Warning, bubble bursting, thoroughly raw post commencing now...read no further if you by some chance hold us Farrens in some undeserved place of sainthood. (Which if you do, this should help adjust that a bit).

My truly amazing daughter Madison and I got into a spectacular fight this last Saturday. And If you know the Farrens at all, you know that we are a very passionate clan...we love big, and we fight big. And to be fair, this test of wills did not ensue over some small frivolous matter. No, this “ruin a whole day miserable” episode was wrapped around the intricacies and responsibilities of adulthood, or more to my very loudly made point, the lack thereof. 

The reality is I could not be more proud of Madison, who is 21 this July, and lives almost an hour away about to start her Senior year of college. She's a bonafide rockstar in my book, but even still, some things just need to be said right?!

Of course as with any epic fight, it escalated quickly, and lasted longer than it should have. I was right, (yep, still sticking to my guns on that) but my delivery was less than desirable. There may or may not have been some slamming of fist on tables, and through a litany of now regretted words I finally had the last word…but at a heavy emotional cost to us both.

But here is the real kicker, of all the weekends for this to happen, it just so happens that this was the weekend Madison and I were scheduled to lead worship together the following Sunday morning...oh the maddening mystery of Divine timing. 

We did not speak the rest of the day after this episode, and due to a party we were both attending that evening she ended up spending the night and riding with me to church. It was a somber start of a morning to say the least. 

As we were walking across the parking lot into the church, I asked Madison why we would still show up to lead worship even after having such a crappy weekend, and she replied quickly, "Because He is still worthy of our worship". Well said daughter, well said.

But as we continued into the building, her response got me thinking about something in a completely different way. Even after all my years of leading worship, knowing full well that it has nothing to do with my worth or perfection, I will admit to still wrestling the question of hypocrisy every time I step onto the stage in a broken or messy state of being. 

But it's not just a worship pastor problem. I would make a very unscientific yet experienced observation that roughly half of all attendees walk into church on any given Sunday feeling more or less hypocritical. But prompted by the Holy Spirit, just before the second service started I actually read for maybe the first time the actual Webster's definition of a hypocrite. Here goes...Hypocrite: "a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs". And just like that, for the first time I truly got it. 

Week after week I stand and declare that God is great and worthy of all of my adoration and praise. Sunday after Sunday, I passionately exhort almost 600 other people to join me in that refrain. And showing up and continuing to sing about His greatness even after a really rough weekend is the one thing keeping me from being a hypocrite...because for me to keep silent or stay away would most certainly classify me by the definition of "a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs". If He was worthy of praise last Sunday, He's still worthy of it this Sunday, in spite of me. His love and affection for me has never wavered, and so neither should my response to it. My belief in who He is remains the same. Declaring the greatness of our God in our times of greatest brokenness and mess does not make us hypocrites...it makes us believers!

Harsh as it may sound, for the first time ever I now see that there are way more hypocrites at home on Sunday than are sitting in the pews. And I'd rather stand with my hands raised next to messy, broken, yet hope filled people, than become a hypocrite. I refuse to let the enemy blackmail me with his lies and accusations...if we have placed our belief in the goodness and kindness of the one true God, let's stop behaving in a way that disagrees with that belief.

Show up. And not just on Sunday, but every day. Make the enemy eat his words. Take back your God given righteousness. Stand on your brokenness and lift an even louder praise...no longer bridled by guilt or shame...we are hypocrites no more!

To say that Michael Farren is one of today’s top songwriters is a bit of an understatement. Besides penning “Let It Rain” which has sold a mere 2 million copies, been translated into multiple languages, and is impacting worshipers across the globe, Michael has written and is writing many of today's top songs for Christian Artists and churches. As a signed staff writer for Integrity Music he often writes and delivers as many as 100 songs a year. So how does he keep inspiration fresh? Here are some things I’ve observed: 

1. Gear is Ready to Go: Just like most of us Michael is always busy with something. Business, Church, Family, and just…life has its demands but he is always ready to record the moment inspiration does strike. Guitars are set out, keyboards are on, and the microphones are hot, just yearning for him to push the big red record button. Which he does, even if he only has 5 minutes before his next meeting.

2. Sounds that Inspire: The right sound can make all the difference. It can bend your ear towards a melody or strike your imagination. When he finds those products that do that, he buys them. Two of them are “The Giant” plugin by Native Instruments and a logic/mainstage instrument preset from Abel Mendoza’s company ‘That Worship Sound’.

3. Instruments That Have Songs In Them: How do you buy a guitar as a songwriter?  It’s not the best one or the most expensive. But You pick the one that has the most songs in it. Sounds dumb but it’s true. You play a bunch of them and see which one makes you want to sing a new song and which ones make you want to play an old tune. Then purchase accordingly.

4. Alternative Instruments That Play the Same as a Guitar: Don’t play the banjo or the Mandolin? No problem. As mentioned before the right sound bends your creativity in new directions but sometimes we are hampered by our playing abilities. A few easy solutions are two instruments that Michael keeps close by. The first is a Ganjo – a banjo that has the neck of a guitar. The second is a ‘Nashville Strung’ guitar – accomplished by taking a pack of 12 string guitar strings and then only using the higher string for each note. (hint: use the other strings for your regular guitar)

5. Listen to People's Prayers: If worship songs are supposed to communicate a person's heart to God, then it stands to reason we should be listening to more than just our own heart. When people pray, add your agreement and pay attention.

I’m sure I’ll have more nuggets of wisdom to share as I spend more time around the All About Worship offices and studio. Will pass them along as we go.

Michael King and Michael Farren continue the discussion on the main focus areas for All About Worship - Power of His Presence, Power of His People, and the Power of a Sound.  King catches up with Farren in the middle of the KINGDOM SONGS BOOT CAMP and there are some amazing takeaways.

“Stop leading songs and start pastoring people” - Michael Farren.

---

Today's podcast is a car ride talk with one of our favorite people in the world - Michael Farren.  We're talking about the dangers of isolation ... it's a sneaky weapon of the enemy uses (many times) against creatives and leaders alike.  When you don't know you're isolating yourself from people and relationships, you need an answer; A shift.  Listen in to find out what that shift was for these guys, and what it might be for you too. Enjoy!

-----------------

The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

Subscribe to the podcast:
theworshippodcast.com
linktr.ee/theworshippodcast 

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
The Worship Podcast on Facebook
The Worship Podcast on Instagram
The Worship Podcast on Twitter

---

München ; Wien : De Gruyter Oldenbourg, [2021]