Welcome! I began this blog as a place to share my journey as a worship leader. I have seen God work in amazing ways in my life and this is where I share my experience and my thoughts. Thanks for following along! - Kurt • Eph 2:8

Worship by Observing 

Posted by Kurt Scobie on May 24, 2016


Hands were raised. Eyes were closed.

There was crying. Sobbing.

Some were praying in tongues. Some were singing along loudly to every word.

People kneeled. People stood.

They cheered and shouted. They were quiet and reverent.

And me? I was sitting. Eyes open. Just watching and listening. Taking it all in.

One of my favorite songwriters, Amanda Cook, came to Atlanta on her "Brave New World" tour, and it was phenomenal. The lights, and sound, and videos, and musicianship, and production, and... everything... was awesome. One of the best concerts I've ever been to. The night was beautiful.

The best part was that it was a worship concert. Everyone seemed to be there for one reason. Jesus.

One of my favorite moments of the night, though, was when Amanda imparted a "golden nugget" of wisdom.

Early in her set she talked about "worship by observing". I don't remember exactly what she said, but it blew my mind.

You see, so much of what we have been taught about worship revolves around action. That if we are truly worshiping, we should be singing or clapping or shouting or something other than "just" sitting.

But, she challenged that thinking. Not to say that those things are not good and right and important. They are. Her point was that there seems to be a lack of listening and watching and just sitting back to take in the wonder and beauty of God and His creation.

She invited us to worship by observing the beauty of music, which God created. To take in the coolness of technology, which God has allowed us to discover. To watch these artistic elements come together and simply sit back and be speechless.

Again, there is a time for crying out, for shouting and singing and clapping, for praying. And congregational singing is extremely powerful and important. However, I see an increasing need for quietness before the Creator to simply take in His beauty.

Congregational singing is not necessarily worship. Raising your hands is not necessarily worship. Neither is cheering.

Real worship comes down to the focus and affections of the heart. That is what God wants. Our hearts. Our attention. Our affections.

So, that night I sat. I watched. I listened. I was completely quiet. And it was one of the most powerful worship experiences I have ever had.

What if our times of worship included moments to just be quiet, sit, reflect, and observe?

I believe that God is just waiting to blow us away with His beauty.

I Will Not Be Moved  

Posted by Kurt Scobie on April 16, 2016


I believe that Jesus still heals. I've seen Him work miracles all around me, and through me, and even in my own body. There is no doubt that God still heals people in their physical bodies.

A few months ago I wrote a song about healing. Something the senior pastor's wife had challenged me to do a while back. So, I wrote "I Will Not Be Moved" and began introducing it to the church during our weekend services.

Little did I know that the declaration of faith that I was making in the song would be tested. And oh, has it been tested!

Not long after the song was written, my wife and I faced one of the biggest trials of our lives.

On a Friday night, after a small group gathering, my wife started experiencing some pain in her abdomen. We thought it was food poisoning, but the pain continued through the night and into Saturday morning, worsening every hour. I was leading worship for a prayer meeting that Saturday morning when she called me to come home immediately. I left the meeting and rushed home to take her to the E.R.

A CT Scan revealed that a gallstone had passed into her pancreas, causing inflammation (pancreatitis). She ended up staying at the hospital for three-and-a-half weeks, enduring several procedures and many sleepless nights of excruciating pain.

Meanwhile, I was exhausted trying to care for our two boys (one of them six weeks old), working full-time, AND walking through the process of buying a house for the first time. This could not have happened at a worse time!

Well, recovery has continued at home, now, and my bride is slowly getting better. We're not completely out of the woods yet. There is still a lot of pain some days, and she cannot quite care for our children on her own. But, we are starting to see some light at the end of this long tunnel (and glimmers of hope along the way).

God has revealed a lot to us during this whole fiasco.

On a Sunday morning while in the hospital, my wife tuned in to watch our church service online. Thank God for technology! That weekend I introduced "I Will Not Be Moved" in the main service. God was at work! Of all of the nurses caring for my wife during her stay at the hospital, the one she had that particular morning was a fellow Christian. The cool part is that this woman joined my wife in worship in her room, praying over her, and singing along to "I Will Not Be Moved". She never saw that nurse before and never again during her almost month-long stay. I believe God was up to something.

And that is just one way of many that we saw God working this for our good.

Our faith has been strengthened throughout this process. And I know there is even more that God wants to do in us and through us. My goal is to pass the test.

I don't know if I'll ever fully understand the purpose of this pain, but we are getting glimpses.

My wife is healed in Jesus' name. By His stripes we are healed. We are believing in faith that the healing will be complete in her very soon. We welcome all who want to pray and believe and stand with us.

We're watching for miracles.


"Step into My Story" 

Posted by Kurt Scobie on January 19, 2016 


"Welcome home
come be found
inside my story"


One of the my favorite parables in the Bible can be found in Luke 15:11-32, The Prodigal Son. This powerful story, told by Jesus, has become more and more meaningful to me over the years. There always seems to be something new that God reveals to me each time I read it.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see what an amazing non-profit, Connections Homes, is doing to help bring "lost sons" (and daughters) home. Which inspired me to write what is becoming one of my favorite songs I have ever written.

www.readyornotresources.com
"Step into My Story" is about the troubled lives of sons and daughters, and about a loving Father who longs to be reunited with them. When writing this song, to be performed at the 2015 Connections Homes Gala, the organization's founder, Pam Parish, shared with me her heart for the individuals who have aged out of foster care, and are struggling to navigate adulthood. Kids without parents are entering into the real world without the support and guidance of older adults to pick them up when they make mistakes and help them re-stabilize.

My hope is that "Step into My Story" will not only reveal the father-heart of God, as He welcomes home the lost, but that it will inspire people to consider how they can partner with God and play a role in bringing His beloved sons and daughters in.

In the Parable of the Lost Son there are two sons. The younger, foolish, prodigal is usually the focus. But I think we have much to learn from the older, obedient, bitter son. About what not do.

So, if the older, bitter son is the example of how NOT to be...

This is where God revealed something new to me about this parable, when writing "Step into My Story".

There is another son. THE Son.

A son who celebrates with the Father the returning prodigals. One who is everything the older son isn't -the ultimate example.

The Son, Jesus, leads the way by stepping into our story. He shows us exactly how to help bring home the lost. We see his example over and over throughout scripture.

I have a whole new perspective when I read Luke 15, now. Yes, I can identify with the prodigal son. Yes, I can identify with the older, bitter son (if I'm painfully honest). However, my ultimate goal is to identify with the another son, Jesus.

My goal is to love BOTH the prodigal and the obedient sons and daughters. To know how to love them. To be a part of someone else's story.

Download "Step into My Story"
With the release of my latest single, I am aiming to do just that.

I released this live version of "Step into My Story" on NoiseTrade on January 12th. It is a free download, BUT you have the option to "leave a tip". So, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to use my platform as an artist for good. Which is why I am giving 100% of all tips received to Connections Homes.

My challenge for you is to simply join me.

I'd love for you to check out the lyric video.

I'd be thrilled if you would download the song.

But, more than that, most importantly, my hope is that you will consider how you can step into the stories, the lives, the struggles, of those who need your help. It was at the expense of the older son that the younger son was welcomed home. It is our privilege to give sacrificially so that others can know the deep love of the Father.

Step into their story.


Download "Step into My Story (Live)": http://bit.ly/1OMnlQ7
Lyric video for "Step into My Story": https://youtu.be/FmPu5tCjKJc
Lyrics for "Step into My Story": http://kurtscobie.com/lyrics-step-into-my-story

Never Ending Love Songs 


 Posted by Kurt Scobie on August 11, 2015    


There is no shortage, or so it seems, of songs about the love of God. For someone who hasn't really truly experienced the impact of God's lovingkindness, these songs can be redundant and annoying. But, when the love of God collides with your life, the impact can (and should) be so powerful that all you want to do is talk and sing and think about that love.
 
For me, and a lot of people, every new song about God's love is a fresh reminder of our personal experience with the power of God's love in our own lives. We are hungry for songs like "Good Good Father" and "How Deep the Father's Love For Us" and the MANY other songs reminding us of how, while we were still sinners, while we were still enemies, God sent his only son to die for us.

If you've been around church for a while, you've heard that a million times or so. And the message can seem stale. We forget how powerful the Gospel was for us when it first penetrated deep into our hearts.

I believe that new songs can help us keep that message fresh, which is the main reason why I am a writer of worship songs. I'd love to write the next "Good Good Father" or "How Deep the Father's Love For Us" or "Never Ending Love" to help followers of Jesus experience again the power of His love in a new way.

Yes, the catalogue of love songs about God seem neverending. But, that catalogue will never come close to expressing how wide, how long, how high, and how deep the love that God has for us.

Here is a new song that I have been listening to a LOT lately. The lyrics are simple. The music is simple. The message is profound.
"In Your never ending love,
You rescued me,
Sought me out,
And set me free
In Your never ending love,
Is all I need,
All I need"
Never Ending Love - 10,000 Fathers

"Be Lifted High" [VIDEO] - Kurt Scobie (LIVE at Victory @ Hamilton Mill) 


Posted by Kurt Scobie on August 4, 2015



One of the greatest honors I have as a writer of worship songs is when I get to bring songs that I have written before the congregation. I am humbled and honored when a room full of people (or, not so full) are able to connect with God through words that I wrote.

When I think about the opportunities I have had, like recently at Victory @ Hamilton Mill, I am not only honored, but I am reminded of the huge responsibility I have as a "Worship Songs Pastor" (working title) to take my work seriously. Yes, it's exciting. Yes, it's really really cool. And, most of all, it is an important work I am to do reverently unto the Lord. Writing worship songs is an act of worship itself, and not to be taken lightly.

"Be Lifted High" was a result of personal, real, prayer-closet worship. Because of this, I am convinced that God has given me opportunities to sing and lead it for thousands of people. More and more I want to be mindful of my role as "Worship Songs Pastor", which begins off of the platform and behind closed doors.

So, it is with great honor that I share this video with you, from a recent worship set at Victory @ Hamilton Mill.

"Be Lifted High" - Kurt Scobie (LIVE at Victory @ Hamilton Mill)
http://youtu.be/1TWRyyiUm3g


Worship album from Victory World Music and Montell Jordan (feat. Kurt Scobie)!