Church Music Makers Podcast

Holy Week and Easter is exhausting. On this episode, Craig gives you encouragement for the weekend as well as encouragement for next week!

Dr. Sarah Bereza is a church musician, author and researcher. She's written an amazing book for ministers called "Professional Christian" and in this episode, Craig and Sarah discuss the book and how we as ministers can fully be ourselves in the spotlight of public ministry. To find out more about Sarah, go to sarah-bereza.com. Also, check out the Church Music Makers Patreon and sign up at patreon.com/churchmusicmakers

Dr. Matthew Kaemingk is a public theologian who explores questions facing Christians serving in politics, culture and the marketplace. He teaches ethics and public theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has written a book called Work and Worship, which you can find out more about here. It challenges church leaders to consider how we formulate and execute our weekly worship services to encourage workers to go out into the world with their faith and let their lights shine. You can find out more about Dr. Kaemingk at matthewkaemingk.com Find out more about Church Music Makers coaching at churchmusicmakers.com/coaching

We have lots of influences and encouragements in our lives. Those people impact us and help to form who we are as people, as ministers, and as musicians. On this episode, Craig talks about a couple of people who influenced and encouraged him and the lessons learned from them, as well as how we can encourage and influence others around us. To find the latest blog post that Craig references, check out churchmusicmakers.com

Soundtracks are all around us, whether they are musical soundtracks, or, as Jon Acuff brings up in his book “Soundtracks”, the thoughts, ideas and self-talk that plays in our head about our life. In this episode, Craig unpacks a bit about our soundtracks for ourselves, our lives and our ministries.

On this podcast episode, Craig talks about searching for African American composers and arrangers for organ music, as well as choral music and handbell music. You can find a listing (with links) of organ music here: https://churchmusicmakers.com/product/african-american-organ-music/ Find out more about Church Music Makers at churchmusicmakers.com and you can join the email newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/gnZpLb

On January 30th, this opinion by Tish Warren was published in the New York Times. Her opinion is that online worship does not need to continue. While this topic is difficult and challenging, Craig talks about how we as ministers and our churches can navigate this and how to love our neighbor as best as we can. Find out more about Church Music Makers here and like and follow Church Music Makers on Facebook.

Continuing the idea of what is new and next for 2022, Craig talks about what is new for your music ministry? Yes, we're all facing uncertainty, but in a perfect world, what would your ideal music ministry look like? Dream big! Post what you're doing on facebook.com/churchmusicmakers or email churchmusicmakers@gmail.com!

Welcome to 2022! A great opportunity to start fresh and start new. Sooooo......what's new for you? Find out more about Church Music Makers at churchmusicmakers.com

We all have stories. And we connect with stories. So what's yours? Comment with what your story is, or email it to churchmusicmakers@gmail.com

There's lots that stresses us. What, specifically, is stressing you? Check out the podcast to find out more. Find out more about Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com

We all make choices in our life. But how do we view those choices? Are we thinking about God in those choices? And when we're eating and drinking, are we thinking about it as an act of worship? Find out more about Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com

Our identity is important and essential to who we are and how we view ourselves and how others view us. So……who are you? Find out more about Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com

No. It's hard to say sometimes, isn't it? Do we find ourselves saying it more to our family than our ministry? If so, then this episode is for you. Are you feeling exhausted, feel like you're burning the candle at both ends and not making progress? If so, then this episode is for you. Do you feel like you've got it together, you're in a healthy rhythm and balance of personal/family life and ministry? Then you don't need this episode. But saying no to some things means that we can say yes to others. And that's extremely important! Find out about Easy Choir Music here.

We all have stress. It's part of life, it's part of ministry. How do you respond to it? That's the question Craig unpacks in this episode. To find out more about Craig and Church Music Makers, go to www.churchmusicmakers.com

Dr. Nathan Myrick is a professor at Mercer University. But he's also a theological ethicist and ethnomusicologist. In this episode, Craig has an opportunity to talk to him about his most recent book "Music for Others: Care, Justice and Relational Ethics in Christian Music". It's a great conversation with lots of unpack! To find out more about Nathan Myrick, go to his website, www.nathanmyrick.com On September 1st, Church Music Makers will be launching a Patreon to subscribe to! To find out more and subscribe, like the Church Music Makers Facebook page.

How many (insert denomination here) does it take to change a light bulb, goes the very well-worn joke, with the punch line of CHANGE? WE DON'T CHANGE! That's true to some degree, yet, life, ministry and everything else around us seems to change quite regularly. So how do we deal with it? In this episode, Craig explains a little about some of his experiences with change, and some hope and help to deal with change. Look for the membership announcement on the Church Music Makers Facebook page later this week! Keep up with Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com

In this episode, Craig has a conversation with Blake Flattley. Blake writes to bring hope in the darkness, to tell the story of the human struggle, and narrates a story where death doesn't have the last word. Blake grew up in the small mountain of Placerville, California, most well known for gold discovery or as the town with the stoplight in the middle of the highway. He was first turned onto music by a blind saxophonist who had lost the will to play, but one day took up his horn to play at the urging of others. It was that moment, hearing him play, that set Blake on a path in pursuit of the craft of creating music, performing, and songwriting. He grew up singing at church and listening to music from the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. He played in a variety of bands, playing saxophone, guitar, bass, or whatever other instruments he could get his hands on. In 2008 he founded the Orange Effect (We All Yell, Gravel & Gold), a harmony-driven, Americana-folk quartet. After their breakup, he began playing under the moniker Graffiti Cathedral, and later Blake Flattley. Blake has toured nationally as both a solo artist and with his bands, sharing the stage with many notable artists including Young the Giant, Sharon Van Etten, and Reign of Kindo. Blake has contributed to "The Armchair Project” and "Winter Is On My Head" (The Lone Bellow, Future of Forestry, Paul Baloche, Young Oceans, and Reign of Kindo) as both a producer and as a musician. In 2015, he released There Will Be Rest, a collection of hymns and music from his local church. The title track was a finalist for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Check out more about Blake at blakeflattley.com and check out more about 1517 Music at 1517.org/music Find out more about Easy Choir Music at easychoirmusic.com Resources available at www.churchmusicmakers.com/store Fill out the Google Form about Church Music Makers' Membership vault here.

We've all been forced into being flexible over the past 17 months. We're all probably ready to be done with it. In this episode, Craig talks about why being flexible is helpful, along with some of the experiences that he has learned throughout his years of church music in how to be adaptable and flexible. Just like we challenge ourselves to learn new techniques, styles and repertoire in music making, so we do need to challenge ourselves to be adaptable and flexible to grow ourselves. Easychoirmusic.com Churchmusicmakers.com/coaching Churchmusicmakers.com/store Google Form for membership site

Mental health and focus is a challenge that many of us face. In this episode, Craig talks about how Simone Biles and mental health became the national conversation last week, and how for us as church musicians, we face many similar challenges. He also gives some encouragements to help you care for your mental health and to prioritize it. Because if we're not caring for ourselves and at our peak, how can we care for and minister to anyone else? Links: www.easychoirmusic.com www.churchmusicmakers.com/podcast-2 www.churchmusicmakers.com/coaching www.churchmusicmakers.com/store Find Church Music Makers on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Do you take vacations? Are you on one right now? Vacations help us to rest, relax and refresh so that we can be the best ministers we can be. But do we always mentally allow that to happen when we're physically gone? That's what Craig Harmann talks about in this episode. As always, the Church Music Makers Podcast is brought to you by Easy Choir Music, so go and check them out!

In this episode, Craig talks about the most important part of music ministry. It may surprise you to hear what he thinks it is. Also, check out easychoirmusic.com if you're looking for choir music! Follow Church Music Makers on Facebook and join the Facebook group! Or, the best way is to join the Church Music Makers email list for weekly updates on Monday!

Tough question, right? Join Craig Harmann as he unpacks that question and gives some encouragement for you to make time to be in the study of God's Word, and to be still and listen for God. Find out more about Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com and find out more about Easy Choir Music at www.easychoirmusic.com

Sleep matters. It's important. We all know that, yet do we wake up in the morning feeling completely rested? A lot of that has to do with our routine before we go to bed, but it's also what we do throughout the day. In this episode, Craig talks about your sleep as well as revisiting a bit more about your physical health. Check out www.easychoirmusic.com, the sponsor of The Church Music Makers Podcast.

Many of us don't do well with rest. We usually go and go and go until we're forced to rest, either willingly or unwillingly. How do we solve that? Find out more in this episode and check out www.easychoirmusic.com to give you some rest when it comes to planning for the fall and beyond for music for your choir! Also check out www.churchmusicmakers.com/coaching to find out more information about coaching for church musicians.

In today's episode, Craig talks with Peter Burroughs, worship leader at Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball, Texas (salem4u.com) about parenthood, family time and how it fits in with ministry. Along with that, Craig and Peter talk about lessons learned from the pandemic. Check out Church Music Makers' sponsor, Easychoirmusic.com and check out Craig's compositions here. Also, if you're interested in the ministry coaching that Craig talked about, you can find out more here.

Do you have hobbies? If so, what are they? If you don't have hobbies, how do you find them? Trial and error! Check out what Craig says on today's episode and also, check out www.easychoirmusic.com for your choir music needs!

Our physical health is essential. Fueling and moving our body gives us the energy to do things well. Many of us in America are either overweight or obese. How do we fix that? Small, incremental changes, one choice at a time. On this episode, Craig talks about how we need to prioritize our physical health, some small changes that we can make, along with finding our motivation. Check out easychoirmusic.com Check out churchmusicmakers.com Subscribe, Rate, and share with others!

Are you OK? That's the question we don't always ask ourself on a regular basis. But are you? Since we've just passed Easter, it's a good time for us to spend time with that question and wrestle with an honest answer. The blog post Craig referenced in the episode can be found here. Please subscribe and review the podcast and share with other church musicians. And please, check out www.easychoirmusic.com.

How do you rest? Do you rest? It's Holy Week and we all need it. But yet, we feel guilty about it. We're great at that, aren't we? Check out this episode to get encouragement and reminders from Craig. Also don't forget to check out www.churchmusicmakers.com and you can sign up to get emailed reminders when new posts are written.

So what do we do? Things are starting to return to a sense of "normal", but does that mean that we start returning to everything immediately? Craig talks about a Facebook post that he shared in the Church Music Makers Facebook group and his thoughts about what the answer for us is. For choir resources, check out the sponsor of Churchmusicmakers.com, Easychoirmusic.com.

It's been one year since the Covid global pandemic first started shutting down things here in the United States. Things have been radically different throughout the world, and most specifically, throughout our churches. In this episode, Craig shares some thoughts on that past year, what possibly we can learn from this, and how we can move forward. As always, The Church Music Makers Podcast is sponsored by Easychoirmusic.com, so go check out their resources

In this episode, Craig talks about why he has been having a hard time with the reaction of many churches and Christians to wearing a mask, and wonders how that response is loving our neighbor as ourself. Check out www.easychoirmusic.com for excellent choral resources and assistance in putting together virtual choir videos.

Why in the world would you leave a church music ministry position that is paying you well, covering your insurance and contributing to your retirement? Well, Craig did that. Without really a clear next step when he announced it. In this episode, he talks about what led up to that decision, why he made that decision and what has happened since. Check out easychoirmusic.com for resources for your choir or virtual choir recordings. Also, check out www.churchmusicmakers.com/store for resources that Craig has created for choir, children's choir, handbells and piano.

Matt Walker hosts the podcast "The Choir Director Corner". It's a great resource for choir directors, but also for all musicians. In this episode, Matt and Craig talk about life and balance between work and family, along with other things. Enjoy and find out more about Matt and his work at https://choirdirectorcorner.com/. Also, check out easychoirmusic.com, sponsor of Church Music Makers.

Recently, it seems like churches are cutting music positions. Or at least furloughing their musicians. This is not a good practice, especially when it's not done with kindness and love....which seems like that happens more often than not. You have a swirl of emotions, you're hurt. These are genuine and real emotions to be felt. In this episode, Craig talks about his experiences losing his church music positions and how he's learned and responded to them, and hopefully it gives you some encouragement. Check out the sponsor of Church Music Makers EasyChoirMusic.com and Pureficoffee.com for some great coffee and an opportunity to minister to others.

Making goals. Making plans. We all do it, but what happens when we slip up? Do we quit, or do we dust ourselves off and keep going? In this episode, Craig shares a bit from Jon Acuff's book "Finish" and talks about how we should set goals and what happens when our perfectionism gets in the way. Check out www.easychoirmusic.com and www.pureficoffee.com

On today's episode, Craig talks with Rick Lee James, author, podcaster and musician. Rick hosts two awesome podcasts, "Voices in My Head" and "Welcome to the Neighborhood" about Mr. Rogers. For more about Rick, check out his website www.rickleejames.com. Church Music Makers is sponsored by Easychoirmusic.com. Check them out for your music and virtual choir needs. Also, check out www.churchmusicmakers.com

It's the week of Thanksgiving, and we're all thinking of things to be thankful for. It can be pretty difficult in 2020, but there are still things for us to be thankful for. So what are you thankful for? Email churchmusicmakers@gmail.com with what you're thankful for! Also, Craig shares a bit of a shift and refocus for the blog and the podcast. Don't forget to check out www.easychoirmusic.com for awesome music for your choir!

David Von Kampen is a composer, lecturer, conductor and much more. He is husband to Mollie and dad to Gretta and Willa. And that's what we're talking about how. How do we as church musicians keep our spouses and our family as a priority in what we do? It's not easy, but we talk about some different things that you can do. To find out more about David, check out http://www.davidvonkampen.com/choral-music and you can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DavidVKmusic Check out easychoirmusic.com, the sponsor of Church Music Makers, along with www.churchmusicmakers.com

Have you been let go as a full time church musician? If you have, it isn't easy or fun. It hurts and is frustrating. In this episode, Craig talks about his experiences and some lessons learned, along with asking the question "Is there job security being a full time church musician?" Check out www.easychoirmusic.com as well as www.churchmusicmakers.com

In ministry, we can get tired. We can get worn out. If you're considering quitting, stop. Seek counsel, seek God's direction. Spend time searching out what God has in store for you. When we make decisions out of exhaustion or tiredness, we may not always make the wisest decisions.

We all have comfort zones. We've all been pushed out of them in some shape or form in the past 7 months. But when we move outside of our comfort zone, we grow and our comfort zones expand. Craig talks about ways that we can do this. Check out www.easychoirmusic.com, the sponsor of Church Music Makers, and www.churchmusicmakers.com. There you'll be able to sign up for the membership vault!

On this episode, Craig talks with Dan Lugo, a worship leader in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, about life over the past nearly 7 months, creative tiredness, caring for yourself and much more! Follow @newishworshipleader on Twitter and find out more about Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com and more about Easy Choir Music at www.easychoirmusic.com

As musicians, we have to be flexible and adaptable. In the midst of this pandemic, it's getting more and more exhausting and frustrating. So, how do we be flexible and adaptable? Craig explains in this episode. And it's more about self-care than working harder. Check out www.easychoirmusic.com, the sponsor of the podcast, and go to www.churchmusicmakers.com

In this episode, Craig gives you some insight into him and Church Music Makers, but also encourages you to take care of yourself. Find out more about Craig and Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com and check out Easy Choir Music at www.easychoirmusic.com.

We all need rest. Ministry is hard and doesn't always give us the time to rest. But we have to. In this episode, Craig talks about how we need to make ourselves a priority, how saying no isn't a bad thing, and how we shouldn't feel guilty to step back and rest. Check out www.easychoirmusic.com and www.churchmusicmakers.com

Ministry in the church is stressful. How we handle it and respond to that stress can be difficult as well. When we don't handle that stress in a healthy way, it can lead to addiction. Craig Harmann of Church Music Makers has a conversation with Jason Rice about addiction. Jason is a host of the Soberholic podcast and he has a powerful story. This episode is sponsored by Harmanny Music Education and if you're looking for music lessons or music education opportunities, specifically summer camps for children going into K-8th grade, check out the page! Thanks for listening and don't forget to check out Church Music Makers!

Nikki Lerner joined the podcast back in February. Since then, things have changed, but the conversation is still needed. Today, Nikki's husband David joins in as well. For more about Nikki (she has new music coming out very soon!), check out her website at www.nikkilerner.com. Make sure to listen to her podcast Culture Coach as well. It's fantastic and full of great tips and tools each week. If you're interested in summer music camps for your children or you know of someone who is, go to www.harmannymusiceducation.com/summer-camps and sign up! Online summer camps are weekly starting July 20th!

Jamie Kocur has had an amazing journey in her life of music. From singing in choirs to getting a music degree from Florida State, to being the musical director for the African Children's Choir, to worship leading, all of it was soundtracked by Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Along the way, Jamie has some realizations about what is being sung in these songs and struggles with many different things along the way. In this episode of The Church Music Makers Podcast, Craig talks to Jamie about her book, her life and where she's at now. It's a fun and insightful conversation, especially for those who may be wrestling with doubt or struggle with things relating to faith. You can get her book on Amazon or Apple books! Connect with Jamie on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram Check out Purefi Coffee that Craig talked about in the podcast at Pureficoffee.com As always, check out Church Music Makers at www.churchmusicmakers.com

As we're trying to look ahead, we're trying to figure out what to plan for our choirs for the fall. Will we have choirs? In this episode, Craig talks through some of his thoughts about what things could look like.