CHRIS BRAY

Reponse to: “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” Video

2012-01-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

I’m sure you’ve seen the video floating around titled, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”. I saw it shared on Facebook a half dozen times in less than an hour one day, so it caught my eye. The video is very well done, has rapped lyrics, and great camera shots. It’s totally effective for communicating, and totally geared towards a younger generation. You can tell the author, Jefferson Bethke, has a great passion for God. However, after watching this video, and carefully reading the lyrics, I was shocked as to why so many people were thoughtlessly sharing this message and promoting it as revolutionary truth.

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I do agree with this guy on many points. Worshipping in vain and habitual worship is everywhere and in every church and I applaud his passion for trying to encourage authentic Christ followers.

There are certain elements of this video that are misleading and inaccurate which is why I wouldn’t personally promote it. Using half-truths to justify a point, even if his point is legitimate, breaks the integrity of his message. Not to mention the overwhelming potential for it to be understood in a context that denotes the value of “pure and faultless” (James 1: 27) religion.

With so many churches and 30,000+ denominations today, all believing different teachings, I would understand why people of our generation (including Mr. Bethke) would want to be done with religion altogether and focus simply on Christ. I get that. How do we know which set of doctrine is correct? How do we discern one fact has the fullness of truth compared to another? Great questions—also very challenging and cumbersome to discern, especially alone.

The problem however, with disregarding religion is that goes against what the Gospel says:

“What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?”

Matthew 5: 17-18 Jesus says, “I have not come to abolish the Law but fulfill it”. He is misrepresenting what the Bible says, using a line from scripture that sounds familiar to most Christians, and twisting it out of context. God developed the Jewish religion over the course of thousands of years in preparation for Jesus’ coming. Jesus fulfills that with the new covenant, not abolishing it, but completing it. This line he claims as fact simply isn’t true.

“Which is why Jesus hated religion and for it called them fools”

Here he is referencing Matthew 23:17-19 where Jesus calls the Pharisees fools for their inability to distinguish between important matters and insignificant things, their hearts were full of sin while putting on outwards signs of piety. Yes this happened; this continues to happen; and yes we need away with this type of behaviour in all Christians. However, Jesus didn’t hate the religion; he hated the way certain men used religion to gain, selfishly in the name of God. That’s not a problem with religion, that’s a problem with man and his sin. Again, he is misrepresenting what Jesus really “hated”.

Calling religion the problem is like stating food chokes and kills people. Food doesn’t kill people, people consuming food improperly (large bites or eating contests) can cause them to choke and die. People have used religion selfishly, but that doesn’t mean religion IS the fault. All the while, humans find food necessary to survive. Similarly, we can turn God’s blessings (take finances as an example) and use them for our selfishness. Religion is vital to the continued evangelization, just as Tradition has been used to evangelize, even long before the wide-spread use of the printing press.

“See the problem with religion, is it never gets to the core, it’s just behaviour modification, like a long list of chores” // “Don't you see so much better than just following some rules”

This guy is right that we need a personal relationship with God. If our heart is not there, then it’s in vain. But John 14:15, says “If you love me, obey my commandments”. Loving God requires obedience. Jesus commanded us to do certain things, which includes honouring the Ten Commandments, feeding the poor etc., among other things.

Christ also commands “behaviour modification” when He said, “be holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1: 16). Holiness requires persistence and requires us to modify our behaviour in order to achieve it, as we naturally attract toward our sinful nature. Mr. Bethke portrays it as negative, and something that Jesus didn’t encourage. On the contrary, scripture tells us He did.

Let’s pretend for a second that Jesus DID come to disregard religion…

What would be the state of the Bible? We wouldn’t have it, as the inspired text was governed, and passed on by Tradition. The complete index (Canon of Scripture, specifically outlining which books and verses) also wasn’t even decided upon until the third century by the council of Carthage.

How would we understand the doctrine of the Trinity? The word “trinity” isn’t mentioned anywhere in the Bible. It wasn’t confirmed until the third century as well by the first council of Nicaea, a "religious” committee.

What about the doctrine of the divinity of Christ (Christ being truly man and also truly God)? The early Christ followers understood the divinity of Christ, however it wasn’t until they attempted to explore the full ramifications of that belief, and when certain groups started to doubt it, that a formal doctrine needed to be defined. We start hearing about this in 110 AD, and it is echoed many times (Aristides, Tatian the Syrian, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Hippolytus, Cyprian of Carthage) until finally delivered in the council of Nicaea and included as part of the creed (statement of faith of the early Christians) by the successors of the Apostles.

Christians today take for granted the doctrines that took hundreds of years to compile by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible did not come with an index, so authentic scripture needed to be discerned. Without these Traditions of religion, we would not have these doctrines and many others, consistently. If it was left up to the individual, there would be thousands of ways of interpreting, twisting, and taking the context of the early writings. Religion provides a foundation of discernment so the Holy Spirit can effectively inspire and work in the Body of Christ (then and now).

“See one's the work of God, but one's a man-made invention”

I agree sometimes people can use the name of religion, to create unnecessary layers, taking away from the glory of God selfishly, rather than contributing. Again though, that’s not the fault of religion, but of man’s sin. And contrary to what Mr. Bethke raps in the line, “one’s a man-made invention” (referring to religion) is incorrect. Jesus founded one Church, “on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). He also created hierarchy in His church starting with the Apostles. He intended for his Apostles to have successors, which is why after Judas’s death, they elected someone to fill his office. (Acts 1: 15-26). They were given the authority to make decisions for the Church. Proof that Jesus did not come to abolish religion.

Again, this guy has a lot of passion and a heart for God, that’s clear. He speaks about salvation being something he can’t achieve by his own merits, but only by God’s grace. AMEN. However, misleading and misrepresenting scripture, making claims that aren’t true, even if it’s to validate a point that is righteous, isn’t right. That’s why I would not personally promote it. I’d hate for someone to get the wrong impression and think that they can simply do away with Church, its authority, and its importance in leading us and guiding us to Christ and His truth.

We know that there can only be one truth. Either there is a hell or there is not. Either Jesus died on the cross for our sins, or he didn’t. Truth can’t be relative to one person’s beliefs or interpretations. Gravity is gravity, whether I believe it or not. Yes, I believe God is merciful and just, and if we are truly committing our lives to Him and living our lives for Him, to the best of our understanding (even if that understanding has been taught to us incorrectly, not by our own fault), he will save us. But God isn’t calling us to live oblivious to the fullness of truth, but to be continually growing in it.

So with thousands of different denominations, claiming different truths, as Christians we need a formulated method to discern it. That’s where religion and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit comes in. Ultimately, we need to be seeking the fullness of truth, and remember that authentic discernment requires confirmation from the Body of Christ (by the working of the Holy Spirit), not simply just from the individual. For many people, seeking the fullness of truth is going to be uncomfortable—I know it is for me, but Jesus said it wasn’t going to be comfortable. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23).

That’s my point of view.

Let me sum up with what scripture actually says about religion, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:26-27).

I really like this guy’s personal testimony about sexual purity though… you should check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlJFvxad1_A

I invite your comments and feedback. I always like to hear different perspectives!

Interview with AllAboutWorship.com

2012-01-19T09:11:00.000-08:00

Check out my interview with AllAboutWorship.com:

Dan Thomson, of the All About Worship Team, recently had the opportunity to interview Canadian worship leader and songwriter, Chris Bray: For those who may not know you, can you share a bit about yourself and where you’re from? I’ve been married for four and a half years. My wife Katie and I have two little girls, Molly, who is two and a half years old, and Norah, who just turned one. I originally grew up in farm country in south-western Ontario. When we got married, we decided to settle in a small town close Katie’s roots. What... READ MORE

I'd Like To Introduce You To Our Baby...

2012-01-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

May, 2012, Katie and I are expecting our third baby! We are very excited!

We started off this morning with an ultrasound, very excited to see our baby.

Katie and I are big planners, so we knew right from the beginning that we wanted to find out if it was a boy or a girl.

We came up with this master plan to tell our family and friends the gender...

The night before we baked cup cakes and prepped blue & pink icing. When we got home we broke the news to our girls, who were ecstatic! Molly was thrilled she got to decorate with PINK icing ;) And Norah, simply loved the icing...

May 2012, we are looking forward to meeting our (third) baby girl, face to face :)

"COURAGEOUS" Interview

2011-11-18T05:00:00.001-08:00

Last May, when I was in Nashville performing for a Point of Grace event we had the opportunity to attend the Provident pre-screening of the movie, "Courageous".

After the show, they asked us what we thought of the movie... It turns out they decided to use that footage to help promote it! If you haven't seen this movie, you need to http://www.courageousthemovie.com

Alberta Tour & Covenant Awards!

2011-10-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

What an exciting week we had in Alberta doing ministry and attending the Gospel Music Association Covenant Awards!

The week started off with a Worship Event at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Edmonton, AB. It was a wonderful evening and it was great to meet so many awesome folks present. Katie isn't normally able to join me on ministry dates (especially ones that involve lengthy travel distances). However, this time we decided it would be a great opportunity to not only travel together, but see some new faces and places.

Travelling back from Edmonton, to Calgary we decided to take a couple of days to visit the Rocky Mountains in Banff, AB. It was breathtaking. We've never seen anything like it before. We took the gondola up to the top and were able to see mountains for miles. It was great to be able to experience it together.

Tuesday evening the GMA conference opened with a Worship Night. I was excited to able to be a part of. Myself and some fellow artists led a chapel full of people in worship--a great way to begin the conference.

The conference had many sessions geared towards various aspects of ministry and business. But the best part was being able to connect with friends, artists, radio & industry people and some new faces. Some highlights include: Scott Jackson, Sean & Aimee Dayton, Jon & Andrea Bauer, Kevin Pauls, Andrew Horrocks, Brian Doerksen, Dan Bremnes, The City Harmonic and so many more!

Wednesday evening was the artist showcase. I was able to perform alongside some great Canadian artists at Valleyview Presbyterian Church in Calgary. In addition to our own sets, all six artists came together to lead in one finale at the end.

Of course, the highlight of the week is the Covenant Awards show. As usual it was well done with lots of great performances. It was a huge blessing to receive two awards--"Modern Worship Album of the Year" for LET HOPE ARISE (Produced by Andrew Horrocks) and "Inspirational Song of the Year" for PURSUE ME (Written by Chris Bray and Derrick Drover).

I wanted to extend a special thanks to all the supporters who helped make this week of ministry possible. Without you and God's grace, there would be no ministry!

God bless!

Can You Help Send Us To Calgary?

2011-09-10T04:46:00.000-07:00

We need your help to get us to Calgary! Think you might be able to support us on our week of ministry and celebration?

I've had the honor of receiving three Gospel Music Associations Covenant Award nominations!

Modern Worship Song of the Year: Hope Arise
Inspirational Song of the Year: Pursue Me
Modern Worship Album of the Year: Let Hope Arise

Gospel Music Week in Canada is a highlight of mine. As an artist and person in ministry, it's essential to continue learning and building relationships with fellow colleagues. I personally find the week of sessions uplifting and encouraging. It's also great to be able to spend time with hundreds of other folks who are all doing the same thing--and that foundation is Christ.

This year, we've decided to take a full week and do some ministry while we are in Calgary, Alberta. We want to celebrate the work that God has allowed us to be part of, and we want to serve while we do it. However, it is very costly. We are trusting in God to provide for us to make this all happen.

So this is what my wife Katie and I need in order to go from October 22 to October 29, 2011:

2 airplane tickets from London, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta - $1200 (approx.)
7 hotel stays (in various locations) - $945 (approx.)
1 rental car from the Calgary Airport - $150 (approx.)
Fuel for driving between venues - $200 (approx.)
Various other expenses

Total : $2495+

Ways we can make this trip more affordable?

Got any aeroplan points we can use for flights?
Know anyone who might have a room we can stay at for a night?
Know any churches that may be open to having us for a worship night?

If you can help in anyway that would be greatly appreciated! Every donation amount will get an MP3 download and personal thank-you to show my appreciation.

Can you help send us to Calgary?

Three GMA Covenant Nominations!

2011-09-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last night the nominations for the 2011 Gospel Music Association Covenant Awards were announced! Among many friends and fellow ministry colleagues I was honoured with three category nominations...

MODERN WORSHIP SONG OF THE YEAR for "Hope Arise"
INSPIRATIONAL SONG OF THE YEAR for "Pursue Me" (co-written with Derrick Drover, and featuring vocals from CURB recording artist Marie Miller)
MODERN WORSHIP ALBUM OF THE YEAR for "Let Hope Arise

It's a privilege to even be considered for a category, let alone three. I thank God for the gifts he has given, and I pray that all those honoured will continue to use those gifts for His glory.

For a complete list of nominations please visit GMA Canada.

LET HOPE ARISE hits Christian Bookstores!

2011-08-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

LET HOPE ARISE hits Christian Bookstores Canada-wide August 16th, and retails for a special low price of only $9.99!

Let Hope Arise

The 2011 follow up release to the overwhelmingly successful "The Worship Album" brings a fresh and unique contemporary Christian sound with powerful worship and inspirational songs.

LET HOPE ARISE is available at all HMV music retailers nationwide, Christian bookstores in Canada (via David C. Cook), various other independent music retailers across the USA, iTunes, Amazon and all other major digital distributors.

Get your copy today!

It Could Have Been Way Worse

2011-08-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while things happen in life that force you to take a step back. Sometimes these circumstances are Satan trying to distract us, other times it's God trying to get our attention. This past week left me confused...

Molly finds a worm in
the dirt

It all started Thursday when we realized we had water leaking into our basement through the wall and we went outside under our deck to see why. Turns out it was a sewage pipe backed up from a septic tank we weren't supposed to have, and this pipe was sticking out of the ground. Three days of labor, several trenches, good conversation with the plumbing team and lots of methane fumes later--we could flush again.

Finally on Sunday, after this stressful encounter and plumbing disaster we had a day of rest and visiting with family. That night Katie realized one of arms holding the diamond in her engagement ring was missing!

Monday, Katie was in a fender bender because the driver in front of her stopped suddenly.

Tuesday we woke up fresh with a new perspective on the week, even though it was pouring rain outside. I came downstairs to the kitchen and my heart stopped when I heard water gushing from our basement. I walked down, and it looked like we had a water facet coming from an open pipe in our wall!

Katie and I started to talk about why all of these things were happening. We were trying to discern if this was Satan trying to distract us or discourage us, or it was God trying to teach us something and speak to us.

Through some prayer and discussion this is what we realized:

Norah and Molly, loving
the new sandbox

THANKFULLY - the sewage didn't backup into our basement, we didn't have to rip up our deck, and it didn't cost us a second mortgage to fix it.
THANKFULLY - the diamond didn't fall out of the ring, and we can easily have it repaired.
THANKFULLY - No one was hurt in the accident, and there was virtually no damage.
THANKFULLY - I walked downstairs at the same time it started raining outside to find that water had JUST started gushing through, or else our basement would have been a pool.

It could have been way worse. In addition, Molly & Norah got a sandbox out of the deal, and we got to spend the whole time together as a family. We decided that this past week was blessing upon blessing, in many ways.

Does anyone else have a story to share?

My Busy CD Release Week!

2011-07-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

This past week was my CD release week. It was jam packed full of events. I kicked off the week with the Life 100.3 Heart of Worship concert series on Saturday and Sunday.

Life 100.3 Heart of
Worship series

Scott Jackson sporting
Let Hope Arise

We did two worship events, the first in Huntsville, ON and the second night in Barrie, ON. I had the opportunity to connect with great artists and friends Dan Macaulay, Sean Dayton and Dan Bremnes.

Both nights were a full house, and there were so many wonderful people that came out.

CD Release concert with guest
Amy Savin

Wednesday was the LET HOPE ARISE CD release party! We held it at the YFC Building in London, ON and local Christian radio station INSPIRE FM hosted/MC'd the event. So many people I had never met before came which was great, as well as long time supporters! It was also great to see so many artist/radio/industry folks present.

The night was a great social event and excellent celebration of the new album! I also had the opportunity to do some on air interviews to chat about the release.

Chris & Katie and the band

And to finish up my week the band and I traveled to Port Hope, ON for SonFest, a weekend youth conference. It was so inspiring to see so many young people on fire in their faith. There were great, in depth talks from awesome speakers, and lots of fun and fellowship. After a week of busy engagements, a high energy worship weekend was a great way to finish up the week!

Thanks so much to the thousands of people I've meet in the last seven days and thanks to everyone for showing your love for LET HOPE ARISE!

The band sleeping in the
crammed van!

Radio interview with INSPIRE

PRESS RELEASE: "Let Hope Arise" hits stores as early as July 5, 2011!

2011-06-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Chris Bray slated to release highly anticipated new album LET HOPE ARISE – July 5, 2011

The third album release from Christian singer, songwriter, recording artist Chris Bray is scheduled to hit stores as early as July 5, 2011.

The Gospel Music Association Covenant Award winner and four time nominee has soared the Christian radio charts in Canada following the release of his sophomore, “The Worship Album” which set him on the national stage. With two #1 national CANCON radio hits and several other Top 5 singles, this independent artist has been contending major label acts such as Starfield, Matt Maher, and many others.

The new album, LET HOPE ARISE is a unique blend of contemporary inspirational songs with several tracks developed for congregational use. “Having the pressure of a follow up release to such an overwhelmingly successful album, I wanted to ensure I was writing and recording songs that people would not only be able to relate to, but find useful in aiding their spiritual journey.” Bray adds that his meticulous writing is meant to reflect the beauty and love of our creator, attempting to communicate and relay His message in an accurate, meaningful and creative way.

Produced by award winning Canadian producer, Andrew Horrocks (Brian Doerksen, Thousand Foot Krutch) and recorded at AME Recording Studio in Kitchener, Ontario, LET HOPE ARISE won’t disappoint. The new single, “More Each Day” is already heating up the airwaves on Christian radio across Canada.

With national television appearances on 100 Huntley St, performances for both the Canadian Gospel Music Conference and UCMVA International Unity awards, opening slots for major acts such as Matt Maher, Audrey Assad and Christine Evans, not to mention hundreds of live tour dates across North America, Chris Bray’s hard work has started to pay off.

LET HOPE ARISE will be available as early as July 5th nationwide through HMV and other independent & Christian music retailers, at over 2500 music stores across the USA through Super D (the world’s biggest distributor), on iTunes, Amazon and all other major digital distributors.

Check www.chrisbraymusic.com for the full list of tour dates and details for the CD Release party on July 13^th at Inspire FM in London, ON.

CD Release Party July 13th!

2011-06-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to be able to invite you to join in the "LET HOPE ARISE" CD release party! The celebration will take place JULY 13th with the program beginning at 7PM at the YFC Building (Inspire FM) in London, ON (254 Adelaide St. South).

The night will include appearances from guest artists & radio personalities, performances, food, games, prizes and more! Everyone who comes will receive a special gift. RSVP before July 9th to secure your spot and you'll receive a free copy of The WORSHIP DVD (space is limited). Email:info@chrisbraymusic.com

Come out and join us in celebration of the new release, "LET HOPE ARISE"!

Matt Maher, Natalie Grant, Don Moen, & 4 Concerts - All in 7 Days

2011-06-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

I've had a great week! It's been extremely busy, but very fun. I started my week off on Saturday night with a Worship Concert with Derrick Drover in Springfield, Ontario. It was a full house and it was a great time of worship. I met lots of wonderful people and got to connect with some familiar faces too.

On Sunday we were able to attend the Don Moen & Matt Maher concert at Queensway Cathedral in Toronto. Not really knowing who Don Moen was or any of his songs, I was more so going to connect with Matt. However, both put on an incredible show. Don led many of his classics (which I enjoyed for the first time). Matt led all of his radio hits and notable album tracks as well as the well known hymn "Here I am Lord" (which appears on my new album LET HOPE ARISE). All in all, it was a great time, and it was good to be able to connect with Matt and the band again (since last August when I opened for them in Toledo).

Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to see Natalie Grant in concert. She was playing in Cambridge, Ontario. I had never seen her before, but wanted the opportunity to connect with her. She put on a great show and was very engaging. It was definitively great to be able to meet and chat with Natalie. We discovered we had a lot in common as we started sharing about our families.

Thursday I had two school concerts. The first was for St. Anne's Catholic High School in Clinton, Ontario in the morning. I had the opportunity to bring my band (which I thoroughly enjoy playing with)! I met so many wonderful on fire for the Lord youth. In the afternoon, I did a concert at Precious Blood Catholic Elementary School in Exeter, Ontario. I was able to engage the staff and students in worship and share a little bit about my spiritual journey. I realized how much fun little kids are to worship with!

Saturday closed off my week with the Night of Worship concert in Elmvale, Ontario. I had the opportunity to lead my communion song, "We Receive" at Mass with the concert following. Again it was great to be able to meet so many wonderful people, to be able to share my songs, my faith and worship with you all.

This has been one incredible week, but now it's time for some sleep. See you next week.

Movie Pre-Screening "Courageous"

2011-05-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

One of the advantages of having well connected management is the perks. During my stay in Nashville we had the opportunity to go to a movie pre-screening. The movie is called, "Courageous" and it's a Provident Film, from the same makers behind Fireproof and Soul Surfer.

I'm not a movie critic, I just watch them and form my own opinions. I personally enjoyed Fireproof, especially for the message. However, compared to a high budget Hollywood film, Fireproof had some moments of "cheese", which took away from the overall entertainment credibility of the film.

Courageous however, has a decent blend of comic relief and emotional drama that keeps you interested and moved. As a father of two little girls, I was convicted, and also empowered to be the best father I can be.

I encourage you to watch the movie trailer and support this life changing film coming this September:

http://www.courageousthemovie.com/

Songwriting in Nashville

2011-05-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

On my Nashville trip a few weeks ago I had the privilege to do some songwriting and co-writing! I am constantly writing new songs and trying to develop my creative talents, but this time was different.

Part of the time I spent in Nashville was in meetings with the fine industry folks at Simpleville Publishing, Brentwood/Benson Publishing, and Warner/Word. Additionally, we arranged some co-writes with two fine staff writers at Word, Paul Alan and Michael Farren.

I've done co-writes before, but it was great to work with such talented writers. Paul Alan had a song on the last Point of Grace album (which I thought was neat, because opening for Point of Grace was the whole reason I was in Nashville in the first place). Michael Farren is the lead singer and driving force behind Pocket Full of Rocks. Among other great hits, he wrote the tune "Let it Rain" covered by Michael W. Smith on the "Worship" live album.

The most recent release you'd recognize from Pocket Full of Rocks is "Come As You Are" which has received significant radio success from their 2010 album.

Each label and publisher had a series of writer rooms. It's basically the size of a small bedroom and it has a couch, a chair and a piano. I also noticed most of them were lined with Platinum and Gold records, perhaps for encouragement?

When I opened the door for my first session, not only was Michael Farren there, but he was just wrapping up a session with CURB recording artist Marie Miller! Marie sings a duet on my new album, "Let Hope Arise", and I had no idea she was even in Nashville that week, let alone writing with Michael! It was a nice surprise. Then the following day I discovered that Michael was writing with Kari Jobe! At that point I was wishing my writing session was the day after... It was great to chat and connect.

I look forward to continuing those writing and industry relationships and sharing the fruits of them with you!

Our VIP Dinner

2011-05-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Part of this event with Point of Grace in Nashville was a dinner out on Music Row with the speakers and performers. They treated us very well, like I've never been treated before! They catered a fancy dinner (hence the suit) in the lobby of a large building, directly across from the ASCAP building.

We were staying at the Opryland Resort in Nashville, which in my opinion, is one of the nicest places ever. They have a rain forest in the entrance of the hotel, with balcony's facing inwards (but it looks outdoors) - crazy.

We met lots of wonderful people at the dinner. One of which is our new friend, Molly Nuo. She is an actress, a Mom and inspiring Christian. She is also married to Patrick Nuo (the German pop superstar), who is currently a judge for Germany Idol.

The event organizer's made us feel very welcome, and special. It was a nice upgrade from the sketchy hotel (with ants) we were staying at the night before.

More stories and pictures from the concert day and the rest of my week in Nashville forthcoming!

Point of Grace & Nashville

2011-04-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have the opportunity to open for uber famous Christian rock stars, "Point of Grace" at the Miller Coliseum in Tennessee. If you've been following my blog for a while, I'm sure you can tell I'm pretty excited!

It's not everyday that I get a chance to play alongside such legendary talent. I remember the day I got off the phone with my agent and told my wife I was opening for Point of Grace - she flipped right out! We were in the kitchen, she grabbed a spatula like a microphone, slid across the floor and belted at the top of her lungs, "STEADY ON...". Apparently she was a huge fan growing up ;)

In addition to meeting the wonderful Point of Grace gals, I'm looking foward to sharing some new songs from my new album! Part of this event is a VIP dinner with all of the speakers, artists and organizors of the event on Music Row. My wife and mother finally convinced me to get a proper suit. I feel like a boy in a man's jacket!

While I'm in nashville I'll be taking the opportunity to meet with some industry folks from various organizations as well as some songwriting sessions! Lots of proud pictures and blog posts to follow...

Please pray for me over this next week. Pray for safe and efficient travels. Pray that God will use this minsitry to strengthen Christ's church. Pray that it will be a productive and effective week. Pray that I won't be stressed, overtired and that technical glitches will be to a minimum.

Thank-you for keeping me and my team in your prayers!
God bless!

Lift Jesus Higher Rally

2011-04-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the privilege to lead worship for the Lift Jesus Higher Rally youth track. This event is always a favorite of mine as it attracts thousands of on fire youth. The day is long and tiring but at the same time such a huge witness and glimpse of hope to see today's young people expressing their love for God.

The event was held at the Metro Toronto Convention centre in Toronto (near the CN tower).

Our load in time was 6:30 am, luckily everyone in the band is more chipper than I am at that time of day :)

Furthermore, I was also joined by my beautiful wife, who not only attended, but sang with me on stage! I don't have the privilege to travel with her on ministry very often, so it was wonderful to share the day with her.

My role for the day was to lead worship and appeal on behalf of Compassion Canada. I was blown away by the response from the teens at the event. So many children in need were sponsored all around the world!

It was also great to hear from the inspiring speakers at Renewal Ministries and the youth team did an incredible job sharing their testimonies and providing skits.

As always, it was great to meet so many wonderful people. It was awesome being able to praise the Lord and have a joyful time while still experiencing substance in our faith.

Next year's rally is March 3, 2012!

http://www.lift-jesus-higher-rally.org/

For Artists - More Radio Article

2011-03-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

MORE RADIO (Canada's radio magazine) asked me to write an article in this month's edition. I thought I would share a little bit about how God has led me along the way and the things I've learned the hard way, as an artist...

I have come a long way from where I started back in 2003 as a worship leader and “wanna-be” Christian rock star (at the time), and I still have a long way to go. I remember my mindset back in those days, thinking that because I have a dream of wanting to be famous, selling a million records, and touring the world, that it would simply just happen. It took me a few years of not getting any gigs, not selling a thousand records (let alone a million), and not being famous, that the dream of mine was just that—selfishly mine. I thank God that along the way He enlightened me to His plan for me and I began to change my motives for wanting to pursue music and ministry as a career.

YOU NEED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN
The biggest hurdle for me was realizing how the business component of ministry was run. I knew that radio would help share my music with a larger Christian community. But no one was going to do that for me. I realized I needed to make that happen. So I spoke with other artists, and industry people to learn how it was done. Then I worked very hard. No one is going to be as committed or accountable to your successes or your failures as you are. Don’t count on getting a break, but consider it a bonus and a blessing if you do.

WORK BACKWARDS
I’m a very goal oriented person and I find I’m most successful at reaching a goal if I first have them clearly defined and secondly if I work backwards from the finish line to develop a plan. I realized along the way that I needed to generate an income in order to finance ministry (travel, hotels, studio time, food, etc.). One way of procuring income is with CD sales. My goal was to sell X number of CDs in a year. I found the easiest way to move CDs was at live worship events. So if I sold an average number of CDs at each event, I calculated I would need to book X number of events per year. I apply that same methodology to most of the goals I try to achieve.

BUSINESS OF RELATIONSHIPS
Recently I partnered with The Brown Book Agency (Matt Maher, Audrey Assad, Margaret Becker, etc.) and I’m so thankful to have a very experienced and knowledgeable management team to guide me through the industry component that is required to support my expanding ministry. Whenever I ask a question, if they don’t know the answer right away, they know who to ask. Sometimes it drives me nuts when an independent artist (like me) works so hard at a chance for a major opening slot or other great exposure, and sometimes all an industry person needs to do is talk to a friend who knows a friend. It seems unfair, but as I’ve come to realize, this business is driven on relationships. My advice is to get to know all the major players in this business. Start with artists, and introduce yourself to radio, managers, agents, pastors, retailers, distributors—everyone. Once you have developed those relationships, nurture them. Relationships are a two way street.

As I have started preparing for the release of my follow up album coming this April, I’ve been exploring some creative ways to move CDs, get more exposure, and reach some newly refined goals through continued discernment in prayer. Because I am so thankful for the time investments other people have made in me in the way of support and guidance, I’m more than happy to chat with you and share what I’ve learned. Perhaps you might be willing to share your insights as well!

I'd love to hear from you artists out there!

ALBUM HELP: Choosing the Cover!

2011-03-03T06:10:00.000-08:00

We are getting closer folks! I feel like I've been preparing this release for SO long and it's finally just around the corner. YOU have been so instrumental (no pun intended) in the decision making process. You've helped determine which type of PACKAGING for manufacturing and what the TITLE of the album should be. However, I need your help once again, to help me decide which cover we should go with!

We have two options available to us. Let's call this first one WINDOW and the second one GUITAR.

1. WINDOW

2. GUITAR

This is your opportunity to have a direct impact on the decision making process for this album! I'd love to hear what you think! Which cover should we go with? WINDOW or GUITAR?

* Graphic design by Ian Hyde - Castronova Designs // Photography by Tonni G Photography

ALBUM HELP: Title?

2011-02-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for all their comments and suggestions with regards to the album. You're feedback and support is wonderful, encouraging and helpful! The next question I have is about the ALBUM TITLE. I have three favorite choices in mind and I'd love for you to let me know which you think is the best one!

Keep in mind that all three potentials are lyrics found in songs featured on the album:

LET HOPE ARISE
RECEIVE
WITH ALL I HAVE IN ME

Or, perhaps you have another suggestion for an album title? This is your opportunity to have a direct impact on the decisions made for this album. Lets hear from you!

ALBUM HELP: Plastic or Cardboard?

2011-01-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before, I'm going to be looking to you (supporters, consumers, and listeners) for some decision making help with my new album. The first question I have for you is this:

SHOULD THE ALBUM PACKAGING BE MANUFACTURED WITH PLASTIC OR CARDBOARD?

Before you answer lets, explore both options.

The first option and the option that is still mostly used is the standard plastic jewel case. Most CD's you see in retail stores are made of hard shell plastic, and they are formed in a shape called a jewel case. This type of packaging protects the actual disc from being folded and bent. However, this is not the most economical packaging available. In my experience, jewel cases usually get discarded when you put the CD in your car, or RIP it to iTunes. This type of packaging is also not the most environmentally friendly option for our planet.

The second option is using cardboard packaging. This has many benefits including being more economical, more environmentally friendly, and is smaller and more compact. However, this option doesn't allow for as intricate designs in packaging and is slightly less protective to folds and bends.

My question to you is this: DO YOU CARE ABOUT PACKAGING? Would you rather pay for the music or the packaging? I'd like to offer you inexpensive music, and give you the packaging digitally. What do you think I should do?

This is your opportunity to have a direct impact on the decision making for this album! I want to hear your thoughts!

Moments in the Studio

2011-01-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

As you may be aware I've been in the studio since October working on the next album. I'm really excited to be able to share some new music with you! This album is a mix of worship and inspiration songs with a fresh Contemporary style. It's also going to feature a traditional hymn, made new again. I wrote on every song on the album, and had the opportunity to collaborate with other great artists on two of the tracks.

The songwriting process for this project was different than any other I have recorded before. I wanted to be really disciplined and write very specific types of songs. I've learned so much with my last two releases and I'm continually learning how to improve. I feel like I've invested a lot of time and energy into writing in a way that delivers a clear and familiar message but in a unique way.

Expect to hear the first song hit radio in the Spring with the release of the album shortly thereafter. There are no details available yet regarding pre-sales or radio/bookstore tour dates but as always, I'll post details as soon I they become available!

HUGE Concert Announcment!

2011-01-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

If you've been following me on Twitter or Facebook you've probably been rolling with anticipation for this HUGE upcoming concert announcement! As you can tell, I am very excited about this opportunity, and I'm even more excited to share it with you...

The concert is May 1, 2011 at the Middle Tennessee State University Miller Coliseum. I will be opening for Point of Grace. Check out my tour page or the POG web site for full concert details.

The day after my booking agent told me I'd be opening for Point of Grace, I was doing a meet and greet in a Christian bookstore. As soon as I walked in, this book (to the left) caught my eye... I thought it was excellent timing.

This will be my first time in Tennessee, so I'm very excited to be able to meet some southern folk, and Point of Grace. We'd love to see you out at the show!

Who wants to go?!?!

What Does it Take to Record an Album?

2011-01-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

I remember an event I played a couple years ago, a “brittle in spirit” women, poured the struggles of her heart out to me. She so desperately wanted a worship resource (the Worship album) to be able to enter into a time of worship on her own, because as she said, that’s when she felt relief from the struggles of this world. She didn’t have any cash, and she didn’t have the money in her bank account, but she wrote me out a cheque for the CD, with instructions for me not to cash it for a couple of weeks (until she could get the $15 in her account). I didn’t cash that cheque at all.

I also remember playing a concert at a church and this older gentleman, who I could tell was well educated, well dressed and spoke with an authoritative business like attitude, came up to my merchandise table after the worship service. I was running a special promotion, a discount when you buy two CD’s, you get $5 off (which I thought was a great deal). He, on the other hand, wanted the second CD for free, and didn’t hesitate to demand it.

What’s the difference between these two people? One person just expects free music because they feel entitled to it, while the other desires it so strongly that they’ll give what little they have left, just to have a moment with the Lord. I respect the latter.

The gentleman in the second story is like many music consumers these days. Most don’t understand what it takes to make an album in the first place, both financially and in time.

WHAT ARE THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RECORDING AN ALBUM?

There are many different ways you can do it, but here’s a very shoe-string “Canadian” budget and common example:
Hiring a producer/studio for 12 songs - $12,000 (includes mixing/mastering)
Hiring studio musicians for 12 songs - $3500
Photography - $300
Artwork - $800
Manufacturing 1000 units - $2000
Promoting 3 radio singles - $1000
Ballpark price tag of a project depending on the number of songs is between $19,000 and $25,000. And that’s for decent quality independent album – nothing spectacular. That’s also almost no promotion.

HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE TO RECORD AN ALBUM?

In short, months. Assuming you have your twelve songs completely written and fully arranged ahead of time...Typically the “bed tracks” (bass and drums) for all 12 songs can be recorded in 2-3 full long days. But, from there the producer/engineer needs to edit the tracks, pick the best takes, splice them together, etc. Once there is a good set of bed tracks, you usually record the rhythm instruments (acoustic guitar / piano), estimate 1-2 hours for each song . Then comes the lead vocals, estimate another 1-2 hours (depending on the singer) for each lead vocal. After that, comes the backup vocals which can take anywhere from 1-3 hours per song. And finally all of the strings, electric guitar parts (typically a radio songs has 3-10 layers of them at once), loops, layers, etc. The producer needs to edit each track and select the best take, splice the selected parts together and make a selection of the best ones. From there starts the mixing and the mastering. It’s a long process. Not the type of thing where you walk in one day, and come out with a full album ready to go.

And after all that time and all that expense the artist finally gets to recoup the debt from recording the album with merchandise sales at concerts and (if the artist is lucky/talented enough) through retail sales at stores. What typically happens you ask? The artist usually has 999 of the 1000 CDs (because Mom bought one) sitting in a closet and then someone comes along and asks for their “free” copy.

There’s lots of great reasons to give music away for free. You folks reading know that from time to time I give away free stuff, and for different reasons. I know artists who share music with fans as a thank-you for support, some that give it away to expand their fan base, some that use it promote album sales, etc. But, there needs to be some way that by doing that, it furthers a ministry objective.

If I were to be completely honest, I would have to say that if I wasn’t an artist, I’d probably demand music for free because I felt entitled to it. I say that because if I wasn’t an artist, I wouldn’t have the understanding I have now about all that goes into making the music what it is. I thank God, that I’m not that type of person anymore.

If I may be so bold to ask, which type of person are you?

Highlights of 2010

2010-12-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

This past year has been full of blessings, struggles, joys, failures, adventures, stress, opportunities, and peace. God has been good to me, to our family, to ministry. I would not want to change anything (except maybe stress less).

As I reflect on the many places I travelled across North America this year, I am thankful and humbled. I'm reminded that I live in a world that is beyond myself. It was wonderful to meet thousands of so many wonderful people.

Christian radio has welcomed and embraced me (especially in the last year) and I'm so thankful for all the awesome folks who brought the Worship album to life. The success with radio would not have been possible without so many people giving this young artist a chance. And because of their openness, my music has been fanned across tens and hundreds of thousands of ears. Amazing.

Here's some more highlights:

OUR LITTLE NORAH BEING BORN.
OUR LITTLE MOLLY SAYING, "I LOVE YOU", WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED.
(ALMOST) FOUR AMAZING YEARS WITH MY WIFE.
WINNING A GOSPEL MUSIC AWARD.
WINNING TWO UCMVA UNITY AWARDS, AND PERFORMING AT THE AWARDS SHOW.
SONGWRITING WITH OTHER AWESOME ARTISTS.
PERFORMING ALONGSIDE SOME VERY TALENTED AND SUCCESSFUL ARTISTS.
PERFORMING ON 100 HUNTLEY ST.
WORKING WITH AMAZING MANAGEMENT, BOOKING & MINISTRY TEAMS
MEETING SO MANY INCREDIBLE PEOPLE AND FEELING THEIR SUPPORT.

Lets see what God has for us in 2011.

From Our Family to Yours

2010-12-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Another year of ministry would not have been possible without the support of so many wonderful people. A huge thank-you to everyone who has given generously in support of this ministry, purchased a CD, sponsored a child, attended a worship event, or helped us spread the word. We could not continue without you!

May God bless you and your families.

Defeating Discouragement

2010-12-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid I was given the impression that the people who are successful, the people who are winners, were the ones that never failed and never struggled. There are so many people who try to accomplish that model of lifestyle. The problem is that at the moment of failure (and it will happen), discouragement enters. It's like being kicked when you are down.

Being part of ministry is amazing and life changing. Working alongside the business aspects of industry, are many times, life taking and blood sucking. There are SO many discouragements, especially in the industry;

MY ALBUM ISN'T SELLING ENOUGH COPIES
I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SOCIAL NETWORK FRIENDS
I DIDN'T GET MANY PEOPLE OUT TO MY CONCERT
IT'S HARD TO GET GIGS
MY LABEL ISN'T INVESTING IN ME
MY AGENT IS TOO BUSY WITH HIS/HER OTHER ARTISTS
I CAN'T FIND SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS/FAMILY
I'M OVERBUDGET AND UNDERFUNDED
I DON'T THINK PEOPLE LIKE MY MUSIC

I remember when I was first starting out in ministry and trying to put my first album together. I was asked to write a theme song for a youth conference. I was so excited! I gave it a try and came up with what I thought was a decent song that fit the theme. I spent hours and hours recording it and perfecting it. I mailed off a CD with great anticipation. When I followed up with the event organizer, months later (after not hearing back), they explained that they decided not to use it. I was shattered. So much time and effort, sweat, blood, and energy went into creating my best work for them, and they didn't even like it.

At that time I didn't understand, I was hurt and discouraged. That discouragement, kept me from continuing for a long time. So much so, that instead of having an album released in six months (like I had planned) it took almost three years. I had no reason to put myself out there again, at the risk of being burned. That's how I felt.

And you know what? Six years later, I released the song I wrote for that youth conference entitled, "Called" on my album. It hit #1 on the Christian radio charts in Canada in one month. God can take something that might appear to have no potential and use it to do great things, but we have to let Him. Discouragement, prevents that. I don't think God wants us to rest inside of discouragement, because then we're useless.

So the next time my booking agent calls up a venue and they decline, I think of it as an opportunity; an opportunity for me to perhaps play there in the future. As I struggle through my failures I am realizing the only thing that defines being unsuccessful, is giving up altogether. It might take a lifetime of failures, but with each failure, I learn how not to do it.

How do you struggle with discouragement? Can you relate? Let's hear from you!

How the iPhone Keeps my Family Connected

2010-12-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

When I walk through my front door I'm greeted with three beautiful sounds-a, "Hi Honey" (from my wife), a, "Dada!" (from our toddler), and a, "coo coo" (from our three month old). It's a wonderful feeling coming home to a loving family, anticipating my arrival home (especially when I'm bringing take-out). It makes me wonder sometimes why I am in a profession that demands travel...

Our family has several "communication" rules:

My wife and I always talk:

In the morning before either of us leave for the day.
Later in the morning to see how each of our days are going so far.
In the afternoon for a longer conversation (usually during lunch time or naps) to see what each other has been up to.
Before bed, every night we always pray a prayer together (even over the phone).

I make sure that I get to speak to our kids on the phone AT LEAST once if I'm away.
We always, always, always say I love you (and we are good at telling if it's sincere or not).

The iPhone helps me stay connected with my family more than a traditional phone has in the past. For example, when I'm away I can email or text a picture of myself or what I'm doing. This allows our kids to see "Dada". Furthermore, with the iPhone 4, I can now have video calls with my family, not only when I'm around WiFi with FaceTime, but anywhere with Yahoo! Messenger video calling.

I chose a phone plan that allows me to call my family anytime, from anywhere nationwide. When I'm home, we do EVERYTHING together and that's the way we like it. If one of us is in a particular room, the other will come also, just to be together. When I'm away, short little phone calls, even if I'm on the other side of the country help maintain that. Quick text messages letting the other person know they are thinking of you, or thoughtful emails is a great way to stay connected. And now that my wife has an iPhone 2G (my old hand-me-down, sorry Katie) she can send me pictures of what the kids have been up to, highlights of their day, etc.

Not only that, but the iPhone is a smart business tool to help me run the ministry when I'm travelling. I don't have a hour a day to sit at a computer and answer 300 emails, reply to tweets, answer Facebook messages or check where my album is on the iTunes download chart (ahem). The iPhone allows me to work, when I need to work, when I have time to work, when it's convenient to work. I can even write blogs from my phone, thanks to Google's integration. Most importantly, it allows me to stay connected with various social networks and have fellowship with the Christian community, in a digital kind of way. And while this is no replacement for a real life interaction, it's a good substitute when I have no other alternative.

The iPhone helps us stay connected, period. Now if only my wife had an iPhone 4...

Dear Apple,
Any chance you can hook us up? We'd be forever grateful!

Love,
The Bray's

Making Tough Ministry Decisions Based on Finances

2010-11-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

There's no greater feeling than being a part of a ministry event where God is working in the hearts of the people. Knowing that you contributed in some way, whether it was by leading a session, speaking, singing, prayer, making sandwiches, organizing, helping with setup etc., it makes you look beyond yourself to see that God is moving.

It's unfortunate, but unless your ministry is independently wealthy, most organizations are forced to make ministry decisions based on business/financial decisions at some point (in addition to prayer and discernment).

In saying that, I get questions from time to time about why I need to ask for money to do ministry. In the past people have expressed opinions along the lines of, "You should not make ministry decisions based on finances", "God should be free and you shouldn't charge people.", or, "Why should you get any money for ministry, you should be volunteering".

Wouldn't it be great if we were able to travel the world to share the Good News? Wouldn't it be awesome if we didn't have to worry about how to get there, where we would stay, how we would eat, how our children will go to school or to the doctor's?

Wouldn't it be great if recording studios let us use their facilities for free? If CD manufacturers and distributors didn't bill us to create worship resources? If there were skilled professionals able to volunteer to work with our ministry partners in radio, television, print and retail to share these resources with others?

Most people's initial response is this, "You should just rely on God". Absolutely, I can do nothing without Him. But God also uses real life circumstances to guide our actions. He creates opportunity in a physical and real way. In the same way, we still need to pay for that train ticket, even if we wish it to magically appear before us until the cows come home (sorry another farming reference, I'll stop soon I promise). The ticket did not magically appear, someone gave it to us, a real live human person procured it, paid for it, and delivered it.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but many things require another resource--money. If my ministry doesn't have the finances available, I cannot provide ministry for those certain endeavours. There, I just made a ministry decision based on finances (among other things such as prayer and discernment).

A while ago I had a phone conversation with an event organizer from a Church. They had asked me to lead an evening of worship, they wanted my to bring my band along (musicians by profession who I need to pay). I would need to fly all of them, pay for hotel rooms, pay for food, rental car, gas, etc. I said I was interested and asked if I would be able to appeal on behalf of Compassion (as I do at most ministry events), they said that would be OK. I asked if I might be able to ask the congregation for a love offering, if anyone was interested in supporting my ministry. They said, "No we don't feel our congregation should have to pay to be ministered to". I politely proceeded to ask them if it might be alright if I could sell my CDs as worship resources for the congregation. They proceeded to say, "No, we don't believe you should be selling those...[long pause]... But we'd be happy to give you a $50 honorarium as a thank-you for coming". After a brief pause I responded saying, "thank-you for your interest but at this time it does not fit within the ability of my ministry" and hung up the phone in disbelief.

I so badly wanted to enlighten that event organizer with all of the other expenses they obviously did not recognize or appreciate. I wanted to to let them know about the three shifts of pay at work that had to be given up, the costs of travel, hiring musicians, not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars required to provide worship resources like a CD in the first place and all of the sacrifice of time that goes into writing, recording, planning, promoting, praying, and travelling--all time away from family, and time that could be spent earning an income otherwise.

It would be great to be able to travel the world endlessly to share the Good News, but in order to sustain that ministry, you also need to sustain the income that you would have had coming in otherwsie to support your family. That's where ministries rely on the generosity of others to be able to sustain the service they are providing and being God's hands and feet.

In every decision, we always need to discern what God is calling us to do. What are your thoughts on business verses ministry?

Up to 55% Off Merchandise!

2010-11-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Until December 31st, 2010, all merchandise (CD's & DVD's) are on significant discount! With Christmas fast approaching consider buying a single item or bundle deal for savings of up to 55% off! CD's and DVD's make great gifts or stocking stuffers for friends and family and provide a wonderful worship resource.

This incredible offer ends December 31st, so don't delay. Order now so you will have it before Christmas. Visit the online STORE to order.

*Offer only available with online orders. Shipping and handling extra. All prices in Canadian currency.

Working on Motivation

2010-11-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

I'd like to consider myself a moderately active person when it comes to fitness and health. The slugging of thousands of hay bales when I was younger (which is why I like to wear plaid today) and countless miles of jogging can attest to that. Someone gave me some profound advice when I was younger, "Start healthy living habits early, because before you know it, it will catch up to you". At the time I laughed it off as I finished eating my Big Mac, and then went on to devouring my daily bag of potato chips and heaping bowl of ice cream dripping with fudge sauce, marsh mellows, chocolate chips and peanuts. Are you hungry yet?

Along the way that tidbit of advice started to settle in. Ever since, I've been really conscious of staying healthy and active. But recently, life has been getting hard and busy. Life circumstances have been making it difficult to have the energy to be active. I've been finding it difficult to keep to a regular routine and consume nutritious food. So in my lack of motivation I started to consider the following:

What if I didn't do my best to stay healthy and fit? What if I wasn't able to lug my sound gear to concerts because I was too weak and lazy? Or have the lung capacity to be able to sing a two hour show? What if I wasn't able to play with my kids because I got too tired? What if wasn't able to walk up stairs because I was overweight?

I realized the answer to each of these questions is that it prevents me from effectively being able to do what God is calling me to. It would directly limit what I could do in ministry, in my family life, in my relationships, etc. And why? Because I didn't want to make the choice to live out life with the understanding that, "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" - 1 Corinthians 6:19.

So when I don't feel motivated to get out of bed in the morning, or to get off the couch at night, or to decline the 2000 calorie grease-burger; I can take it to God.

"God, give me the strength to live out the life You are calling me to. Help me to have the courage and motivation to make good and healthy choices. Enable me to stand firm in You and nurture the life You have given me so I can use it to glorify You in all things. - Amen."

What motivates you?

Tour & Record

2010-10-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

One week ago Monday marked the end of a short tour which included stops in McLean, Virginia, and dates in South-western Ontario. I thoroughly enjoy travelling to new places, meeting new people and entering into worship with so many awesome folks! All of the events on this particular tour where unique and fun, and I want to personally thank everyone who came out to the shows.

One interesting memory from this tour was when a group of teens all started asking me to sign their hands.. The only thing I had was a permanent marker, so I told them, “I don’t know if this is going to come off, it say’s super indelible on it!”. They didn’t care… One girl wanted me to sign her forehead. I said, “NO WAY!”. I got word from someone from that concert that it only took a week for the marker to rub off—nice!

The last stop of my tour was Sunday evening, from there we raced home to try and catch a few hours of sleep before my studio session Monday morning! The past few months I’ve been gathering some new tunes, doing some co-writing and getting the preparations in order for my new record! While I was tired, exhausted, sleep-deprived, and possibly a little rough around the edges, that Monday morning I was running off of adrenaline. I was honoured and humbled to be working with such amazing musicians and producer! The bass player we used in the studio tours with Aaron Lines, among other successful and talented artists. My producer, Andrew Horrocks, who also produced my second release, “The Worship Album”, and has worked with Brian Doerksen, Vineyard Music, Thousand Foot Krutch, among many others.
I am SO excited to share some new songs with you guys! This new record is still months away from anything close to being complete, but I can tell you, I’m really excited for it to be available.

I’ll post updates on the new album in the coming weeks so stay tuned! For booking inquiries, please contact Douglas Hutchings at The Brown Book Agency douglas@thebrownbookagency.com

What I'm Thankful For

2010-10-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

In Canada this long weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving. Sorry all you American folks, you have to wait a few more weeks to be thankful ;)

I think our lives get so busy that we don't take the time to step back and reflect on all the ways God has blessed us. It's so easy for us to get consumed with work, school, relationships, twitter, facebook, blogging (ahem), cell phones, TV, sports, magazines, books... the list goes on.

It's interesting that we allocate only one day a year to show our thankfulness. Personally, I'd like to take that on as a challenge. I'd like to not go one more day without acknowledging my thankfulness to God for what he has given me, each and every day.

So here's my list so far, I'll add to it as I go...

I'm thankful for:

SALVATION - That I know a God who loves me enough to die on a cross for me and forgives me when I fail. A God who pursues me with love and mercy.

MY WIFE - Who knows me so well, who loves and supports me even when it means sacrifice and hardship. Who enriches me and brings out everything good that I have within.

MY CHILDREN - Who bring so much joy to my life. Who already can love on a level that I'm not capable of understanding. Who have so much potential.

FAMILY - Who are nurturing and supportive. Who love unconditionally and help us grow together.

FRIENDS - Who care, support, love, laugh, and share in our joys and struggles. Who understand when are going through hard times and always offer a lending hand.

OUR SPONSOR CHILD - Who teaches us how to think beyond ourselves. How to have compassion for others and to value what's really important in life.

OUR HOME - A place of our own, with comforts, challenges and love.

HEALTH - That thus far we've only had to struggle with minor health issues, and nothing major or life changing.

FREEDOM - While even the most democratic governments still impose restrictions on certain fundamental moral and natural laws, I am thankful that I am allowed to love my God publicly.

GIFTS & TALENTS - I take great joy from seeing the joy in others as a fruit of a gift and talent God has given me.

For all the ways God has blessed me, my ministry, our family, friends and our life--Thank-you Lord. And thanks to all of you who continue to pray and support my ministry.

Each and every day, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Gospel Music Award Nomination!

2010-09-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

Once again this year I have the honour of being nominated for another Gospel Music Association Covenant Award! This year's category is for "Music DVD of the Year" for "The WORSHIP DVD" which features the Called music video, behind the songs, chord charts, Compassion stories and more.

It's a huge honour and privilege to be able to be recognized by the GMA's, and I want to thank God, the Association and all of you for your support. Let's work together to bring others closer to Christ.

Please vote for me for the Blessings Fan Choice Award - make sure you select "Chris Bray".

How Does God Speak to You?

2010-09-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is how God has been speaking to me lately.

Example 1:
As I may have alluded to before, the morning is not my most joyous part of the day. It usually takes me a good hour before full sentences start rolling out and I am able to pop my first sincere smile. It's unfortunate, I know. It's also something I am continually working on. Coffee speeds up the process by about thirty minutes :)

A short while ago I had one of 'those' mornings. Nothing seemed to be going right, we were running late, I had the morning headache, and my grumpy meter was hitting eleven. It's sad, but usually my wife is forced to put up with my lack of positive in these times. After a big sigh of sluggish morning frustration, something happened. The last thing I would have expected to resolve my mood. Normally my wonderful wife lovingly reveals my actions, or I am able to shake it off after a while. But this time, neither of these things happened.

God knew in that moment that there was only one message he wanted me to have--help others by showing them love. At that moment, out of no where, my seventeen month old walks up to me, and gives me a hug. Usually these hugs last less than three seconds. This time, she grabbed on and did not let go for two minutes. I didn't ask her to, Mama didn't ask her to, she wasn't prompted. She just did it. God was speaking to me in that moment. Instant joy, and humility.

Example 2:
Months ago I learned of this international awards show for the UCMVA called the Unity Awards. They were coming to Canada and I was excited! However, it was two days too late. The submissions had closed two days before, so I just wrote it off for this year. Fast forward several months, hundreds of poopy diapers and many full-cafe coffees... I get a phone call from the organizer of this same awards show, four days before it was to take place. She said, "Did you know that you were nominated in three categories for awards?". I said, "No, that's interesting because I wasn't able to submit...". She went on to say, "Well, someone nominated you , and we'd like to bring you out to Calgary to perform at the awards show."

In that moment God was telling me to pay attention to this. I can't tell you yet all of the fruits and blessings from that awards show (other than that I won two awards), but God is definitely working on something for me.

Example 3:
For years and years I have stressed about money. Always having enough, what to do with it, what if I make a wrong choice... A lot of decisions in life revolved around the financial impact. It was a particular stressful time of life when hard choices needed to be made about what to do with our money, so I flipped through the bible to find a random passage (I love it when this happens)--I opened to Luke 12: 16-20:

16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.

17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

It seemed pretty clear to me. We are still very conscious of money and finances and we as a married couple plan what we have carefully. However, we've learned that if God is calling us to do something, He'll provide the finances in one way or another.

Example 4:
About a year ago we spiritually adopted another child, Mariana from Columbia. She spawned a stirring in our hearts as a family to look beyond ourselves and our own life. She challenges us to remember. To remember that not everyone is as blessed as we've been with finances, with health, with certain freedoms, with education, with loved ones.

Her pictures drawn for us with love, while primary, tell us so much. Her letters from the other side of the world give us great joy, the joy she shares with us. Her ministry to us as a family is a huge blessing. That is God speaking to me and to our family.

HOW DOES GOD SPEAK TO YOU? Let's hear your story.

The Unity Awards

2010-08-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had the privilege to travel to Calgary, Alberta to take part in the International UCMVA Unity Awards. This was my first year going to the awards and conference and I was nominated in three categories, "New Artist of the Year", "Praise and Worship Album of the Year" and "Praise and Worship Song of the Year". I really felt like God was calling me to be there. He lined up everything for me, and all the details just fell into place (that's how I know He had His hand in it).

I arrived in Calgary on Saturday morning and sat in on a songwriting session led by mainstream industry veteran Bob Halligan. Bob has written with some of the world's most renown artists such as Judas Priest, Michael Bolton and Helix (among many, many others). It was great to connect with such an experienced songwriter!

Later in the day was sound check and dress rehearsals for the awards show. I was asked to present several awards and also asked to perform, "CALLED". I was fortunate enough to be able to have a band accompany me for the performance. My drummer (who also played bass with his left hand at the same time, believe it or not!) toured with Ray Charles (among other famous artists). Let's just say, I was extremely humbled working with such great talent.

In my down time at the event, I was able to connect with some other artists such as long time friends Critical Mass and David MacDonald. I was also able to finally meet in person, Tom Booth (veteran songwriter and co-founder of Life Teen), and Tony Melendez (who has no arms and plays the guitar with his feet!). Again, I was humbled.

I was honoured to receive awards for "New Artist of the Year" and "Praise and Worship Album of the Year" for The Worship Album. In addition to meeting so many great friends and fans it was awesome to have fellowship among the members of our Christian community.

While I was only in Calgary for 15 hours, it was a truly blessed event. I'd like to give a special thanks to everyone who has and continues to support my ministry! God bless.

When the Music Fades

2010-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

God has been stirring in my heart for the last while, a slightly different way that He is calling me to respond to Him. As a worship leader for the last decade, I've had a huge heart for music and specifically Worship music. Ever since I new Christ on a more personal level, God has used my love for music to draw me closer to Him. He has used this as a tool to lead me home.

I've always been committed to prayer, reading the bible and learning about my Saviour. However, those things were not the focus of how I respond to God, it was always worship music. Not too long ago God revealed to me a challenge. He was calling me to strip away the music, to move away from the theatrics. He was calling me to see His true beauty, without the distraction of all the dressings we place over top.

This became even more apparent when I took a break from leading worship at my home church. I started to go to Church and see God's true beauty. Even when the organ hit the wrong notes, even when the drummer skipped a beat, even when I forgot the words, even when the Pastor wasn't on his game--I can still worship my God.

If I can't enter into worship unless my atmosphere is ideal, unless there is stage lighting, a fog machine, big screens, flashy lasers and electric guitars, then I'm missing a huge component of my relationship with God. Life situations are almost always deficient, but that it what challenges us to a deeper, more profound relationship with our Maker.

Don't get me wrong, God wants us to play skillfully to Him and we should always bring our best. I also think it's smart to eliminate distractions as much as possible. That might mean asking the tone-deaf person to take a break for a week, asking the drummer to play an easier beat pattern, or the electric guitarist to turn their blasting distortion down a notch. But the focus should be our offering to God.

So bring on the wrong notes, the off beat drums, and the lady who can't carry a tune! Because that's when God can really speak to me, to us.

A Family of Four

2010-08-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Born August 16th, 2010 at 5:47pm weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces, our little girl came into this world! We named her Norah Kate, after much debate. What a huge blessing she is to us.

The entire situation could have not gone any better! Several months ago I was given an opportunity to minister along side Matt Maher (among others) for a special event which fell right on the due date. After much discernment and prayer we decided to trust in God, that He would provide for us and hold our intentions. We specifically prayed for a healthy baby, a smooth delivery and that I would be present for it.

On Monday, God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl, and even though I only made it home four hours earlier (just in time), I made it! My wife Katie is was comfortable during the delivery process, and is recovery extremely well. Norah is a healthy, happy, wonderful baby. And our first born daughter, Molly, has taken exceptionally well to her! She keeps blowing her kisses and giving her blankets... He answered our prayers.

I love being a father. I can only imagine the overwhelming love that our Father in Heaven has for each of us!

I Think I May Have Unintentionally Offended Brooke Fraser!

2010-08-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I asked my Twitter followers what they thought of Brooke Fraser’s new song. Based on a concerned Twitter direct message reply, I think I may have offended Brooke Fraser!

My passion is for worship music, but I'm sure you've gathered that already. I was first introduced to Brooke Fraser through Hillsong (back in 2007) when she contributed world renown hits, "Hosanna" and "None But Jesus". Anyone who doesn't know those songs, please take my word for it -- they're awesome.

Like any other instant fan I plugged her name in Google and away I went to learn more about this great singer/songwriter/worshipper. First stop on my Google search results was Twitter--instant follow. Next stop was her web site. Hmm, to my surprise it didn't look anything like what I had known her for--Hillsong. As I started reading her bio, I realized, she was a mega-star in the mainstream music industry not only down under, but all over the world.

The third stop on my Google search results was YouTube. One of the first videos I watched was an interview with Sunday's Ian Sinclair. It was at this point I realized that she was not only a great songwriter, a great singer, but most importantly a living "walk the walk, talk the talk" Christian.

If you get a chance, you can Google the interview yourself and watch it. Basically she talks about her work with World Vision. She talks about a mission trip she took which is what inspired her to write her second release "Albertine". She also alludes to her chastity in an awkward moment with the host of the show. Let me remind you, this was in promotion of a mainstream album!

At that moment I was sold. Look at this solid Christian living her life using her platform to influence others in the best way possible. She isn't just doing it on stage at Church (Hillsong), but on the street corners for the world to hear.

If you still don't know who Brooke Fraser is, let me put it in perspective for you. Take someone else famous you know, for example, Sarah McLachlan. Imagine Sarah McLachlan was the writer of "Amazing Grace" (famous traditional hymn) and it was sung all over the world in every Church. Then you realize that Sarah McLachlan is a superstar in the mainstream music world, living a solid Godly life. Pretty cool eh? (Sorry for the “eh”, I'm Canadian).

This past week Brooke released her latest single from her forthcoming album. The song is titled, "Something in the Water". It's a great, catchy, positive, pop tune that will make you feel good after listening to it.

Enter: our little misunderstanding... Knowing that most Christians (at least here in Canada and perhaps the USA) mostly know Brooke Fraser from her Hillsong contributions, I wanted to post a link to her new song on Twitter and see what others thought about her new material.

However, her somewhat concerned reply to my little Twitter survey had me re-evaluate the delivery of this topic. I may have unintentionally implied that perhaps I might have had an issue with the fact that she is releasing MAINSTREAM music while she is affiliated with Hillsong. While on the contrary, I think it's a great example to others, especially to non-Christians. Furthermore, my debut album, "Just Hang On" was a mainstream/Christian crossover record...

BROOKE FRASER -- if you are reading this, I want you to know that it wasn't an insult, a form of discouragement, or negative comment whatsoever. I think what you are doing is great and I want to encourage you to continue being a shining light in a secular society that is so dark and cumbersome. If I offended you in any way, please forgive me.

And to everyone else -- go buy at least one of Brooke Fraser's songs on iTunes ;)

Preparing for the Baby

2010-08-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

My wife Katie and I are expecting child number two any day now! As parents we feel confident that we are as prepared as we can be to bring this new blessing into the world. Recently, we've been focusing on preparing baby number one, Molly.

For the last several months (every since a noticeable baby bump), we've been encouraging our little Molly to kiss the baby (Mama's belly). It's actually pretty cute. Although a couple of times she started biting. I'm not sure what that means exactly...

We've been speaking to our little Molly about how she is going to be a great, big sister when the baby comes. We say, "Molly, are you going to help Mama and Dada when the baby is here?" And we make sure to always include our little unborn baby in our prayers with Molly.

A few weeks ago, we taught Molly how to wrap (her favorite) Teddy in a blanket. Also very adorable... She holds him close and rocks him back and forth, in a slightly terrifying swaying motion. Last week, she found the small diapers. What did she do? She put it on Teddy...

She's too young to fully comprehend what it means to have a sister, an additional family member. But I know that she has a least some understanding of what it means.

"God, we pray that our little Molly will continue to grow and be healthy and strong. We pray that You will guide Molly, draw her close to You. Help us to be the parents You are calling us to be. Thank-you for giving us another blessing. And we pray that Molly will be a great, big sister. Amen."

Please keep our family in your prayers as we start a new adventure, any day now!

Child Like Faith

2010-08-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Having a child has helped me grow in many ways. One of those ways includes my faith journey. As our daughter gets older, gets more personality and more character I can't help but be brought back. I look at my own child who thoroughly enjoys life.

Our family has been blessed so abundantly in so many ways. We haven't had to suffer or struggle like so many others all over this world. But at the same time, we try to live a simple life. I was watching my daughter laugh and play. She wasn't playing with fancy toys or elaborate entertainment systems, she was simply having a 'conversation' with her toes, for twenty minutes!

It dawned on me, how we as adults fill our lives with so many complexities, so many 'things' designed to give us temporary joy, temporary love, temporary fulfillment. We stress about things such as if we are going to have enough money to buy the brand new house of our dreams or if we can go that tropical vacation (to watch imported cable TV). We spend our time trying to accomplish these things with the mindset that if we just work hard enough, we'll finally be able to afford that one thing that will make us truly happy.

I started thinking about my daughter. She doesn't stress about where her dinner will come from. She trusts that her parents will provide. She doesn't have the need for elaborate toys, she lives in the moment and makes the most of it. And believe me, if you were able to see her beautiful smile as much as I do, you would know that's true.

I think God is calling us to that same child like faith. He doesn't want us to worry, to stress, to try and fill our lives with substance that might provide temporary fulfillment (and still fall short). He wants us to trust in Him, completely. He wants to be the one that we get our fulfillment from.

I used to believe I was a relatively smart person, but this was a lesson that was taught to me by a child, and took twenty-five years for me to finally understand.

Human Trafficking

2010-07-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the privilege to be asked to perform for a benefit concert to raise money to fight against human trafficking. I always new what human trafficking was, but I didn't realize to what extent. I also didn't realize how close to home this really is, even in our own local city. I learned a lot from the day and found a lot of the information to be shocking. I'd like to share some of it with you. Please be advised, some content not be suitable for sensitive readers.

The following information was given to me from the organizers of the benefit concert. For any clarification or if you feel called to support their organization in the fight against human trafficking, please visit http://www.stopht.ca/

Human trafficking is the forced sale of people for the purpose of exploitation. It can include abduction, fraud, deception, forced labour, prostitution and other forms of sexual servitude…..or even the removal of internal organs for sale.

Human Trafficking has become the fastest growing criminal activity in the world to the tune of some $32 BILLION dollars annually in revenue.

There are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today. People are forced to work without pay, under threat of violence and are unable to just walk away.

It is estimated that 800-900,000 people are trafficked across borders every year. That translates to one person every 35 seconds who is trafficked into another country and placed into human bondage. 70% of these are women and girls, and 50% are minors (some as young as 3 years old). A trafficked person can be bought for as little as $90, and can be sold over and over again until they become too sick to work or they die. They have become disposable people, subjected to extreme violence, drugs, and horrendous living conditions. Victims of human trafficking suffer severe physical and mental health conditions, sexually transmitted diseases, addictions, and death. If they are not rescued, they may survive only two years in bondage.

Traffickers most often operate within a network of organized crime, but trafficking can also take place in non-networked criminal groups. Perpetrators exploit the weak and disadvantaged. They take advantage of runaways, orphans and widows, the homeless, the disenfranchised. They prey on people in desperate need such as during natural disasters or political conflict. They use trickery and deception to coerce their victims into agreeing to leave their families with grandiose promises of a better life somewhere else. Traffickers make use of trusted neighbours, friends and even family to help convince the victim that it is safe to go with them. Young women may be promised a nanny position in a rich household, or waitressing in a high-end restaurant, or a job in a fancy hotel chain. Young men may be offered lucrative work in the agricultural industry. Once they arrive in their destination country, however, their ID is taken from them and they are forced into excruciating, backbreaking or demeaning slave labour under the guise of having to work off a trumped-up debt to the traffickers or exorbitant fines imposed on them. Any money earned is paid directly to the traffickers. The victims are threatened, beaten, drugged, or even gang-raped to keep them under control. They may be told that their families’ lives are at risk if they try to escape.
We may think that Human trafficking is “over there” and not going on in our own back yard, but that is a “head in the sand” attitude. Human trafficking is not limited to third world countries.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) estimates that 600-800 persons are trafficked into Canada annually and that an additional 1,500-2,200 persons are trafficked through Canada into the United States. Non governmental agencies estimate this is just the tip of the iceberg - the actual numbers are probably triple that figure. In Canada, foreign trafficking for prostitution is estimated to be worth $400 million annually, and it is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world.

An article in the Toronto Sun in 2008 addresses a domestic trafficking case in which two teenage victims were forced to prostitute and hand over all their earnings to pimps. They were worked 7 days a week and had to meet daily quotas. They brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for their trafficker. The youngest was only 14.

Again, if you'd like more information or can help support the fight against human trafficking, please visit http://www.stopht.ca/. Please offer up continued prayers for the victims of this outrageous crime.

100 Huntley St.

2010-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the honour and privilege to be a guest on the daily Christian TV show, 100 Huntley St. I had the opportunity to take a tour of the facility and meet everyone involved in putting on the show each day. They have such a great group of people at the Crossroads centre. Below are some clips of my performances and interview on today's show.

The Interview:

Song - "Called":

Song - "You Are King You Are Lord":

Song - "Father I Love You":

Thanks to the wonderful team at 100 Huntley St. for making me feel welcome, and supporting my ministry!

http://www.100huntley.com/

Waking Sleeping Beauty

2010-07-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

We've been teaching our 16 month old daughter, Molly, how to close her eyes when she prays. It's pretty cute. She'll close them for about 2 seconds, and then peek open one eye, just to make sure everyone still has their eyes closed...

These days its SO hard to try get a kiss out of her. I think, she thinks that it's a game... So we say, "Molly, go give mama (or daddy) a kiss" and she runs the other way grunting, "he he he".

So to get around this cute little problem we pretend to be sleeping (like sleeping beauty). We lye there with our eyes closed, "asleep", and Molly has to wake us up with a kiss. It's a cute game we play and is quite fulfilling as a parent.

We were in Church the other day, and we both had our eyes closed when all of the sudden out of no where, Molly lays one on me. It was the biggest, slobbery-est, juiciest kiss ever, right in the middle of Church. So I whisper in her ear, "Molly we are praying now, remember how to pray, close your eyes like daddy".

I closed my eyes again, and a couple seconds later, another juicy slobbery kiss... I said, "Thanks Molly, that was nice. Now lets pray." I kept my eyes open from that point on and that was the end of that game.

After Church, when I washed all the slobber off my face, I said, "OK Molly, give daddy a kiss". And she ran the other way... grunting, "he he he". I guess I'll settle for waking sleeping beauty.

My Pharmacy Experience

2010-07-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful be able to call up my Doctor and have an appointment the same day. Most people (here in Canada at least) don't have that privilege. He wrote me a prescription and I was all set...

I went to the Pharmacy, dropped it off and decided to come back later to pick it up. When I returned, the Pharmacist gave me the medical instruction for this particular drug. Without looking up from the computer he asked, "Are you Chris?" I said, "Yes".

Still without looking up from his computer he said, "So, this is an antibiotic...?", like it was a question. I responded, "OK..?". Thinking to myself, "Shouldn't you know that already?"...

And still without looking up from his computer he asked, "Do you have bad acne?".

I paused, then responded, "Not since high school...", thinking to myself, "Does this guy know what the heck he is talking about??" And, furthermore, if he were to have looked up from his computer for even a quick second, he'd probably know the answer to his preceding question.

With a confused tone he asked me, "Do you have problems with your chest?" I said, "No, but I do have strep throat, which is probably why my voice sounds like a 12 year old going through puberty..."

Finally, he looks up at me and says, "Oh, yes, OK then!".

"have a grEAt dAy", I said with my squeaky boy voice, thinking that maybe this guy needs some professional development training... or simple social skills.

Where Do You Get New Worship Music From?

2010-07-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last month I conducted a poll on Twitter, my web site and my blog asking everyone who wanted to participate, "Where do you get your new worship songs from?". By the way, thanks to everyone who responded to the survey.

I must say, at first the results seemed slightly surprising. But as I started to think about how I connect with new worship material, it started to make a whole lot more sense.

The poll shows that the majority of people get their new worship songs from their favorite artists. If I was a betting man, I might have placed money on Radio or Compilation CD's (such as WOW, Passion, etc.). My initial reasoning for this is as follows: as a worship leader you are forced to lead songs which people LIKE, and most importantly, KNOW. Lots of people know and still like, DAYS OF ELIJAH (by the way Robin Mark, awesome song, but after the first 5000 times, "behold he comes" needs a break in my rotation. It's nothing personal.)

So I took a second and started thinking about the most recent songs I've added to my repitiore as a worship leader. I'm a personal fan of Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Paul Baloche (amoung many, many others). "Mighty to Save", "Holy is the Lord", and "Our God Saves" (respectively) are somewhat (within the last few years) recent worship favorites of mine. Hmmm, interesting pattern.

Yes, each of these songs did get lots of radio spins on Christian radio (including Canada too, for all you Americans out there), however, that is not why I added them. In fact, their radio life was long past by the time I got around to adding them to my set list (with the exception of "Mighty to Save", which has been covered by a bazillion artists). I hear tons and tons of songs on the radio. That's partially part of my job as an artist, to stay on top of that sort of thing. I added these songs, because I like the artist. And, because I have a connection with that artist, the song means so much more to me.

This information is very helpful to me. If I were a young (not a requirement), independent, worship artist (ahem), and my goal was to write a song that people are able to enter into worhsip with, I now know that radio, compilation CD's, and CCLI are probably NOT what I want to focus my resources on (assuming the above mentioned is my ONLY goal). Rather, I might need to spend some time developing relationships with fellow worshippers (and fans), to become a "favorite artist" (which by the way, does NOT necessarily mean "most popular artist").

DISCLAIMER -- when deciding when, where and how to allocate your resources (time, money, people, assets, abilities, etc.), make sure you develop (and continually evantuate/update) your short/long term goals. The above mentioned is just one (very specific) example and does NOT apply to all scenarios as an artist.

Does anyone else have any comments on this topic?

Two Hours of My Life Wasted

2010-07-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Last night my wife, Katie and I were dead tired. So we decided that we wanted to rent a movie, and unplug. She ran out to get one, while I was finishing up a few things, and she brought home a new release. It had several famous names in the cast and it sounded like a good plot. She didn't happen to look at the rating and to be honest we still don't know what it's rated.

You know when you start watching a movie and you think, "hmm, I hope this turns out to be a good one". You commit the first twenty minutes and then you say, "Something good is bound to happen soon". And then 30 minutes rolls around and you start thinking, "Maybe we should just watch something else. But we've already committed to 30 minutes, let's just see what happens"...

Before you know it, it's the end of the movie and you can't believe that you wasted the last two hours of your life. That was our night last night. And to top it off, the movie was so bad, and had so much foul language that we felt almost sick for watching it. I'll admit, I'm still young in my journey to holiness, so the odd swear word in a movie doesn't faze me. This movie was exceptionally bad. I started to wonder how many words the writers had in their vocabulary (not many that didn't start with an F).

We started thinking about all the other movies we've watched that were terrible and a waste of our life. How much time do we spend watching these stupid, meaningless movies. I'm not saying cut movies out altogether, absolutely not. It's nice sometimes to be able to unplug your brain and just chill. It's nice to be able to enjoy a really good, feel good, great, movie.

I'd hazard a guess that one out of every four movies we watch turn out to be bad. So if we cut out 25% of the bad movies we watch, that's 25% more time to do other things, such as spend time together, spend time as a my family, or spend time with God. That sounds much more productive to me.

Teaching Our Daughter to Care

2010-07-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

As a family we decided that we wanted to do something more. To make a long story short, God led us to an organization called Compassion, and through some prayer and discernment we felt He was calling us to sacrifice just a tiny bit of the luxuries we have so that someone else, less fortunate might be able to simply live.

We started sponsoring Mariana from Columbia, just after our daughter Molly was born (March 2009). We thought how awesome it will be when they can write letters back and forth to each other. And, what a great way to teach our little Molly about helping others.

Every night before we put Molly to bed, we say our prayers and we make sure to always include Mariana in them, and in the letters we've sent, we've asked Mariana to pray for us as well. She always seems to include beautiful drawings in the letters she sends us, so we post those up on our fridge right beside a picture we have of her.

This past week we taught Molly how to say, "Mari", short for Mariana (Molly can handle about two syllables right now). We were in the kitchen and she looked up at the picture on the fridge and did the cutest thing ever... She blew the picture of Mariana a kiss, and said, "Ma-we".

Not only is she taking baby steps, she is taking baby steps in learning how to care for another person.

Areas of Improvement

2010-07-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

God reminded me at 3am last night of one specific area of my life that could use some continual improvement. However, I'd like to preface this with my excuse first: I'm NOT the most friendly person in the world when I'm tired.

Let me tell you a story...
It's hot, stickin' hot, up here in Canada (believe it or not, all you Americans). This is the only time I will complain about heat, because I'd rather live in this type of climate all year round, than suffer through the frigged, cold, winter. On warm nights, my wife and I usually turn our A/C on a timer for 1-2 hours (just long enough for us to fall asleep). Last night however, it was so hot that we didn't sleep well. My lovely wife (who is due in August, by the way) got up to turn the A/C back on again for another 1-2 hours. Every time you press a button on our A/C unit, it beeps (we'll call that a feature). It went something like this: Power button - beep, Fan/Cool set - beep, Rotating fan on - beep, Timer set 0 hrs - beep, Timer set 1 hrs - beep, Timer set 2 hrs - beep...

By that time I had woken up and somewhat grumpily asked, "What are you doing!?!?". My lovely wife replied, "Turning the A/C back on". And then she said with a playfully sarcastic tone, "What are you doing?". This is the part where God revealed to me what I need to work on in my life. I replied, "NOT PRESSING 100 BEEPING BUTTONS!". And back to sleep I fell, with a cool breeze over me, and a lovely pregnant wife beside me.

Maybe this is why I've always schedule my concerts for earlier in the evening... Apparently I need my beauty sleep -- Or a swift kick in the...

Cure the Sick

2010-07-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we heard from the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus sent out the 72 Disciples. I have read this before, many times, I'm sure. But this time, something stuck out to me.

"...behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals... Into whatever house you enter, first say,'Peace to this household... Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them,'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'..." Luke 10.

I love how Jesus sneaks that one line in there, "cure the sick". And He says it like it's a simple expectation. He didn't say, "Go and try to help the sick get better". He said, CURE THEM, heal them. He said, you, go, cure them, now. Do it, get it done, and do it in my name...

It reminded me of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 where we are told of the gifts that the Spirit has for each of us. God has entrusted us with the ability to HEAL (cure) the sick (should we be open to that gift and our soul is in a state able to receive it). I believe that same Spirit from 2000 years ago (who is also the same Spirit today, and will be tomorrow) is offering us those same gifts now. It's about a choice. It's about making ourselves ready to recieve whatever the Spirit has for us and being open to it.

Imagine if we had enough faith to believe that we could in fact cure the sick. We do already, you say? Great! Now imagine what would happen if we did it... Pharmaceutical companies would go bankrupt, we would have no shortage of doctors, no more paying for health benefits and no more prescriptions.

With faith the size of a mustard seed...

My Office

2010-06-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

My daughter is a huge blessing in my life. I love her to pieces and I would do anything for her. But before God sent us this wonderful blessing, my office/studio was over 200 square feet. With the birth of our first, I was more than happy to give up all that luxurious space for her.

However, I still needed an office. So, to resolve that we combined our dining room into the living room, and built a wall to create, "the new office". This was great. About 120 square feet, not quite as luxurious as my previous room, but still decent.

In August, God will be giving us our second little blessing! So it's moving time again for my office. This time, I'm moving into the living/dining room, into the corner, in a small student size, "college dorm" style desk.

So, I went from over 200 square feet to about 10 square feet. A sacrifice yes, but it is worth EVERY foot.

I Love My Job

2010-06-11T06:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to minister to 600 on fire for the Lord high school students at St. Anne's Catholic school in Clinton, Ontario. What a huge witness it was for me, seeing so many kids excited about their faith. While that in itself is amazing, that is not what set yesterday apart for me.

The event was held outdoors, blasting worship to the entire neighbourhood. After myself and the band had finished playing we started to pack up our equipment. Just as we finished, a lady walked up to me. She started telling me how she was a neighbour and heard the music. She came outside and just sat and listened to it. She told me how she doesn't go to Church but she really felt moved. She then asked me for some Worship music.

Seeing God work through me, touching even just one person's life in a profound way -- that's why I LOVE my job.

June Update

2010-06-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

So many exciting things have happened since my last update! It has been a busy Spring in Ministry! I've been able to meet and worship with so many great people! God is good!

Just this week the fourth single from the Worship Album, "Take Me Far Away" hit the #2 spot on the More Radio Top 5 AC Hits radio chart across Canada! Keep calling/emailing your local Christian radio station and requesting the song!

Last month the long awaited WORSHIP DVD was released! This new DVD includes the music video for "Called" as well as song inspirations & performances, chord charts, Compassion stories, the making of the music video, album tracks and more! This DVD dives deeper through the Worship Album and is a great resource for young aspiring worship leaders, singers and musicians. The WORSHIP DVD is available online at http://www.chrisbraymusic.com/

Make sure to watch 100 Huntley St. (for all you Canadians) on June 14th for my guest appearance and performance! Also check out the upcoming tour dates on my web site including my concert opener and performance with Matt Maher this August!

And finally, read my farewell from my seven years of leadership at Mary Immaculate Church in London. http://chrisbraymusic.blogspot.com/2010/05/farewell.html

Thanks for your continued support and prayers! If you are interested in having me come to your area, in supporting my ministry or more information please don't hesitate to email me chris@chrisbraymusic.com

For a complete list of news, updates, videos, pictures, blogs and more go to my web site www.chrisbraymusic.com or follow me on www.twitter.com/chrisbraymusic

Thanks and God Bless!

Come to YOUR Church

2010-06-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'd like to put this as simply as possible, no music biz mumbo jumbo, no record label contractual lawyer speak. When the glitter and the glamour is stripped away, this is what I have to say:

I want to come to YOUR Church to worship and to speak about Compassion. I don’t care if you live in the “sticks” of northern Saskatchewan (that’s in Canada for all you Americans), or the beautiful paradise of Miami beach (although I like warm weather!). If you attend a church and you worship Jesus Christ, I want to come visit.

First - please do me a favour (after reading this blog post). Go to the music page on my web site and listen to the entire Worship Album – for free. And then a few days later, listen to it again. Then get the CD from iTunes or the online store, and listen to it every day until your ears start to bleed...

OK, now seriously… I'd like to enter into worship with you, share my testimony with you, and tell you about how my life and the lives of millions around the world have been changed because of Compassion. There are so many more lives that can be touched, renewed, restored and changed, but it all starts with you! I need YOU to invite me.

If you are interested, there is more information available online http://www.chrisbraymusic.com/newsite/bookinginfo.html or you can email our team info@chrisbraymusic.com

Farewell

2010-05-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

For the past seven years I have had the honour and privilege to lead the worship at my home base church. One way I respond to God is through contemporary worship and I am so blessed to have been able to lead our congregation closer to Christ through worship in the Liturgy and with the Life Teen program. I am so happy that they were open to and willing to let me introduce this form of expressive worship.

Recently as a family we decided that I needed to take a step back. With the new addition to our family coming this Summer and my busy tour schedule, we felt it was important to spend some time focusing on OUR family for a while with regards to Church and congregational worship. We realized we really haven’t been to Church together as a family, without me leading worship, in seven years! We've realized that I need to change roles at Church, first and foremost, being a father and a husband, and now leading OUR FAMILY.

My wife and I are both looking forward to being a 'normal' Church family for a while. Some weeks that might mean showing up at five past (with 50% of the other Church members) because of last minute diaper explosions. Other weeks it might mean having two cranky, crazy, loud, screaming, but absolutely adorable sweethearts tearing up the sanctuary. We are looking forward to being "PARTICIPANTS" for the first time... again.

While I absolutely loved leading worship every Sunday, and I will terribly miss this kind of offering, I believe God has given our Church an opportunity to grow. The last thing I want is our Church to stay stagnant, in one place. I believe I have offered our Church all that I can for where I am at right now. Enter: my replacement. I trust that God will use the gifts that each of our congregation members has to offer to better enhance our Church.

Thank-you for the opportunity. Thank-you for keeping me grounded and humble. Thank-you for embracing, supporting, loving, encouraging and nurturing the gifts that God has given me. I pray that God will continue to lead me in Ministry, even though this does not include our Church anymore. I pray that God will continue to draw people closer to Him through the offering of service and I pray for our entire Church body. We are the body of Christ.

To all the other Churches that I will have the pleasure and opportunity to visit in Ministry in the coming months & years, I look forward to our worship together!
God bless,

Upbeat Songs

2010-05-12T17:00:00.001-07:00

I recently asked my fellow TWITTER friends for some help. There seems to be an abundance of great slower worship songs. However, I realized that I was leading the same upbeat, high energy, praise songs over and over again... "Days of Elijah" is definitaly a favorite amoung many, but I thought it was time to introduce something fresh...

I was looking for songs that were very easy and repetitive. The song had to be in a fast tempo, upbeat, and energetic. Below is the responses I recieved from my twitter friends:

@PhillipJamesG suggested "Birmingham" by David Crowder
@mcblake suggested Fee's "Rise and Sing" and Kristian Stanfill's "Say, Say"
@casamorado suggested "Happy Day" by Fee and "Tell the World" by Hillsong
@ryancolliver suggested "You Alone Can Rescue" by Matt Redman
@rustyhola51 suggested "Hold us together" by Matt Maher (and many others).
...
Thanks to all my twitter tweet twits (friends) that replied!
Now for my top picks (this week anyways) -I am loving Lincoln Brewsters's, "Today is the Day" and "Love the Lord". If you have some more suggestions, feel free to pass them along! And thanks again to everyone who responded!

Habit

2010-01-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

Something important to remember, that I have to continually remind myself is to not make worship a 'habit'. When I say that I'm reminded of Matthew West song "The Motions". So many times we can get to Church on a Sunday morning, and in the grauginess of the AM, and the rush to get the front seat (he he), we place ourselves in stagenet form of worship.

Lots of people worship in different ways, but I have to constantly remind myself: "today is fresh and new and I need to worship with everything I have, not just what I do 'every Sunday' ". Another important note is that 'worship' is not just 1 hour a week on Sunday mornings. Real worship is lived out every moment of every day... That's a hard challenge, but yet we are called.

TIP: Play What People Know

2009-02-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

When leading worship, it's always a good idea to play songs that people know. This allows them to not worry about the song itself, but rather, more easily enter into the Worship. Here is a URL that gives the full CCLI top 100 Worship songs. What are the top 5 you ask?

1. How Great Is Our God Chris Tomlin
2. Here I Am To Worship Tim Hughes
3. Blessed Be Your Name Matt Redman
4. Open The Eyes Of My Heart Paul Baloche
5. Forever Chris Tomlin
(6. Before Your Throne Chris Bray) JUST KIDDING!

For a full list go to: http://www.praisecharts.com/ccli

About

2009-02-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

2010 UCMVA Unity Award winner, "Praise & Worship Album" & "New Artist of the Year"
2009 Gospel Music Association Covenant Award winner, "New Artist of the Year"
Gospel Music Association Covenant Award four time nominee
Writer of Canadian Christian radio #1 hit songs, "Called" & "Finally Let Go"
Tour highlights include performing alongside Matt Maher, Audrey Assad, Christine Evans and more!

"Praise God in all His glory" proclaims breakout independent Christian Recording Artist and Worship Leader Chris Bray, when asked about his latest endeavor. "The Worship Album is my sophomore release" explains the singer/songwriter, whose debut album, "Just Hang On", was a cross over release in both Mainstream and Christian markets. "I really felt God was calling me to focus my direction for this new project. I fully relied on Him to provide in all aspects of the record, and I truly believe the success of the record is because of that decision".

"The Worship Album" has received overwhelming success thus far. In May of 2009, the first single, "Called" went #1 in Canada for the More Radio Top 5 Chart and peaked at #19 on the Canadian Christian Radio Chart while maintaining more than six weeks on the Top 30 Radio Chart alongside industry veterans Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Jars of Clay, Newsboys etc. In addition, "Finally Let Go", the second single, debuted #5 in Canada on the More Radio A/C Hits Chart in July 2009, and was selected to be on the Rocking Romans 2009 Compilation CD. The follow up single then went on to reach #1 on the More Radio Top 5 A/C Hits Chart in September 2009 and reached #27 on the CCRC Top 30 Chart.

This new album is part of a collaboration with Canadian producer Andrew Horrocks, whose work includes Thousand Foot Krutch, Brian Doerksen, Vineyard Music and more. "I truly enjoyed working with Andrew, he is the next Ed Cash of Christian Music". Anyone who has listened to the new album will tell you that the music draws you into a deeper level of worship. The twelve song album encompasses a pop/contemporary style from rock anthems to emotional ballads. "My goal for this new CD was write songs that people could simply enter into worship with".

In addition to songwriting and the release of the new album, Bray continues to tour and lead worship for concerts, conferences, retreats and churches all over Canada and the United States. "I love meeting new people and entering into worship with them. That is one of the reasons I started Absolute Worship." Bray founded the program several years ago with a goal to draw people together in the name of Christ in worship. "People have been responding well to the worship event and it's great to see all denominations come together, setting aside their differences and simply worshipping one God". "My desire to release this new project spawned from my involvement with Life Teen." Bray has led the music for Life Teen at his local Church since 2003. "Being involved keeps me grounded and renews my faith. The long anticipated follow-up to his 2005 release has been met with incredible response. "I feel this new CD is the beginning of something great, greater than I ever could have accomplished on my own. Amazing things happen when you are open to God's will!"

Bray is currently partnering with Compassion Canada to help promote the sponsorship of Children in need. "This is something that I have felt called to do over the past few years. As an artist I have the ability to influence people, but that also comes with a degree of responsibility. I have a platform now, and I want to use it to share the Gospel and help others".