PART 6

by Ben Grace

Slow Starts

I've never been a morning person & when Brian Moll preached about using the morning to be more productive I wanted to punch him.  Especially because a lot of my work & interests take place at night, rehearsals, shows, meeting up with people after they're done with work.  So this year I've been trying to reclaim some of my mornings as mini Sabbaths.  

Sometimes it looks like waking up a little earlier & taking my time to get out of bed.  

Sometimes its walking with my wife Sara Ann & puppy Gigi to get coffee & Dough donuts.  

Occasionally I've used this slowing down to reclaim my love for sketching.  

If you're excited about trying, or even letting me know about a slower morning rhythm that you already have, I'd love you to join in with the #slowstarts hashtag on Instagram

Diversity

For almost two years my alarm has gone off at 10am to remind me to pray & think about diversity.  This constant pursuit has led me to some amazing people that I follow regularly in my attempt to understand & have dialogue with people who are not like me.

Multicultural Worship Leaders Network (MWLN) - http://multiculturalworship.org 
I blogged about this a little bit here already but this network has been an extraordinary blessing  to me.  Obviously most of you in our church are not worship leaders but if you feel compelled to support their mission in any way please email to receive their newsletters & stay in touch with how you can support these wonderful people.

Nikki Lerner - http://www.nikkilerner.com
One of the founders of the MWLN & a phenomenal singer/songwriter/worship leader based in Columbia MD.  She came up to NY earlier in the year & led us in an incredible weekend of music, worship & even took time out on the Sunday afternoon after leading 2 services in Brooklyn to discuss diversity with my worship leaders.  This woman's voice & heart are HUGE.

Paul Neeley - http://globalworship.tumblr.com
Paul curates one of the wildest & most eclectic worship blogs I've ever seen.  For instance he recently shared a Korean jazz pianist playing an English hymn that was originally a 15th century French burial chant.  Oh, its that tune you know "O Come O Come Emmanuel" ;p 

Christina Cleveland - http://www.christenacleveland.com
Jonathan already blogged about her here

Liturgy: Seasons & Rhythms

I've blogged before about how the seasons of the church calendar (Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Eastertide) have really helped to shape & grow my creativity.  This boundless source of energy & creativity led me to collaborate & curate a bunch of worship resources under "The Calendar Years" and we released an Advent EP for free a few weeks back.  

Here's a few people who have inspired me along the way: 

The Liturgists - http://www.theliturgists.com

The Brilliance - http://www.thebrilliancemusic.com 

A New Liturgy - http://www.anewliturgy.com

Cardiphonia - http://cardiphonia.org