Ordination Song...

This past week I had the honor of leading music for a dear friend's ordination service. I was playing guitar (and singing a little) with an old friend who I have been reconnected with. (Just for fun here is a throwback picture of the two of us at the Church we grew up in next to yesterday's service)

The candidate for ordination had gone back and forth about what song he would have us bring as the "special music" in the middle of the service. He wanted to use David Crowder's "Here's my heart" because of its powerful lyrics, and Need To Breath's "Something Beautiful" because it's his favorite song...

He settled on "Here's my heart."

But as a surprise I worked the chorus of "Something Beautiful" into the arrangement of "Here's my heart" as a surprise for him. The vocalist and I agreed that it was a bit cheesy, but so is our friend, so we went with it.

I put the songs into the same key, and used the new chorus as a bridge, placing it somewhere in the song where it can be used as a transition between a high energy climax and the outro.

and while we thought it was a bit silly (knowing both of the songs) those who were unfamiliar with them didn't think we had done anything.

So, don't be afraid to do fun and creative things, even in solemn and holy spaces, it made the event very personal for those of us who were in on the "joke."