In this episode, John Chisum interviews the inimitable Dr. Mike Harland, Director of LifeWay Worship. LifeWay has reach into millions of believers and is one of the world’s largest Christian resource ministries offering a full range of music, Bible studies, research, events, and much more.
Mike Harland has been at the helm of LifeWay Worship for twelve years and brings an amazing amount of information and depth about songs, songwriting, and the publishing industry in this powerful show.
You’ll gain much songwriting inspiration and information as Mike and John discuss:
- How to write from the overflow of your devotion to God
- How to follow God’s leading into your destiny and be who YOU are as a Christian songwriter
- Why character matters more than ability
- How frustration shuts you down creatively
- Remembering that intimacy with God is our real “platform”
- What LifeWay Worship is doing this year you should know about
- Why no one would be “served well” if publishers threw their doors open to receive unsolicited material and how you can really be heard as an unpublished writer
- Why you can’t hide a GREAT song (and how “I Can Only Imagine” was born)
- How great songs will always “find their way” to the forefront
- How songs are “good,” “great,” or “commercial”
- What makes a song unique and the distance between great songs and commercial songs
- What motivates publishers to publish YOUR songs
- Why we don’t need another Lauren Daigle
- Fanny Crosby, Xiao Min, and the idea of God “dropping songs” on people
- Mike’s tips on song process and why we undervalue the process of writing songs and its effects on us as songwriters
- And much more…
Catch up with Mike Harland on Twitter at @mikeharlandLW, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mike.harland.37 and check out all the great resources LifeWay offers at Lifeway.com.