds fairly grotesque, (maybe even to people in the faith) but it's simply God changing my heart to care about His plans and purposes instead of my own. 'Putting to death self' or 'mortification' as the Puritans would call it, is putting sin to death, the selfish desires of our hearts and putting on the things of God. (see Eph. 4 & Phil. 4). That's what 'All I Want' is about.

Here are the lyrics:

I'm falling at Your feet, clinging to the cross

With all that I have I'm chasing You

Abandoning all just to love

So break me, consume me with Your name

Unglue me, ruin me for Your fame

Cause You're all I want and You're all I'll ever need

You're all I want and You're all I'll ever need

I'm falling at Your feet, clinging to the cross

With all that I have I'm chasing You

Abandoning all just to love

So break me, consume me with Your name

Unglue me, ruin me for Your fame

Cause You're all I want and You're all I'll ever need

You're all I want and You're all I'll ever need

Come show Your face, come show Your face to me

Fall on this place, come show Your face to me

Cause You're all I want and You're all I'll ever need

You're all I want and You're all I'll ever need

Lyrics by Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG- See You Lifted

2010-10-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

'See You Lifted' was a fun song to write. Being a worship leader, you get to literally watch people worship corporately for a living. It's an incredibly wonderful position to be in. To literally see the body of Christ gathering together, offering adoration and praise, repenting of sin, and responding to the proclamation of the Word is arguably the most beautiful sight this side of heaven. In fact it's an earthly picture of an eternal reality. As believers, we will worship God forever in heaven, wow! This song was simply written as an observation of that reality. Certain things happen when you truly worship God, and this song is all about that.

'See You Lifted' is a declaration of praise. In Christ we live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). This is the celebration of our very existence as believers. The verses of the song are promises that we claim as the children of God. Rising hearts (joy), peace. and falling chains (freedom), are by all means victories we ONLY find in Jesus Christ.

The choruses of the song are part confession and part celebration. Singing and dancing are mentioned multiple times during scripture as signs of true heart-filled, spirit led worship of God. David anyone? The second half of the chorus deals with a heart of unbelief in that we often neglect Christ's authority and power because of our own lack of faith in certain circumstances or situations. Thankfully by God's grace we are forgiven and our eyes are opened to the eternal reality of John 12:32. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. -- John 12:32 (ESV) Talk about ultimate authority and power!

Here are the lyrics:

Hearts will rise, hearts will rise we they see Your face

Peace will come, peace will come with Your embrace

Chains will fall, chains will fall down in Your light

For You have won, You have won

It makes our hearts sing, makes our hearts dance

When we Your people with outstretched hands sing

We love You, we want to see You lifted

Higher than these rooftops, higher than these halls

Forgive us Jesus for making You small

We love You, we want to see You lifted

Hearts will rise, hearts will rise we they see Your face

Peace will come, peace will come with Your embrace

Chains will fall, chains will fall down in Your light

For You have won, You have won

It makes our hearts sing, makes our hearts dance

When we Your people with outstretched hands sing

We love You, we want to see You lifted

Higher than these rooftops, higher than these halls

Forgive us Jesus for making You small

We love You, we want to see You lifted

Take You to, Take You to the nations

Shine Your light, shine with creation sing, we will sing

Take You to, Take You to the nations

Shine Your light, shine with creation sing, we will sing

It makes our hearts sing, makes our hearts dance

When we Your people with outstretched hands sing

We love You, we want to see You lifted

Higher than these rooftops, higher than these halls

Forgive us Jesus for making You small

We love You, we want to see You lifted

Lyrics by Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Salvation Has Come

2010-10-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

"Salvation Has Come" is one of those songs that you don't even remember writing because it comes together so fast. Most of the time when I start writing a song, it is birthed out of my own private worship time. Just me, a guitar, and the God of space and time. It's really absolutely overwhelming whenever you sit down and allow yourself to think about it. Through Jesus Christ, the Word tells us that we have confidence to BOLDLY approach the supreme holy authority of everything. That right there is unbelievable. But it's our reality as believers. Our amazing, life-changing, inspiration infusing reality. We are known and know the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, through the miracle of salvation in Jesus Christ. Overwhelmed doesn't even scratch the surface.

So during this particular time as I was singing alone in my room, the phrase "You are my King" began rising in my heart and mind and before I knew it I was singing it repeatedly, with each phrase swelling in intensity. In a moment I was on my feet, almost shouting when I started singing things like "You are freedom, You are justice, You are mercy, You are God", basically anything ascriptive I could think of. There really isn't a better way to praise God than to dote on His attributes and character. Plus you'll never run out of material, which for a songwriter is kind of a big deal.

By the time I was finished singing, the song had pretty much written itself. The biggest obstacle was the actual structure of the song, which turned out to not be that big at all. All in all the song took about 45 minutes to write, which is unbelievably uncharacteristic of my songwriting style. It usually takes me weeks and sometimes months to call a song 'finished'.

The song itself is one of celebration and joy over the fact that God's grace has found us, and that it is unbelievable, available, and life-giving. My prayer is that the song would spur others on to never tire of celebrating the miracle of salvation. This celebration of who Christ is and what He has made us is our light in a dark world.

Salvation Has Come will be released as a single on October 19, 2010. My new album 'Heartbreak & Chainfall' is coming November 2, 2010. Both will be available on iTunes.

Here are the lyrics:

Rise up and praise, the King of Glory is near

Rise up and shout, the King of Heaven is here

Sing hallelujah for His grace is ours

Today is the day, salvation has come

Sing it out, sing it out we love You Jesus

Shout it out, shout it out Your are our King

Celebrate, celebrate the name that frees us, Jesus

You are, You are , You are our King

Lord You have called the vilest sinner Your offspring

Lord You are more than all we need

Sing hallelujah for His grace is ours

Today is the day, salvation has come

Sing it out, sing it out we love You Jesus

Shout it out, shout it out Your are our King

Celebrate, celebrate the name that frees us, Jesus

You are, You are , You are our King

You are, You are, You are

You are freedom

You are justice

You are mercy

You are God

You are freedom

You are justice

You are mercy

You are God

Today is the day, salvation has come

Sing it out, sing it out we love You Jesus
Shout it out, shout it out Your are our King
Celebrate, celebrate the name that frees us, Jesus
You are, You are , You are our King
You are, You are , You are our King
You are, You are, You are

Lyrics by Jason Dunton
copyright Basilea Music 2010

A Great Time for Worship Music

2010-10-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

I can't remember a time when I have been more excited about the state of worship music. Some may argue that the convenience of iTunes and the accessibility of getting music into digital stores has muddied up the musical landscape and in some cases this might be true. I would argue however, that for the worship genre, it has opened up an incredible opportunity for us to discover fresh, honest, biblical, and Spirit filled worship music from artists and churches who would NEVER get the exposure on a Christian radio station. While, and I know most of my peers would I agree with me, CCM is in a rapid nosedive (and has been for years), I feel that the creativity, ingenuity, and crafting of this new wave of worship music is wonderfully refreshing. Here are a few examples of some artists you might not have heard of but are releasing works that will stir your heart with affection for our glorious God.

Joshua Seller- My King is Coming

A fellow Harvest Worship Leader, Josh has put together an incredible album of songs that will drive you to the throne and drop you off with hands held high and a heart full of adoration and praise. An amazing work from a great worship leader.

One Sonic Society- Sonic

The second EP from Jason Ingram, Stu Garrard, and Paul Mabury hits hard just as their first EP 'One' did. Between brilliantly crafted songwriting, and a fresh innovative sound these guys have created something unique and beautiful.

Page CXVI- Hymns I & Hymns II

If you love re-imagined hymns, check these guys out. Without a doubt the most original interpretations of beloved melodies. Really good stuff.

Kristian Stanfill- Day After Day EP

Kristian does it again in this preview to his upcoming 2011 release. Some of the best congregational songs I have heard in a very long time.

Table 19 (feat David Dunn)- Old Rugged Cross

A friend of mine and fellow Midlander, David has put together some refreshingly original expressions of worship. I also want to steal his voice.

Charlie Hall- The Rising

Robust lyrics, innovative synths and beats. Charlie continues to lead us into deeper places of worship. Great stuff!

Who's in charge here?

2010-10-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

A great article from Bob Kauflin entitled "Who's in Charge Here". Great insight for Worship Leaders.

by Bob Kauflin

In a church context it's sometimes difficult to know the difference between leading the singing and leading the meeting. It’s an important distinction.

I recently talked to a worship leader who asked about how I’d handle a situation he just went through. His pastor asked him to lead a specific song to close the meeting. In fact, he insisted on it, although the worship leader expressed doubts about its effectiveness. When the end of the meeting came, another leader accidentally dismissed the congregation prematurely. The worship leader was ready to start the final song but people were already streaming out the doors. The pastor caught his eye and signaled that he should start the song. Thinking that most people wouldn’t even hear him, the worship leader decided not to sing the final song.

The next day the pastor made it clear that he wasn’t happy with the worship leader’s decision and viewed it as insubordination. The worship leader asked me for my thoughts.

First, I should let you know that I think the pastor describing the worship leader’s actions as “insubordnation” was an overstatement, rooted either in sinful judgment or an exalted view of his own position. It lacked the grace and mercy that God has shown to us. I also know this worship leader is a humble guy who really wants to serve his church and pastors. That being said, I still thought the worship leader made a wrong choice.

At any point, if my pastor communicates to me that he wants me to do or not do something during a meeting, I should gladly submit. Why? Here are a few reasons.

It gives me the opportunity to consider others more highly than myself. Phil. 2:3 says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Counting others as more significant isn’t simply a mental exercise. It works itself out in real life when I choose to lay down my opinions and preferences and gladly serve someone else’s.

I’m not always right, and when I’m not, I don’t always know it. In the moment, I can be “absolutely sure” that I’m perceiving things rightly. But I’ve been wrong too many times to think that the strength of my belief corresponds to its accuracy. Actually, I’ve found that the stronger my conviction that I’m right, the more likely my thoughts are being clouded by selfish ambition. Prov. 28:26 says, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

It’s better for others to confirm later that I was right than force them to see it now. God’s purposes aren’t hindered if I don’t get my way during the meeting. If my pastor is wrong, God is able to handle his mistakes or miscalculations. Besides, I might be the one who’s wrong.

Trust is earned through experience. The relationship between a worship leader and the pastor works best when there’s a high degree of trust. Trust is built up over time, as I seek input before a meeting, respond humbly during a meeting, and ask for more input after a meeting. The more the pastor trusts me, the more freedom I’ll have during a meeting to vary from what we might have planned.

Christ is glorified when I submit to those over me. We’re commanded to submit to “one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph. 5:21). As the rest of the passage makes clear, God isn’t saying that everyone should submit equally to each other, but that we should submit to those God puts over us: wives to husbands, children to parents, employees to employers. And in the church, worship leaders to pastors. I can’t be 100% sure that God agrees with my perspective, but I can be 100% sure that he wants me to humbly submit to my pastor during the meeting.

If this has been an area of challenge for you, I’d encourage you to talk to your pastor, specifically confess any selfish ambition, and communicate a desire to gladly follow his lead. Who knows what grace God might pour out in response to your humility?

UPDATE 9-22-10: The worship leader told me that he asked the pastor’s forgiveness, apologizing for not honoring his desire to sing the song, and expressing his heart to support him. He said the pastor was gracious. He also mentioned that the pastor realizes he’s been a jerk and wants to meet to talk about it. Sounds like God is using the situation to reveal hearts and bring unity in the gospel.

Bob Kauflin - serves as the Director of Worship for Sovereign Grace Ministries. His main tasks include equipping pastors and musicians in the theology and practice of congregational worship. He is also a blogger and the creator of the website; Worship Matters. http://www.worshipmatters.com/

Reprinted by permission

So close!!

2010-10-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hey guys just wanted to let you know that my new album: "Heartbreak and Chainfall" is finally finished and will be out early November! Also to let you know that I am pre-releasing a single from the album called "Salvation Has Come". I'll have more info for you in the next few days but here is the cover art for the single, which will be available digitally through multiple online stores. (e.g. iTunes, Amazon, etc) Stay tuned for much more in the coming weeks including chord charts and stories behind the new songs!

My Journey Part 3

2010-09-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here's the final portion of the paper:

My Experience

This section, thankfully, could be an incredibly lengthy one. God has been amazingly gracious in providing me with a wide variety of experience leading worship. The beginnings of this experience came pretty early on. I was about 8 when I began singing solos in front of our congregation at FBC Midland, TX. Now granted, it wasn’t leading them in praise choruses, but the more I have come to understand corporate worship, I think the songs of children can lead people to a sincere experience of God. I was in several children’s musicals, taking the lead in many cases. From there I progressed into High School where I was involved in Youth Choir as well as being a part of our Youth Praise Band, playing the drums. I enjoyed my time, but I hadn’t yet realized quite what I was doing. My involvement with the Youth Praise Band extended to some new contexts for me as we were given the opportunity several times to lead worship for the entire church. It extended even further my Jr. and Sr. Years when we went on mission trips to Canada, Germany, and Colorado, all of which I had the opportunity to lead worship. Although most of my experience was in a contemporary style setting, I also got to experience the more traditional style setting as a participating member of our Adult Choir at FBC Midland. It was different, but equally beautiful and effective.

It wasn’t until my experience in Berlin (the one mentioned earlier), that I felt called to the ministry as a Worship Pastor. So from High School, I continued on to Dallas Baptist University, with a semi-full scholarship in vocal performance. My first semester in Dallas, I joined the praise team at First Baptist Irving as a vocalist and served there for two years. After a semester as a Music Major, I quickly realized that my heart was not with performance or classical music training, but with the study of theology and God’s Word. So after changing my major to Biblical studies, I tried out for DBU’s traveling evangelistic worship team “Glowing Heart”, and made it! The next year would be the craziest, busiest, most spiritually influential time in my life to that point. Glowing Heart’s ministry was primarily geared toward youth groups. So we spent most of the year traveling around Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana teaching and leading worship at Disciple Now Weekends. As a member, I was one of the lead vocalists and played keys as well. Along with Disciple Now Events, we led worship at nursing homes, prisons, concerts, conferences, and youth camps. We also took two trips to Thailand and Hawaii, leading worship in schools and concerts. In all, we had the incredible opportunity to lead worship in over 175 events that year, seeing over 120 people confess Christ as their Savior! It was an intense time of spiritual growth and a personal awakening of passion for worship in my life. It was through Glowing Heart that I fell in love with the sounds of corporate worship. It was a complete shift from my previous performance experience where I was focus to the body of believers encountering God through adoration, praise, repentance, awe, and joy!

My second semester of my Jr. Year at DBU (my second semester w/ Glowing Heart), I also started serving as one of the Worship Leaders at Hope Community Church, a church plant in Forney, TX. My roommate was the primary worship leader, but had asked me to help him out so I began spending my free Sundays (there weren’t many) with him. That was a very sweet time. We were a small congregation, maybe 40, but everyone there was there for one purpose, and that was to meet with God. In September of 2007, after serving there for a year and a half I was hired at another church plant New Point Church in McKinney, TX as the Worship Leader.

Also during the second semester of my Jr. Year (I told you it was a crazy year), I joined a worship band named “The Starks”, comprised of two of my roommates and some other friends. As a member of the Starks I played keys as well as providing background vocals. Much like Glowing Heart, we played events like Disciple Nows, Youth Camps and rallies. In September of 2006 we became the in-house band for “Overflow”, the college gathering on Sunday nights at FBC Denton. I was a member of The Starks until May of 2008.

In May of 2008, I released my first album “Cry for Revival”, and spent that summer touring different churches, leading worship on Sunday mornings and concerts on Sunday evenings. This was quite an interesting experience that ranged from contexts of small country churches in Clute, Snyder, and Hondo, TX to bigger and more modern venues. It actually stretched me in multiple ways, especially getting to lead multiple choirs, bands, and teams in traditional, blended, contemporary, and emergent worship styles.

In Feb 2009, I was hired as the Contemporary Worship Leader at Bay Harbour United Methodist Church in League City, TX. My responsibilities were to oversee the Blended and Contemporary Services as well as the mid-week Youth Worship gatherings. This being my first position as the head of a Worship Ministry, I learned many important lessons and grew exponentially in my understanding of what it means to lead a congregation on a weekly basis. This came as a challenge at first, as I was not used to staying in one place for an indefinite amount of time. But I also got to see the fruit from growing roots, and getting to know people. It’s amazing how you can structure your worship services so much more effectively when you know how to meet them where they are. After serving at Bay Harbour for a little over 13 months, I felt God’s call to Harvest Bible Chapel Houston in Cypress, TX where I am currently serving as Worship Pastor. I love where I am now, and what God is teaching me about His body, the Church, and how I can more effectively lead them to His throne. I hope to be here for many years to come.

I thank God for this journey that he has brought me through. The ups and the downs are quite overwhelming, especially when you sit down and write them all out on paper! My prayer is that I never leave this place of humility and gratitude for the position God has given me. I hold fast to this promise, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

My Journey Part 2

2010-09-20T18:05:00.001-07:00

Here's the next portion of the paper:

My Philosophy

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -- Romans 12:1-2

As mentioned earlier, the shaping of my personal philosophy of worship was greatly impacted by the role my parents played and still do play in my life. Their leadership, guidance, patience, and love and has shown me what it means and looks like to offer your body as a living sacrifice to God.

As Romans indicates above, that worship is an offering of our whole selves to God in obedience to him and love for him. I have always found it interesting that Paul adds the precursor “by the mercies of God” to the beginning of this passage. I think what Paul is getting at here is that as God in his grace reveals himself to us we will then be able to offer ourselves as obedient sacrifices for his glory. Our act of “spiritual worship” as the King James Version words it, can only occur out of a response to the truth of who God is and what he has done in our lives. Taking it to the next step, Paul continues by basically saying, “Since God in his mercy has revealed this unbelievable truth to you, spend yourselves on it, be changed by it, become obsessed with it. You can now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, see the eternal merit of knowing God and being known by him and that far outweighs anything this world has to offer!”

As we continue to become overwhelmed by the truth of the wonderful, mysterious Gospel, we are then transformed back into what we were created to be, instruments of worship for our Almighty God. What I mean by this is that as we continually changed by His word, prayer, and fellowship with believers, and sharing the Gospel with unbelievers, we will be made into the image and mind of Christ. We will understand the original created order of things and that those things were given and made to instill within us worship. So food no longer is an end in itself but rather something that conjures up worship within us for a God who provides sustenance. So income or material possession is no longer an end in itself but rather something that conjures up worship within us for a God who meets our every need. The list literally continues throughout all things that were created by him. We get a clear picture of this revelation in 1 Corinthians 2: 6-16:

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.’ These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in Him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths for those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but does no one judge himself. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

I know that was a long passage, but the entire thing has helped me to understand the utmost eternal value of worship in our lives, and what a gift of crazy grace that God has given us minds and hearts as his children to understand that!

Other than scripture, there are a several authors and pastors that have greatly impacted my personal worship philosophy and me. One of which is Louie Giglio, who heads up Passion Conferences, which are arguably part of one of the biggest worship movements in history. My favorite quote from Giglio states, "But to mean it when I say that I want my life to count for His glory is to drive a stake through the heart of self - a painful and determined dying to me that must be a part of every day I live." Another influential author and pastor is John Piper. Piper has always been one of those guys whose books take me months to read. It’s like every sentence takes the most intelligent and focused parts of my brain engaging all at once to in order to bring about comprehension of the subject matter. One of my favorite Piper quotes reads, "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." I love that. A.W. Tozer is another who has had huge impact on shaping my personal philosophy of worship. In one of my favorite of his many quotes he states, "I want the presence of God Himself, or I don't want anything at all to do with religion...I want all that God has or I don't want any." The last individual I will mention is Rory Noland, author of “The Heart of the Artist”, “The Worshipping Artist”, and Worship Pastor for Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, IL. In a profound statement for me he writes, "What is it that God has given you to do well? Be grateful for that. While we're busy envying someone else's talents, we forget about what God has given us...Stop viewing yourself as one of the have-nots. It's not true. In God's eyes there are no have-nots."

My Journey

2010-09-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today my pastor delivered a dynamite sermon from John 1. It was about the power of the testimony of a believer and that our testimony is and always should be anchored in Christ. It's I was... but then Jesus. On this same note, I recently was asked to write out my personal journey for one of my grad school classes and thought I would share it with you guys. It's always good to write this stuff out, and I am always blown away by the power of Jesus Christ to save and transform my life and the lives of those who call upon His Name. What an amazing truth. Anyways, the paper was actually pretty long, so I wanted to take the next few days and post sections of the paper. I hope this offers encouragement, as well as a chance for you to reflect on your personal journey. May we never tire of seeing the marvelous redemptive miracle of the cross of Jesus.

The Journey

“ Tear down the walls of all these things I try to do for you. Come claim my heart for only you. I want to breathe the breath of freedom. I want to see your glory and your kingdom come. I want to see the chains fall of your people so all the world would know, and see the real Jesus. “ –From ‘Real Jesus’

This prayer actually birthed a song for my upcoming album, and quite possibly contains some of the most honest lyrics I have ever penned. This is at the very heart of my worship philosophy and the crux of how I strive to live my life. I, however, must continue to be transparent in saying that I have not always felt this way, nor cared necessarily.

I was born into an amazing Christian family. I was raised by godly, devoted, generous parents who truly lived what they said they believed and strived to teach me that we were created to know God as our Lord and Savior. I didn’t understand that. For most of my young life, I equated Christianity to a club my parents had joined. Much like my other friends whose dads would take them out fishing or to play golf, going to church on Sundays was a Dunton family tradition. In fact if there were awards in the “church club”, I would’ve snagged MVP for sure. I was involved in everything from Bible drill, VBS, Youth Camp, Children’s Choir, Youth Choir, Praise Team, and so on. You name it and I was involved or most likely leading it. But, as mentioned in the lyrics above, it’s interesting how you can do a host of things for God or around God and never experience him or know him. It sounds silly, but there was a game to Christianity for me, and I was good at it. I always knew the right moment to close my eyes when singing songs. I knew all the right answers to the formulaic questions asked in Sunday School (it’s amazing how answering “Jesus” to everything is acceptable, which ironically is actually the truth), and that Thursday nights at Youth Camp were always reserved for emotional outbursts from the same group of girls coupled with the public out cry for the burning of “secular” CD’s, usually headed up by the same guy who did it last year.

It wasn’t until I was seventeen that I finally began to grasp that I desperately needed Jesus Christ. A college leader at the Disciple Now that year explained the Gospel to me in such a way that the Holy Spirit finally ignited all of the kindling that had been gathered and placed around my heart by my parents, church leaders, and friends. He explained that we are all enemies of God because of sin, and that Jesus is the only way to right the wrongs of that sin. He continued on to explain that nothing I ever did would ever be enough to put me back in right standing with God again. He continued, thankfully, to say that through the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I could have life, freedom, forgiveness and abundant life as a child of God! So that Sunday, I stood up in front of the church, my family, and all of my friends, many of which I had led in Bible Study, and confessed that Jesus was finally my Lord and Savior.

The summer before my Sr. Year of High School (the summer after I confessed Christ) I went on a five-week mission trip to Berlin, Germany with select members of my Youth Group. This trip, more than any other to that point, began shaping my heart in the realm of worship. One experience in particular literally set my heart on fire for seeing other people enter into the presence of God through song. It was 2 weeks into our stay and we were visiting refugee camps on the outskirts of Berlin sharing the Gospel, hosting backyard Bible clubs, singing praise music and so on. During our activities we met this woman who eventually invited us to her apartment for tea. When we arrived at her place, we were shocked to find that this woman was a single mother, raising 8 kids in what actually turned out to be a single room relevant to the size of a typical college dorm room. There were beds, toys, and clothes scattered everywhere and there was literally nowhere to stand except on top of one another. As our conversations progressed with the aid of our translator Sophia, the information that I was a singer suddenly came to the forefront. The next thing I know, the children are being gathered, lined up and sat down at my feet. Sophia then looked at me, shrugged and said, “They are waiting for you to sing something.” So I nervously looked at my Youth Leader for help, to which he said, “Just sing Amazing Grace or something”, so I did. The reaction that followed was quite unexpected. The woman started crying. As Sophia began talking with her again, she was able to make out two words: “Thank You”.

Needless to say I was perplexed. To this point I had sang hundreds of times in front of people, and not once (with the exclusion of my mother) did it invoke the shedding of tears, well at least not these kind. So that night, I called my mom to tell her the bizarre story of how earlier that day I had made a woman cry by singing to her in a different language. I remember asking her how something like that could happen. I was confused how something as simple as a song in a different language could connect with someone on such a deep, emotional level. Her answer was one that to this day continues to shape my view of worship. She said “Jason, that was the Spirit drawing her near to the heart of God through you.” Baffled, I hung up the phone and spent the next few days thinking and praying about what that really meant. I began to realize with the help of scripture that music is a wonderful tool of communicating the truth of God’s love that can connect with the heart and soul of people in a way that nothing else can. The next time I talked to my mom I told her that I wanted to be a Worship Pastor. Since then God has led me through hundreds of experiences leading worship in dozens of contexts, styles, and venues, but I’ll save those for later.

New rig and toys

2010-09-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Just got a new piece to my pedal arsenal. I know many guitarists have much more impressive rigs than this, but for someone who leads from acoustic and electric, this fits me perfectly. Here's the rundown of the gear:

Line 6 DL-4 Delay Modeler
Boss DD20 Giga Delay
Rat Pro 2 Distortion
Boss Phase Shifter
Boss Tuner
Boss Blues Driver
Boss Tremolo
Boss Volume Pedal
Voodoo Power Supply

And the newest and my personal favorite, the aBility Controller (provided by younfx.com). This wonderful piece of machinery lets me navigate and launch clips from Ableton Live 8. When you're singing and playing and don't have any more hands to spare, this product meets a fantastic need for the guitar playing worship leader who also integrates loops into their worship set. It's a little pricey but definitely worth every penny.

Ten Basic Principles for Playing Piano in a Worship Band

2010-09-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Travis Doucette, a friend of mine and fellow Worship Leader, posted this and I wanted to share it. Very helpful.

Psalm 33:3 – “Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts!”

1. Above all things keep it simple (stupid!).
a. The role of the piano, contrary to many classically trained pianists is not to outline the melody. This is carried by the vocals in a worship band.
b. The role of the piano player is to fill upper-mid range space with simple, often basic playing
c. Much of what is played is simply half notes or whole notes.
d. Learn to take chord charts and simply play the chords (no fills or elaborate extensions). Play only the roots and (maybe) a 5th in the left hand.

2. Know who you are playing with. Who you are playing with will determine how and how much you will need to play. Playing in a full band with multiple guitars will typically force your piano playing to be in the higher registers of the instrument. When you play in the context of a band, you are no longer the only instrument and instead of having to fill up the WHOLE sonic space, you are now caught in the middle (literally!) and must play your part tastefully as one of many components contributing to the overall sound. Learning to invert your chord structures in a way that does not overlap the sonic space being played by other instruments, particularly the guitars.

3. Always be listening. Listen to as much praise and worship music you can. Download songs from iTunes, purchase CD’s at your local music store. If you find a particular album you enjoy, purchase the accompanying music if it’s available. Begin to copy the playing you hear on the recording. Take note of what the piano player does, how much she/he plays and where he/she plays.

4. Music Theory is your friend. It’s difficult to communicate when you are unable to speak a language! Knowing the language of music is another ‘tool’ in your tool-belt for music. Understand how music is put together and how chords follow each other. Many, many songs are very predictable because they follow similar patterns of ‘tension’ and ‘release’. Learning ‘chord families’ is helpful for the novice player (i.e. if we are playing in D Major, we will likely see a G, A and Bm chord). Learn how to create close voicing’s so when you play these chords, your transitions are smooth and pleasant.

5. Don’t get too complex with your voicings when playing chords. Often open 5ths, omitting the 3rd of a chord provides the ‘space’ sonically that will be pleasing to an arrangement. Large, illustrious chord extensions often muddy up the mix when playing in band setting.

6. Keep off the bass player’s notes. Desiring the ‘power’ that comes from octaves or roots/fifths in the left hand often leads us to ‘step on’ the notes the bass player is playing. Remember that in a band context, lower notes are covered by another instrument. Because the piano is a very versatile instrument, the tendency is to want to use it to it’s maximum potential. When playing with a band, most of what you are playing will be around the C4 range or slightly below.

7. Those scales and modes ARE useful. Your classical music training is not a waste! In fact, it’s a solid foundation, and arguably the best. Knowing your scales and modes is very helpful when playing piano in a worship band setting, as it will help you ‘hear’ the parameters in which a fill/lick can be played in depending on the key/mode of the song you are playing. For instance, if I am playing “Revelation Song” which is in D-Mixolydian, I know I am basically playing in a G scale (or a D scale with a continual flatted 7th, depending on how you want to look at it). I know now that any ‘frills’ I want to add in musical spaces must conform to the parameters of this mode. Many of us are comfortable playing major/minor scales. If you have these down, begin to look at some blues and jazz scales. You will find that the notes and harmonic chord structures that arise from these scales can tastefully (at times) be superimposed on common worship songs.

8. Learn to find the ‘Musical Holes’. All music is made up of both notes and space. Both are equally important. When you play piano in a worship band setting it’s important to learn to listen for the ‘musical holes’ so that if you do a fill/lick you are placing it in a hole and not on top of someone else’s notes. Much of this is learned over time and comes with the experience of ‘trading off musical space’ with others you are playing with. Communication in a band context is key and is often done with musicians using eye contact and facial expressions.

9. So what do I play in the ‘holes’? We’ve talked a little about musical notes and space. We termed the space as ‘musical holes’. This begs the question: What do I play in the musical spaces? Again, our key principle remains true: always keep it simple. Often the holes are filled with simply outlining or arpeggiating a chord. The odd time, some songs (God of the Ages, Cannons) will have signature ‘licks’ that are sometimes carried by the piano. The places where these parts are played are often obvious and come at the end of a musical section of a song. They are used as a ‘musical hook’ to fill in space and are often signature to the song.

10. Stay humble and assume you still have lots to learn. The journey to becoming a better musician is much like that of becoming sanctified: it takes time. Here’s some tips to ensure your continual growth as a skilled worship pianist:

a. Listen to it all. Find out what worship albums have become embraced by the church. Listen carefully, practice and play with the recordings.
b. Read any information you can find (on the internet or at your book store) on playing technique. There are both Christian and secular resources that expand on these basic principles.
c. Surround yourself with players who are better than you. Look for a ‘musical mentor’. Ask lots of questions and position yourself as a student.
d. Pray that the Lord would open your mind to understand and comprehend what you work on, that He would give fruit to your labor and develop you into the musician He wants you to be!

Further online resources to develop your skill:

1. http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_3562_play-keyboards-church-band.html - “How to” videos demonstrating some of the concepts written about in this article.
2. http://www.musictheory.net/ - A fantastic page that teaches basic music theory, complete with online tests and exercises.
3. www.worshipteamtraining.com/.../Classical_Pianists_Pt.1.pdf - A great article for those who are coming from a more ‘Classical’ background.

God is Alive!

2010-09-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Just got this video from the fellowship about the Harvest plant in St. Vincent. God is alive!!!

HBC St.Vincent Launch from HBF Church Plants on Vimeo.

I'm praying that God continues to move in might and power through these faithful men and women of God. The Gospel is such a beautiful and wonderful mystery and it is so amazing to see His light being taken to the world through His vehicle, the Church. There are also other Harvest Churches launching this fall, join with me in praying for these as they start brand new adventures in various locations:

New Website!

2010-09-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

We have revamped our church website and I'm pumped about it! Check it!

The Four Pillars

2010-09-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have been designing some web art for my church, Harvest Bible Chapel, and wanted to share it with you guys. I am so excited to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of His people! These are our core beliefs, or what we call our "4 Pillars".

Album(s) Update

2010-09-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, you might have noticed (from tweets, faces (that's what I call messages on facebook), or from the huge new promo pic above) that the new album "Heartbreak & Chainfall" is just about done. For the past 18 months I have been working alongside my good friend Kyle Lent at his studio The Audio Village carefully crafting these songs. I wanted to take my time with this record and really make sure everything was the best it could be, and I think we've done that. It will finally be completed within the next month, so get ready and spread the word!

Also you may have noticed that the title of this post has an 's' in it. It's not a typo, after H&C is released, we will immediately start working on my next project, which will hopefully (said very carefully :) ) be out at the beginning of next year.

Thank you guys so much for your support and prayers during this exciting time. Love you all, and looking forward to the days to come!

New Sermon Intro Video

2010-09-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Just finished this video for our Anniversary Kickoff in two weeks. It will open our study of John. The version of How Great Thou Art is from Aaron Ivey and you can find him here. Enjoy!

How Great You Are from Jason Dunton on Vimeo.

Our Peace

2010-09-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Was reading in Micah this morning and was struck by this. What a wonderful prophecy of Christ.

"And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. Micah 5:4-5

Jesus is our peace. I love that.

watching our words...

2010-08-30T07:21:00.001-07:00

This is a blog post by Ray Ortlund titled “Gossip.” It is a great read on a topic that most of us struggle with at some level, I would imagine. Let’s press on to build one another up with our words, thoughts and actions, and not tear down:

“Q: What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?

“A: The duties required in the ninth commandment are the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man and the good name of our neighbor, . . . loving, desiring and rejoicing in their good name; . . . a ready receiving of a good report and unwillingness to admit of an evil report concerning them.

“So says the Westminster Larger Catechism. The Bible itself is so clear against gossip, probably because we are so inclined toward gossip:

“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

“He who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; Psalm 15:1, 3

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: . . . a false witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16, 19

“You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:16

“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. James 4:11

“Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret. Proverbs 25:9

“God gave them up to a debased mind . . . They are gossips. Romans 1:28-29

“There are many biblical passages confronting gossip. The witness of God against this sin is overwhelming.

“What is gossip? It is not necessarily false information. Slander is false. Gossip might include true information, and maybe that’s why gossip doesn’t always feel sinful. What makes it sin is, first and foremost, that God says it’s sin. But gossip spreads what can include accurate information to diminish another person. That is not how people behave when they are living in the power of the grace of God.

“Gossip is our dark moral fervor eagerly seeking gratification. Gossip makes us feel important and needed as we declare our judgments. It makes us feel included to know the inside scoop. It makes us feel powerful to cut someone else down to size, especially someone we are jealous of. It makes us feel righteous, even responsible, to pronounce someone else guilty. Gossip can feel good in multiple ways. But it is of the flesh, not of the Spirit.

“Adultery too is a serious sin, and one likely to be disciplined in a church. But I have never seen a church split over the sin of adultery. Gossip is a sin rarely disciplined but often more socially destructive than the sensational sins.

“Gossip leaves a wide trail of devastation wherever and however it goes – word of mouth, email, blogging, YouTube. It erodes trust and destroys morale. It creates a social environment of suspicion where everyone must wonder what is being said behind his or her backs and whether appearances of friendship are sincere. It ruins hard-won reputations with cowardly but effective weapons of misrepresentation. It manipulates people into taking sides when no such action is necessary or beneficial. It unleashes the dark powers of psychological transference, doing violence to the gossiper, to the one receiving the gossip and to the person being spoken against. It makes the Body of Christ look like the Body of Antichrist – destroyers rather than healers. It exhausts the energies we would otherwise devote to positive witness. It robs our Lord of the Church he deserves. It exposes the hostility in our hearts and discredits the gospel in the eyes of the world. Then we wonder why we don’t see more conversions, why ‘the ground is so hard.’

“What should we do when a conversation starts slipping into gossip? We should immediately challenge the sin: ‘Hey friend, sorry to interrupt, but this is gossip. So here’s the deal. This conversation is now on hold until you go get _____________, and then you can start over and say whatever you feel you must say right to his face. I am willing to be a witness to that conversation, but I will not participate in gossip. What do you choose to do?’ Amy Carmichael established this rule at her mission station: ‘Never about, always to.’

“’Let all things be done for building up’ (1 Corinthians 14:26). Therefore, let’s always ask ourselves, ‘These words about to rise up out of my mouth or go out through my keyboard – do they build up? Am I being constructive? If the person I feel like discussing were here with me right now, how would his presence change what I feel like saying?’

“’Do not be deceived: . . . revilers will not inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.’” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

New Chorus

2010-08-17T19:16:00.001-07:00

Just wrote this:

You're never going to leave
So we will believe in Your power to heal
Now our hope is secure
As sin's great allure falls away in the light of Your face
It falls away in the light of Your face

Have Missions become too 'Deeds'-Centric?

2010-08-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

Totally stole this article from: http://stillsearching.wordpress.com

Thought you would enjoy.

I really enjoyed a column by Brad Greenberg (of The God Blog) a few weeks back in the Wall Street Journal‘s “Houses of Worship” column. The piece, entitled “How Missionaries Lost Their Chariots of Fire,” took a look at the trends in Christian missions in recent years–most notably the shift among younger evangelicals from proselytizing and preaching to doing more service and social justice oriented work as mission. A shift in focus from words to deeds.

Evangelical youth now hold the term “missionary” at arm’s length, afraid of the colonialist connotations of the word. They prefer being involved in “social justice” under the auspices of a more generalized Christian sense of charity rather than operating under anything resembling (groan) “soul winning.”

Greenberg cites such popular organizations as Invisible Children, an ostensibly Christian social justice organization whose media kit states that its founders “believe in Christ, but do NOT want to limit themselves in any way.”

Greenberg, who notes that “Christians today typically travel abroad to serve others, but not necessarily to spread the gospel,” ultimately concludes that as much as abandoning the colonialist undertones and “vacationary” short-term reputation of evangelical missions is a good thing, we have to remember that both actions AND words are necessary in missions.

He writes:

Spreading Christianity through deeds alone aligns with a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” But research suggests that non-Christians often miss the message without the words.

A 2006 study by Calvin College’s Kurt Ver Beek found “little or no difference” in the spiritual response between two groups of Hondurans—one which had its homes rebuilt by missionaries who did not proselytize and the other by local NGOs. Intuition would suggest as much. Unless foreigners explain that they are motivated to help by their religious beliefs, locals may be grateful for the new home but they should not be expected to connect dots that they may not even know exist.

The reality is the Church should be doing both: serving the needy and spreading the gospel. This is what makes the humanitarian work of Christians different than that of the American Red Cross. Both are motivated by the desire to help others, but Christians are spurred by that Jesus thing.

Props to Greenberg for highlighting this important point–that in our desire to move away from the ills of “old school” missions thinking we don’t throw the baby (preaching the gospel) out with the bathwater (colonialism, etc). Sadly, we pendulum-prone evangelicals have a hard time with these both/and scenarios–always inclined to correct the ills of one thing by a wholesale replacement of it with something equally full of its own ills.

I’m all for social justice. I’m passionate about it. Christians have to be serving people and loving them not just in word but in deed. But man, if I hear another well-fed, Toms-wearing evangelical kid quote St. Francis (“preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words”) one more time as a justification for their unwillingness to utter a word to anyone about Christ as the one true hope, I don’t know what I’ll do.

It’s an ongoing debate in missiology: Should missionaries in foreign countries prioritize meeting physical needs (food, water, social justice, development) before they preach the gospel, or should evangelism always be given primacy?

To me, the debate is silly. Can’t we do both simultaneously? Can’t we serve others and meet their circumstantial needs while at the same time telling them about Jesus? Yes, we should be in Africa building water wells, or in Haiti building schools, but what’s the harm in mentioning along the way that we are Christians acting as the church, loving the world because God loved it?

I’m not sure missions could ever be too focused on deeds–unless it is at the

expense of the equally important words of truth that people need to hear. I

hope my generation figures out a way to emphasize both.

The Wonder of the Cross

2010-08-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

new song alert!! This one has been a long time coming, enjoy!

The Wonder of the Cross

You became the sin, became the wrath

So we could breathe and live and

You bore all the weight, all the pain

Even the grave so we could shine

The mystery of Calvary has us on our knees

And were singing

Oh oh oh

May we never lose the wonder of it all

The wonder of the Cross

Oh oh oh

Where sinners become sons

Its just the wonderful, wonder of the Cross

You came to us to free us from

A debt we couldn't dream to pay

We were bound, enslaved and dead

but You paved the only way

The mystery of Calvary has us on our knees

And were singing

Oh oh oh

May we never lose the wonder of it all

The wonder of the Cross

Oh oh oh

Where sinners become sons

Its just the wonderful, wonder of the Cross

Jesus, Jesus, Mighty Jesus

Life is found in only You

Oh oh oh

May we never lose the wonder of it all

The wonder of the Cross

Oh oh oh

Where sinners become sons

Its just the wonderful, wonder of the Cross

Our King

2010-08-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to shake this prayer that God has given me lately. As I have been working my way through Scripture I can't help but become overwhelmed with this huge, unstoppable, almighty and victorious God of the Bible. It's so different from the God that was portrayed in Church growing up. The God I read about is fierce, passionate, answers to no one, and His plans cannot be touched let alone thwarted. Even the sight of Him is fatal to the onlooker. What a magnificent God. This is the God of the Bible: endless power, might, strength, wonder, majesty, and glory. I wonder why I ever question His ability to come through. Why I ever doubt His capability to solve something in my life. And then I think that this God who is so holy, so set apart, and so unapproachable loves me and made a way for me to love him in the most personal and intimate way, and I am, well... overwhelmed.

My prayer lately has simply been: "God continue to give me a higher view of You, to see You in Your splendor and holiness, to bow before You in reverence and gratitude, to somewhat comprehend what love it takes for a relationship to exist between a Perfect God and a sinful man." So out of this prayer, the song "Our King" was written. I hope these lyrics help give you a higher view of God.

Our King

You are higher

You are stronger

You are the greatest of all

No men or gods do

We bring our praise to

You have conquered them all

We know our hope is not in vain

For we know our hope is in Your name

Faithful and true

Our King exalted

Righteous and Clean

The One and Only

Your enemies fall

The darkness crumbles underneath

The sound of Your Name

Jesus You reign over all

All wealth and riches

Crumble to ashes

In the light of You God

Your might and power

Make heavens thunder

Not one comes close to You God

We know our hope is not in vain

For we know our hope is in Your name

Faithful and true

Our King exalted

Righteous and Clean

The One and Only

Your enemies fall

The darkness crumbles underneath

The sound of Your Name

Jesus You reign over all

Sin and death have met their end

Your enemies are all undone

All glory to the risen Jesus

The Son of God has overcome

We know our hope is not in vain

We know our hope is not in vain

We know our hope is not in vain
For we know our hope is in Your name

Faithful and true

Our King exalted

Righteous and Clean

The One and Only

Your enemies fall

The darkness crumbles underneath

The sound of Your Name

Jesus You reign over all

Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Strength

2010-08-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

This is one of, if not my favorite passages in the entire Bible. No matter how many times I read it I am continually hit by it's undeniable truth. As eternity continues to invade my time with the Lord and His truth of overcoming this world and our life and victory in Him continues to be true, I can't help but fall in love with this passage every single time. God's Word amazingly strengthens and satisfies His people. Be strengthened by this today:

Ephesians 3: 14- 21

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, amen.

New Songs

2010-07-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days I have been writing some new stuff. I'm really excited about what God is stirring up in my heart. It's amazing how He has shifted my focus from writing songs for myself to writing songs for the Church. Here's a chorus I'm really excited about. It will be interesting to see how these songs continue to manifest.

Faithful and true
The King exalted
Righteous and Clean
The One and Only
Your enemies fall
The darkness crumbles underneath
The power of Your Name
Jesus You reign over all

I'll keep sharing these are they come.

New and fantastic!

2010-07-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things ever is listening to new music. To be more specific, listening to new albums. I love to see how an artist will take their thoughts, words, creativity, and musicality and mold it to one collective purpose. I also love plugging other Worship Artists who I know do what they do for God and God alone. So without further adieu, here are some artists and albums I am currently listening to
(plug to YOU: All of these are available on iTunes)

God's Word is Timeless and True

2010-07-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading J.I. Packer's 'Knowing God' and am thoroughly enjoying it. From the very beginning it has revealed itself to be an incredibly solid piece of literature. In a society, especially 'Americanized Christianity', that thrives on all things new, and "relevance", it's refreshing to read a work by someone who is simply pointing back to the scriptures. It's amazing how timeless the truth of the Bible is and how it truly is the living, active. unchanging, authoritative Words of God. I have included an excerpt from the preface of J.I. Packer's book. Keep in mind that this was written in 1973.

From 'Knowing God':

It is often said that theology today is stronger than it has ever been, and in terms of academic expertise and the quantity and quality of books published this is probably true; but it is a long time since theology has been so weak and clumsy at its basic task of holding the church to the realities of the gospel. Ninety years ago C.H. Spurgeon described the wobblings he then saw among the Baptists on Scripture, atonement and human destiny as "the downgrade." Could he survey Protestant thinking about God at the present time, I guess he would speak of "the nosedive"!

Sound familiar?

May we continually return to the Word of God for life, breath, rest, fulfillment, joy, and the like. He is all we need.

A morning blessing

2010-07-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

From 'Love that Will Not Let Me Go' on Miracle
Rejoice my heart, rejoice my soul. My Savior God has come to me. Rejoice my heart I've been made whole by love that will not let me go.

What a beautiful lyric of an even more beautiful truth!

Go buy this, right now.

2010-06-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

'One': A new EP from One Sonic Society (Stu G & Jon Thatcher (Delirious?), Jason Ingram, and Paul Mabury). One of the best I have heard in a long time. Incredible worship record.

Here is an article about the newly formed group.

A trip to Chicago, Indiana, and meeting Touchdown Jesus.

2010-06-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally getting a chance to catch up on a lot of these posts. It's been a crazy few months. Between a new job, moving, traveling, and recording I haven't really had a chance (or much of a desire to be honest) to write.

The last two weeks of April I spent in Chicago and South Bend, Indiana. I was in Chicago for training for my new job at Harvest Bible Chapel, Houston. It was a whirlwind trip where I prob met close to 100 new people but it was incredible and humbling to be welcomed into the Harvest family and amazing to see what God is doing the various HBC's all over the nation and the world. Trust me, God's kingdom is alive and well.

The first week I was there I got to spend 4 days in South Bend actually, hanging out with Micah Klutinoty (the Worship Pastor at Harvest Granger) and my bro and sis-in law (who live, well lived there). We had a great time and it was nice getting away from the heat (notice the jackets, in April, I know crazy right?). One of my favorite things of the whole trip though, was getting to sit in Notre Dame Stadium and watch the Blue/Gold Spring Game. There's something about sitting in a place with that much history and tradition that touches a sports fan in a way that's hard to explain. Cool stuff.

The Man

2010-06-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

I've been sick the last couple of days, which stinks. But I must say, nothing cheers a guy up quite like his dog. And the same is true of my Bulldog Grubby. This guy is the man, in every sense of the word. (well, man-pup I guess) I mean just look at that face. Tell me that wouldn't turn a cloudy day into sunshine-y wonderment. Tell me! Alright maybe not 'wonderment' but certainly a good hearty laugh. (Oh and that football lasted about 47 seconds before deflation and humiliation, he doesn't play around).