Set list:

01: Lead Me To The Cross [Brooke Fraser - 00:00]
02: Unfailing Love [Brian Wahl - 04:15]
03: How He Loves [John Mark McMillan - 08:17]

The YouTube Worship Sessions are a series of live worship sets and free downloads. I’ll be uploading more regularly, so check back often!

In this video I talk a bit about the my songwriting process, and I highlight two brand new songs that I’m in the middle of writing. Both songs are more simple ideas – they’ll both need a bit more work before they’re complete.

Psalm 131

This one is based on Psalm 131, which is a Psalm about humility.

Lyrics:

My heart is now proud
My eyes do not serve themselves
My heart is not proud
I will quiet myself

My hope is in the Lord
Both now and forevermore

Garden of Thorns

This song is about how God chooses to work through sinful and destructive people to bring restoration and hope to the world

Lyrics:

My soul is a garden of thorns
But there is beauty struggling through
My heart is a shadow of love
Behind the darkness is beauty shining through

This is my redemption song
What is broken is building a kingdom of love
This is my redemption song
From this dried up ground is growing a garden of love 

Evergreen Community Church:

Full band (drums, bass, acoustic, electric, vocals)

Links will take you to YouTube videos I’ve made of these songs. You can get charts and tutorials for most of these songs at Worship Tutorials.

• Holy is the Lord [A] – Chris Tomlin
• Mighty To Save [A] – Hillsong
• How He Loves [B] – John Mark McMillan
• Everlasting God [B] – Brenton Brown
• Blessed Be Your Name [B] – Matt Redman
• Your Love Never Fails [A] – Chris McClarney

We had a shorter message this week, so we did a few more songs than usual.

River Oaks Community Church

I did this service solo, but I did use backing loops. For two of the songs I had full backing tracks that I pre-recorded myself (one was a song from my latest album). This was the first time I used full backing loops in a live setting, and it went very well. I was able to stay right in with the click track, which was something I was worried about, especially when talking during a song (calling out the next line, etc). I think I’ll do a video or something and talk about the gear I’m using to use loops and tracks in a live setting soon.

• Always [B] – Kristian Stanfill (used full backing track)
• Unfailing Love [D] – original (used full backing track)
• Amazing Love (You Are My King) [D] – Billy Foote (backing track: just pads)

I had planned one more song at the end after the message, but we ran out of time so we cut it.

It was a great morning, especially when you do something brand new and it works, ha!

Download BandCamp // iTunes

Based on Psalm 23

Lyrics:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me lie down where the grass is soft
He restores my soul
He restores my soul

Though I walk through the valley I will not be afraid
Though I walk through the valley I will not be afraid
I will walk through the valley and I will not be afraid

You lay a table before me in the presence of those
Who would hate and destroy me, You lift me up
And You restore my soul
You restore my soul

Surely goodness, surely mercy will follow me all of the days of my life
Surely goodness, surely mercy will follow me all of the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
Dwell in the house of the Lord
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
Dwell in the house of the Lord

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

What most people don’t know is the context in which these words were written. The heading for chapter 29 reads “A letter to the exiles”. God’s people, the nation of Israel, had been exiled to Babylon. They were far away from home, and most of them were feeling pretty hopeless. God instructs the prophet Jeremiah to write a letter to His chosen people. God starts off by saying “settle down, have kids, get comfortable, seek peace”. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear when all you want to do is go home.

God continues by saying that they are going to be there for a while – 70 more years. I’m 32 years old. If I was told it would be another 70 years before I got to go home, I’d give up. For most of the people of Israel, this news meant they were going to die in Babylon. But God isn’t finished, He goes on…

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

These are my favorite verses in this famous passage. No matter where we are, God is with us. He will never let us go. In fact, when things feel utterly hopeless, God still has big, huge, awesome plans for us. And one day, He will bring us home. We will go to live with Him forever. Amen.

This is not your home 
I have a plan for you, a plan for you 
So don’t lose hope 
I have a plan for you, a plan for you 

In these dark days you’ll find me 
When you call my name you’ll find me 
When you seek my face you’ll find me 

I have a plan for you 
I will be good to you 
I am the Lord, your God 
And I will not ever let you go 

I’ll bring you home 
I’ll bring you home 
So don’t lose hope 
I’ll bring you home

“I Have A Plan For You” is available on the album Unfailing Love, which can be purchased at BandCamp or iTunes.

Download BandCamp // iTunes

Story behind the song. Based on Jeremiah chapter 29

Lyrics:

This is not your home
I have a plan for you, a plan for you
So don’t lose hope
I have a plan for you, a plan for you

In these dark days you’ll find me
When you call my name you’ll find me
When you seek my face you’ll find me

I have a plan for you
I will be good to you
I am the Lord, your God
And I will not ever let you go

I’ll bring you home
I’ll bring you home
So don’t lose hope
I’ll bring you home

Produced and recorded by Brian Wahl
Drums tracked at The Second Story Recording Studio (Durham, NC) by Wade Bayhnam

Performance credits:
Lead Vocals: Brian Wahl
Backing Vocals: Tori Partin
Acoustic Guitar: Brian Wahl
Electric Guitar: Justin Bowlin and Brian Wahl
Keys (strings): Brian Wahl
Bass: Dillon Partin
Drums: Dale Baker

Video recorded and produced by Brian Wahl

I haven’t done a full mix like this for a worship song cover in quite a while. I’m planning to do a series of these (actually have 2 or 3 more getting close to finished). I’m hoping to accomplish several things by doing covers like these:

1. Get better at recording/mixing/engineering
2. Improve my playing (and learn a new instrument or two – piano!)
3. Learn how other artists and engineers approach arrangements
4. Be able to bounce down loops to use in live worship in case we are missing key musicians (this would also give me the option of leading worship somewhere by myself but have a full band as a backing loop).
5. It’s a lot of fun

For a limited time, you can download an mp3 of this cover here:

For this mix, I followed the arrangement on this song on the Passion: Here For You album. I played, sang, and/or sequenced all the parts myself except for bass, which was played by Dillon Partin. Here are the recording details and how I went about things:

Acoustic guitar: Martin D-35 (recorded direct and mic’d with a Studio Projects C1)

Electric Guitar: Custom telecaster  //  Amps: amp modeling built into Logic Pro (this stuff is impressive)

Bass: G-Spot Basses (Temptress) – recorded direct

Drums: Sequenced in Logic (midi) – sounds are Superior Drummer

Keys/Pads: Sequenced in Logic (midi)

Vocals: Microphone: Shure Beta 58a

Recording/Production:

• Interface (audio): Focusrite Saffire Pro14
• Software (audio): Logic Pro
• Camera (video): Canon T1i
• Software (video): Final Cut X

This past Friday night we officially released the new album and put on  benefit concert for Lemonade International, a local charity here in Raleigh. We invited all our friends and gave anybody who donated to LI a free copy of the new album. I’m pretty excited to share that we helped raise $1491 in total. What a great night!

Here are some photos:

Band

• Acoustic guitar, vocals: me
• Electric guitar: Justin
• Drums: Raimel
• Bass: Dillon
• Vocals: Tori

Set list

Worship Set:

• God Is Able
• Redemption
• Though I Walk Through The Valley
• How He Loves
• Unfailing Love

• The Motions – Matthew West (Justin sang lead)
• I Have A Plan For You
• No Perfect Son
• Things
• One

Set list:

• God is Able – Hillsong [Bb]
• Hosanna – Brooke Fraser [D] – Tori lead
• Unfailing Love – Brian Wahl [D]
• How He Loves – John Mark McMillan [B]
• Redemption – Brian Wahl [G]

This was a communion service, and during communion I sang one of my originals acoustic – I Will Send My Son.

My new album “Unfailing Love” released a few weeks ago, and I’m finally geting around to posting a video with a few announcement about it. You can read more about the album (including the 22-page digital booklet) by visiting the album page.

The new packaged deal that I’d like to share is that you can buy both Unfailing Love and You Have Rescued Me for $15 (CD format only).

Purchase Unfailing Love:

BandCamp (click here to buy from BandCamp):

• Digital downloads: $8 (album) // $1 (individual songs)
• CD’s: $10 (Unfailing Love) // $15 (Unfailing Love + You Have Rescued Me)

iTunes (click here to buy from iTunes):

• Album: $9.90 // Songs: $0.99

Amazon (click here to buy from Amazon):

• Album: $8.99 // Songs: $0.99