August 17, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: colinstitt . Comments: Leave a Comment
Recording Day 1
Day 1
Its actually difficult to believe that this day has come, to see a dream begin to be fulfilled is quite breathtaking stuff but leaves you feeling rather nervous but deep inside with a great sense of excitement.
Today we embarked on a long day tracking drums for 4 of the songs, with the fifth in the bag from a previous journey. It was a long first day starting at 10 at working through to just after 7pm but we got there and really feel good progress has been made and we are on track (see what I did there, shut up Colin ok lol)
Brian and Mike have been fantastic bringing new ears to the project and already giving great advice, support and encouragement!
The Band Josh, Ding, Bo and Hambo have been fantastic and its been a real blessing working with such fantastic musicians & friends, engineers and producers who are so encouraging and creative.
Theres been a number of changes to arrangements and songs today which can always be hard to take sometimes and its a really learning process not to hold on to these things to tightly. Day 2 tomorrow and I’m getting excited again after a good days rest watching Liverpool get beat, Tiger through the PGA away, but the highlight watching History been made in Usain Bolt break his own world record in the 100m in 9.58 seconds incredible!!
Again we would really appreciate your prayers and support as we move into Day 2 will blog again tomorrow! (PS thanks to all who have been praying for us so far – legends)
Now who’s is green tea and peppermint?
Love and Peace
Colin
EP
Its been a while since my last blog , actually that’s quite the understatement However I bring some hopefully good news…
This Saturday (15th August) a band of fantastic merry musicians and myself enter the studio under the guidance of the legendary songwriter, musician, genius and producer Brian Houston (not the hillsong pastor! www.brianhouston.com) to record my first ever EP.
This wee adventure is really about stepping out in faith and living out the dream and caling I believe God has placed in my heart and my life to lead worship and write new creative and prophetic songs for the church to connect them to who our God is, and what are God is doing in Belfast, Ireland and the Nations. Over the last few years and even more so over the last year I have had requests for my songs after church services, via email and endless amounts of encouragement for me to record the songs. My aim for this project is to bring glory to God declaring who God is and what he is doing in my life, our church, in our country and in this world. My hopes for this wee project although very ambitious its very much my heart to…
To lift up our God that he may be glorified and worshipped. “He must become greater, I must become less.” John 3:30
To encourage, challenge and motivate the Church in worship and mission.
To provide a vehicle and a tool for people and the church to use these songs in worship outside of a Sunday gathering
To provide a high quality and creative expression of worship to our God
To bring a vibrant and fresh prophetic challenge and voice to the church.To encourage and inspire the next generation in worship
Over the next week I hope to post a wee blogging diary on the process and keep the blogging world and all who are interested updated with the recording So please stop by and drop us a wee line we would love to hear from you!
We would really appreciate your prayers over the next week as we rehearse, travel and record!
Peace
Colin
Yummy
Blog world just catching a wee flight from Belfast city and came across a wee yummy bag of crisps! Jalapeño and coriander called salty dog! Rather yummy in my tummy!
Revolutionary
Think i’m in blogging mood!
Revolutionary
“something that has a major impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavour”
I wonder who comes to mind when you think of a revolutionary? Nelson Mandela, Churchhill, Gandhi?
I wonder do you ever consider Jesus not only as one, but truly the only one who brings about dramatic and total change in your life and the lives of people and society at large? Is it even right to see Jesus as revolutionary?
A wee song we hopefully will be practicing as a band and playing pretty soon called ‘revolutionary’ thought I would post the lyrics
‘Revolutionary’
Lord Revolutionize my days
Recreate all my ways
Write your law on my heart
Energise and reignite
The glorious church of Christ
Your cross has changed it all
I have been set free
From all my sin and shame
A brand new life I am born again
You are revolutionary
Jesus revolutionary
I want to see like you
I want to love like you do
Illuminate yourself through me
Lord examine all I do
Let it be for you
I delight to do your will
Synchronize my heart to yours
Attune my ears so they can hear
Your Spirit lead me on
Copyright Colin Stitt 2008
God who comforts
Hey blog land it’s been a while! Hope everyone’s doing hunky dory!
Just a quick post to let you know ive posted a wee demo of God who comforts on colinstitt.com it should play automatically from the homepage! So if your interested why not pop by and have a listen!
Keep er lit
CS
Recording part 2…
We decided that we would record a song I had written called Identity. However by the end of the day we made some changes and the song is now called Your the God who Comforts. (I will post further about the story behind the song later) It was fantastic to have some space and review the song in a new light and to have some great input and advice looking at how the song connects and engages people to look again to there God who comforts them and who brings them peace.
It’s funny though I’ve had real mixed feelings about the song since we came out of the studio. I love the changes and love the sound, but I have felt abit sad about losing some of the lyrics.
I’ve been writing worship songs now for the last year and a half I wouldn’t claim to be the worlds best but I just have a real strong belief it is what I feel God has called me to do and I want to be faithful to that and in the gifts he has given me to use to lead people into worship. The day with Brian in the studio taught me loads and reminded me once again I still have loads to learn. I really feel the changes have strengthened the song but also has helped me too – as I start out on this journey to ask how precious am I about what i write? Am I open to learn to receive input and honest positive criticisim of my art form. I think I can positively now say yes! I have benefited so much from the day with Brian would like to thank him, Adam, Josh and Mike for all the input, encouragement and support it has been greatly beneficial and blessed me immensely! Thank you
Peace out
CS
Recording…
Hey all just thought I would let you know I’m heading off tomorrow up to Hilsborough, to Brian Houston’s new studio. Brian has kindly offered to let me record some demos of a few of my songs (including break our hearts). Bit nervous the whole studio experience is kinda new for me but will be nice to have some demos done. Have got Josh from the band heading up with me and one of my best mates Adam Bell a.k.a DIng who hopefully will put down some bass tracks for me. Excited but nervous… will post again and let you know how we got on…
Peace
CS
New Band
Over the last number of weeks or so now we’ve been working away trying to pull together a new band to play with in my home church Christian fellowship church. It has been an exciting journey over the last number of weeks meeting with them individually and hearing their heart for worship and having the priviledge to share with them my passion to lead God’s people in worship and write songs that connect & engage people to express their worship to our Father and lead them into a deeper intimacy with him. The guys have worked fantastically hard in practice over the last week and although more hard work is still to be done I just love what God has brought together and I am so excited about what God will choose to do in us and through us. We are at the start of a new season as a band and he has many things to teach us and reveal to us. I think whats really exciting about playing with these guys is there heart to worship, to praise to rejoice to lift his name high to let the Holy Spirit lead them. These guys are true worshippers they desire to approach the throne of God with confidence in who they are in Jesus but in awe and wonder of how great God is and what he has done for them. As a lead worshipper theres nothing more exciting than having a band who is sold first and foremost in bringing God Glory I thank God for them and for the exciting journey that lies ahead as we lead people to worship our Father in spirit and in truth.
Keep er lit
CS
The Band
Drums: Josh Galbraith
Keys and BV: Niki Cruise
Electric Guitar: Chris Jackson
Bass: Ian McCormack
P.S if you get a chance please remember us in prayer as we move into this new season. Cheers
CS
New Song – “Break our hearts”
Over the last year I have been blessed to be in a little community known as a Cell group, to many you are probably more familar with the term home group or small group, as part of my home church Strandtown Christian Fellowship Church in Belfast. As community we have been praying and chatting about as followers of Jesus how important it is too understand the heart of God for the least in our society for the broken and the weak for those living in dispair. Back in Janurary of this year In one of our cell meetings I had a vision of a guy selling big issue magazines on the street corner of the belmont road where I live. The image kept zooming in and out of the top corner of the magazine on the words ” Big Issue” . We had been praying that night for God to lay people on our hearts and how was we could live out our faith to these people. I had felt the Holy Spirit prompt me with this vision to understand that the homeless and least in our society, God heart breaks for, he loves them and want his people to show them his care, and to do this he must first break our hearts with the things that break his, especially in relation to mercy and justice. That night I went home and wrote a little prayer in my journal…
“Break our hearts lord with what breaks yours, Lord let your justice and mercy flow from this little community and as a church here in belfast, and send us out with courageous hearts as we shine your light and bring hope to the least.”
A few days later I had managed to pen the jist of this little ‘dangerous’ prayer into a chorus of a song. Over the months that followed I tried to bring it together into a song but failed to write anything of real meaning or revelation. Months had went past and still nothing but yet the little chorus remained. Until however one night in our cell community we were praying again. It was a really powerfull night, we were trying to pray for he situation in china and Burma and in a number of people that the doctors and nurses in our cell had been in contact with that week. So we prayed… not with any great knowledge of the situation, but I remember tears flowed as we prayed God what we can we say and do , lord what can we pray when we see so many in Suffering, in pain and despair in this world, Adrian our cell leader encouraged us to look to what Jesus prayed Our father you art in heaven… and so we turn our eyes to Jesus the giver of life and binder of wounds as we prayed the Lords prayer. Something in me stirred that night, that God’s heart broke for these people! and his desire to break our hearts with the things that break his, his love for justice for the least, to use us his people to go to the broken, to stand with the least in society to shine light into places that are dark and hopeless and to bring comfort to those who are in need. We are the essence of Jesus made in his image and called to be hands and his feet on our time on this earth. The song in essence is a journey one I am still on about how we responds to the heart of God and with the things that break his. Its a dangerous prayer and one that should not be sung lightly but nevertheless a prayer I feel we as followers of a radical Jesus need to embrace!
“Break our Hearts”
Living in a world with so much pain
When so many live in despair
What can I say Lord, what can i pray?
`when we see so much suffering
When people live and die in poverty
What can we do lord what can we pray
But turn our eyes and look to you
Giver of Life and the binder of wounds
Hear our prayer to you
Break our hearts lord
with what breaks yours
Let justice and mercy flow out
Like a river from here
Break our hearts lord
with what breaks yours
Lord send us out with courageous hearts
to bring hope to your world.
We will go to the broken
We will stand with the least
Shining light into darkness
Comforting those in need.
© Colin Stitt 2008
