Gospel newcomer and BET "Sunday Best" winner (Season 9) Melvin Crispell III released his first EP Prologue III with RCA in 2019, which was produced by multi-GRAMMY winning producer/songwriter Aaron Lindsey. This past fall, he released his first full-length project I've Got A Testimony, and a new live version of "The Blessing" is now available!

This rendition was recorded live at the Essential Worship Song Session featuring Maranda Curtis, and it's a more intimate, stripped-down version of the song focused on Melvin and Maranda truly worshipping. No choir, just the two vocalists blended beautifully.

Without a doubt one of my favorite scriptures, especially in more recent years, has been Hebrews 11:16. More often than not it’s the verse I think about before spending time with God and before worship in a congregational setting. Whenever I feel like maybe what I’m doing is a waste of time or that I can’t connect with God I remember this verse:

 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” - Hebrews? ?11:6? ?NIV??

At first glance the first part of this scripture can easily be taken the wrong way and misinterpreted.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God”

It might leave one with thoughts like “Well I don’t have much faith, so I guess I can’t really please God”. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! The writer of Hebrews gives the solution to the problem directly afterwards.

“...anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

The faith that we need to please God is simple. Believe that he exists. (That’s pretty easy) and he rewards ALL those that earnestly seek him. That’s it!

Our goal as worship leaders above all else should be to encourage people to seek God. Because we know that he rewards all those who earnestly seek him!

With more than 1.6 million records sold, GRAMMY® winner and American Idol Season 5 finalist Mandisa is a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the world. Her brand new single "Breakthrough" is perfect for this new year. 

The song begins with Mandisa singing, "This is where my heart will beat again, this is where I get set free, this is where your love is calling me; I'm ready, yeah, I'm ready to cross over the line," and continues with even more lyrics that speak boldly to starting fresh and waiting for a breakthrough, singing how she'll "leave it all behind, nothing's gonna keep me here, oh, until I see a change, I'm lifting up your name, there's freedom in the atmosphere."

"Good God Almighty" expresses the hope that we will continue praising God's name no matter what comes our way, recognizing how lost we'd find ourselves without Him. "This song is just some good old fashioned group-singing! And what I love about that is it is a group of people in harmony together. That’s what we need and what I'm praying for, some harmony and togetherness."

"Good God Almighty" from Crowder is now available! 

Red Rocks Worship is a group of worshipers, creatives, songwriters, friends and family that exists to make Heaven more crowded. 

"Echo Holy is a reverberation of a reality that is already underway. Based out of Revelation 4, this song seeks to capture a moment in the epicenter of praise. The intention behind this song was to be vertical and visceral—every sensation being rooted in worshipful response. “Echo Holy” lyrically imagines what the eyes might see, what the ears might hear, and how the heart might be instinctively moved. It prompts the church to remember that our voices are joining with creation across time and space. As bearers of God’s image, a song like this is native to our being. Our declaration is not simply our own, but a collective reaction to the manifest wonders of God. This hymn of praise serves to encourage us that we are a part of a cosmic, eternal, and communal recognition of God’s glory."

Crossroads Music kicks off 2021 with "We Say Yes," a single from their upcoming Conquered Graves EP release (set for 3/19), to give us a needed reminder of why we should say "yes" to Jesus this year. This song is for the church, and is a bold declaration that says "we say yes" to Jesus and to His plan and vision.

Co-writer, Aaron Hunt said, "I love the line: Our lives opened wide, our hands lifted high. There is something so powerful about seeing a room of people with hands raised declaring that we are submitting our lives to God and whatever He has planned. It's a scary thing to say as well, because, in my experience, the things God calls me to are often very hard, but also without a doubt the most rewarding and life-changing."

Registration is free and open to all...
 
WM Chapel with Lincoln Brewster
Worship Musician Magazine is hosting this event which again is free and open to all.
Fri. 1/22 10am Pacific 

NAMM Technology for Houses of Worship 
Masterclass harnessing Technology + Creativity with MutliTracks.com's Kristian Ponsford, Church of the Highlands' Chris Griffin, and FILO's Todd Elliott. 
Fri. 1/22 2:40pm Pacific 

12 Pieces of Gear You Gotta Hear from [WM] Chapel Sponsors
Scroll to watch gear demos from top notch manufacturers who are actively supporting the House of Worship!

NAMM / [WM] CHAPEL / TEC TRACK SIGN UP STEPS

1. Register for Believe in Music Week...
2. Once you are registered, log in to your account and click on ‘Brands'...
3. Search 'Worship Musician Magazine'...
4. Under ‘Sessions’ add 'Worship Musician Chapel' to your schedule!

ATTEND NAMM'S BELIEVE IN MUSIC WEEK

Sign up now! 

Allen & Heather AVANTIS The third mixer based on their 96kHz XCVI FPGA engine, Allen & Heath's Avantis puts next-generation technology in a 64 channel / 42 configurable bus console, with dual Full HD touchscreens, a super-flexible workflow with Continuity UI, extensive I/O options, add-on stadium-class processing, and a rugged full metal chassis. $10,299 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

L.R. Baggs' Voiceprint® DI measures the acoustic response of your guitar by leveraging the processing power of your iPhone® to accurately capture your guitar’s one-of-a-kind voice. A Voiceprint is created, transforming your pickup into the most authentic sound we have engineered in our 40+ years. $399 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

Eventide Blackhole Reverb Create haunting echoes, ethereal landscapes and otherworldly ambience with the Blackhole reverb pedal. Blackhole lets guitarists and bassists explore beyond the ambience of Halls, Rooms, Plates or Springs. It will take you on a journey from cathedral-type spaces to a universe of out-of-this-world soundscapes. The pedal includes modulation, infinite reverb settings with mono or stereo operation, MIDI, preset storing, and a new easy-to-use interface. $279 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

G7th Performance 3 Capo with ART offers unrivalled tuning stability thanks to our Unique Tension Control system and Adaptive Radius Technology (ART) string pad. With ART, one capo delivers complete confidence that there will be no string buzz or need for constant retuning. That’s why we say – G7th is The Future of Capos. $69.99 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

Lollar Pickups offer a full line of Tele pickups inspired by vintage designs but capable of producing a wide palette of tones for musicians of all styles. Let our Tele pickups take your tone to new heights! From $105 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

PreSonus Revelator USB Microphone Whether you’re looking for a USB microphone for live-streaming, vlogging, podcasting, or a simple recording solution for your home studio–you want a mic that will make your voice stand out. Revelator is designed to deliver polished, professional-sounding results with ease. Create with confidence right from the start. $179.95 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

The PRS Special Semi-Hollow boasts a versatile hum/ “single”/hum configuration with two PRS 58/15 LT humbuckers and a PRS Narrowfield middle pickup. PRS Narrowfield pickups deliver the bite of a single coil without the hum. Paired with a 5-Way blade switch and two mini-toggles that individually tap the humbuckers, this guitar offers twelve pickup combinations. $4,200 MAP 

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

QSC TouchMix-30 Pro The perfect mixer for intimate to midsized churches. Perfect for pros and novice volunteers alike, you’ll be dialing up the perfect mix quickly every time. Also features full remote control, 32-track direct-to-disk recording and DAW interface for easy streaming. Now $200 off

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

Schnobel Tone Daily Driver The DAILY DRIVER Overdrive features an original and unique drive circuit that gives you a rich sound full of harmonics and an amp like response, it features low and high eq controls along with a three position high cut toggle switch that lets you dial in the perfect overdrive sounds no matter what amp you are plugging into. The gain ranges from a clean mild  to a medium gain overdrive sound with the most drive harmonics at maximum gain. $279 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

TRIAD ORBIT One solution, all in one performance stand. Combine all of the elements needed to support your performance on one stand including microphone, Tablet, 2 guitars and IEM support, allowing you to consolidate what would take as many as 5 stands into just one! Triad-Orbit allows you to configure your gear and significantly reduce your footprint. Perfect for small performance venues and saving real estate with larger teams.

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

The Truetone 1 Spot Pro CS12 power supply can provide three times as much power to your pedals as transformer-based power bricks. Each of the 12 outputs are completely isolated, regulated and filtered to give you noise-free performance. With no transformer to hinder its abilities, there is never any proximity noise. $179.95 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

The WalkaBout Odyssey features an exclusive dual source microphone/pickup system from LR Baggs. The mic & pickup can be output as mono signal (with mix and volume control) or split via TRS cable to two discreet signals. Includes strap, strap lock, snare & nylon gig bag with accessory pocket. $449 MAP

Watch the Demo
Visit the Website

Jasmine Guerrero is a CA-based worship singer. She was part of the Isla Vista Worship movement serving and leading worship from 2014-2016. Since then, she has moved home to LA where she leads worship and serves the local church.

Jasmine met and wrote her newest single Winter with Hank Bentley, Aaron Ivey, and Nick Herbert at the Capitol CMG Songwriting Camp in January of 2020. "I feel like this song 'Winter' was a gift from God. We had no idea we would be going into a global pandemic shortly after we wrote this song and we had no idea we would need the comfort and the strength and courage that this song breathes into our humanness and weariness."