Craig Prickett

What Really Makes It Christmas 2022

Craig Prickett — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 02:46:15 +0000

The Story Behind “Ready to Worship”

Craig Prickett — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 01:35:33 +0000

When I was young, the church services my family and I attended were very formal. It was expected for men and boys to wear suits and neckties, and for women and girls to wear dresses. We sang from hymnal books and our Pastor wore a traditional robe to give his weekly sermon from the pulpit. As a congregation, we stood, sat, knelt, and repeated recessionals upon the Pastor’s cue. This style of worship was rhythmic and familiar, and practiced similarly in Protestant churches across the country for many generations.

However, as the years progressed and various social movements took root in our world, I noticed how churches began to also progress in their views about how we should worship. Congregations began asking, “What does the Bible say about how we should present ourselves for worship? What would Jesus want?”.

The word “worship” means to show reverence and adoration for God. By worshipping God, as Christians we are proclaiming His “worth” and prominent place in our lives, as our Savior. The Bible gives many examples of worship, but this scripture from John really answers the question for me about HOW we should worship Him:

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23-24

The Bible does not say that we are ready to worship only if we are wearing suits and dresses. It does not say we should only sing traditional hymns or contemporary praise music. It says that we should worship Him in “Spirit and in truth”. This means that if you worship in a traditional or an evangelical style, it does not matter to God. King David, for example, danced before the Lord. While Psalm 95:6 says “Come, let us worship and bow down”.

It is the authenticity of our worship – the readying of our hearts to adore and revere Jesus – that matters. Jesus desires to be worshipped by those who love Him; those whose hearts are forever changed because of His sacrifice, mercy, and grace.

This personal realization about the act of worship inspired me to write the song “Ready to Worship”. Jesus saved me and gave me eternal life, and He desires that I worship Him as I am, wherever I am.

I chose an upbeat melody for this song to capture the joy of worship, while the lyrics reflect the idea of worshipping God as John calls us to do. There’s a line in the song that says, “I’m out of the box that said it was wrong to let my emotions show. Now I praise you everywhere I go!”. This line captures the essence of how I believe we are called to worship God — without inhibitions and in complete reverence of His glory.

It is my hope that “Ready to Worship” inspires congregations and listeners to come as they are in “Spirit and in truth” to revere and adore our King.

Higher Than I

Craig Prickett — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 01:58:50 +0000

“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.”
Psalm 61

When it comes to finding inspiration for writing worship music, the Bible is the greatest source. The word of God continuously lifts my spirit and soothes my soul, regardless of the day or hour. The poetic verses and natural rhythm of the Psalms perfectly compliment a variety of musical melodies and provide Christian songwriters, like me, with endless inspiration.

One afternoon, I recall sitting at my piano with the Bible open to Psalm 61. The phrase “higher than I” stood out among the verses as a powerful crescendo. I felt inspired to write a worship song based on this message and I knew “Higher Than I” would be the title and theme of the song.

My process for writing Higher Than I, like many of my other songs, occurred over a period of time. Most of the lyrics are directly taken from Psalm 61. I wanted the chorus to say something profound in keeping with the opening verse. Initially, after the line, “Higher Than I”, I had written lyrics referring to being like Jesus , etc. However, after reflecting on the draft of the initial lyrics, I realized the song would have a greater meaning and impact if the lyrics were closely based on the themes in the Psalms.

As I began the process of rewriting the lyrics, I read through the other chapters and verses contained in Psalms. I wanted to write lyrics that mirrored the same mindset and style of David. I began praying and thinking from his perspective as a king and warrior. I used phrases like “Lord, you are my strength when I grow weary”, “A shield from every arrow flying toward me” in the final song to capture the imagery and words David used in the Psalms.

My experience as a songwriter has taught me to trust my intuition for when a song has reached its fullest potential. As I began recording the music for Higher Than I, I realized it would be very effective as a duet. Thankfully, I have a talented musician and worship leader in the family, my niece Heather Keller, who I asked to record the song with me. The result, to me, is a timeless worship song that captures the greatness and sovereignty of our Lord.

In my own life, the song, Higher Than I, is a reminder that God is my strength. He is and always will be Higher Than I, in all things. It is my hope that this song will continue to inspire future generations of believers to look to Him in all circumstances, just as David did.

Craig

Inspiration for Songwriting

Craig Prickett — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 14:40:34 +0000

Every songwriter experiences a different songwriting process. Some hear the melody first before finding the perfect lyrics to fit the music. Others find the words before creating the melody.

Sometimes an interesting phrase captures my attention. Other times, an experience compels me to sit at the piano to find the words and music to capture the experience. Either way, my songwriting process begins through a strike of inspiration.

The words and melody begin to dance with one another in my mind and reveal themselves slowly to me in a kind of rhythmic step.

For me, the music and melody come together simultaneously once inspiration strikes. Often, I begin with a scrap of lyrics and set out to create the melody. Sometimes from these scraps a phrase or a hook line of the chorus will remain until the end. Once the layout of the music and melody are complete, I begin to work on refining the lyrics.

Admittedly, my songwriting process is not fast. Some of my songs were written over the course of a few days, months, or even years.

My experience has taught me that inspiration can be elusive and difficult to maintain. Once it strikes, it requires perseverance and commitment to complete the song.

Over the years, I have learned three ways that help me to channel and foster inspiration for songwriting.

Find a Quiet Space

It may seem counterintuitive, but creating music requires silence.

To work out the melody and lyrics forming in my mind, I need to be able to close the door to any outside noise, voices, or other melodies. For me, this place of solitude – where inspiration can take root – is in my home studio. It is a quiet space where I can close the door to be alone with my thoughts and the piano, so I can work to bring a new song to life.

Take Time for Reflection

Inspiration can often strike at inconvenient times. I have felt the wave of inspiration come when I am driving in the car or shopping in a store — far away from my piano. Sometimes it is days before I am in front of the keyboard again and then I may struggle to find the inspiration once more.

When this occurs, spending time reflecting on the experience and the emotions I felt in the moment of inspiration often helps.

It is as though I am inviting inspiration to return when I sit quietly at the keyboard and travel back in my mind to the moment when inspiration struck. There was a time when I would write song lyrics or ideas on scraps of paper as they came to me. Now, I often use the voice recorder on my phone to record a note or melody to reignite my inspiration for the song when I return to the piano again.

Pursue Inspiration

Raising a family while pursuing a full-time career has a way of accelerating the passage of time. I spent many years focused on family and career – and while I would not trade the happy memories for anything, the long days often left me with little energy for songwriting. Before I knew it, years had passed without me finding the inspiration to write a new song.

I realized that if I waited for inspiration to make time in my schedule, I may never write a new song. I needed to carve out time in my daily life to pursue inspiration. Once I did, the inspiration returned, and I began writing music again.

Music has a magical way of allowing us to express our deepest emotions and give voice to our most meaningful life experiences. Songwriting, like any creative pursuit, is fueled by inspiration.

We must find a quiet space for inspiration to grow in our lives, reflect on the moments when it strikes, and pursue it wholeheartedly to bring to fruition music that longs for the world to hear it.

Christmas Single (Free Download)

Craig Prickett — Wed, 25 Dec 2019 05:01:44 +0000