prayerbookproject

keith and kristyn getty

Keith and Kristyn Getty will be in town with their band tomorrow night and will be playing at Regent College. The concert will feature hymns they've written (In Christ Alone, How Deep The Father's Love, etc) along with some other Irish tunes. Hope to see you there!

KEITH AND KRISTYN GETTY
IN CONCERT
Monday, October 19th @ 7:30pm
Regent College Chapel
Vancouver, BC
$15 for students, $18 for everyone else. 
(Regent College Students: PAY WHAT YOU CAN at the door!)

on the road

As a worship leader I'm not prone to tour as a concert musician. However, I am excited about a couple of up and coming events. See the HERE AND THERE list to the right for more info.

off to chicago

I'm off to the airport and headed to Chicago for the 2008 Following Christ Conference. I will be living out the final hours of the year with some great thinkers, inventors, artists, believers and friends. Stay tuned to the blog as I'm hoping to post regularly throughout the upcoming week, and please pray for the band and myself as we seek to lead others into the worship of the living God.

The theme of the conference is human flourishing. This idea is so full of possibilities and I am interested to hear how different people approach the topic. One of the places I go when thinking about human flourishing is Psalm 92...

It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. How great are your works, LORD, how profound your thoughts! Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. But you, LORD, are forever exalted. For surely your enemies, LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me. My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." 

2008 Following Christ Conference

I am in the final stages of gearing up for Intervarsity's Following Christ Conference. The conference is being organized by the GFM (Graduate Faculty Ministries) wing of Intervarsity and is open to all. The main speaker will be N.T. Wright and the conference theme is Human Flourishing. I will be leading in worship during the six plenary sessions. Joining me are some great musicians and friends: Anna Maria Pasley, vocals; Molly McCue, vocals; Mark Mohrlang, vocals/guitar; Darren Horn, keyboard; Judy Lee, cello; Jeff Brumley, bass; Jeffrey McCormack, drums.

So write it down on your calendars and please come to Chicago from December 28-31 for what I'm certain will be a great time of worship, learning and resting together. I leave you with the following (brilliant) words on human flourishing and art from Nicholas Wolterstorff...

Art is ultimately for human flourishing - for that mode of human flourishing which the biblical writers call shalom. Shalom requires justice; of that, the biblical writers leave us in no doubt, as also they leave us in no doubt that it requires harmony and delight in our relation to God, to society, and to nature. But it also requires art. Of that there can be no doubt. In its contribution to shalom lies the justification of art. In that contribution lies its unmistakable glory.

hope for a tree cut down

On a day when so many are spending so much it is good to know that free stuff is still out there. My friends at Church of the Beloved have put out a new record that they are giving away. While some free stuff is free because it is not worth anything that is far from the case here. The music is free because of the generosity of the church. This hauntingly beautiful worship music is a gift to anyone listening for a deeper experience of who God is and who we are in return. Hope remains.

From their website, "That is what we are discovering together at Church of the Beloved - a hope.  Hope that something new is beginning that has very old roots.  Hope that God is growing life out of our devastation, trust out of our cynicism, love out of our fear, community out of our isolation….  And that’s what this album is about - fumbling into God’s grace.  It is a seismic and humble shift when our heart can hear the words that God has been saying to us for all our lives, ‘…nothing can separate you from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus’.  These songs say ‘Yes’ to God’s claim upon your life that, ‘You are my Beloved.’”

This record will soon be available at byfor.org, but you can download it now by going HERE. If you do download the record please share your appreciation with the folks who put this together. Please email them or leave a comment at their site.

10545...

...is how many bucks the benefit raised last night for the Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Breast Cancer Foundation. It was a good night and Carl, Jeff and I were proud to play one small part in the event. Thanks to Emily Purcell, vocalist, who joined us on a couple of songs.

jazz for a cure

I'm playing with Jeff Brumley (bass) and Carl Martin (drums) tonight at Vino Bello in Burien, WA. The event is a benefit for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Go to Vino Bello to find out more info.

Tuesday, August 26th

5:00-9:00 PM

$25 donation at the door

(tons of door prizes)

jazz in july

When I moved to Nashville in the summer of 1995 I expected most of my musical energy to be directed towards writing CCM tunes and playing in Christian coffeehouses. Of course, some of this did happen, but what I didn't expect was to end up being inundated by the jazz world. I ended up playing regularly and it was a great way to make some extra change during college. Strange highlights include...playing for a movie theater opening where Howie Long was the guest of honor, playing annual gigs at the governor's mansion, playing for a retirement party for a lifelong IRS employee, the Elks lodge, etc. Jazz travels well.

Since living in Seattle my jazz days have been quite numbered. However, I'll be playing twice this month! For lack of a better name, The Brian Moss Trio will be playing on the 5th and the 25th. I have the honor of working with Jeff Brumley on bass and Carl Martin on drums. They're both free shows (assuming you're good customers).

Here are the details...

Saturday, July 5th
The Brian Moss Trio
5:00-8:00 PM
Vino Bello
636 SW 152nd St.
Burien, WA 98166




Friday, July 25th
The Brian Moss Trio (with secret special guest)
8:30-11:30 PM
909 Coffee&Wine
909 SW 152nd St.
Burien, WA 98166

from the vault (well, not really)

As I was rummaging through my old hard drives this afternoon I found an old mp3 copy of a live recording from back in 2003. I wrote the song "Freely Given" for our Good Friday service. Phil Peterson, cello, was playing with us that night. He was late to rehearsal and we didn't get a chance to run through the song. I talked him through the chord chart and we just went for it. The following is a recording from the first time the song was ever played. We eventually recorded it in the studio for the record After, The Shadows Light. Still, I think I will always prefer this live recording.

LISTEN to Freely Given

Freely Given

See now the retribution, the darkness in the sky
Behold the silent wonder, no life behind the eyes
The sword was driven
Freely given

And down the body broken, remnants of life below
The earth becomes a channel, where blood and water flow
The side was riven
Freely given

Within an open wound, behind a shadow gone
Unwoven cords of time and there begins the dawn
The life we live in, the life we live in
Freely given

hymn for holy saturday

Here In Between (listen)

Here in between the death and life
Of broken God and risen Christ
We watch and wait, we kneel and pray
For hope to breathe at break of day
The temple torn by sacrifice
How can this be the way?

The Son of God nailed to a tree
This is not how we thought it'd be
Your condemnation makes no sense
An act of hate and violence
We broke the bread and spilled the wine
How can this be the way?

Within this day of Sabbath rest-
A gift to those whom you have blessed-
Your peace transforms our hearts content
In this already and not yet
In stillness beats the drum of life
How can this be the way?

Your never-ending sovereignty
Still flickers with eternity
It brightens fading eventide
The gospel hums of mercy wide
Oh Lord of Life, open Your eyes
You are the only way.

by Brian Moss
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License