ROY COCHRAN’S BLOG

Musician's Gathering in The East County

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:38:48 -0700

Last Tuesday, some friends of mine and I drove down to San Diego's East County to spend an evening with some young worship leaders who actually asked us to come and pour the experience the Lord has given us into them. EXCITING! Psalm 145 really was a great description of our time together. Arnie Vilches, T.J. Hill, Don Schoenberger and I have been serving the Lord together on different worship teams over the past 20 years. They are all extremely skillful musicians who are awesome to play with, but their real value to worship ministry comes from each of their walks with Jesus and how powerfully they respond and move with the Holy Spirit.

One might guess a gathering titled “Musician's Gathering” might include gear talk, the latest songs, etc. but somehow we never got around to those things. We asked the Lord to lead and guide us into whatever He wanted. He had us looking, once again, at who we are in Christ. Who does He say that we are? What does the bible say about our identity in Christ? What about musicians in the bible? What obstacles or spiritual foes hinder, distort and or block us stepping into and walking in the fullness of Christ - our true self? How is our "mix" with the Lord and the Holy Spirit? Is He buried in the mix? Am I turned WAY UP in my mix?

It was a really cool night where everyone came away blessed to have been there because we had time with our Lord and we heard from Him. So many times I find myself talking ABOUT Him and not giving Him room or opportunity to speak for Himself into our gathering times. He is teaching me to trust that He really will speak into our gatherings if we will only have faith to believe He will. Is it awkward at times? Yes, at first. but He has ALWAYS spoken to us when we give Him room.

I look forward to gathering with these guys and the Lord every month for as long as He wants.

One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. - Psalm 145:4-7

-Roy

Worship Mentor Gathering - October 11-13, 2009 - CHICAGO

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:38:41 -0700

Once a year I look forward to some time away with a few like-minded, experienced worship leaders. This is primarily a relational event focused on discussion over presentation, both in small and large groups. We’ll talk a lot about the state of worship and arts ministry nationwide, future ministry trends, the 21st century leader, how we can best develop young worship leaders through mentoring, and whatever else comes up. This is an invitation-only event that I was honored to be invited to last year.

This year we gathered in the Windy City, Chicago. It truly lived up to it's name as the wind of the Holy Spirit blew over all of us who gathered. I arrived a couple days early to spend some time with Worship Artist Tom Clark who was Live Worship Painting at a local church that weekend before our Gathering. Brian Mulder from the Worship Mentor Network, was our host there in Chicago and made arrangements for us to meet at University of Saint Mary of the Lake - a Catholic Seminary built in the early 1920's - WAY COOL space to get away with each other and with the Lord!

We had a great day spent with Ruth Haley Barton, founding president of the Transforming Center. A spiritual director, teacher and retreat leader, and author of several books - Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation, An Ordinary Day with Jesus: Experiencing the Reality of God in Your Everyday Life, co-authored with John Ortberg. She ministered to us encouraging us to pay attention to the condition of our soul. She encouraged us to return to or to establish, in this season of ministry, spiritual disciplines and she ministered to us as a guide in helping us establish a rhythm of life that will sustain us in ministry. It was so refreshing just to have scheduled times of solitude on this beautiful campus. Sweet times with our God, times of refreshment, times of renewal, times of revelation. I was a bit embarrassed with the Lord after spending some great time on a walk with Him as I TOO often look for these "times" through books, conferences, people - almost everywhere but ALONE WITH GOD!

On our second day there we spend much of the time hearing from one another about what the Lord is doing in them and through them and then we prayed for one another. This was an amazingly powerful time that the Lord had really ordained for this group of worship leaders, artists and musicians who are spending much of their lives pouring into others. We were truly blessed by the Lord in this time.

And of course we had some fun time as well going into the city to take in the sights and sounds of Chicago.

I believe God has a tremendous calling of great kingdom importance on these men and women who are responding to the Lord's call to GO and make DISCIPLES of the worship leaders, artists and musicians in their lives. Music has and will continue to have a central role in communicating God's love to the world, as a way for His followers to respond to Who HE is and to what He has done - God has ordained music and therefore the musician. Oh how much we need to strengthen and encourage the spiritual life and connection Jesus and his worship leaders, artist and musicians; prophets to our culture. "Come, Holy Spirit, come. We don't know exactly what that means and looks like for each of us yet, in particular places You've called us to inhabit. But, nonetheless, whatever it means, we ask for Your presence. Come, Holy Spirit, come." Amen!

Worship at Peninsula Community Church

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 05:02:19 -0700

This past weekend (Oct. 4th), I was invited by my good friend and President of Worship Foundations International, Martin Allen, to lead worship at his home church, Peninsula Community Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. One of the joys of this season of ministry for me is the privilege of visiting and serving at so many different local churches. The diversity of the Body of Christ is mind-blowing and yet there are a few things that seem to be a constant. One of those things that I believe I'm seeing in almost EVERY church I visit is a rising desire to connect with God and for intimacy with Him as they worship. Are you noticing that? Maybe it's something that has always been there, placed in our hearts by God Himself. It just seems like we're getting more desperate for that connection WITH Him. It's my contention that He is initiating this stirring in our hearts. I can't imagine Jesus sitting back passively waiting for us to FINALLY realize our need for connected time with Him. And THAT is why it's an exciting time to find yourself called to worship ministry!

Sometimes when I serve as a guest worship leader, I serve with the church's existing worship team, which is always great - meeting and serving with others called to the same area of the Body as I am. Sometimes I get to bring a team of friends. Sometimes they are young musicians and worship leaders who are growing with me. Sometimes they are guys I've served along side of for years, which was the case at Peninsula when Don Schoenberger, T.J. Hill and Jeff McCullough said yes to getting up at 0' dark thirty and driving an hour and a half up to LA for a 7am load-in! I am so blessed to be able to serve and play with guys of this caliber, musically and spiritually.

There is a VERY big difference between 4 guys reading out a worship chart, focussing on playing the correct notes on their instrument, singing in pitch and so on AND 4 friends together worshipping the Lord with their "voice," listening to each other, listening and responding to the Spirit of God, listening and responding to His Body the church. I suppose the latter is impacted by your experience level you have on your instrument, in serving in ministry and by your own connectedness with Jesus. If reading the chart and playing the right notes is where you are at and what you can bring to your team, then I believe God will be honored by your offering - BRING IT! But my encouragement is to continue to grow in your musical ability and in your spiritual connectedness which will free you up to be even more RESPONSIVE to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, to those you play with and to those in the service you are serving.

We pray that our "after-service" comments would sound like, "I was blessed this morning in worship", "the Lord ministered to me during that song", "your words of encouragement were speaking right to my heart", "the Lord healed me in this area of my life during our time of worship" , "the Lord's presence was heavy in here today" instead of "You guys rocked!" . . . though I think both are possible and desired!

Thank you for praying for this ministry Jesus has called me to - strengthening and encouraging worship leaders, musicians and artists AND His church!

Two Days Filled with Talk about More And More of Jesus in our Services and in Us as Worship Leaders and Artists

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:20:06 -0700

On Thursday, September 10th at Richie's Diner in Temecula, Ca, Aaron Leeds (www.aaronleeds.com) and I had some breakfast, some coffee and we spoke about what the Lord is showing him these days as a worship leader, as a husband and as a man of God. Aaron is in a transition time right now (like so many worship leaders). He has served as worship pastor at New Beginnings Church in Corona, CA for close to 10 years and the Lord has Him trusting Him for a new season. It sounded like it's a great place to worship and connect with the Lord. I met Aaron through my long-time friend, worship mentor and guitar legend, Arnie Vilches. Arnie has been serving with Aaron at New Beginnings for a few years now on their Wednesday p.m. service and has spoke highly of this young man of God who has an anointing on him and a heart to connect people with their God in times of worship.

Aaron and his wife are wrestling with the right things - who they are in Christ and asking the Lord to direct them to a church that will embrace who they are in Christ. Many times as we grow in Christ, Jesus develops in us a heart for certain Kingdom things or even people groups to reach out to with His love. All the while, He draws us towards HIS primary motive - that we might be ONE with Him as He is with the Father. Some people have said that those who are "preoccupied" with going deeper and deeper into Christ just become a "Holy-Huddle" who will end up focussing on meaningful times in His presence, being attentive to the leadership and rule of Jesus and the Holy Spirit and experience and be part of Jesus setting people free from spiritual bondage and from disease. And that in doing so they lose their heart to reach the lost and become irrelevant to the culture we want to reach. That is a big topic these days. I'm not really sure why the conversation seems to end up with these extremes:

A) If you are drawn to go deeper with the Lord and experience His presence and rule in our services THEN you don't care about the lost and they can go to hell.

- OR -

B) If you care about reaching culture with relevant messages and music and creative programming THEN you won't listen or yield to the Holy Spirit.

It's in these discussions that I like the word AND instead of the word OR...meaning, why can’t we find the way to do BOTH?

But more on that one later...

Join me in praying for Aaron and his wife in this season - that Jesus would accomplish all He wants to in this couple in drawing them into greater ONENESS with Himself - that He would match them with a congregation that will support that - and for their daily bread to be supplied.

Labor Day Weekend

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 11:54:52 -0700

This morning as I read through Oswald Chambers devotional for today, I was, AS USUAL, challenged and encouraged by his words for today. In that this is LABOR DAY weekend, this teaching seems appropriate. Enjoy this excerpt!

HIS!

The missionary or Christ follower is one in whom the Holy Ghost has wrought this realization - "You are not your own". The true nature of the life in the actual whirl is the deliberate giving up of myself to another in sovereign preference and that other is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit expounds the nature of Jesus to me in order to make me one with my Lord, not that I might go off as a showroom exhibit.

Our Lord make a disciple His own possession, He becomes responsible for him. "You shall be witnesses unto me." The Spirit that comes in is not that of DOING anything FOR Jesus, but of BEING a perfect delight to Him. The secret of the missionary or Christ follower is I AM HIS and He is carrying out His enterprises through me.

Be ENTIRELY HIS!

GANG Vocals on Vicky Beeching's New Album

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:26:26 -0700

Last weekend, Sat. Aug 22, I was invited to join a group of people to sing some GANG vocals on Vicky Beeching's new album, due out in the Fall.

We met at the home of Jonathan & Sarah MacIntosh, who is producing her CD - some old friends and some new ones. The group LEELAND was in town for an event and joined in on the fun. The songs Vicky is writing for this album are STRONG songs! Just the few we were singing on have a great anointing on them. I’m looking forward to the finished product when it comes out! Hope all is well in your world, that you are loving God and those He has around you.

"Take my life and let it be Yours - Lord!"

-Roy

Glory to God for Who He is and for What He has Done!

Fri, 7 Aug 2009 02:12:10 -0700

Glory to God for Who He is and for What He has done!

Psalm 105:1-5 “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His Name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His Holy Name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced.”

Chris and I want to give thanks tonight. We want to make known what He has done; tell of His wonderful acts; Glory in His Name. We will remember the wonders He has done.

There are many things I am thinking about as I write this letter of thanks to you. I’m thinking about many of you who are still waiting on the Lord for your prayers to be answered. I’m thinking about the wonderful place Chris and I are at with the Lord BECAUSE of this tough season. I’m thinking that if YOU had NOT prayed for us, that the outcome would have been different. I’m thinking of the great work the Lord Jesus has done in my heart that prepared me to ready to praise Him regardless of the outcome.

Believe it or not, the greatest gifts Chris and I have received though this season is more of Jesus in our daily moment by moment lives and more of you, His body interacting, supporting, encouraging and loving us. Don’t get me wrong; we are SO HAPPY we get to stay in this house. As I tell you about the details of your prayers being answered, Glorify the Lord, bless His Name, take courage yourself and be encouraged toward prayer! What we get is more of HIM! YES!

Back story: We ran out of our financial reserves last January and were not able to make our house payment in February after being laid off in July of 08. We have not been able to make our house payments. Our mortgage provider filed a foreclosure notice in April on us and our notice of sale came up right behind that notice. Our house was scheduled to be sold on Wednesday August 5 at 10:30am! YESTERDAY . . . . BUT GOD.

TJ sent out our call for prayer to you on FRIDAY, July 31st.

We began working through the loan modification process early on but was not making enough money to be a candidate to qualify for a loan mod. So we waited as long as we could. Each month, the Lord provided a little more income for us through many of you through donations to Worship Foundations and through a “tent making” ministry with CBC Technical (sound/video/lighting) as their church relations and support person. After a few weeks of the bank asking for more information they finally had everything they needed for us to submit our packet in for consideration for a loan mod. That was Monday, August 3rd! We were advised we probably would need to file for an emergency BK to postpone the house from being sold, so Monday afternoon, my loan mod agent Carl finds me a BK paralegal who can get it done for me. We connect Monday night at 10pm. Get all the paperwork ready for him to complete the next morning. Then we have to take those papers downtown to Bankruptcy Court and file them.

The BK paralegal connects with me on Tuesday morning and, after checking out my web-site, informs me he’s a Christ follower and has played bass through the years on worship teams! He gets me all my BK paperwork and I’m ready to go. He informs me to get down there early just in case you run into a paperwork problem, we’ll have time to fix it.

Tuesday morning, (the day before the house is to be sold) the bank calls me and wants to ask some questions about my application and our income and expenses. It didn’t go well. It turned into “how much money can you pay us today?”

I called my Loan Mod agent, Christina. She walked me through what was going on. The bank was trying to go around her before they met at 12 noon.

Tuesday morning around 10:30am, the bank calls me again wanting to know why I went with a third party to help me with the loan mod. I explained because all I got from the bank was “how much money can you being in?” Never a “we can help you”. Again she wanted to know how much money I had and could bring in, I told them one payment. She said she was going in to meet with their president and the investors about our loan modification (small bank) at 12 noon and could not guarantee they could stop the house sale date of tomorrow. I told her where I was going that afternoon – to file BK. She said she’d get back with me.

Tuesday morning 11:45am, the bank calls back again! “Are you sure one payment is all you can make?” I say YES! That’s it! She asked why I waited so long to submit our loan mod application –that she basically got the completed file yesterday and that most loan mods take months (3-4) to process. I explained and asked her to take the sale date off the table to give us time to process the app. She didn’t think they would do that. I responded with, “You know where I’m going today, right???” Then I felt the need to simply ask her for mercy. I deserve to be foreclosed on. I was laid off, couldn’t keep up and need your help. I’m asking for mercy from the bank. She said she would call me after their meeting but with no guarantees.

Tuesday afternoon 2pm, I’m driving downtown to the BK Court.

Tuesday afternoon 2:45pm, parking downtown at the BK Court, I get a call from the bank. ”Mr Cochran, I have some very good news! We approved a loan modification for you TODAY!” She said she had to run right into another meeting to work out all the details of our new loan. I said, “WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND HAVE YOU STOPPED THE SALE AND CAN I GET THAT IN WRITING NOW?” She said, “Don’t worry, it’s all taken care of. I’ll call you back.” And she hangs up!

I call Christina, my loan mod person and tell her what just happened. She can’t believe it and wants to verify it with the bank. She calls but cannot get through because they are in a meeting rewriting my loan. Some banks have actually said similar things to stop people from filing their BK so we’re not sure what to do!!! I walk up to the Court thinking we have till 5pm to work all this out. It’s now 3:30pm and it says on the door 9am-4pm! We call for the next half hour but cannot get through. We call the trustees to see if the sale date has been postponed. It is still on to be sold tomorrow. WHAT DO WE DO? The attorney and the loan mod people and I agree we have to file if we don’t hear anything. I wait until 3:59 before I go in. Once in, they make me turn off my cell phone! I get through the line. A very nice lady helps me with my paper work and informs me it’s INCOMPLETE! She says not to worry. That I can make it back THE NEXT MORNING AT 9am and it will stop the sell. YIKES! I walk out of the court, turn on my cell to get three voicemails saying, ”DON’T GO IN THERE! CALL ME!”

On Tuesday afternoon at 4:15, Christina, my loan mod agent informed me that she got through to the bank, verified the loan mod was good, the sale had been postponed and that if I was able to have filed the BK, it would have wrecked the deal! Thank you Lord!

Throughout this CRAZY day, I had tremendous peace. In fact throughout most of this process, the Lord imparted to us a great peace to carry us through.

As I drove up to the house, my two boys, Trevor and Connor had painted a sign with Chris saying “HOME SWEET HOME”. All we could do is hug and say thank you Lord, thank you Jesus.

Many people who are hearing our story are moved to tears – yes about the miracles of a loan in one day, of God not allowing us to file for BK but equally about the many many friends who PRAYED for us and asked our God to intervene on our behalf. . . and He DID!

Thank you for being the Body of Christ; for praying, for standing with us and for us when we couldn’t stand on our own. Please come over for dinner, when you can, at our HOME!

Grateful,
Roy & Chris, Trevor & Connor

Stay in touch with Roy’s Blogs via RSS!

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 17:08:13 -0700

I just wanted to let you all know of an easy way to stay up to date with my blogs. Use my RSS Feed! What’s that? It’s easy AND free!

An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed is a service that many websites offer, including MINE! When you subscribe to my RSS feed, you will receive excerpts of the new updated blogs whenever we post new blog content. You receive these notifications in your web browser’s RSS Feed or Alerts section as well as the RSS Feeds in most email client applications (i.e. Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook).

All you need to do is click on the button on my blog page. That’s it!
 When I update my blog, your RSS reader will include my new blog excerpts, including one media file per excerpt (a photo or movie, for example).

I hope this little feature makes staying in touch a bit easier.

Blessings,

- Roy

Worship Night in San Diego East County

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:07:24 -0700

Ephesians 3:14-21: My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask Him to strengthen you by His Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite Him in. And I ask Him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.

• Glory to God in the church!
• Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
• Glory down all the generations!
• Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Saturday night, some followers of Jesus wanted to spend an evening loving Him, worshipping Him for WHO HE IS and praising Him for WHAT HE HAS DONE, so...a few Troubadours of Praise joined me in Rosa's living room and we did just that! Arnie Vilches, Don Schoenberger, T.J. Hill, Grant Schoenberger, Kim Valentine and my lovely wife Chris joined people in the area who were invited out for a night of worship. In fact an old friend, Caz Taylor from the radio programs of Homegrown Praise and the Christian Watercooler also joined us that night.

Every time we gather for one of these worship nights, the Lord has something a little different for us. No two are really the same and I love that about them. And they seem to be shifting a bit from a "we need an encounter, a touch, a break through" to more of a night of "ministering to Him - loving Him, admiring Him acknowledging Him, praising Him". All we have need of seems to get taken care of as we seek first Him and His Kingdom. WOW, just like He said it would!

As we were worshipping Him last night, He gave many people a "NEW SONG" to sing to Him - right out of their spirit they sang to Him. It was beautiful. Also, Rosa's neighbor came over and just stood by the door - not wanting to interrupt but wanting to draw near. His wife had just gone in for open heart surgery. We gathered around and asked the Father to heal this dear woman. As we were praying, the clock struck 9pm. We all are believing we will get a report back of what the Lord did for her at that time. The spirit also led us to pray for and believe that as we worshipped Him that night, Rosa's neighborhood was being changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. That there would be change in the neighborhood resulting from a group of believers worshipping the Lord.

As each gospel shows the same story from different perspectives, so too last night could be described differently by each one who attended. If you were there at the Worship Night, I invite you to TESTIFY or share what you would about our night with the Lord. Two people came up to Chris at the end of the evening and asked if we would come and have a Night of Worship in their house. The answer is “YES”! If you would like to host a Night of Worship in your home, please drop me a note and we will set one up.

- Roy

SERVICE OF PASSIONATE DEVOTION

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:39:36 -0700

Reading from Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" today brought his amazing insight and articulation to what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, a disciple (AKA Discipleship / Mentoring) I'll just read you his thoughts for today.

SERVICE OF PASSIONATE DEVOTION
"Lovest thou Me? . . . Feed My sheep." John 21:16

Jesus did not say - make converts to your way of thinking, but to look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me. We count as service what we do in the way of Christian work; Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on adherence to a belief or creed. "If any man come to Me and hate not . . . , he cannot be My disciple." There is no argument and no compulsion, but simply - If you would be My disciple, you MUST be devoted to Me. A man touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says - "Now I see Who Jesus is," and that is the source of devotion.

Today we have substituted credal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is a source of deep offense to the educated mind of today that does not want Him in any other way than as a Comrade. Our Lord's first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men; the saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter; but if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity though men treat me as a door-mat. The secret of a disciple's life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of the life is it's unobtrusiveness. It is like a corn of wheat, which falls into the ground and dies, but presently it will spring up and alter the whole landscape (John 12:24).