Rend Collective Experiment - Collective Blog

The Creative Process (Will)

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:54:35 +0100

In May last year, Ali, Pat and I went to see Gareth and Chris compete in the Belfast marathon. We found ourselves a good spot by the finish line to see our athlete friends complete the marathon hand in hand! The finish line, although the most glorified out of all stages of the marathon, is but a fraction of the journey up to that point. Much blood, sweat and tears were shed through previous months of training in the build up to that moment. I say all of this because it bears similar resemblance to the creative process. The completed work, whether a song, sermon or book, is a finish line of sorts but it bears only a fraction of the creative journey as a whole.

Over the past couple of years we have been writing and crafting songs for our second album Homemade Worship by Handmade People. Having had time to reflect post–writing/recording, I have a few thoughts of how we should approach the creative process as followers of Jesus.

In no way do I think as a band we have cultivated the optimum environment for pursuing creativity. However, I do think that we are learning something of where creativity can reach its greatest potential.

Jesus’ teachings carry a heavy emphasis upon the quality of our relationships. The most important commandments He highlighted relate to our relationship with God and those around us. So often we can get caught up in the pursuit of creativity whilst losing sight of these fundamental commands. However, these were given as principal directives within every area of life, including the creative process.

The process of creativity must be found within the greater context of our pursuit of God. If we pursue creativity outside of this context we open ourselves up to self indulgence and competitiveness where the end product can impede, rather than aid, the church. As we pursue after God, the Spirit crafts His heart within us. The desire of self recognition and attention dwindle in the light of the divine desires for God’s glory and the beauty of His bride.

Writing within a group contains the added dynamic of our relationships with one another. In the context of a band, this often calls for honesty and compromise in regards to lyrical or musical ideas (which for creative people can often be a challenge!) The best environment for this kind of dialogue is in the midst of relationships founded upon trust and humility. This is why the continual dynamic of our relationship with God is so important. These characteristics come only through intimacy with God as the Spirit forms in us the heart of Christ. A creative environment of trust and selflessness is formed, the product of which lies parallel to the heart of God.

The prospect of the church pursuing creativity and originality is an exciting one. However, if we are to echo the heart of God to the world within what we create, we must first hear the initial sound of His voice.

Thanks for reading and journeying with us!

Will

Pause Forward! (Gareth)

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:02:57 +0100

What a strange few months…. I mean you get to do some real exciting stuff… feel like you are helping the world, sharing your music and thoughts on life and then…… a pause….…… yes a pretty long pause. Yes the finger still is on that blasted button. Somebody hit play again please!

Thats sort of like how we have felt the last few months after being on the road with Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. I guess we felt useful and now well we feel a bit like we are back at square 1… well maybe square 1.2

It has been exciting being in the studio working on the songs for the new album (your gonna love the title..) The collective back together recording in my house and away for weekends in the beautiful Irish countryside working on songs. Its a privilege to do this! We feel a massive responsibility however, that while the church moves into a post modern world filled with new nuances we must help give this new breed of humanity a song to sing that grabs their hearts and moves their minds to enjoying the mystery and beauty of God. The church is not dead or out of date its a growing organic collective of Jesus followers.

So when I say we do feel a bit stuck or bored or useless I mean more from the angle that we really are spending a lot of time recording songs that make our hearts jump out of our chests but without us being able to see practical workings of the kingdom of God on earth just yet.

When we chat to Francis Chan about the future of church we get so excited. The church is still moving and grasping with the future not hiding like a little frightened rabbit. Come on my soul!!!!!

We have to take risks and make new decisions in our approach to people, faith, theology, friendship, "entertainment", jobs, family, church. We have to remember a lifestyle that "suits us" is not what we are called to but nor is blind obedience to the status quo.

If you feel a bit dry or bored with your walk with God we invite you to open up those parts of you that you once closed and let God enter in. Don't lie down and say well I tried this or that… don't settle for unanswered questions and give up… join the quest for truth and the fight for the surface of breathing God's air!!!

We hope these songs on the new album can help you do that!!!!

You are my vision oh King of my heart
Nothing else satisfies only You Lord
You are my best thought by day or by night
Waking of sleeping Your presence my light

We love you all and are so glad you are part of the collective. Let us journey forward not as a band and "fans" but as members of one family questing on in pursuit of Christ.

Blessings

Faith and Following... (Will)

Mon, 23 May 2011 10:59:06 +0100

Hello Rend blog readers...this is my first outing on the blog front...hopefully not the last either!!...thanks for reading...

It’s May and we have returned to N Ireland after finishing the US tour with Chris Tomlin. What an amazing time we had! We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of what God did over the last few months. We look forward to hopefully being back in the US later in the year.

For the band right now, it feels like we are entering a new season. With the recording of album two underway and our hearts and minds looking ahead, there is a renewed sense of devotion to the call of Christ. Perhaps, more than ever before, we are stepping out beyond the lines we had previously drawn and putting our lives firmly in Jesus’ hands. Within this place of surrender comes an underlying sense of “this is where I was made to live”. Jesus tells us (Matt 16:25) that it is when we give up our life for His sake that we find what it is to live as our Maker intended.

We were divinely designed to live not under the rule of an ultimately sinful heart

but in surrender to the most Holy God.

In many senses it feels like we have reached the place where we now trust the heart of God above our own. This does not mean our hearts are void of doubt or that we don’t feel the temptation to regain a tight grip on “our” lives. However, we do believe that our lives are His and that as we follow after Him and His desires, He is with us.

Our tour dates for the next few months have just been posted so maybe we will see some of you over the summer!

Much love

Will

Tour gets the brain going! (Gareth)

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:50:06 +0100

The Cost!!!!

What a month!!! My goodness...

I mean this tour has been amazing - to be in the company of some of our heroes in the faith like Chris and Louie, really has been encouraging and stretching. They have treated us like equals which to me speaks of their humility and character. Then last week we were at Passion in Fort Worth, Texas. As we stood in the prayer circle with the Tomlin team and people like David Crowder, Francis Chan and John Piper, well we knew that affecting change in a generation comes from unity and the pursuit of God over everything else. What a privilege to be invited into that circle! We only pray that Rend Collective can be as humble and committed to the kingdom.

Now onto some tour facts... We have played some great venues - like outdoors in West Palm Beach in Florida or Willowcreek in Chicago (where we sold out of Irish T shirts). I think we have played 21 other gigs so far... It's been nuts!

On the downside Ali had to go home early a few days ago because of her job so I'm sitting here in the dressing room with only you imaginary readers as my company!!Its great to be married to a woman of vision and passion ya know. My mentor always said "If you marry the man, you marry the vision! So make sure your future wife knows that!" I did and it was great advice for me anyway.

So lets talk about the title of this blog... The Cost!

You know one thing I have realised on this tour is the descisions we make towards safety and comfort massively affect our future satisfaction and present spark!!! If I choose the easy - I get the mediocre. It does mean that I don't get the massive negatives of discomfort and uncertainty, but I know for sure that these are the things which fuel my soul to rise above the bland. Putting your hand in the hands of the adventure of Christ causes not only great things to happen to others for his glory but they also cause us to burst into full colour (or color for you Americans who can't spell... ha!)

Those who have changed the world have lived in uncertainty. I guess a bit like social/spiritual tight rope artists who one day decided to cross from desert to beauty just so they could build a bridge for others to experience it!

As we look at the future as a community and band we are "Counting up the Cost". And we proclaim "HE IS WORTH IT!!!!" So as we step into the unknown we invite you into this Glorious Uncertainty as (Oswald Chambers calls it!!!)

Thank you so much for your prayers and support - onward to Phoenix and California.

Lots of love from us all

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? (Chris)

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:43:09 +0100

Well no, Katy, I don't exactly feel like a plastic bag ... but I've felt better!*

Those of you who keep up to date with all things Rend will know that, geographically speaking, things are less than ideal for us! By this I mean that we are several thousand miles away from the biggest touring ministry opportunity of our lives... and still are unsure how things with our Visas will unfold. So I think I can speak for the whole collective in saying that we are struggling a bit at the moment.

I just wanted to quickly share a few of the thoughts I have been processing , mainly for catharsis and to clear my head but maybe they will be helpful to someone(stranger things have happened!).

Firstly: God does not owe me a single, tiny little thing. The 'deal' I made with Him was that I would abandon all sense of ownership of my life in exchange for the surpassing gift of knowing Him. Comfort, security, safety, certainty, stability, even happiness; these are not things to which a disciple has any rights-we have given up our rights. These good things are gifts which God often chooses to give us for certain seasons by his grace...but He owes us nothing. And I'm completely okay with that deal because He's utterly worth it. A new song we have been writing together recently has the chorus refrain of:

"I've Counted up the cost, And You are worth it"

So I've been reminding my brain that I'd rather have Jesus than a "nice life" (Or a nice tour!). "For Better, For Worse" is the commitment I will make to my future wife(when/if I find her!); will I offer less than this costly commitment to my Jesus?

Secondly: I am going to make a statement in the spirit of discussion that I'm sure someone will find heretical! Here it goes-

"Solidarity is often preferable to orthodoxy".

Let me unpack that. A lot of people - well-meaning, considerate and all-around lovely people in the main - respond to a person who is struggling, or generally having a bit of a rough time, by trying to provide correct answers and solutions(orthodoxy). What I personally value much more is when people don't solve my pain but rather share it(solidarity).

Job's friends spent seven days in silent mourning with him in the biblical story before they open their mouths and this is so much better than the completely unhelpful 'answers' they try to provide later!

What I love about Christian community is when we offer our collective shoulder beneath the weight of our individual 'crosses' and carry one another; what I don't like is when we offer words and platitudes from a distance and don't lift a finger to help people who are being crushed under the gravity of life.

I add that, in my current experience, that the majority of people in my life are offering their shoulder to me and I thank God for them.

Thirdly: I don't have a third point. I feel this makes it glaringly obvious that I'm at a blatantly amateur level as a Christian communicator. As anyone who has been to church and heard a sermon a few times knows: truth comes in sets of three! sorry ; )

This has been my first ever blogging experience and, I'm not at all sure what you think, but I enjoyed it so I'm probably going to do it again...hope that's ok!!!

Chris xo

* this is a reference to Katy Perry's song ' Firework'. Anyone who didn't already know that has I'm sure dismissed this blog as the babbling of a lunatic many paragraphs ago...and maybe they were right!

Thoughts from Springfield, IL (Gareth)

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:42:36 +0100

Ok well where to start... 1st week on tour and there's so much to share… Last night Chris Loo had 10 breast of Chicken and 8 slices of roast beef for supper, sandwiched in-between Chris Tomlin's pizza hut that he kindly shared with us… But I'm sure thats not what you really want to know…

Or a few days ago the toilet broke on the bus and we had to wee in a cup then yes thats right … pour it down the sink… its enough to make you seriously think about easing off on all the free fizzy drink products there are at the venues…mmm perhaps you don't really want to know that either.

Right well lets talk about the bus… we just got a different one with a fully functioning toilet (altho number 2s are never allowed… oh boy!). It has a safari feel inside with tigers and elephants all over the walls… i kid you not, feels a bit sleazy but a massive luxury.

The shows have been going really well - God has been really working and people are connecting with Him. People are getting what we as a band are about and worship right along with us (Although there are a few strange looks at Ali playing the trash can HA!!!)
Funniest moment every night is when Chris Tomlin asked us to carry the cross through the audience and up on to the stage where we place it at a climax of music and emotion… its fantastic… the only thing is, well its pretty heavy and us 4 boys aren't exactly what I call slick!!! Every eye is on us and the whole time we are praying "Please God this is a great moment but DON'T LET US SCREW IT UP!!!"

We have really been blown away by how good everyone has been to us. We have been treated 1st class not like a support band. Chris Tomlin himself and his team have reached a hand of friendship in such a humbling way. We have been to Passion City Church twice, Lift Worship conference and now 4 gigs on the road… AND WE ARE AMAZED AT THEIR HUMILITY AND PASSION FOR GODS KINGDOM. ITS SO EVIDENT !!!! IF WE CAN CARRY HALF OF WHAT CHRIS, LOUIE AND THE TEAM DO - well that would be something!!!

Tonight's show is in Springfield…. I really hope Homer is coming (gonna get his autograph!!!) I think Moe is doing the catering and Chief Wiggum is doing the security!

Oh and on our days off we are being looked after by the amazing DIXON family!!! They have 2 kids who rock our world and they have a tennis court near their house (but I'll fill you in on all that in another blog).

As they say in some parts …

KEEP HER LIT!!!!!

Waiting... (Gareth)

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:37:02 +0100

Well today feels a bit like a verge... ya know when life is happening but it also isn't! What I mean is your sitting on your sofa with hopes, dreams and excitement but unfortunately you are in reality still sitting on your sofa.

This is the day of our new website… awww yeah… but also the day we are meant to fly out to Nashville so we can play to the beautiful people at the Re:Create Conference and then join Mr Chris Tomlin for his Spring U.S. tour. When I say "meant' well our Visas haven't been approved yet and thus I am sitting on my sofa along with my wife watching movies, reading books and singing songs…. waiting

One thing i do take note of… should we wasted these next few days on what we seem to call an activity called waiting. If I spend my life waiting I would always be doing it. John Lennon used an old quote once…

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

I don't want us as a band or us all as followers of Christ to let life's opportunities pass us by just because they weren't what we expected or because they aren't very grand. (side point do you spell it "grand" or "grande" - google would tell me… but…)

The Bible says "Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones" (Luke 16v10a). So if today is that waiting day for me (and probably a lot of others) I don't want to waste it!! I want to be patient in the things outside of my control and faithful in the things that are. Waiting does not have to equal wasting.So at least as a band we are getting some good hang out time…

Ali and I cooked some pancakes for breakfast - they were yum yum…

Will and Bridge joined us for got some serious lunch…

Patrick was round for afternoon tea and stress out time…

Chris was round for home cooked burgers last night and bit of movie action (The Queen - altho movie "action' is not exactly how I would describe it)…

Life is good while we wait. Life is great right now not just after we get visas but right now!!!!!

So we hope you enjoy the new website which we have been eagerly waiting for and we hope and pray that in what ever you are up to you don't miss living life because you are waiting for 'something to happen.'

(ps google says it can be either grand or grande)