"Matt Redman"
Matt Redman을 잘 아는 사람은 그리 많지 않다. 하지만 그는 영국에서 뿐만 아니라 전 세계에서 주목받는 예배인도자가 되고 있다. 특히 영국에서는 영국의 모든 교회에서 Matt Redman의 찬양이 울려퍼지고 있으며 그의 앨범은 엄청나게 팔리며 주목받고 있다. 그가 단순하게 음악적으로 새로운 시도를 한 것은 아닐 것이다. 이 시대의 젊은이들에게 새로운 바람을 불러 일으키고 있는 그는 온 세계가 집중하고 있는 분명한 예배자이며 예배 인도자이다.
Matt Redman은 현재 'Soul Survivor'에서 예배인도자로 섬기고 있다. 영국의 워쉽의 문화들을 이끌어 갈 리더쉽으로서 주목받고 있다. Matt Redman은 지금까지 개인앨범 몇장과 예배 컨퍼런스 앨범을 냈다. Matt Redman의 매번 앨범마다 그 앨범속에 담겨진 강력한 메세지와 젊은이들에게 다가갈 수 있는 파격적인 음악들은 거의 죽어가던 영국의 젊은 그리스도인들에게 새로운 바람과 놀라운 부흥의 예배들을 경험케 하였다. 또한 그가 함께 하는 컨퍼런스는 바로 영국의 젊은이들이 가장 가보고 싶어하는 컨퍼런스가 되었다.
유럽의 교회들이 침체기에 빠진지가 오래 되었고, 영국 또한 그 예외는 아니었다. 그런데도 해마다 수만의 영구의 젊은이들이 맨체스터에 모일 수 있는 이유는 무엇인지 궁금하다. 많은 사람들은 모두다 한 목소리로 Matt Redman의 탁월한 예배인도와 그와 함께 하는 찬양을 제일 먼저 말한다. Matt Redman의 찬양은 열정적이고 순수하고 하나님의 마음을 잘 아는 찬양들이다. 정말로 하나님께서 원하시고 기뻐하시는 찬양이 무엇인지 그는 알고 있다. 현재 우리나라에 소개된 그의 개인 앨범으로는 'The Father's Song' 'The friendship and the fear''Infimacy'가 있다. 또한 'Soul Survivor'의 예배 실황 앨범 'The heart of Worship'도 나와있다.
예수그리스도를 향한 강한 메세지와 은사와 능력에 대한 올바른 해석과 그리스도의 청년들을 향하여 좋은 가사들이 담긴 앨범으로 Matt Redman은 올해의 앨범을 수상했고, 많은 사람들은 'Ruch'(Stoneleigh Bible Week)이후 90년대 영국 찬양의 흐름을 바꾼 앨범이라고 극찬하였다. 특별히 실황 앨범인 'The heart of Worship'의 타이틀 곡은 영국의 많은 예배 인도자들을 감동시킨 귀한 고백의 곡이다.
Matt Redman은 그가 속한 찬양팀이 방송 시스템과 악기의 연주에 신경쓰는 것들을 바라보면서 예배를 통한 기쁨이 사라지는 것들을 느끼고 찬양팀의 악기 연주하는 밴드를 없앴다고 한다. 그 찬양팀은 그 마음을 적용하기 위해 밴드를 중지하였다고 고백한다. 그리고는 모두 자리에 둘러 앉아서 음악에 의존하지 않고 기도와 말씀, 그리고 하나님께서 주시는 예언들에 집중하였다. 시간이 흐르면서 아카펠라로 찬양하고 또한 찬양팀의 모든 구성원들이 다시 하나님을 만날 수 있었다고 한다. 또한 Matt Redman이 전 세계에 영향을 끼치는 놀라운 곡 'The heart of Worship'을 썼다고 한다.
'The Friendship and The Fear’
이 앨범은 매트 레드맨의 세번째 앨범으로서 영국에서는 Savivor Records와 Kingsway Music에 의해, 미국에서는 EMI에 의해 발매되어 권위있는 CBA에서 해마다 선정하는 그해의 워쉽앨범으로 선정될 정도로 각광을 받은 앨범이다.매트 레드맨은 세계적인 워쉽리더들 중에서 특히 신세대를 이끄는 선두주자로 알려져 있으며 각종 찬양 집희에서 독보적인 젊은 인도자로서 워쉽을 이끌어 가고 있다.웸블리 스타디움 라이브에서도 보여진 그의 예배인도는 힘있고도 거침이 없는 그 만의 영성을 느끼게 한다. 매트는 현재 'The Heart of Worship'으로 알려있는 소울 서바이버 교회의 워쉽팀에서 섬기고 있다.
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"Matt Redman"
Biography (courtesy of Sparrow Records)
Matt Redman has quickly become one of the most respected worship leaders and songwriters in the praise and worship movement today. His songs are regularly featured on countless worship projects and at worship events around the world. Matt has been one of the young leaders at the helm of the modern worship movement in Great Britain, and has contributed songs and inspiration to groups and projects like Sonic Flood, Passion, WOW Worship and Revival Generation. A multitude of other worship groups and ministries has continued to widen the path Matt's music has forged over the past few years.
"The Heart of Worship," the title song on Matt's last album, was originally recorded as a duet by Matt and Martin Smith of Delirious, but was later recorded by Sonic Flood for the group's self-titled debut project as well as Matt's version be included on WOW Worship Blue. Additionally, songs like "Better Is One Day," "Let Everything That Has Breath," "Knocking On the Door of Heaven," "Once Again," and "O Sacred King" are just a few of the worship favorites written by Matt that have shown up on projects like Passion and Revival Generation, among others.
Matt's newest solo project, The Father's Song, is his third American release. Much like his previous two releases, The Friendship and the Fear and The Heart of Worship, The Father's Song features Matt's guitar-based style of modern pop and rock, infused with a sprinkling of gentle strings and piano. The result is a collection of songs that lead the listener into both a state of celebratory praise and an intimate place of worship.
As worship leader for the Soul Survivor youth congregation in Watford, England, Matt has felt drawn into a ministry to lead a younger generation into a place of intimacy with God through worship. He has seen first-hand what role music has played in impacting youth and bringing healing. "We get the privilege of traveling to different countries, and everywhere we've seen the same thing," Matt shares, "more and more young people finding real passion for God and longing to express it. Music is a wonderful way of expressing that love they have for Him. Over the last few years we've been in the most raucous, wild, loud times of worship imaginable, and also in times of holy silence. It's wonderful to see what's happening."
In addition to his role at Soul Survivor church, Matt has also led worship at Soul Survivor's annual youth festival, which gathers over 13,000 teenagers every year for worship and teaching. He has led worship seminars across the U.K. and has traveled to Holland, Ireland, Norway, South Africa and the U.S., leading worship for events such as Passion's OneDay event, which hosted more than 40,000 youth and college students in Memphis, Tennessee.
Highlights on The Father's Song include songs like "Holy Moment," an infectious, guitar-heavy melody featuring Sonic Flood. Matt explains, "This song was recorded in Nashville…and when we got to the studio, there were loads of other people hanging around, so we all bundled into a tiny room for a wonderful time of prayer and worship, and then started on the track. They really brought a freshness to the whole thing." "Light of the World" began as a spontaneous moment at the 1998 Summer Soul Survivor festivals. Along with a full string section, this is one of three songs on the album featuring the London Community Gospel choir, which helps give it an "anthemic" feel. Martin Smith of Delirious mixed the final track.
"Sometimes I worry that because worship music seems to be an 'in thing' these days, we'll all just get foolishly caught up with trying to make better, cooler music all the time and forget the heart of things," Matt shares. "We'll end up labeling things 'worship music,' which in actual fact don't have worship at the heart of them. When we make a worship record I think we need to take a different approach to most other records. We need to try to capture something of the essence and dynamic of worship. I always ask the question, 'What makes this a worship record? What marks it out as different?' If we just make better and better music we'll have failed. The challenge is to capture something of the heart of worship, and something of the presence of the Lord as we record worship albums."
In an effort to try and guard against a "manufactured worship," Matt began some of the studio recordings with just a few singers in a room with a guitar, letting their hearts overflow in true worship. This was an important aspect of the recording process for Matt, and something he says will always be far more powerful and meaningful than musical quality or style could ever be. This idea resulted in the recording of "Nothing Is Too Much" for The Father's Song album. With only nine lines in the entire song, Matt started with just 12 people in a room with a guitar worshipping the Lord together. His desire was to capture a real sense of worshippers singing from their hearts.
The album's title track, "The Father's Song," is a moving acknowledgement of God's overwhelming love for each of us. Matt says, "Our Father in heaven sings His song of love over each one of us, and it far outweighs any other song we could ever hope to hear or sing. Zephaniah 3:17 says the Lord is rejoicing over us with singing. I was encouraged to read in Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline, that 'worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father.'"
Matt's desire and vision is to continue to be used in whatever capacity God chooses for him. He knows this is what God is calling him to do at the moment, and his heart is to lead people in times of worship, teaching and ministry?and under the power of the Holy Spirit to equip and empower them to live sold out for God in this generation. "To be honest, I was really impacted through times of meeting God through music as I grew up," Matt says. "I think God brought a lot of healing to me in those times from stuff I'd gone through in the past. We've seen the same thing happening time and time again as we've drawn near to God through times of worship music. As God inhabits the praises of His people, we've seen various healings, and people getting saved, and we long for more of that. But more than anything we've seen God capturing the hearts of His people in a wonderful way, and we've heard stories of how they've gone and lived out that love for Him."
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