johnny parks band

Joining the Band

2009-05-17T17:37:00.003+01:00

I've been playing in a number of bands since I started playing the bass about 8 years ago. I started off playing in a little praise band in Presbyterian Church. Then moved on to play in a ministry called ‘Worship Ireland’… we just wanted to spread the gospel around Ireland through music. We played youth events and street corners, to shopping centres to parties in parks around Ireland. Great times!

Then the journey with the Johnny Parks Band began in January 2008. First of all I met with Hambo and Matt, we chatted through some of the bands main values and their vision to challenge injustice through song and deed. Hambo's desire to have the biggest beard known to man; to help aid and equip the local church to worship, (alongside Matt's inability to wear his jeans at waist level…); this vision really struck a chord with me. I knew that I could commit to this. After a short ‘audition’ I was invited to a rehearsal.

Joining the Johnny parks band was a big deal for me… I had been influenced by Johnnys songs for many years at mannafest as I first came to know Jesus and to be on the ‘other side’ as such, playing these songs made me nervous but very excited.
I remember that first night I showed up at rehearsal… nervous wouldn’t be the word... but after the first few songs and plenty of rehearsal ‘craic’ my palms dried up and this was the start of a great wee adventure of learning, community, new experiences and friendship.

There is this expectation within the band that we each should push ourselves to become the best we can be at whatever we do, whether work, hobbys, or band. This would mean I would need to practice, practice… practice, just to keep up with the rest of the guys! This didn’t come easy but being surrounded by a really talented bunch of musicians drove me to push myself.
The initial months of being in the Johnny Parks Band were filled with many ‘firsts’ and many emotions, which made them some of the most memorable experiences to date! Playing with a band that are at the international recording level has been a real joy and I have loved it!
With love
Paul

Romania

2009-04-29T13:04:00.001+01:00

Hi,
Big thanks to all of you who came out to support the Romania team on Saturday night. The team have more or less met their fundraising target. It was a great night of worship. Thanks also to the MarkFergusonBand who came out to support - you guys did a good job.

We haven't blogged as a band in a while - no excuse really but I feel there's a lot of stuff brooding so over the next few weeks I hope to add my fair share of thoughts and hopefully you will respond and help expand our hearts, vision and understanding.

Hope you are all well.

Claire

'All Is Well' - The Story

2009-01-17T17:38:00.001Z

Hi,

Recently I wrote a song called ‘All Is Well’ that folk in our church in Belfast seem to have connected with. It seems to be one of those songs that I call a ‘God-song’…something that just came very quickly and that seems to speak into now. Below I have attempted to explain a little about where the song has come from and the story behind it.

All is Well is a song that is written based on Hannah’s Prayer in 1 Samuel 2. The song emerged during a testing time when I was deliberately looking for some clarity or answers in Scripture. I specifically turned to the Bible to discover a little more about what God was saying in relation to our health and wealth. Some questions had been pressing on my mind….’If God is a healer, why does he sometimes not answer prayers for healing?’ ‘If God is our provider, why are some people not provided for?’ and probably more poignantly, ‘Is our own health and wealth purely dependent on our levels of faith and purity in our lives?’ ‘If we are not wealthy or we are sick, is that due to us….to sin in our lives and to a lack of faith?’ ‘Do we control God or is He in control?’.

I appreciate these are big questions and I am most definitely not a theologian however they have been on my mind as I have watched others wrestle with them in our church and as I have watched the global economy beginning to slide. At times I have a concern that we demonstrate a belief that if we work harder, pray more, have a bigger faith, then God is more likely to do what we want.

Unfortunately, it seems that life does not always work out the way we want it to. If we pray more, we do not always get what we want. Life can be very difficult, even if we have faith and pray. Our previous drummers sister died despite our prayers, sometimes it is hard to pay the household bills despite our prayers, sometimes we experience loss that is too personal to mention publically….and this is only for us living in the relative luxury of the west. Are these things our fault? Is this because we haven’t been good enough, pure enough or faithful enough? I would argue that it isn’t our fault based on the fact that God is sovereign, that He is in control (not us).

Hannah had a sense of that in her prayer. She had suffered ‘great anguish and grief’ and had chased after God for an answer, a solution, a hope, a child. On this occasion, God heard her prayer and answered it by giving her a child. However, instead of patting herself on the back for her part in bringing about this happy outcome she prayed a prayer that articulated something of God’s sovereignty. She stated,

“The Lord brings death and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and raises up.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
He humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap…
…It is not by strength that one prevails.”

It seems that Hannah was stating through these words that it is God who decides the answers to our prayers. He is the sovereign Lord who sees our circumstance and decides in His way how to respond. He in not controlled by us; neither can He be tamed by us. He is beyond us and chooses to act in His time for His pleasure. This does not mean that He is a cruel, detached, disinterested God. In my life I have seen Him be a wise, loving generous God. He knows more about us and the state of the world than we do. Therefore we can engage with the Father and present our prayers and requests to Him knowing that He cares.

There is very little we can do when we are faced with testing times apart from throw ourselves on the Lord and ask that he responds. However we can do this with assurance that He is a good Father and that He has our best purposes and interests at heart.

‘All Is Well’ comes from that place. It is a song that makes the conscious choice to declare that all is well with my soul because He is God in control. Ultimately, we can trust Him. Regardless of our circumstance or difficulty and even if He does not answer prayer in the way we would like we can still trust Him that all is well.

Like everyone, I have experienced hard and painful times. Times when I have questioned God and sought answers. However, I am pleased to be able to worship God by singing a song that reaches back to Hannah’s prayer and connects with her experiences of trusting a sovereign God. I hope that this song can be an encouragement to you too. Even in the dark days of the fallout from the credit crunch and how that is effecting our lives, I hope you can trust the Father enough to declare that all is well with your soul.

Our 2nd home - Canada!

2008-12-09T18:16:00.003Z

Hi,
We arrived back from Canada this afternoon after an incredibly encouraging time in Toronto and Espanola. We arrived in Toronto last Wednesday evening and hooked up with the guys from Unite Productions who took us to a bar to hear a funk band. It was great to hang out with these guys again after the Starfield tour - they are a great bunch of people with incredible hearts of service and hospitality. Our set at the Youth Specialties Convention went really well and we felt encouraged by the response people made to our songs. After the Starfield tour we felt more sure than ever of our call as a band to serve the church and we were blessed to sense that God was opening doors in Canada. We went back this week with a sense of excitement and we have left more convinced than ever that God is continuing to strengthen our relationships in Canada and create opportunity for us to minister and be ministered to.

We feel really called to serve the church and so even though we enjoy leading worship at the bigger conferences we are really excited about visiting churches, meeting new people and somehow drawing alongside them in a way that serves their vision. We want to say a huge thankyou to the guys in snow white Espanola (5 hours North West of Toronto). Our time with Tim & Deb Faulkner and their church proved to be immensely encouraging. I think we all felt overwhelmed at one point or another of the weekend. We had the opportunity to meet with 10/12 people who were interested and/or involved in worship - this stuff feels important to us - we want to serve these people in the best way possible and so we are so delighted when we get to meet people and explore their needs and questions around worship. People are always so encouraged by what we bring but more and more we find that we come away feeling so blessed and uplifted. The people we met were so generous with their words of encouragement and we feel really excited for the church there. This small church in Espanola is a real well of worship and so it is exciting for us to pray with these guys and look forward to visiting again when we know we will see change in the community and God's kingdom extended in that place.

We feel committed to and excited about the local church and so if you're reading this and think we could serve in your church please get in touch. We'd love to touch base with more churches in our own wee country.

Rich Worship Leaders....hmmmm

2008-11-30T23:20:00.002Z

Hey all

Hope this finds you all well.

A while ago I was at a wedding where I bumped into some old friends. We spent a wee bit of time catching up and during the conversation it came to light that they thought I was a full-time worship leader worth at least a million pounds. I was subject to quite a bit of ‘banter’ during which time there were quite a few negative comments made about worship leaders and money. It got me thinking about what people really think about worship leaders as it seems to me that there are a few myths!.

We are not all rich! In fact, it is probably important for me to state that myself and the band take no money from what we do. We’ve spent the entire year leading worship across Ireland, the UK, Canada and the USA playing songs from our new album (and other songs). This is the third album that I have recorded with a record company (Survivor Records). And throughout the entire year, we have taken absolutely no money. Not a ha’penny! We have earned some money through selling CDs and honorariums however every penny of this has been reinvested back into what we feel called to do….leading God’s people in worship, encouraging other worship leaders/musicians and supporting local church (particularly our own).

I have heard about how some worhsip leaders have made a lot of money from writing songs that are sung across the world. And I have heard them be criticised for this. However, I want to state that the worship leaders that I know do this because they love God and love the church…not because they want to get rich.

I remember writing my first worship song. I didn’t know it was called a ‘worship song’. I didn’t know there was such a thing as ‘worship album’ let alone a ‘worship industry’. I wrote the song as an expression of my love for the Father. It felt really natural…not forced or contrived. We sang it in the wee church that I was going to at the time and there was no other agenda.

The songs that we write now come from the same place….a personal, intimate desire to please and glorify the father. Some of them remain in the living room and some of them get sung at our church. They are all significant. We desperately want to obey and worship God and we are committed to edifying the local body. This is why we do what we do…(plus we love playing and listening to music!!)

We don’t do this to get rich. If we did we would have stopped many many years ago. We do it for the Father. We do it to see His people encouraged, stimulated and challenged. We all hold down jobs. That’s what pay the bills. We do this in our spare time and take no money from it…because we love it and feel called to it. And we don’t want to stop. And you know what….it’s actually tough sometimes because we would LOVE to be fully realeased into this. We would love to be free to fully invest our time into our gifting. However just because that isn’t possible right now, it doesn’t mean we love the Father less or are less committed! We will still be faithful and do what we are called to do.

And even as I am typing this now, I have a smile on my face because it still excites me. I still love the Father and I love leading others in worship. I feel free doing what I do.

I would really encourage you to continue to pray for us….for our protection, guidance, courage etc and that we can continue to remain faithful to the calling God has on our lives in times of plenty and in times of need.

Bless you

Johnny

Obedience vs. Sacrifice

2008-11-26T19:40:00.002Z

Hi

Recently I have been pondering...

...what is more important: obedience or sacrifice?

I know what most of you will be thinking - that 'To obey is better than sacrifice' (1 Sam 15 v 22) however sometimes I am not sure if we really act this out. I regularly hear worshippers talking about worship as out highest calling however these verses suggest that first and foremost comes obedience. This is what the Lord requires.

I have been thinking about this recently because I have seen a number of relationships get damaged amongst people I know. People who are friends of God, followers of Christ and part of the family...yet things have been said and done that have caused anger and pain.

Whilst this happens, and might be inevitable, it is not Gods plan for us. God never intended us to be dysfunctional. He didn't intend failure in relationships. He intended us to be in relationships of love and safety. Through out scripture God shares advice and guidance about how we are to treat each other and how we are to live in community. This requires a trust in the Father and courage to love. It avoids operating out of a place of fear. It demands risk, vulnerability and sacrifice. However, most of all it probably requires obedience.

If we are to love and protect each other sucessfully we need to obey what God tells us through scripture about how we should treat each other. Regardless of our circumstance or current state.

I am not perfect. Our band isn't perfect. But we prioritise the relationships over the songs. We want to be obedient to God in how we treat each other over and above how we lead God's people in worship. The sacrifice is pleasing to God but obedience is a priority.

Johnny

Nashville

2008-11-20T01:10:00.002Z

Hi,
We arrived in Nashville last night after a wee tour of America. We flew from Belfast to Newark to Chicago to Nashville with a 1hr 12minute turnover between landing in Newark and departing for Chicago. We are glad to say that we made it with alot of running through the airport. We arrived, picked up our car and made our way to the Renaissance Hotel. Our rooms are great and it'll be fantastic to stay in one place for 4 nights. We have great intentions to use the fitness centre and pool but we'll see...

We got to hook up with a good friend Shane Wilson today. Shane engineered the Break the Silence album in Ireland and so it has been absolutely great to come in see him in his hometown.

We hope to enjoy some of the sights and sounds of Nashville over the next few days as well as play at the Youth Specialties convention tomorrow night alongside the Robbie Seay Band. We will keep you posted on how that goes. A few pics have been posted on our facebook page so make sure you don't miss out on seeing those!!

Thanks for praying for us and keeping up to date with our travels.

Claire

California

2008-10-17T20:46:00.000+01:00

Hey

Hope you are well.

So....we've just returned from a wee trip to California and it's been eventful to say the least. In fact, it seems like a soap opera.

We had a medical emergency on the flight out and were re-routed to Iceland where we also had 2 passengers arrested for aggressive behaviour towards cabin crew. They were evicted from the flight and had to go to the local slammer! I also ended up in hospital in Sacramento for a couple of days and missed our next gig (but the rest of the band played and did a great job). And to top it off, When I got home to Belfast, I checked my guitar at the airport and the head was snapped clean off!! It was like losing a friend.

Anyway, we have a new band page on Facebook and have posted a video diary up there to let you see how the trip went. to view it, you can follow the link and then select to become a fan of the page. Dead simple. Just paste this into your browser http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Johnny-Parks-Band/14039416754

We'll be posting more footage of our next trip to Nashville and Atlanta and will keep you in the loop as stuff goes up.

We rehearsed a new song last night called 'All is Well' and it is beginning to sound really really sweet. I think you'll like it. David was also playing his new Gretch and it honestly sounds like a wee bit of heaven. Yum.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers recently....please keep it up as we dont want any more crazy shenanigans like the last trip!

Peace,

Johnny (and band)

Challenged, Exhausted and Humbled.

2008-10-15T18:40:00.002+01:00

The band arrived home to N.Ireland today after a week in California. This has been a very different trip for us and probably the most challenging yet. This was the first time we have gone out as a full band and we had a lot of fun and were soo glad to see around San Francisco and San Jose. It was great to hook up with an old friend out there and use him as a tour guide (great job Stephen!). As most of you will now already know we had a really challenging and exhausting experience. Youth Specialities wasn't quite what we expected and by that we don't mean that having a small number was a problem but it was more of a surprise given the number they would normally expect. We are continually challenged to give ourselves in worship despite the circumstances and this is something we want to grow and develop in. Leading worship is a real treat and privilege and so despite the numbers, venue, tiredness etc we want to have hearts that are ready and willing to engage with God.

Unfortunately JP was unable to lead worship at 'The Journey' in San Jose however the rest of the band drove down and led the 2 morning services. This was a huge blessing to the church, they felt that they had been led in worship in a sprit-filled way and enjoyed the contemplative style that we took on that day (we had a lot of reflecting and contemplating going on!). The people at the church were soo warm and friendly and greeted us with a pot-luck Irish party. This really lifted our mood and was the ideal way to finish a really hard day. We are so glad we were still able to do what we had planned and very sad that JP couldn't experience this with us.

I am continually humbled by what God has allowed us to do - as we drove to the Vista point (just over the Golden Gate Bridge) and looked over at 'lit-up' San Francisco there was a real moment of praise in my heart that God had brought us here, tested us and challenged us and of course that Johnny was able to be with us to finish our journey. God surprises us at every turn, it is an honour to serve him even when it's hard and when he takes us to the the limit of our emotions and strength. We love Him.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. Thanks to the folk at The Journey for hosting us in such a kind, gentle and humble manor. You made a difference.

Claire

California Trip - did we do the right thing?

2008-10-12T18:14:00.000+01:00

Hi all

I hope this finds you well. We are out on the road in California and have had a fairly eventful trip. As you can see from the previous post out flight out was pretty krazy. What was meant to be an uneventful 15 hour journey turned out to be a 48 hour ordeal involving police, ambulances and visiting more places that we would have liked. We finally arrived in Sacramento a few hours before we were due to play and when we got on stage we were pretty shattered. Plus, I had a pretty bad cold which made the job tough.

Although we had a good night with Youth Specialties, we were initially disappointed with the numbers who were able to make it out....there were only about 70 in the crowd.

The next day, after getting some tattoos, we were getting ready for our next trip only for me to be rushed to Sutter General Hospital in Sacramento in the middle of the night. I thought I was dying...but it turned out to be kidney stones!! (Which are apparently one of the most painful things you can get.) So I am sitting in hospital now, writing this blog, while the rest of the band are in San Jose leading worship at The Journey.

I think all these hassles/frustrations and pain have made me consider was this trip really worth it? We've put a lot of time, energy and money into being here and it has all been for what we would consider to be little gain. I've felt quite reflective about it and have been wondering if we made the wrong desicion to come here. The trip hasn't really gone as anticipated. I can remember agreeing to do this trip and at that time I didn't really have peace in my heart but I decided to push on ahead...it seemed like too good an opportunity to turn up. My family were not that keen for me to take it on but at the time I thought it was OK and a good idea. In my desire to get out and 'do something' I ignored myself, my family and possibly ignored Gods prompting.

We've chatted a lot as a band recently about how all our decisions need to come from a place of peace - a place where we all feel (and our families feel) that we are moving in Gods will and in his timing. I feel on this occassion, I was just a little too hungry and under pressure to create something that maybe wasn't in Gods timing. Maybe I was trying to rush Him and myself?

Certainly, things have not gone as we would have liked. It is not that we expected everything to be perfect....life isn't like that but I (and prob the band) have not had as much of a sense of ease and peace on this trip as we would normally have. I think there is a lesson here for us. I think we need to listen to ourselves and to God more, notice His timings and operate from a place of peace. I certainly need to do things that have my family's blessing...otherwise it doesn't work.

We are going to be out in Nashville and Toronto soon and we do have peace and blessing about those trips so it will be interesting to see how those turn out in comparison to how things have gone here!

Peace to you,
Johnny

Hello from sunny Houston, Texas

2008-10-09T16:40:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone,
We are currently in Houston, Texas waiting for our flight to San Francisco. It has been an eventful journey so far. On the flight from Belfast Paul (our bass player) spent most of his time looking after a lady who was experiencing cardiac problems. Eventually the airline made the call to turn back and so we had the opportunity to spend a few hours in Iceland. Due to Paul’s help the flight attendants upgraded us to First Business so we spent the last 5 hours of our flight to Newark in luxury.

The journey was made even more eventful after 2 ladies were arrested by the Icelandic police and taken off the plane. I think this made the headlines! Our Business First seats gave us an amazing view of the Manhattan Skyline during our descent – very cool!

We landed safely after 14 hours on the plane and spent the night in a hotel (by night I mean just over 2 hours sleep). We took a 5:30am flight to Houston Texas and we are now waiting to board our last flight and should be in San Francisco just after 1pm local time. We’ll get our car and get on the road for Sacramento where we play at Youth Specialties tonight.

The airline folk have been brilliant so far – no extra baggage charges on any of the flight, through customs without any problems and upgraded to First Business. Please pray for strength after our travels and that we are able to do a really good job tonight at our 10pm gig.

We’ll keep you posted on our progress.
Thanks
The JPBand

Back to Ireland

2008-09-17T18:35:00.003+01:00

We arrived home to a grey, wet Irish day after an overnight flight from Calgary. We have had an absolutely amazing time together and couldn't be more blessed and encouraged. God really has given us His favour over the past 2 weeks and we really believe that our lives have been enriched and hope that we have really encouraged the people from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It has been an absolute privilege to work with Starfield, Unite Productions, Will Graham and all at the Billy Graham Association and the various churches and staff along the way. We feel very much part of the family and are very excited about our return visits over the next year.

Leading people in worship is an honour and we were so delighted to meet people and hear a little bit about their journey and how our songs and music had helped them. There were times when it was hard to believe how amazing our experience actually was. The opportunities to drive across the Prairies in the sun watching wild antelope, drive through the rockies and look out across Banff and the surrounding mountains, was a real treat. Each day was spent driving 2-5 hours to the venue across a stunning country and we felt stirred and prompted to worship even more in response to the landscape and how amazingly God has created and crafted Canada.

I know I have come home with a stretched heart, one that is encouraged in my personal walk with God, strengthened and blessed in the gifting he has given me and excited about the future of the band and the new songs and experiences we are going to have. I think I am speaking on behalf of David and Johnny when I say that we are soooooo blessed by the people of Canada, by God's guidance and favour, by those we got to know well and those we met for just a few moments. The support people offered us was incredible and we can only hope and pray that we have left a similar mark on peoples lives as they have on us.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Thanks to all of you who came out to worship with us and Starfield. We really hope you will stay in touch and that our paths will meet again very soon.

Some Photos....

2008-09-14T23:38:00.004+01:00

Hi from MooseJaw, Saskatchewan

2008-09-14T08:58:00.007+01:00

We had a great night in Brandon – it was great to meet some country folk along the way. We had a safe overnight journey from Sudbury and were glad to find ourselves in sunny Brandon. We are travelling across the Prairies to MooseJaw and Johnny has just pointed out a large Moose (not a real one unfortunately). JP has been waiting to see a Moose or Bear throughout our travels but no luck so far. We’ve passed through Moosomin, Buffalo Pond and Regina on our way across the flat prairie land of Saskatchewan.

The gigs have been going exceptionally well for us and we have been so encouraged by the response the Canadians have given us. We are selling lots of albums and really enjoying getting to meet people after the show. We are still eating far too much pizza and have become regular customers of Boston Pizza. Many people have expressed interest in having us back so hopefully we will be making a few return trips in the new year. We head back out to Toronto in December and so this will be a good opportunity to establish some of the relationships we have begun. It really feels like God has given us favour in Canada and that he is creating opportunities beyond what we had expected. We feel really hopeful about what God will do with us in the near future and so encouraged that our songs are touching, challenging and blessing so many people. As we play each evening it feels like God is expanding our hearts, deepening our relationship with Him and sharpening our sensitivity to His Spirit.

This whole process is a privilege and we appreciate your prayers as we continue with the tour.

The next gig is in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan which is a four hour drive north of MooseJaw. We are excited and expectant about what we will experience God doing here.

Hi from Brandon, Manitoba.

2008-09-12T07:55:00.004+01:00

Since our last post we have driven 14 hours round Lake Superior stopping off in Wawa, White River and Aguasabon Gorge. We have been having a brilliant time together as a band and with the Starfield crew. We weren’t sure if Canadian steak could meet our high Northern Irish standards but we had a great meal when we arrived in Thunder Bay on Tuesday night! (ahhh, touring is hard!).

It feels like a real privilege to be part of this tour; to be here in Canada and to be meeting soo many people. We have had continuous words of encouragement and feel humbled to be able to serve the church in this way; God is being more and more gracious to us every night. It has been fantastic to be part of the Starfield team along with those working with the Billy Graham Association and Operation Christmas Child. We have had a lot of fun with these guys and are so glad that they understand and embrace the Irish sense of humour.

Our gig in Thunder Bay was fantastic and we were glad to finally receive our albums which got held up in customs. Thanks to all of you who came out to see us – we had such a great time and hope to get back to visit you soon.

We left our gig last night and hit the road for Brandon, Manitoba (a 12 hour drive). We have 2 great tour buses/vans which are pretty comfy so it has been a great wee environment to relax and have a lot of fun.

Thanks for your prayers. We feel really encouraged by this tour so far and feel really unified in our purpose as a band. We are thankful for the favour God has given us.

Hi from Sudbury, Canada.

2008-09-08T17:13:00.002+01:00

We are on day 4 of the tour and we are having a lot of fun. The Canadians have been fantastic so far and incredibly hospitable (there is a serious amount of food consumption going on!!!). We’ve been selling lots of albums and it has been so great meeting so many new people. The songs are going down really well and we are generating lots of interest which will be helpful for our return visit to Toronto in December.

So far we have played in Belleville, Barrie and Newmarket and today we made a 4 hour trip to Sudbury which is quite far north (a bit colder up here!). We have been working alongside the Billy Graham association with Will Graham (Billy’s grandson) as the guest speaker. He has done a good job and many people have engaged in the response time. Tonight we are playing in another large church and so we are looking forward to getting to know some more people and leading worship.

We have a 14 hour drive tomorrow to Thunder Bay but it’s a day off so we can take in the scenery and enjoy a more relaxed day off.

Big Thanks to all the folk in Barrie and Newmarket who made our time there a lot of fun. We left encouraged and really blessed.

Claire

'I Will Go' Canadian Tour with Starfield - Day 1

2008-09-06T19:08:00.003+01:00

The band arrived in Canada for the 'I Will Go' tour with Starfield and played our first gig last night (Friday) in Belleville. We had an amazing time and met loads of nice Canadian people! Canada is a great country! The gig was a sell out and everyone was really going for it which made it loads of fun. Our first night in Belleville has been a great start to the tour and we can't wait to get out on the road gigging and meeting people! Tomorrow we head to Barie!

St. Mark's Dublin

2008-05-13T09:15:00.003+01:00

Hey

We have just returned from spending the weekend with the community at St. Mark's in Dublin where we were leading worship at their 3 services on Sunday. It was an honour to be a part of this family and to see what God is doing with them...they are passionate and hungry for the Kingdom.

There was a great moment for us during the second service when we played the song 'The Troubles Are Over'. It is a song of deep thanks, expressing gratitude for the work of God now that the political/religious conflict is in it's last days in Ireland. We explained the song to the people in Dublin and played it, not knowing what the response would be (the Troubles is generally viewed as as 'Northern Irish' problem). So it was inspiring and encouraging to hear the spontaneous applause and cheering at the end of the song....in fact, to be honest, I was a little surprised by it. I thought people might like the song and empathise with the lyrical content but I didn't expect them to respond with such a sense of brotherhood and understanding. It surprised me.

It felt important to take this song out of a Northern Irish context and sing it in Dublin...it is important to us simply because we want to acknowledge Gods good work but also because we want to share the news...the good news...that life in our country has changed (and still is changing) for the better. God has moved here and we want to let people know about that. How God can respond to years of prayer, the diligent works of our hands, how He continues to move in ways and at times that we do not understand. It is greatly encouraging (if that makes sense!)

And I think that is partly why the song got so much support and applause on Sunday. Because people recognise the same God in this song that they hope for in their own communities, families, lives and nations. They recognise the story and they hear about one chapter of it in Northern Ireland and they long for a chapter in their own lives. They believe in the good news...of how the Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of transformation. People catch a hold of the story...'if God can do that in Northern Ireland, then there continues to be hope for us here.'

God is bigger than us. His ways are higher and higher. He is the Prince of Peace...and the story is still unfolding.

JP

Worship and Politics

2008-04-14T16:07:00.003+01:00

Johnny was recently interview by the very nosey Mr. Mike Rimmer who asked a few questions about worship and politics. He is an excerpt from the interview:

Northern Ireland has gone through so many changes in the last decade and just driving around the city there is still plenty of evidence in the physical landscape of its recent history. There's been the Peace Process and the end of hostilities so, I ask, is there a huge sigh of relief in the country? "Yes, I think there is a huge sigh of relief. Coming from the dark days, looking back and knowing what the place has been like in the past and what you used to hear on a daily basis on the news and the kind of environment that we lived in, which always seemed dark and gloomy and uncertain, now it feels that there's a completely different atmosphere. It feels a lot safer first of all but there just seems to be a bit more hope and stability about the place and a bit more vision, which is fantastic. But it's not all over. It's like the now and the not yet, like the Kingdom of God; the Kingdom is here but it's not quite here. The job is done but it's not finished yet. We still live in a society which is immensely segregated. There are 14 miles of walls that run through Belfast that stand 25 feet high that are called 'Peace Walls' to keep Catholics and Protestants apart, and if they weren't there we would hurt each other. That's not God's plan for our city and it never was and never will be, so I suppose there's a part of us that really wants another Jericho; we want walls to tumble down."

He continues, "It feels like, whilst there's some sense of stability and some movement, there's not been a deep healing in the country yet and I personally really want that. I want communities to go through a process where there's healing and that can only come when people are going to take a risk; when we are at the stage where we feel safe enough to take a risk. Healing only comes through confession and forgiveness and all that stuff, and that will only come when people feel safe enough to be able to do that. So that says to me that we don't feel that safe yet. So there's a big sense of relief but I feel there's still a little bit to go in terms of how we operate living side by side."

The new album features a song that takes up this theme. "Walls" is one of the rockiest songs on the album. "You know the funny thing is," Parks jumps in, "we as a band are loving this song at the moment because when we play it live we talk about the city and about the walls in the city. For us it feels so important and I can't reinforce this enough. I wish I could do something to reinforce it more. But for us it feels so important that worship music and that worship writers HAVE to engage socially and HAVE to engage politically. You can't write songs that aren't birthed out of a local context and I think there's too much of an agenda at the moment to write songs for the globe. You know, 'Let's write a song that travels around the world!' Which means that generally speaking, things get watered down and you find the lowest common denominator statements that don't really have much relevance in people's communities. They may say some truths in your life individually but they don't have relevance in your community and I think that is a shame, it's a crying shame, because there are truths that get lost about what God is doing in nations; what he is doing in local communities. And that's where God operates! It comes from local church, from local communities and local nations and grows from there. So for us it felt really important that we connected into, 'What has God done in our country? What has God done in our community? What is he continuing to do?' We're really passionate about that. So this song actually is really important for us when we play it live and on the CD. We dug our heels in to make sure songs like this were included on the album because it felt really important to us that we connected with a local context of what God's doing here."

If you want to read the rest of the interview, please paste this link into your browser: http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Johnny_Parks_Band_The_Irish_worship_man_amp_his_compatriots_break_the_silence/31263/p1/

The Peace Wall

2008-03-17T20:33:00.002Z

For those of you who are not from Northern Ireland, you may not be aware that there is a 'Peace Wall' that runs through Belfast that divides Catholic and Protestant communities. It stands at 25 feet and is built of concrete, steel and brick. It runs altogether for 14 miles.

We've had a peace process in Northern Ireland, after nearly 40 years of bloody conflict but our communities are still divided. Generally, most Catholic and Protestant people are raised in different communities, towns and villages and are educated in separate schools. We are even taught different curriculums in school. Our country is still divided and we are fearful at times of changing this. For many, the first time they get to develop a proper relationship with the 'other' is when they get a job or go to university.

This isn't God's plan for our city. I don't think it ever was and I don't think it ever will be.

That's why we wrote the song 'Walls' on our new album. It's all about the Peace Wall in Belfast. We want the walls to tumble down.

The key line in the song states, "Praise is rising, Walls are falling". It's an attempt to make some sort of connection with the ancient story of Jericho. I know the context is different but there is something very symbolic about that story which resonates with where I live. I would love the praise of our lips and lives to bring the walls down. To stimulate more peace, greater forgiveness and deeper healing.

We've been playing the song a lot in our live set. It feels like we are breaking a taboo because we are very fearful in Northern Ireland of raising issues like this publicly in case it offends someone.

Our experience is that people have really responded to the song. It seems to bring a challenge and forces people to think, to ask themselves questions. "Do I want the Peace Wall to be dismantled?" "Am I ready?". It is exciting to stimulate this sort of thinking in the context of worship. Risky at times, but exciting.

I personally can't wait till the day the walls come down...

Johnny

Resonate 08

2008-01-29T15:27:00.000Z

The Johnny Parks Band have been very kindly welcomed into the Resonate family over the years and now they are considering setting up a committee so that we can come and see them more often. (I'm not sure that we have time Pete but keep us posted!) It was a privilege to be involved in yet another resonate event. We missed the intimacy and extreme heat of the upper room but we had a blast in the Jethro Centre, Lurgan. Approximately 400 people gathered to worship with the Mark Ferguson Band who opened the night and then the Johnny Parks Band who played 2 sets with a wee sermon from Jools Hamilton in the middle.

The guys who run this event have a real heart for God and a real desire to create a place for people to come and worship in the Lurgan/Portadown area. As Johnny rightly said during our set, it is a fantastic opportunity for those of you down that neck of the woods to catch the vision and take ownership of this event. It is a real treat to be able to worship God alongside people from every kind of denomination and so we'd encourage you to check it out, get to know these guys and get involved in promoting and praying for it.

We had a great time playing the songs from the new record and hope that you'll get out to hear us soon.
Check out the website for information on when we're playing at a venue near you!!

x Bo

Alternative Ulster Review

2008-01-20T17:30:00.000Z

Belfast's Alternative Ulster magazine have reviewed 'Break The Silence' giving it 8/10...read on to see what reviewer Andrew Williamson thought...

Rock music about God has got a bad press over the years. This is odd because song-writers have mined the Good Book for its stories about redemption, betrayal, sacrifice, and love for years. While most 'Christian Contempary Music' it is derivative of ‘secular’ artists some can hold its own. It’s unfortunate that ill-conceived pre-conceptions will probably stop people listening to ‘Break the Silence’ because it is a fantastic record.

The Belfast band kicks off with thumping drums, big guitars and a bigger chorus on ‘Brand New Day’. Their use of the synth is very reminiscent of The Killers, and elsewhere shows more than a passing reference to Death Cab for Cutie. The majority of the songs are easily accessible sing-a-longs, but that doesn't mean they are lacking in imagination or ingenuity. Johnny Parks has a great voice and is ably complemented by Claire Hamilton. Rooted in it’s homeland, the album explores the impact of The Troubles on its inhabitants and their hunger for change and peace. It closes with an epic soaring Sigur Ros style soundscape with “Walk Beside Me Jesus”. Hopefully it won’t just be people in churches that get to listen to this album.

For fans of: Death Cab for Cutie, Wheat, Arcade Fire
Download: Walk Beside Me Jesus, Our God is Mighty, The Troubles Are Over
Rating: 8/10

Steve Stockman uses 'Break The Silence' to write a short essay on modern worship music...

2008-01-16T22:48:00.000Z

Hey, this is a review of Break The Silence from Steve Stockman...let us know what you think...(This is taken from Stocki's website 'Rhythm Of Redemption' -http://www.stocki.ni.org/).

Team JPB

Stocki uses the new album by the Johnny Parks Band to write a short essay on modern worship music... he finds Break The Silence as a rare gem in such a genre...

Break The Silence stands out from the cluttered crowd of worship albums and is spiritually more invigorating and artistically more courageous than anything that the worship industry has done in many years. Sitting closer to Delirious in the hard edged rock sound Parks, mostly with his wife Cathy and band-mate Claire Hamilton, writes songs that do more than the self indulgent tickle of most other CDs in the genre. There are layers of theology and challenge as well as prayer and praise. The energy of the music gives that adrenalin rush that U2’s October album spiritualised back in the day and the general vitality gives you the disposition of wanting to change the world. Not enough worship music drives you out to serve the world and this one does.

After laying out a theology where Our God Is Mighty and a Rescuer, a God transcendent and at the same time imminent in the incarnation and redemption, the album then does another thing that is rare in the genre, earths it in specifics. For this album that means applying the belief in this God and redemption to the Northern Irish situation where The Parks Band live and ply their trade. The Troubles Are Over has an Irish soundscape that again adds musical shade the song celebrates the moment of grace that has arrived without forgetting the cost of the past; Walls and Freedom ‘Let’s Go’ stay on the theme. The album ends in a more reflective mood with a co-write with Tim Hughes based on Psalm 63, Lord Of All The Earth, a chance for the talented Claire Hamilton to take centre stage on Draw Near Us Lord and another highlight the closing Walk Beside Me Jesus. Songs like this last one are more than necessary in modern Church services. Too often if you are not victorious and blessed and feeling almost totally sanctified and omniscient you feel a little inferior in your soul in the midst of an arms-outstretched smiling throng. Walk Beside Me Jesus admits “I feel so far from my redemption/Doubts assail my peace of mind…” Such vulnerable honesty is again too rare in the modern canon of congregational songs.

All my criticisms of modern worship are simply absent. There are no romantic songs to a Jesus who is more a girlfriend than a revolutionary, (indeed live Parks is doing a cover of Steve Earle’s Revolution which seems way out of place in any south east of England repertoire!), it is never self indulgent and it doesn’t fall into that bland sound that seems to give the manufactured sheen to worship music. When commercialism takes the place of function it destroys God’s potent intention for the arts and this has been seen nowhere more disastrously than in the world of worship music. The Parks Band is attempting, against the grain, to bring art back into the art of praise. It is not the amount of people singing or the quantity of product sold that will give God’s heart delight. God wants our souls, our gifts, our imaginations. The offering that has been reached to him on CD and sadly therefore in our recent hymn books must seem bland and inane to a God of such creative force and so full of surprise. Parks is a songwriter who could have been a successful musician in the mainstream. Fronting a band in his late teens with Iain Archer Johnny Parks musical and writing credentials sneek through the dumbing down demandedness of worship labels and gives a bristling, bright brand of spiritual engagement. It rocks, it makes theology into poetry and it localises the experience of worship into a context that gives authenticity to the experience.

No doubt, it is sadly inevitable in the industry he is in, Parks has had to compromise in places. There are one or two lines that seem a little cheap cliché. Break The Silence does not have the artistic courage or spiritual vulnerability of Parks’ independent debut album Nomads Welcome. But Parks and his band have created something unique in spite of the pressures of the monotonous regime of the industry and there is a feeling that perhaps they could develop in even more exciting ways. Oh for a visionary to take this band’s faith and ability and create something that God would be proud of.

Steve Stockman

Review taken from Stocki's website 'Rhythms Of Redemption' - http://www.stocki.ni.org/

CFC Sunday 13th Jan 2008

2008-01-14T22:42:00.000Z

Hey! Having just recovered from the launch gig (!) we were playing at all 3 services at CFC in Belfast on Sunday. What an amazing time! We were so excited to hear people singing songs like 'The Troubles Are Over' and 'Walls' - songs for our city and our land. The evening service was a bit special as we joined with speaker Pete Grieg (founder of 24/7 Prayer and author of 'Red Moon Rising') - he had some great stuff to say. We also had the chance of including 'The Revolution Starts Now' into the set - a song we really love by a guy called Steve Earl. If you don't know who Steve Earl is you should check him out now - we think he's class. The revolution starts now...

Break The Silence Launch Gig 4th Jan 2008

2008-01-06T22:30:00.000Z

The band would like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who came to the album launch at Willowfield on Friday 4th January. We had an amazing time! Thanks also to our friends Bluetree and Tre Sheppard for their support. Photos will be posted in the 'photos' section of the website (www.johnnyparksband.com) as soon as we get them. For those of you who weren't able to make it due to the snow don't worry as the band are about to kick-start the Ireland & UK tour...exciting times!

Venue Change

2007-12-11T00:35:00.000Z

Hey

VENUE CHANGE: please note that the launch of the new album (Break The Silence) from the Johnny Parks Band will now take place at Willowfield Parish Church, My Ladys Road, Belfast BT6 8FE
[t]: 02890457654 http://willowfield.down.anglican.org/

Willowfield Parish has just completed extensive renovation of their building and now have a fantastic state of the art venue which is ideal for this event. We’re excited...it’s gonna be fancy!

For further information please visit www.johnnyparksband.com or email info@johnnyparks.com

Thanks
JPB

Being relevant

2007-11-24T00:44:00.000Z

Yo

Just reading. Found a nice quote from the old man Bono. Speaking about U2 he said:

“I was asking the same thing, “Can we relax?” And I thought, “Well we can relax but we’re about to become irrelevant any second. To be relevant is a lot harder than to be successful.” If you’re judging where we are by the fact that we can afford to buy this house, it’s a dangerous measure. I judge where we are by how close am I to the melody I’m hearing in my head and how close are we to what we can do as a band to realising our potential. That’s a different thing.”

I really want to be relevant. I’m a wee bit scared of us and our music becoming irrelevant. Have you any ideas what it means for us to become relevant? Is relevance similar to prophesy...like a ‘now’ word from God spoken into a life/situation? How can we take what we are doing and make it increasingly relevant to the people around us?

I sometimes get driven in the band by fear of what people think of us rather than by doing what we can do – rather than by realising our potential regardless of what folk might say/think. I want us to cultivate a safe place for us to be free and to take risks musically/lyrically etc to become increasingly relevant and ‘us’ even if that is not vogue/in mode or fashionable. I’d rather be unfashionable and relevant than fashionable and meaningless.

I really want this to translate into our music, our words, my voice, our instrumentation etc.

I’m writing lots of lyrics at the moment...none are congregational worship songs. All are hopeful/positive. They are really exciting me cos I feel like I am tapping into something else – tuning into a new frequency. It feels free. It feels a bit more relevant.

JP

Break The Silence - What to expect!!

2007-11-23T15:23:00.000Z

November 2007
JOHNNY PARKS BAND ‘BREAK THE SILENCE’

Irish worship leader Johnny Parks, who recently joined Chris Tomlin on tour in the USA, Uk & Ireland, has just released his second studio album with Survivor Records entitled ‘Break the Silence”.

Break the Silence includes some of the Johnny Parks Band’s best work to date, with some of songs co-written with Survivor label mates Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Nick Herbert.

They include songs such as Rescuer, Great Church, Our God Is Mighty, Victorious and Brand New Day which stand out as anthems for the individual worshipper and the church.

These songs sit alongside other songs of worship which reflect the changes that have been taking place on the political landscape of his home country.

Songs such as The Troubles are Over, Walls and Freedom ‘Let’s Go’ have been birthed as a response to God’s faithfulness through a political/religious conflict and as prophetic cry for what God still longs to do in Ireland. In a day when religious division and conflict are increasingly evident in our communities, the heart of these songs will resonate across the world as songs for our times.

The album, while resourcing the church with new songs of worship, is also challenging us again to worship God with our lives in our nations, in our communities and beyond the walls of our churches. It is a call for the church to “Break the Silence” and “Lift your voice” so we can speak and act in our communities today.

About the title, ‘Break The Silence’, Johnny says, “When we experience complex difficulties on our countries and in the world, there can be a pressure on us to remain motionless and silent. This isn’t Gods plan for the living church of Christ. He wants us to have to break the silence and begin to speak with courage and faith into the situations that we encounter.”

We are convinced that you will find these songs fresh and uplifting and they draw you towards God’s heart for our world.

Break The Silence - What does this mean?

2007-11-16T22:59:00.000Z

So....

....we've called the album 'Break The Silence'. We love the title and are pumped about the tunes. There's a reason why we gave it this title:

There’s just some sort of frustration in me that we are all colluding in some sort of silent code of behaviour that goes round and round in the same old cycles and patterns. We dress the same, speak the same, do the same, be the same and we are so scared of doing anything different that may break the silence that surrounds us. I sometimes look at us, the family of Christ, the passionate, compassionate body who are urged to relentlessly pursue the life of our selfless Saviour and I see a group of people that seem silent and only every now and then have the courage to raise their heads above the turret.

It’s like we’ve all colluded to remain silent in our inaction and apathy. As long as we all remain silent and say nothing, then it’s OK and we feel safe and our guilt subsides, our conscience shrinks. We all simply ‘keep the peace’ in our desire not to rock the boat. And when someone does break the silence, we quickly scapegoat, discourage or gossip about them in order to force them to collude with us again and maintain the status quo.

Is this God’s plan for us – for you? No it’s not. What do you want in this life? What has Christ called you to? In your wildest dreams, who is he asking you to be? In this country, as you live in a segregated, broken, angry society, who is God asking you to be? Is He wanting you to remain silent, hidden, mediocre and simply tread water through life until you run out of energy and drown? Or is He asking you to relentlessly pursue him regardless of what everyone else is or isnt doing? My hunch is that He wants you to break the silence.

When we witness another person in our community being abused because of their religion, sexuality, ability or their skin colour what do we do about it – remain silent?! When we feel our own anger and prejudice stir toward another human who God created and loves because of their religion, what do we say? When we notice another persons rights being exploited what do we say?

He wants us to break the silence. And He doesn’t just want us to break it with a wee whisper or a squeak - He wants us to break it with a yell that comes right from the holy depths of our beings – a yell that leaves us hoarse and the people around us slightly deaf and shaken. A yell that commands the walls to tumble down. A yell that demands a response from the people around us to either join us in action or remain motionless. Where is our yell? We need to break the silence. Where is our shout? Where is our noise? Where is our voice?

I'm fed up being too quiet. I wanna be louder.

Johnny P

Johnny P

New Album News etc.

2007-11-14T19:36:00.001Z

Hi

Hey – just updating you about the latest juicy info from the JP camp. Lot’s going on at the mo.

‘Break The Silence’
The new album from the Johnny Parks Band entitled ‘Break The Silence’ is due out at the end of November!!! It is going through the final stages of production at the moment and is sounding sweet. The band are feeling really pleased about how things have been developing and can’t wait to get out gigging the new songs. We think you are going to like them. If you want a copy, you can pre-order the album at the website (www.johnnyparks.com) and it will be sent out to you as soon as we get it!

Launch:
The Johnny Parks Band will be launching the album in The Spires (Belfast) on Friday 4th January ’08 along with their friends Bluetree and Tre Shepard (who will be speaking on the night). It's going to be a great night. Tickets are on sale now from the website priced £10 and we are doing an exclusive deal where you can purchase the album and ticket for just £20 (plus postage). The band are aiming to fill the place to capacity and make an almighty sound – they really want to break the silence (excuse puns), so please get a ticket early and get your place! (Plus it’s a pretty tasty Christmas pressie for someone….)

Worship Community Ireland:
The next meeting of WCI is going to be on the morning of the 5th January (10am-1pm) and we are really pleased to have Tre Shepard be with us. Tre is a legend. He leads worship with the band One Hundred Hours and is an international speaker (known locally for speaking at Summer Madness). He has a whole lot to say to us about the world of worship and will stimulate, encourage and challenge us. It will be a great morning. Again, we’d encourage you to get in early cos it’ll book out soon. It’s priced £20 for the morning. Email the team if you want to book at info@johnnyparks.com

Other Bits and Bobs:
Johnny’s and his wife (Cathy) are expecting their number 3 baby this Friday!!!!! They have 2 wee boys already and are waiting in anticipation to see if this will be a boy or girl. Please pray for a really smooth delivery.
Johnny’s mum (Pat) is still receiving her chemo treatment for breast cancer. She has a great attitude however the chemo has been taking its toll and she has had a tough couple of weeks. This has been difficult for all the family so we’d appreciate your prayers into this situation.

That’s all from us for now. Hope you are all well – take good care!

Peace

The JP Team

Accordion Wanted!

2007-10-31T10:25:00.001Z

Dearest fans!
I am on the look out for a wee accordion (not button). If you happen to have one lying around the house or know someone who has, maybe somone who used to be in a band, then let me know. I would love to get one asap for the band in order to reproduce some of the fine sounds put down on the album. If you can be of any help in this little (actually, rather large) request then get in touch asap. The world needs to hear and see my refined technique on this truly scrumptious instrument!

Thanks
Claire

The Launch of Worship Community Ireland!

2007-10-15T11:29:00.000+01:00

Hi all

I hope you are all well.

I am pleased to announce the launch of Worship Community Ireland (WCI). This initiative has emerged from the needs expressed by many worship leaders, song-writers and musicians for support and training. It is all about developing relationships and support networks between worship leaders and musicians in Ireland. We are aiming to provide you with opportunities to meet with each other and God and get what it is you need to do a great job in your local church.

Last Saturday morning we had our 2nd Worship Community Ireland (WCI) meeting in City Church, Belfast. Singer and song-writer Claire Hamilton, shared with us about the importance of community and we took some time apply this to our local situations – I found it really useful and the feedback has been great.

We also took some time to explain a little more about our plans for the future. These plans have been developed based on what the participants said at our first meeting. We have lots of confirmed dates for 2008 and we are hoping to bring in speakers and worship leaders like Robin Mark, Iain Archer, Paul Reid, Kathryn Scott, Marie Lacey and Tim Hughes. We are also hoping to bring over some people from Kingsway/Survivor Records (Les Moir, Adrian Thompson and/or Stevie Doc) to hear their perspective.

The next confirmed date is Saturday 5th January and we are really pleased to have Tre Sheppard with us for the morning. Tre is the singer/song-writer with the band 100 Hours who are signed to Survivor Records. Tre has a great heart for social justice and has many useful things to say about the culture of worship that we are accustomed to. I’ve heard him speak a few times at main-stage in Summer Madness and Soul Survivor and he has some fantastic and important things to impart...so I’d encourage you all to put that date in your diary.

Once we have the other people confirmed, I will let you know.

We are also in the process of developing a WCI website and blog in order to facilitate some of your requests for online support. More on this once we get it going! In the meantime, you can check my blog for further details – go to www.johnnyparks.com and click on blog.

If you would like any further information, please email me.

See you all soon,

Johnny Parks

Worship Community Ireland

2007-10-13T17:23:00.000+01:00

Worship Community Ireland is an event for anyone involved in worship who wants some support and teaching on a variety of worship-related topics. We have just had our 2nd meeting today which was held at City Church, Belfast. It was a very successful morning in that people felt encouraged and challenged and hopefully supported. It is so fantastic when people get together and share their experiences with one another. It seems to me that regardless of how long you have been involved in worship there are always new things to learn. We can't allow ourselves to stand still and assume we have it all figured out.

I had the opportunity to speak on 'Building Community' this morning focusing in on our values, the importance of community and some practical tips on how to build community. I am going to sort out a version suitable for posting so that those of you who sadly missed the event can have a read and hopefully be encouraged or challenged or both.

This is a life-giving event. I would absolutely love it if you could really encourage anyone you know who's involved in worship to come along to the next event which will be held in City Church again on Saturday 5th January (the morning after our album launch!!!!!!!). What would be fantastic is to send me an e-mail address so we can keep in contact with them and make sure they find out relevant details about the coming events.

We really want to encourage each other in the area of worship. It is a gift, an honour and a privilege to be involved and so we want you to participate and share whatever unique experiences you have in order to build this community and discover more about our unique contribution to 'the church'.

Claire

Worship Community Ireland

2007-10-09T10:54:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well.

This is just a reminder that the 2nd meeting of the Worship Community takes place this Saturday, 13th October at City Church, Belfast (www.citychurchbelfast.org). Registration will begin and refreshments are available from 9.30am. The day will start at 10am and finish at 1pm.

This continues to be a great opportunity for us to meet, worship together, support each other and become re-envisioned. We will spend time reconnecting with the purpose of why we are involved in leading worship and we will get time to chat about this is smaller groups. There will be inputs from the front from both myself and from Claire Hamilton (Irish worship leader and song-writer). The morning will be informal and we will endeavour to answer your questions and support you in any way we can.

It is important for me to state that this is not an exclusive club! We have some people who have registered who attended the first day and lots of new people. All are welcome who have an interest in worship. So please feel free to participate and register for the event – we would love to see you there. Also, please take a minute to pass this on to others who are interested.

The cost for the morning is £20 per person and can be paid when you arrive and register.

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact me.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Johnny P

The Mix in Nashville

2007-10-05T01:36:00.000+01:00

Yo

I'm out in Nashville at the mo and am up to my neck in mixing the new CD and loving it. We have 5 tracks mixed so far and they are sounding really really really really sweeeeeet. It's dead exciting! Shane is doing a pretty god job at the helm. (His studio is great...a kiddies paradise.)

I've had some time in Nashville to have a look around - I hired a car and have been exploring the area - they have some great cycling and running shops and it's hard not to spend cos the exchange rate is so good at the moment. I've been to a great Mexican place to eat and a great BBQ place (BBQ sems to be a big thing out here - people get pretty passionate about it). Tomorrow I am getting to hang with some folk for EMI and then on Saturday I am getting lunch with Chris Tomlin (the Tomlin band are playing in town on Sat nite).

I'd love to let you here some of the tunes but it'd be naughty of me cos the record company need to hear them and they need to be mastered yet. So...you're gonna have to wait a wee bit...prob till start Nov. I'll keep you posted.

Anyway - hope you're all well.

Be good

JP

Photo Shoot Part 1

2007-09-23T14:15:00.001+01:00

An early start for a Sunday morning! We arrived at JP's shortly after 8:30am to set out on our mission to take some pics in Belfast. It was a tad cloudy so we started with a trip to Bennett's on Belmont before setting out to West Belfast. I have to tell you that on arriving at the Peace Wall I felt really sad. I've seen the pictures but I've never visited it for myself so I was pretty moved.

JP borrowed a van and it acted as our mobile wardrobe for the morning. We piled in all our outfit changes, some props and a great big mirror which I of course made use of a few times more than anyone else. I think we scrubbed up well for the occasion and seem to have got our hands on some great clothes. I particularly loved the fact that we got to buy new clothes or 2nd hand stuff which was looking fantastic. I didn't look at any of the pics yet so I'm not at liberty to say that they were amazing just yet but our photographer (Tim Millen) did a great job this morning and had some great ideas. We had a few tour buses stop and take pictures while we were in mid-pose as well as a lovely wee Swiss man who was keen to take some pictures and find out who we were.

Thanks so much for all the interest you have shown and to anyone who has contributed to the JP band wardrobe. It's back into the studio tomorrow night (Monday) for some more backing vocals - we'll keep you posted on our progress.

Claire

Album Update

2007-09-20T18:39:00.000+01:00

After another late night in the studio we have 7 songs done and another 6 BV's to go next week. It has been going really well in 'Shabby Road Studios' and I think we have come up with some nice wee parts. I'm looking forward to letting you hear the album when it is released in November. We hope to have an official launch gig in December but we'll keep you posted.

The album will be mixed at the start of October and JP will be travelling out to Nashville for the first few days of the mixing. We are sure that Shane will do a fantastic job! It is an exciting time for us as a band and also quite a weird period of transition as we adopt new members. As you know, Nik has had major problems with his ears and so we have a great drummer called Matt Weir playing for us at the moment. We are also recruiting a new bass player and we have had a tonne of interest so we are currently exploring the options.

Over the next 2 weekends we are having our pics taken for the album. This promises to be great fun (I think) as we will be going on a few wee journeys with a variety of props to make sure we have interesting shots. I think the guys are fairly laid back about this but being the only girl it's all a bit mad getting the right outfit - feel free to give me your advice!!!!!!

Claire

Yo! All the Sept News and Biz with the JP Band!!

2007-09-18T14:44:00.001+01:00

Hey

Hope this wee update finds you well!!

There's been lots going on with the JP Band over the last wee while that we wanted to update you all about - lots of exciting and random little bits of news.

ALBUM: So, we are nearing the final stages of recording...at the moment we are just finishing backing vocals and a few other things and then we are going to mix on the 1st October. Johnny's going out to Shane's (the producer) place in Nashville for the first 5 days of the mix to have a wee listen. Once that's done, there'll only be a few things left to do before the album is available to purchase at the start of November...exciting times!

We are all still buzzing about the songs - some of them are already becoming those sort of songs that immediately have an impact...they just kinda grab a hold of you and speak good words. They speak to your nation and they speak to your soul.We think you're gonna love them! Yum.

We're thinking about calling the album 'Break The Silence'. It kinda captures a little glimpse of what the songs are about. It's about singing louder and singing stronger...cos He's the Lord of all the earth. We've had a few ideas about the name but this one seems to stick. What do you think?

PHOTOS: yes, we're at the stage of getting photos taken for the album. Our good friend Tim Millen is gonna take them - he's a legend. Great photographer, great painter and great person. We want to have a strong connection in the photos and artwork with home....sunny Ireland (well....it's actually freezing today!). We might get shots take up at the Peace Wall in Belfast and possibly some wee shots in a fishing boat up in the North coast! It'll be fun. Everyone in the band at the moment is very conscious of how they're hair is looking and what they're going to wear! If you've any advice, let them know...they need it! Let's hope they scrub up!

JOHNNY'S MUM: Johnny's Mum (Pat) starts her chemo treatment today. It's a long road ahead...she will be taking the treatment for 18 weeks and then starts radiotherapy. She's consistently been in good form and has remained positive. When she met with the consultant last week to plan the chemo treatment, one of her primary concerns was whether it would effect her holiday to Tenerife in January. You'll be pleased to know that she's panning to go no matter what she feels like! Please continue to pray into this situation.

DECEMBER LAUNCH: We are planning to launch the new album in Belfast with a big, mad, krazy night in the Spires on the 15th December with the JP band and Tre Sheppard (from 100 Hours) speaking. Everything still has to be confirmed...but if you're up for it, pencil it into your diary and we'll send you more info closer to the time! Don't miss out...it's gonna be mighty.

ATIG: wow....this is an exciting development...JP and the band have been having some really great discussions with a local promotions company called ATIG. Phil Simpson from ATIG is really keen to work with the JP Band to support them in what they're doing. Everything is getting bigger and busier for the band and it looks like ATIG are gonna come on board to support what the band are doing locally and in the USA. Phil is a really great guy and we are chuffed to get working with him in the future. Bring it on!

So...that's all the biz for now. We just LOVE to keep you informed!

Peace,

The JP Team

PS - BIG thanks to all the guys who recorded all the live crowd noises on Sunday night in CFC...esp big thanks to Ding. You are a legend and we love you man!

CFC - 16th September

2007-09-17T15:23:00.000+01:00

Back to CFC last night for the evening service. It feels like we have done soo much since we last played - like record an album! The set last night was: Arise, Brand New Day, Rescuer, Great Church, Glory. The service was jam packed with people which was encouraging and gave us a great opportunity to let a load of people hear some of the new tunes (Brand New Day & Great Church).

It was loud and in your face and people seemed to be connecting and enjoying it. We had a new drummer playing (as Nik is still not back with us) called Matt Weir. Matt did a great job especially given that he had one rehearsal. It is great to work alongside people who are conscientious, passionate and who approach things professionally and so I think Matt deserves a rather large round of applause.

I am sure some of you were there and maybe even some of you stayed to help record some noise after the service. We'd love to hear any thoughts you have on the songs or on your experience at CFC last night so post your comments. It was encouraging for us to see people pick up 'Great Church' and there was a lovely sense of God's spirit freeing us up to sing whatever He had put on our hearts regarding the church. I certainly felt moved and encouraged.

Remember if you are interested in worship and want to meet some other people who can support and encourage you then get in touch with JP (info@johnnyparks.com) and get signed up for the worship support morning on Saturday 13th October.

We need your noise!

2007-09-11T23:35:00.000+01:00

Hiya

As you know, we've been in the studio over the last while recording the new album. We've been putting in the hours and working pretty hard on the new tunes and now...at last...it's your turn to do a little bit of work to get your voice on the album!

What's the deal? Well...we wanna record some crowd sounds to use on a few tracks on the album...shouts, chants and some general rowdiness. So, if you're rowdy and like the sound of your own voice, then we are cordially inviting you to come and make some noise at Christina Fellowship Church, Belfastthis Sunday night just after the evening service (at about 9pm).

We're gonna hook up a few mics and let you know what to do. Then we'll record you and, if you're nice, you'll be on the album! You up for it? It'll be great craic.

Plus...as a wee bonus, if you turn up, we'll take a note of your name and say a big public thanks to you on the website.

If you need more info, please email info@johnnyparks.com. We hope to see you there!

The JP Team.

Back to the Studio

2007-09-11T18:10:00.000+01:00

Last night we headed back into the studio to start recording the BV's for the album. Once we were set up we managed to get 2 songs done which are sounding great. It is so cool to be back in the studio and working on the songs again. It has been great to have a little distance from the songs before going back to them - this is a bit of a luxury! I am hoping the time I have with them over the next few weeks will mean we get the best ideas for the BV's.

If you have been keeping up to date with the band you will know that we are recruiting a new bass player and drummer. We have a number of gigs coming up before Christmas and so we are hoping to get back into regular rehearsals asap. Please keep us in prayer as we finish the album and find new musicians.

We are playing at CFC this Sunday night - we'd love to see you there - 7pm!

Are you our new bass player?

2007-09-05T15:35:00.001+01:00

Hi all

It's with wee sad faces that we are emailing to let you know that Ian Smyth, our wonderful bass player, will soon be stepping out of the band due to other committments. We will miss his smiley faces and strange dance moves.

So...we are in the position of recruiting a new bass player!!! We need someone who had gained good experience (preferable both live and recording experience), who had great gear, is willing to commit to regular rehearsals and dates (we are pretty busy - esp in 2008) and who is really supportive of what we do.

If you are interested or know anyone who is interested, can you please contact us at info@johnnyparks.com

Looking forward to chatting with you!

The JP Team

Worship Support Day

2007-09-04T15:28:00.000+01:00

Dear all

I hope you are well and have had a great summer.

I am posting with details of the next Worship Support Day to be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. If you are a worship leader, a musician in a worship band or someone who serves in providing technical support (visuals and sound) then you are more than welcome to attend! The event will take place in City Church, Belfast on Saturday 13th October from 9.30-1pm.

The purpose of the day is to worship together, seek and hear God and provide practical and spiritual support for each other. The last day proved very successful with many people leaving with a greater sense of purpose and encouragement. We want to build on this success and open this opportunity up to others to come and meet with God and each other.

Throughout the morning, we will have to chance to worship and seek God and we will have some practical input and the opportunity to share learning and experience with each other. Part of the focus of the morning will be on song writing and band rehearsals amongst other topics.

Registration is at 9.30 and the programme will commence at 10am. Refreshments will be provided throughout. The total fee for the morning is £20 (however we may be able to reduce this rate if you have a worship team attending). If you would like to attend, please contact me to book a place and arrange payment (info@johnnyparks.com).

Many thanks

Johnny Parks

Thoughts from the Studio

2007-08-27T15:51:00.000+01:00

It's Monday 27th August - a bank holiday for most of you but back to teaching for me. So after a few hours in school, I am back in the studio listening to Johnny putting down vocals for another song. This is the penutimate day of recording with Shane here and the last day for lead vocals. Tomorrow has been set aside for other musicians to come in and add a little more tastiness to the songs. The BV's will be done over the next couple of weeks which means we (I) don't get to relax just yet.

It has been a great learning curve for all of us in terms of the actual recording process but also learning about each other. It has been so fantastic to get to know people better over the last few weeks and to see how we all respond to different situations. I love getting to know people in this way because then you get to know how you can best support each other.

This has been an important experience for me and no doubt for all of us in the band. I am really excited about the future and I already have the sense that this time and what we have done is much more significant than we can imagine. Let's hope so!

Claire

Day 16 in the Studio

2007-08-27T15:11:00.000+01:00

So we are on day 16 of the recording and still have 4 days to go and then some! We are currently putting down the lead vocals and by the end of the day we should have 7 songs done (half way there!). I have to say that JP is doing a fantastic job and his voice is sounding really fantastic. I got the chance to put down 2 lead vocals today which I am happy with but more than that - I just love the songs. I feel a real sense of God's spirit on what we are doing and I feel very expectant about the songs that have been written. It can be quite scary to get excited but I am hoping that this is a God inspired excitement and that people really pick up the songs and find them helpful in communicating something special and unique to God.

Shane Wilson has been fantastic! He is patient and encouraging and just a great guy to be around. He has become a friend to us and we will be very sad to see him leave on Wednesday (we will always have a soft spot for Crispy Beef from the Chinese). We have tried to convince him to move to Ireland but I guess Nashville probably suits best for his line of work!!!!!!

This has been a fantastic experience and opportunity for us all and we genuiney feel humbled to be doing such a wonderful thing. It is a privilege to feel like you know what you were made for and we are thankful.

Claire

Photos from the coast

2007-08-27T13:05:00.000+01:00

Yo

Me and Shane (the engineer/producer) took some time out from the studio yesterday and headed up the North Coast for some frest air and a good feed at the Ramore Wine Bar. It was a great way to spend a wee morning. Here's some photos from out trip...we are surely blessed!

New Photos from the Studio

2007-08-23T17:39:00.000+01:00

Hey y'all

Here's some more shots from the studio!!

Tour Bookings

2007-08-23T17:26:00.000+01:00

Hi y'all

Hope you are well.

We wanted to let you know the exciting news that Johnny and the band are going to be touring the new album in the new year. (The album is going REALLY well - the band have most of the tracking done and are digging into the vocals at the moment)

Johnny and the band are planning to tour around Ireland and the UK from January - June and have a number of dates confirmed already. Over the next wee while we will be pulling together all the bits and pieces to get everything organised and will inform you of the dates once everything has been finalised...it's gonna be fun!

If you are interested in booking Johnny and the band for a night of the tour to play in your church or at a venue near you, then please get in touch! All you have to do is send a nice wee email and we'll get back to you really soon with a friendly response. Email us at info@johnnyparks.com

Check the blog or website for updates: www.johnnyparks.blogspot.com or www.johnnyparks.com

Peace

The JP team

'The Troubles Are Over' at the Odyssey

2007-08-17T15:38:00.000+01:00

Hey all

So...I'm just back home today after we played a couple of dates with Chris Tomlin: one in the Odyssey Arena, Belfast and one in Stoke, England.

In the Odyssey, we introduced a new song called 'The Troubles Are Over' which addresses how God has moved in response to prayer for peace in our land (Northern Ireland). (For those of you who don't know, the conflict in Northern Ireland has been known locally as 'The Troubles' for about 40 years.) We have felt for a while that we wanted to write more songs that address the situation in our own locality rather than concentrating on writing songs for the global church.

God has moved in an astounding way in our land in my lifetime. I grew up in The Troubles and can distinctly remember the day the IRA called a ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement was signed (which was a govermental document outlining a road to increased negiotations and stability).

Recently we have witnessed great strides forward at a political level and a greater level of political leadership and courage that we've seen for decades. Politics in our country is always unpredictable however, finally it feels like we are entering a different era....and I hope it lasts. Could it be true that The Troubles are finally over?

I know that everything isn't perfect here (which country is?) and that there is still pain and heartache experienced by many however we wanted to write a song that began to express some of our gratitude for what God has already done. It's like the Kingdom of God is already here and...it is still to come. Translating that concept to our country means that peace and healing is already here and it is still yet to come...The Trouble are over and they are still to finish completely.

I firmly believe that the songs written for the church should attempt to address the issues that nations face and not just solely concentrate on all the 'good stuff' of God. So, we have introduced this song in our worship times. In fact, we've sung it already in times of worship at a number of big events in Ireland. It's been interesting to witness peoples responses. Many people have been stimulated and challenged by the song - some have been deeply moved. Others have found it difficult to sing...maybe because there are still some sensitivities about talking about The Troubles in a conversation, let alone mentioning it in a large public worship gathering. Or, maybe for some people it is also about a fear and resistance to move on. It sometimes feels easier to remain silent and not mention or acknowledge what we have experienced here.

Maybe, for some of us, it is time that we become more confident in breaking this silence and lifting our voices. Bearing in mind that for years we have prayed for peace, I think, that as the body of Christ we need to publically express our thanks to God for all He has done in our great land.

What do you say?

Peace,
Johnny

The Tomlin Tour

2007-08-17T15:37:00.000+01:00

We have just returned home after a busy few days supporting Chris Tomlin & Band in Belfast and Stoke-on-Trent. It has been an absolutely fantastic few days (except for the ridiculously early flights). Playing in the Odyssey is always difficult (in my humble opinion) as you feel quite disconnected from the crowd and therefore it is difficult to sense whether or not people are engaging in worship. Nevertheless, it seemed to go quite well and we had lots of positive feedback about the set and particularly a few of our new songs i.e. Rescuer, Troubles and Great Church. The best part of the night had to be going out for a drink after with some of the guys including our drummer for the event (Tim Cooke) and Shane Wilson (our producer). The boys sampled some Millenium Bushmills Whiskey and Shane pointed out that this experience was 2nd to the birth of his son!

We flew to Manchester on Thursday morning for our gig in Stoke. This was a smaller theatre (approx. 1000) but the atmosphere was great and despite tiredness we really gave ourselves in worship and played a really energetic set which people really engaged in. We got good feedback and encouragement about Rescuer and Great Church (2 new songs which will be on the album).

The last few weeks have been very significant for me in a number of ways; I love building relationship with people and so this has been a great chance to get to know the band better and meet other musicians. I have really felt God's presence over relationships and can see how he is growing us in love for one another. It has been great to hook up with the Tomlin Band and be able to participate in worship. Chris has quite a few great songs and so it was just soo refreshing for me to spend time worshipping God and be overwhelmed with gratitude for what He has done, what He is doing in me and what he is doing with our band. Time to worship is so vital for me as it is one of the primary ways that I feel connected to God and so I need to prioritise this more. The Tomlin band did a great job at both UK dates and it was fantastic to support them and air some of the new songs.

So, it's back into the studio today to put down keys and guitars for the next few days. Please continue to pray for us all as we seek to bring the best that we have to this project.

Some Photos from the Studio

2007-08-11T22:26:00.001+01:00

Have a wee look:

Important Irish things

2007-08-11T14:07:00.000+01:00

Hi

We are sitting in the studio here and contrary to what you might think, we are sitting down, right now, and getting prepared to watch Ireland play Scotland in rugby. It's a very important moment.

I am a rugby fan. Always have been. My Grandad played for Ireland in the 20's and my dad played rugby at a senior level for many years. I was fortunate enought to play in some great teams and won the Ulster Schools Sevens tournament and the Under 20's League and Cup in Ireland. Irish rugby is in my blood.

So this game today is important to watch however, it is even more important given the fact that the Rugby World Cup starts after the summer (I am so excited/nervous)...and Ireland have the best team they've had for decades.

Irish rugby is great. The tradition, the passion, the skill and the 6/7 years of preparation for Eddie O'Sullivan getting the team ready. If there ever was a moment for the Irish side to do well in a world cup, this is it. They are in the hardest group however they have the ability to perform.

I know there are more important things in life...but I wonder every now and then if God has a wee bit of Irish blood. If he does, let's hope he shows some favour to the squad today and for the World Cup. Pleeease.

We deserve it.

JP

Studio Update

2007-08-10T13:33:00.000+01:00

Hi

Hope you are well.

Just sending a wee email through from Windmill Lane studio in Dublin to let you know about how things are going....

...we've been having a really productive time here. We're in day 3 and are ahead of schedule. So far we have tracked 5 songs and are now putting down some piano (there's a beautiful big grand in the studio). So far we've done:

Rescuer
Our God is Mighty
The Troubles Are Over
Freedom 'Let's go!'
Walk beside me Jesus

We're really encouraged about the tunes so far - they are starting to establish themselves and feeling REALLY good. There are lots of smiles. Yesterday, we worked on a new tune called 'Freedom, Let's go' and it is sounding like a lot of fun - great drums. I think you'll like it. The band are playing really well and Mikey, the new drummer, is doing agreat job. He's settled in nicely.

We are hoping to put down another 3 tracks today and stay ahead of schedule.

Just to let you know that my Mum is at home recovering. She has been a bit sore and is going to hospital today to meet the consultant and discuss their plans for how they administer the chemo. She is likely to start the treatment in about 4 weeks. I spoke to her yesterday and she still seems in good spirits which is encouraging.

We've also spoken with Nik and he seems in good form but missing everyone here.

Please remeber to pray.

Peace,
JP

My Mum and Recording Update

2007-08-05T17:48:00.000+01:00

Hey - Just wanted to send through a quick update before we head off to record.

My Mum has been recovering well in hospital after her operation this week. She has had to stay in for a few extra days due to some minor complications but is getting hope today. Once she has recovered a bit she will begin chemotherapy.

As usual, she is in good spirits and is quite calm and confident about what lies ahead. This is encouraging to see.

We've been really encouraged by all the emails and kind words you have shared with us - thank you so much.

Everything else is going well as we prepare for the album. We have all had this weekend off - no rehearsals and are meeting on Tuesday to head to the studio. Everyone is excited and the songs are sounding great. I am buzzing about the rocording and can't wait to get going - it feels really God-inspired. We all feel really confident about His purposes and presence in the songs. It's great.

Please continue to pray for us and our families as we get busy over the next few weeks.

Peace

JP

My Mum

2007-07-31T14:08:00.000+01:00

Hi

As you probably know, my Mun recently found out she has breast cancer and is in the hospital today for her second surgery. She's probably being operated on as I type this.

I hate illness and I don't like times like this at all. They put a knot in my tummy and fill me with dread and fear. It's hard to think of anything good about times like this cos it is so distressing and difficult to continually remain positive.

I was at chruch on Sunday and the talk was about one of the 10 Commandments - honour your Father and Mother. I found it hard to hold back my tears during the entire talk because I could remember so many times when I did not honour them and I can think of times when I am not an honourable parent. I sat there, thinking about my mum and her battle with cancer and my life with her and felt this urgency to do something. I don't know what it was I wanted to do but I wanted to do something. My chin wobbled and I felt tears on my cheeks.

I can remember times with my mum that have been great but I can also remember times of pain and regret. Sitting there at church just gave me time out to remember those times and to be thankful to her for bringing me into the world and raising me the best way that she could. Neither of us were perfect.

It's all the more of an incentive to be a great Dad. I know I am not a perfect Dad....but I really want to be! The love I have for my 2 boys and the wee one that is due in November is bigger than a mountain range...it's scary.

And that's probably how Mum feels about me.

I'm her wee son (even though I'm a big oaf now).

My Mum and the rest of us have a difficult journey ahead of us and I want you to pray for us that we remain strong and positive even when we see the ugly things in life.

peace,

Johnny

Drummer Boy

2007-07-30T21:33:00.000+01:00

Hi all

Just to let you know that we have now got the drumming situation resolved for the recording. Nik has had to completely pull out...he is pretty gutted.

We've been really looking into other possibilites and have spoken loads to the record company over the last coupla days and have got a fella called Mikey Randon playing. I don't know him but have heard some of his stuff and he has a good reputation. phew.

Now that we have the drumming situation sorted for the album, all we need to do is to get the drumming situation sorted for the dates we have lined up after the recording. aly ideas, let me know!

Peace,
JP

Update About Nik

2007-07-28T21:42:00.000+01:00

Yo

Just wanted to update you about Nik. Unfortuately, he is gonna have to pull out of the recording at this late stage. I had a long conversation with him this morning and due to his condition he is going to have to back out - both Nik and the band are gutted.

Nik has really bad Tinnitus and hyper-sensitivity and it is having a nightmarish impact in his life (loss of sleep, head-aches, tension, etc.). Loud noise gives him lots of hassle...which means playing the drums for an intensive period of time is a no-go.

Nik is pretty down about the whole thing so please remember him in your prayers.

We are in the process of looking into other drummers. We have invited a local fella (Niall Kennedy) to come to our next rehearsal and are hoping that he'll do a great job.

Please remember to pray for us all...upward and onward!

JP

Urgent Prayers

2007-07-27T23:02:00.000+01:00

Hi all

This is just a quick blog to ask you to pray for the band as we go to record soon.

Over the last while, we've felt we have come under attack just as we are getting ready and prepared to record. We feel sooo excited about this recording - it is going to be something special - and we have been experiencing some attacks recently that just seem to be an attempt to discourage and distract us.

As you may know, Nik's (our drummer) younger sister Lyndsey died recently after a battle with cancer. Obviously, Nik's family (particularly his parents Liz and Arthur) are really struggling to come to terms with this great loss. Nik has recently developed Tinitus in his ears and is having difficulty sleeping - he has been really suffering and is at the stage where he may not be able to record.

Also, my Mum (Pat) was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 weeks ago. She has already had surgery but found out today that she is going to need more and will be starting chemotherapy fairly soon. The cancer has been diagnosed as invasive and aggressive however there is a good chance of recovery. Mum is an amazing spirit - she is going back to hospital on Tuesday and is completely trusting God that He is in control - she is very calm and assured about the future.

Please pray for my family, Nik's family and the rest of the band. We want to be covered in God's protection for this next period as we create something special.

thanks

Johnny

New Album Update

2007-07-27T22:43:00.000+01:00

Hi All

Sorry it has been a while since my last blog! Been focused on lots of stuff and have let this slip a bit. The good thing is there's lots to update you with.

So...at the moment we are getting everything organised for the recording. We are going to Windmill Lane Studio on the 7th August to put down the tracks. Me and the band are all going and Shane Wilson is co-producing with us. Iain Archer is gonna come and help for a few days and hopefully we'll get a few other musicians appearing.

We've been working hard on the new tunes. So far we have 10 the we have pre-produced (out of these, we have led worship with 6 in a variety of settings and they are getting a good response). The tunes are: Rescuer, Lord Of The Earth; Victorious; Walls; Troubles Are Over; Amazingly; Let Justice Be My Light; Brand New Day; Our God Is Mighty and Great Church...it's pretty exciting.

We are using all the instruments we normally use and the sounds we like on the recording and...we will getting back in touch with our roots and introducing some tasteful Irish instruments. Honestly...these songs are gonna sound sooo good - we are buzzing about the sounds and ideas.

We have really felt challenged to write songs for our local context and church for this album (as well as songs for the world). We want the album to have a strong connection with Northern Ireland. There are 2 songs that we've already written that are immediately connected to our country and what God has done here in recent times. We are excited that God has responded to the prayers of the church and the we are entering a new era of peace and stability here...so we have written one song that is a celebration of God's great work here....it's called 'The Troubles Are Over'. We feel pretty encouraged about it and have been asking people here to join with us in singing it...it is a statement about what has apready happened here and what is yet to happen. You're gonna really respond to it.

Once we record in Dublin, we'll be doing overdubs in Blackdog studio in Belfast and mixing in Nashville. we'll have to get some nice new photos taken soon and our good mate Hutch is gonna do that for us. He's great craic....looking forward to seeing him.

Hopefully we will have the album ready for everyone to buy at the start of November.

Please remember us in your prayers as we roll up our sleeves and get recording over the next while.

ta,

JP

Summer Madness 07 (Sat nite)

2007-07-01T08:50:00.000+01:00

Hi

Writing this on the morning afer the first night we played at SM07. Really great, good fun night for us - I really enjoyed it.

The band were all pretty excited to be back at Ireland's biggest Christian festival and it was great to get playing all the songs to a big local crowd. We played a couple of new tunes...'Victorious' and 'Rescuer' and the crowd seemed to respond to them well (which is good cos they're probably going on the new album).

My mate Ding was doing sound for us and did a great job...plus my mate Colin did a bit of guitar teching and was fandabbydosie...good to have some buddies helping out.

I think we got off to a really good start - the band sounded well and God was in the room. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week.

later,

JP

Some News

2007-04-16T20:01:00.001+01:00

I hope this finds you all well.

I wanted to send you a wee update to let you know what’s been going on in this neck of the woods! We’re in the process of getting ready for the new album. It’s really exciting. We are planning to have the album out for the end of September 07. We’re gonna be recording most of the summer in the famous ‘Windmill Lane’ studio, Dublin. Nowthis is exciting! This is where U2 recorded almost all their early stuff (plus some of their later stuff) and it is now owned by Van the Man Morrison. How good is that?! Can’t wait.

Although it is not confirmed at the moment, we are in the process of finalising who we are going to co-produce the record with. At the moment it looks like it will be Shane Wilson. He’s based in Nashville and has recently co-produced David Crowder’s ‘A-Collision’. However, I think the thing that attracted me to him is his work wirh Derek Webb. (If you don’t know Derek Webb, check him out. Great melody and great words. Fantastic tune called ‘A New Law’). It’s kinda tough getting the right producer. We’ve looked at lots of possibilities and Shane seems to be the man. We want someone who understands our sounds and what we are trying to do but who is also willing to really challenge the songs and get the best from us.

It is also likely that we will be getting Iain Archer to help us out with some pre-production and guitar sounds. Iain is an incredibly gifted song-writer and has been a mate of mine since I bumped into him on Bangor beach when I was a wee lad of 11. He's a nice fella! Plus he has played guitar on lots of Snow Patrol stuff and co-written some tunes with Gary Lightbody.

The songs are coming along really well. Lots of good tunes getting established and other ones emerging – very exciting! We’ve been recording some demos recently just to get a feel of the songs and let some ideas bubble up. There are sounding good.

What else is going on with uswell we have some new dates coming up in the summer. We’re playing the Summer Madness Festival and also touring a bit with Chris Tomlin in the UK (dates to be confirmed).

Can I ask you to remember to pray for our drummer, Nik’s sister (Lindsay). She is very ill at the moment with cancer and we are praying for a miracle. Please fight with us.

Talk to you all soon

Peace
JP xo

Music I am listening to:
Trad Irish Band ‘Lunasa’ album called ‘Otherworld’. Unbelievable.
Some KRAZY stuff by Deerhoof
The Arcade Fire’s latest one ‘Neon Bible’
The ‘Great Lake Swimmers’

Worship Community - City Church

2007-03-27T16:09:00.000+01:00

Hi all

I hope you're all well.

Last Saturday, I ran a worship support/training day for lots of different worship leaders and musicians from Ireland (and further afield), with help from a few friends (David and Claire Hamilton, Christian Barr and Josh Galbraith). I left the day feeling inspired, encouraged and challenged. For me, it felt like the start of building something important and symbolic in Ireland.

I dont know if it is just me but I felt deeply encourged about the range of people who participated in the day. There were Baptists, Presbys, Methodists, CoI's, Charismatics and possibly a few that I am missing. People travelled from Larne, Bangor, Dublin, Portadown, Ballyclare, England and Newtownards to be there...and it seemed to me that the day seemed to be serving a local need that needs to be acknowledged and appropriately addressed.

There are many worship leaders and musicians who faithfully serve in their local churches week after week who feel ill-equipped, under-resourced and at times frustrated. The purpose of the day was to give space to these experiences/feelings but to also explore vision, solutions, possibilities and how we can support each other. I want these days to result in empowered people making a compassionate, positive contribution to others around them. I am interested much more in the solutions and in unity rather than the problems and division. How can we continue to do what we are doing and do it even better?

One of the things I am most excited about is that we are in the process of building a community of people who can give a committment (even if it is limited) to look after and support each other. I have a vision for a community of people who commit to each other for 5 years or 10 years and who are genuinely interested and passionate about creating the songs and music that need to be sung in their locality and in this land. Imagine that...local people resourced and supported to find and express God's creative heart for this land (rather that only reproducing the songs tht come from other parts of the world). This is so necessary if we are genuinely to bring light, hope and freedom into our communities.

For those of you who participated, I want to thank you for you openness and your decision to be there. Thank you for sharing your hearts and ideas. I am really interested to hear from you about how we can make this as good as possible.

One of the things I am particularly interested in is how we can continue to keep this an inclusive community rather that something that excludes. How can we open our arms to others? How can we invite more in?

I am really looking forward to the next time we meet.

Peace

Johnny xo

The sound of our band - should we apply the brakes or the accelerator?

2007-03-13T13:50:00.000Z

Hi all

Just a quick comment to say that I am feeling soooo excited about the sound of the band at the moment. I feel like we're discovering territory that is new to us....and it feels great.

As a creative person who loves music, it can sometimes be frustrating leading worship when, at times, there need to be certain parameters on the sounds of the songs and the way in which we play them. We can't just 'go for it' and be completely and recklessly boundless in what we do with our sounds...cos if we do, we may put up a barrier to people engaging with God and meet resistance...so what do we do?

I can hear all the creative people reading this saying "just do it Johnny...don't hold back...take your foot off the brakes". I can sense your frustration cos you love God the Creator and want to see something that manifests that part of Gods character. I feel like that too sometimes...but I also feel called to serve the church and all those people who don't even notice the textures of a sound that we've worked on for 2 weeks.

So do I serve the part of me that wants to be fully and wonderfully creative or do I submit myself to my calling of serving the church...or...

...is there another way?

Is there another expression?

Another alternative?

Something we are just discovering?

Is there a another place that is both wonderfully creative and serves the church?

What do we need to learn? What do we need to let go of? What can we do better? What else do we need to hear that we are not noticing?

What is it that we are not yet seeing?

God is bigger than our ways and ideas. Bigger than our traditions. Bigger that my fears. We don't really understand HIM.

Where are the new voices here? What do we need to learn and do differently?

let me know

JP xo

Ballinderry Rocks!

2007-03-02T23:41:00.000Z

Yo!

Just returned from Ballinderry...what a great night! We had such a good time.

We were invited to lead at the last night of a series of events in the local area (B'derry, Aghalee and some funny place called Broomhedge!?). It was a great wee night with some really enthusiastic, lovely people in the room.

I had a sense that God was speaking to folk tonight and working with them...and there was a real feeling of freedom in the room.

The PA broke down at one stage, so we decided to sing a few wee songs off-the-cuff....some old skool praise songs and a couple of others. The crowd really responded and seemed to relax and then seemed much more comfortable about freely entering into worship.

We had a chat in the car on the way home about how people sometimes need to feel there is permission in the room before they can relax and enter into worship without feeling they have inhibitions. It made me wonder how we could help people to relax more and become more free.

Anyway...thanks for a great night to all of you who were there. We really loved being there, having a bit of craic and meeting God with you. let's do it again!

Peace

JP
xo

Mission Worship - do we need these songs?

2007-02-27T08:19:00.000Z

Hi all

I'm over in Brighton meeting with some good friends at the moment. Yesterday, I spent the day meeting with Stuart Townend and Malcolm du Plessis to discuss a concern of ours that we have a lack of songs that we can sing when the world is in crisis. There are few songs that we can sing when we want to communicate something about war, justice, poverty, the changing climate etc.

This is an interesting one for me as I have always been interested in politics, human rights and the Christian response to social issues. I've worked in this arena for many years and am still passionate about it.

In leading worship, I have tried to introduce songs (either ones that I have written or an established song) to a set that say something to remind us of our responsibility to engage with that part of the Gospel which is about responding to the poor etc. For example, we've played 'Make me a channel of our peace' a lot.

Standing from the front, what I have noticed is that songs like this seem to disengage some people. Their hands go down. They stop singing and spectate. They switch off. Some people do respond but many dont. Why is this?

Do you think there is a need for song writers and worship leaders to introduce songs that engage peoples hearts and intellects in these issues? If so, how can it be done in a way that encourages, is gracious and doesn't sit in judgement?

What are your ideas about the current state of affairs in the church of the west with regard to worship and engaging with these issues?

Peace,

Johnny xo

Christian Fellowship Church, 18th Feb 07

2007-02-18T23:29:00.000Z

Hi all

Really good night leading worship in Belfast tonight. There was a mad red-haired American (called Karl) from Minneapolis speaking and he said some great stuff. He didn't hold back and brought a good challenge to the people listening to reconsider some of the assumptions and expectations they make. It was good. We led worship and played a couple of new songs - the band sounded great and God really ministered to folk.

I had a bit of a chat with Karl afterwards and he seems like a great fella - I told him I was out in Minneapolis last week and we're gonna try and hook up at some stage out there for s steak! Yum.

JP

Tomlin Tour night 3 - Chicago

2007-02-11T16:54:00.000Z

Hi all,

I am loving it! Chicago is fantastic.

Tonight's event was really, really great. Again, everyone played really well and Louie spoke like a legend and God turned up. It was great to see again people being ministered to yet again and folk responding to God!

The crowd tonight were great - really ready to engage with God and have some fun. It's great to have a bit of laughter and craic in these events isn't it? I love a giggle. Thanks fo making me so welcome in your home tonight - I appreciate your warmth and hospitality.

So that was my last night on tour - I want to say a huge thanks to Chris (Steel), Jesse, Daniel, Glider and Travis and of course Louie (butch) - it has been great fun. Thanks for looking after me and letting me do my thing. Thanks Jesse for the great introductions each night - only 85% of it is true!

OK - back to the heartland of great music and poetry (Ireland). see y'all soon,

Peace

JP

xo

Tomlin Tour Night 2 - Minneapolis!

2007-02-10T04:49:00.000Z

Minneapolis ROCKS!

I want to live here. We had an incredible night! The people were soooo responsive and just wanted to throw themselves into worship 110%. I loved it!

The people from this state are pretty cool. For example, today at 10.30am, we were picked up by a few local folk who wanted to take us to their gym. Initially I was under the impression that we would all just go for a gentle workout until I discovered that we had our own personal pilates trainier and she (Elizabeth) is seriously ripped. Just to give you an idea of how fit she is, she casually mentioned that she is racing tomorrow in a 51k cross-country ski! MAJOR respect! Anyway...tonight I feel like I have found some muscles I never knew existed in my body. They are such a nice bunch of people who looked after us really well...thanks guys.

So - tonight was really great! Chris and the band were fantastic - really on fire. Louie spoke really well and people responded to what God was doing. It was inspiring. It feels like a real honour to be here involved in some of this stuff.

I had great fun tonight - the crowd were great and really welcomed me. We laughed a lot together! The songs went really well tonight too. I played a new one 'Rescuer' and everyone picked it up quickly and sang along. It's been really encouraging.

I am LOVING it!

I'll keep you posted about tomorrow night once we're done.

Peace,

JP

Milwaukee!

2007-02-09T04:32:00.000Z

Yo!

I love Milwaukee...it's freeeeezing but the people are good!

We just finished the first night together and I have really enjoyed myself. I played 5 tunes at the start and had some fun with the crowd - I think they understood about 50% of what I was saying due to my accent...hopefully it made some sense!?

Chris, the band and Louie did really well. It's the first time I've heard Louie speak and I was really impressed and encouraged. What I am loving about this trip is that it's not about the show or the concert...it's all about the family of God and God ministering to people. It is encouraging to work with people who are humble and want to leave the space for God to do His thing.

People seemed to be doing business with God tonight and that's really great.

Thanks Milwaukee...I've enjoyed your company and I hope to get back some day soon!

Peace,

JP xo

Tomlin Tour - Day 1

2007-02-08T18:02:00.000Z

Hi all

So I am in Milwaukee! It is really cold! Did you know that Milwaukee has the largest 4-sided clock in the world - even bigger the Big Ben (which should now be called Not-So-Big-Ben). That's what the taxi man told me anyway!

So After having some airline worries, my guitar was finally delivered to my hotel this morning. I kissed it when it arrived. Avalon guitars have very kindly given me one of their new 'Americana' range guitars to play for the next while. It is stunning! sounds awesome and looks FANTASTIC! It makes me feel like a wee boy again. You should check them out www.avalonguitars.com

After waking up this morning and having a wee think, I have decided on the acoustic set...I am going to play:

1. A wee Irish Mountains Jig
2. The Happy Song
3. Close To You
4. Who Can Stop This Noise? (New song written with Matt Redman)
5. Blessed Be Your Name

Then I am gonna get up with Chris and the band and do Glory at a later stage...should be lots of fun!

I feel really excited to be here and can't wait to get playing. The folk from this area seem really decent people - very helpful and polite. Some of them seem to think I am Scottish...not too far away...plus I love the Scots. But my heart is and always be Irish!

Well - here's to a good night! I'll keep you posted.

Peace,

JP xo

Faith

2007-01-24T23:35:00.000Z

Faith...

My heart is expanding at the moment and my faith has become stronger. I am trusting more in God than I ever have done.

There was a time not so long ago when my faith had put its feet up and was resting nicely on the settee in front on the TV. Recently, my faith has been challenged and re-awakened. It is being exercised.

It is a funny thing that it is in the times of stress, anxiety and uncertainty when your faith emerges and grows. Faith seems to thrive on these times. It seems to flourish and blossom when our world has been shaken. When our comforts disappear, our faith remains.

I (and my family) have taken some steps of faith recently in obedience to God. We want to walk in the fulness of His calling. We have left the comfort zone and have faced some immediate challenges. At times we have been a wee bit shakey however we are walking in FULL knowledge that God is a Father who continually pours love on His children. We are confident in Him and are full of hope and anticipation for the future. Our faith is expanding.

We have some friends who are experiencing the tough side of life. Nik, my drummer, has a sister, aged 23, who has been diagnosed with cancer. She has started radiotherapy this week and now needs chemo. The doctors are giving bad news. However, we have faith in this situation...we all have faith for a great outcome. Despite the odds, the worries, and in the midst of a confusing situation, we are sure of our faith that there is always a higher purpose for good. And we are believing for good in this situation. We are depending on our faithful Father.

The Father who heard our cries when we were sinking to the depths and being swallowed by the mountains is standing firm at our shoulders. He hems us in. He surrounds us. He is our Defender and Protector. He is the God with the heart and response of a loving Father. He is hugely compassionate and eternally strong.

Our compass points in His direction. We pursue Him and call on His favour and blessing. In faith we ask Him to respond as a Father and give us everything we don't deserve.

We are tested and our faith expands.

Join us in praying into these situations

Johnny P

Co-writing with Matt Redman

2007-01-21T13:34:00.000Z

Hi everyone

So....the songs are being collected for the new album and I am feeling more and more excited about how they are developing! I spent a couple of days last week over at Matt's house in England working on some new material.

It has been an interesting and very productive process writing with Matt. We both work well together and bring our own ideas and contributions to the table. Most writers have particular approaches to songs and have developed a certain craft of writing. Matt and I have our own unique ways of hearing songs and we probably view them from different angles. This has been very constructive as, during the process, we searched long and hard for just the right melody and words - we worked very well together.

We spent quite a bit of time revisiting 2 songs that we had started previously: "You Can't Stop This Noise" and "Amazingly" and we got these 2 songs pretty much nailed. We then began to work on a couple of others and look at some words that we felt inspired about, meaning that we have the guts of another 3 or 4 songs in the pipeline. Good stuff.

Anyway, once I get the chance to get some decent versions recorded, I will post them for you to listen to.

Over and out,

JP

Praying For Peace

2007-01-08T21:30:00.000Z

I am just back from leading worship at a prayer meeting in Stormont Buildings - the home of the soon to be (hopefully) Northern Ireland Assembly. I was there with my church (Christian Fellowship Church) on our annual week of prayer and fasting to pray for increased peace in our country. We are at an interesting time in our country where the main political parties have the opportunity to work with each other and establish a 'power-sharing' government. This would be a huge step forward for us however at the moment it is hanging in the balance.

It is so good to be a part of a family who are genuinely concerned with leaving a legacy of peace in our country. It was fantastic to be in the room where the elected representatives, decision makers and political figures have met in our country over decades and pray for the Kingdom of God to be present. The alternative Kingdom that challenges the dominant voice and ushers in a spirit of understanding, peace and compassion.

There was a sense that we were praying into the new future that our country will have. There are still many political difficulties and complexities in N Ireland and it was great to pray for a future where some of these difficulties are behind us and we live in a land of blessing. Please take time to pray for the main political parties over the next couple of months as they try to listen to each other, represent their communities and find an acceptable solution for our future.

Thanks,
JP

It's January!

2007-01-03T23:36:00.000Z

Yo

I woke up and it is January.

We've just revolved around the sun one more time and I didn't even feel us move. How does that happen? This year, as we revolve, I am going to put my head out the car window like a big dog and watch the universe go by.

So the Holidays are 'officially' over in my house. The tree is down and we are finishing up the last chocolates. I have had a good holiday. Some good extended family time. It's good to see that my family and my in-laws are still as KRAZY as I always thought they were.

So did you get any unusual presents this year? I don't know if I got anything particularly unusual but I did get a nice pair of running tights. I look particularly fetching in them. They cling.

Well...I have officially finshed being an employee and am now fully entered into the world of self-employment! It is full-on exciting. I have done 2 days work for myself this year (it is only the 3rd Jan)! I am loving it and really feel excited about getting the time to write GREAT songs and get well organised. I cannot tell you what a sense of relief I feel that I have finally taken this jump. I am proud of myself. In fact I am going to pat myself on the back right now.....there! I feel like I am really walking into something special. I've already been tested a few times since I made the decision to do this....it's funny ins't it....you take a jump into something that you know is important as is significant for you and as soon as you do it, a little test appears, then another, then another. It's been interesting for me as at times I've become a little bit scared and shaken but then I've rediscovered my equilibrium, found my resolve and kept going. God is with me in this. It's an adventure!

I am listening to some fantastic music at the moment. An album by The Weepies which will melt your heart. One by a fella called Richard Hawley called 'Low Edge' - fantastic. And the lastest by Yo La Tengo - it is 5 star quality. Check them out.

I am going to be doing lots of dates over the next while - locally and some further afield - check out the site for the latest info.

Talk soon peeps.

JP

iTunes UK

2006-12-14T19:35:00.000Z

Just to let you know Almighty Sound is now available to download from iTunes UK - so get your favourite song or songs there! You can also get albums from the likes of One Hundred Hours, Brenton Brown, Nick Herbert, David Gate, Tim Hughes, Matt Redman and other Survivor Artists.

Apologies for the lack of blogging but Christmas is coming and things have been busy busy. I leave my current job next week so lots to do before then. I will be doing more writing for the new album come January and hope to get recording dates finalised soon. Will try and keep you informed about that and confirm some dates we are playing in 2007.

So in the meantime. Hope you have a great Christmas and New Year!

JPx

Enjoy!

myspace

2006-11-11T00:52:00.000Z

Check out www.myspace.com/johnnyparksmusic - I need a few friends.....

iTunes USA

2006-11-08T12:36:00.000Z

For all of you in the USA you can now download Almighty Sound on iTunes. Hope to have it in the UK store one day soon............

Oh my goodness...anthems!

2006-11-07T20:06:00.000Z

Hi

Yes I know it is a dramatic title to this blog comment, however, I think it deserves it. (It's good to be dramatic every now and then anyway).

I'm sitting in Heathrow at the moment and have just spent 2 FANTASTIC days over in England. I had a totally productive, inspiring time writing with Matt Redman. We got working on 2 songs - one called 'Can't Stop This Noise' that I have been playing recently. We fine tuned the words. built a great pre-chorus and re-wrote the chorus...which was the part of the song I was least happy with. I think the version of the song we developed is sooooo good! It's a really BIG song...a great builder with lots of passion. I can't wait to get back and get it infront of the band and let them hear the edits. I think it is a cert for the album.

After a pretty tasty meal with Andrew (Matt's keys player) and a great old chin-wag about life, we then worked on one of Matts that is in the pipeline. It is a great tune with a wonderful melody. We came up with a nice melody for the chorus and played with the intro a bit. It is sounding like a great tune too! Really good work.

After that, I then made my way up to Heathrow for an early morning meeting with the guys from EMI. We had a great yarn about the way forward and chatted about some potentially great developments in the US. They have been really supportive.

Finally...I made it up to London town to hang with Nick Herbert and get a bit more writing done. We had a great time...what a lovely bloke. I hung out with his wife and wee girl too - they are great folk. Nick an I have been working on a tune called 'Rescuer'. Again, we made a number of significant changes to it and both of us are feeling really excited and positive about the song. Hmmm...it is really sounding great.

I feel really encouraged and excited about all the songs. They are becoming anthems! It is so good taking the tunes and putting them in from of other people for input and feedback. The church in England has some GREAT writers. Really great. (But I still think the Irish have the looks!)

Hope you are all well.

JP xo

Erwin McManus and Matt Redman

2006-11-06T09:48:00.000Z

Yo y'all

Hope you are all full of the joys of Autumn.

I am sitting on my bed somewhere near Brighton in the English countryside and am looking out the window at an incredible view of multi-coloured trees being hugged by thick fog. Pretty cool.

Anyway...things are going great. Just finished leading worship at a conference in Dublin where Erwin McManus was speaking. It was a great time. Erwin said some really great stuff that I personally found very useful. Challenged and encourage everyone to be responsible for creating their future and for taking a few more risks stimulated by the passions God has put in us. I found the content really fortifying (particularly since I am taking the jump and leaving work at the end of the year!).

We led worship and played a few new songs which people really responded to. We tried one out called 'Walls' and one called "Can't stop this noise'. I am really happy with the songs but feel they still need a wee bit of tweaking....If you were there, what did you think?

....which brings me to why I am over in England right now. I am getting a couple of days doing a bit of co-writing with Matt Redman and then Nick Herbert. Matt and I are meeting later this morning in the old Chapel in his village (after we get some breakfast...I am hungry). I've a few songs that are half written and I am planning to go over those with Matt and get some feedback. I think he is planning to do the same. I am planning to tweak the above 2 songs and then see if we can write something fresh together.

I am then meeting a couple of folk from EMI tomorrow and then writing a bit with Nick (who is based in St Mary's in London). Should be really productive and great fun.

It is a pretty busy season at the moment. Really full and fulfilling. I am planning everything for post-Christmas and am really encouraged as there are lots of bookings coming in and lots of songs coming out!

I hope you are all doing good.

Talk soon

Johnny

I am doing it!

2006-10-12T11:59:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all doing GREAT.

I wanted to blog to update you about what has been going on recently (for all of you who have received this via email, I am sorry if I am repeating myself...oops)

Well the BIG news for me is that at the end of December this year I am leaving my full time position at the Northern Ireland Youth Forum and from January 07 onwards I will be concentrating loads more time on song-writing, recording and gigging. Oh yes baby...

I am also going to be putting a bit of time into writing a book (about my sons engaging with the education system in N Ireland, through the eyes of their Dad...me!) and...I am setting up a consultancy business that will primarily concentrate on leadership, change and creativity in education, business and church.

So, there's lots and lots happening that is pretty exciting!

It's been a really interesting process for me getting to the place where i have had the courage to make this decision. I think most of my decisions in recent years have been driven by fear and safety and over the summer I got a wee bit fed up with myself for giving myself lots of elaborate reasons for not doing and becoming who and what I am called to do & be. (Plus...let's be honest, whilst what I am doing can sound scary, it also sounds like a whole lot of fun!!!)

I have gone from a place where I have felt pretty scared about the decision to feeling flippin' full of confidence, creativity and excitement. I feel like I am bursting at the seams to get started and fulfill all the stuff that's on my heart.

So, here's the jam...I am going to be starting this from jan 07 onwards and I am filling up my diary with lots of dates etc. I am getting lots of opportunities to do various bits and pieces of work however my priority is to get out and play more music! So, if you want me to get out and get playing where you are, you need to be letting me know really soon...I want to get out as much as possible, so if you want to book me then all you need to do is email me at johnny@johnnyparks.com. Come on....get busy!

Also, I am going to be recording a new album next year to be ready for June. I am in the process of digging into more of God to get the songs that are on His heart. There's some great stuff emerging and I can't wait to get the recording done and let you all hear the new tunes....I think you'll like them (the band is sounding amazing!). I'll keep you posted about this on the blog.

Anyway....enough about me, how you doing?

Keep dreaming

Johnny ooo

Good Gigs

2006-10-03T17:19:00.000+01:00

I am getting pretty darned excited about some of the gigs that are on as part of the Belfast Festival over the next wee while. I going to some class ones. Sparklehorse on Oct 16th and Ryan Adams & the Cardinals on Oct 21st. Can't wait. Would love to be getting to more like Lambchop for one. But bit too pricey to get to them all. If you can get to any of them I would really recommend it although I think Ryan Adams is sold out.

Apart from work and going to gigs I am still trying to focus my spare time on some song writing for the next album and I think there are some good songs starting to emerge. I'll be continuing to do that over the coming months. So I am sure going to these gigs will only inspire me more.

Song writing is going really well. Just wrote a new one and rehearsed it with the band last night....it's called 'Can't stop this noise'...and I am loving it. Claire (who plays keys) was hitting some lovely stuff on the analogue synth. Yummy. Getting all the tracks ready for the new album.

It's a good time at the moment...I'm feeling inspired and pretty excited about all that's happening!

Talk soon

JP

PFYN at Soul Survivor

2006-08-24T11:33:00.000+01:00

Hi all

Just back from Passion For Your Name. Great conference. Tim and Rachel Hughes were leading it and they did a fantastic job - just allowing space for God to move and speak and not being afraid to wait on God. It was great to be in an environment where people are just ready to worship and go for it. It was an encouraging and supportive place for those of us who are involved in worship in local church. So if you were there thanks!

I was over with Claire and Nik from the band and we were leading worship with Luke and Tim from HTB who did great. Good guys. Some challenging speakers including J John, David Westlake and Tre Sheppard. Plenty of food for thought. Fortunately for us this year we stayed in a B&B - especially since it wasn't really weather for camping!

It was however the last PFYN worship conference. There are still opportunities for worship teaching and training throughout the year - check out www.worshipcentral.org.uk which is headed up by Tim Hughes and Al Gordon. You can check out one of Tim's new songs there - Happy Day - really good song. Enjoy.

Cheers
JP

Creativity vs Fear

2006-08-23T20:57:00.000+01:00

Yo - I've just been thinking a lot recently about creativity and fear.

I believe everyone has been made with a unique gift of creativity however sometimes we are so driven by fear (afraid of what people will say and think, afraid of what will happen) that we take the creativity that God has given us and hide it, bury it, ignore it.

I know the creativity that God has given us can change the world and I believe it is our job to rediscover that creativity.

I've been thinking a bit about the parable of the talents and about the poor wee servant (who I've always felt sorry for) who buried his talent because as the Bible says, he was 'afraid'.

You see I have a hunch. My hunch is that you are an incredibly creative person. But I have a concern that we might have taken our creativity, our Talent and like the servant in the story, become afraid and hidden it, buried it. Buried it as if it was dead. Imagne that…people like us – you and me – ordinary people who have been given incredible gifts of creativity, who have somehow become afraid and have buried our gifts as if they were dead.

Creativity is an incredibly powerful thing! Creativity has changed the course of history. Creativity is one of the foundations of this world. Think about it, the first verse in the Bible states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Later it says ‘God created man in his image’. We are created in the image of the most creative being. We are created in the image of the most creative mind ever to exist. I think God must have a really big brain!

Try to imagine a world without creativity: no paintings, no art, no design, no poetry or literature, no drama or acting, no great speeches, no medicine, no construction or architecture, no great leadership, no good foreign policies, no good economic policies, no advances in science….and the list goes on.

The world can be changed through creativity. Creativity is powerful.

If the world can be changed through creativity what are we doing about it? In church what are we doing to genuinely support, foster and encourage peoples creativity? Not just in music and the arts. In education what are we doing? Imaging having an education system that wasn’t predominently driven by grades, results and curriculum. How can we find space in education to allow young people to walk in creativity? Sometimes we fear creativity cos it means something might have to change. I want to encourage anyone who is involved in education to find ways of supporting young people's creativity. If a young person has an idea, where do they go to? If they have a dream, where do they go? Let us be the ones who support them.

And here you are. An incredibly creative person and I want to ask the question how are you using your creativity to change the world? Are your decisions driven by fear – are you afraid like the servant in the parable or are you courageous enough to be creative?

Because creativity is about courage. The opposite of fear is courage.

I have struggled with fear all my life. I have let fear be one of the main drivers of the decisions I have made. When I became a Christian the first verses someone prophesied over me were from Josh 1 “don’t be afraid or discouraged but be strong or courageous”. You know what I discovered? You can actually be productive when you operate from a place of fear but your productivity will only reach a certain limit – you will never do all that you are meant to do or become all you are meant to become. Plus you will change your mind a lot. You will have a nagging sense of what you are meant to do, something will remind you but you will always find an excuse, you will always find a reason not to fulfill your calling

Recently I have had a bit of a change. Something has happened to me. I have put my foot down and said ‘NO!’. I will not be driven by fear. I will walk in courage and let my creativity shine. It wont be buried any more.

You have been made deliberately to be a wonderfully creative person. And do you know what the really great thing is? God has given you all the resources that you need to succeed. Everything that you require to fulfill Gods purposes has already been deposited in you – you already have all you need. And you are the one who is driving the bus! What do I mean by that statement? Well obviously God is involved in our lives however there is a certain time that comes when God hands responsibility over to us. He puts the responsibility firmly in our hands and lets us drive the bus. In other words, it is up to us! This is it! The world is changed by people like us. And you know what the great thing is about that? It means that we don’t need to waste our energy any more in blaming other people or God. You know the way we sometimes say “It’s their fault or your fault that I havent become all I was meant to be” or “It is someone elses responsibility that I havent fulfilled my calling.” I acknowledge that some people are very broken and that they need support however we sometimes put ourselves at the effect side of the equation rather than the cause – we make ourselves become like ships on the seas that are rudderless – we have no direction and we get pushed and battered by the wind and the waves rather than determining a direction and getting there despite the weather. THIS IS NOT GODS PLAN FOR US.

God wants us to walk in courage and rediscover our creativity. We have one chance. We have one life on this world. This is it. If you are not already aware, you are living your only life right now. What are your desires. What are your dreams and goals? What are your creative ideas? What do you want to contribute to this world? God is saying that you don’t have to fit, you don’t have to fit into everyone elses model of the world, that you just need to be who He’s called you to be.

Don't be afraid. Be creative.

Summer Frolics

2006-08-09T19:49:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone

So...I'm sitting in Muskoka, just north of Toronto on my buddy Iain's deck looking at the beautiful lake and enjoying the sun and was thinking about you all...wishing you were here.

I just wanted to post a wee comment to touch base and say hello. Life has been pretty full recently. I've been travelling a bit in England and over in Canada meeting some absolutely fantastic people and having a great time.

I was in Leeds in England for a week studying a course in NLP with a great group of people. It has been a really useful, inspiring experience. I am in Toronto at the moment getting inspired, hanging with a few friends and reflecting on life a bit. We're heading back to England on the 20th Aug to play over at Soul Survivor for a few days too. Can't wait.

Song writing recently has been really brilliant. The songs are coming thick and fast and I am really pleased with them. I think that some of the stuff I am writing at the moment is the best stuff I have done. The songs are exciting me, the feedback so far has been great and I get the impression that they'll travel far and wide. Once I get some rough mixes done I will post them on the site for you to listen to.

I've been thinking about getting a new guitar recently. Probably some sort of vintage electric...like a nice old Fender Tele custom or a Gibson SG. Anyone know any good place I could get one at a reasonable price or better still...any of you selling one (even if it is beat up)? If so, email me and let me know (info@johnnyparks.com)

You listening to any good music recently or reading any good books? I am reading a great book by a fella called Tad James. Been listening to the Dixie Chicks new album a lot recently. Didn't think I'd like it but I have fallen in love with it. The first song 'Taking The Long Way Round' is really, really REALLY inspiring! I have had it on repeat a LOT. Check it out.

What other news? Our youngest wee fella Dillon caught his finger in the door the other day and crushed the top of it off. Pretty traumatic and gruesome. The tip of his finger was attached by a bit of skin. Lots of blood and tears. We rushed him to A&E and they have stiched his finger back on and it looks like he'll be fine. He has been such a wee trooper (just like his Dad). You can say your prayers for him.

No other news at the moment...talk soon.

Slainte

Johnny

Weddings do my heart good...

2006-07-16T16:28:00.000+01:00

Yo Brethern!

How are ye?

Summer. Weddings. Lots of them.

As I said in a previous post, I've been at 3 in the last 2 weeks. Tim and Claire, David and Claire and Andy and Louise....it's all happening! Enough to make a single person of a certain age feel like there's something wrong with them.

All the weddings were great - very personal and at times, moving. I know I said in the previous post that I'd mark them and let you know which one was best but...on hindsight, I think that was a bit of a premature comment! (I'm afraid to say something controversial and be thumped by an angry ex-friend).

Anyway, why am I typing this post? What am I trying to say? Well...I think I just want to share how challenged and moved I was during some of the speeches at the weddings. Most wedding speeches tend to be fairly mundane however some of the recent speeches I witnessed had some great heart-felt moments (aswell as a couple of half-decent jokes). Maybe it's cos I am a bloke, a Dad and a son but the speeches made from Dads' to sons and vice versa were great. I am a bit of a tearful chap at the best of times and during these speeches, I shed a few wee tears. I can't help it and I know The Cure sing "Boys Don't Cry" but I just went for it.

It made me come away thinking that I want to be a really encouraging, generous, loving Dad. I'd love to be at my sons' weddings and be able to genuinely say something to them from the context of really good, strong relationships...something that affirms them and strengthens their courage. At the same time, I don't want to just say those sorts of things as a one-off at a wedding...I wanna remind my sons regularly of my love for them. At the moment this is easy but when they get bigger and become spotty teenagers, I'm sure it'll be tougher.

Weddings are good. Sometimes the music isn't great and your relatives can be embarrassing but it's so refreshing and inspiring to hear people speak from their hearts in public about their love for eachother. More of it! Particularly from the fellas! It does my heart good.

Over and out.

Johnny

I am (not) a "Mega-Famous-International-Christian-Rock-Star"

2006-07-05T13:42:00.000+01:00

Hi

I was recently spending a bit of time with some old friends who wouldn't claim to be Christians. I hadn't seen them in quite a while and after catching up with some of the usual small talk (jobs, kids, where you're living etc) we started to talk about our opinions and views of the deeper things in life. It suprised me to hear that a few of them had heard through the grapevine that I am a "Mega-Famous-International-Christian-Rock-Star".

I was both intrigued with this and a little bit embarassed...me, an international Christian rock star!? I had never been called that before. It was uncomfortable for me to be viewed and labled like this as since I became a Christian my heart has been about trying to communicate some of my prayers, struggles and gratitude to God through music . It has never been about becoming 'successful'. (The interesting thing was that when I explained that I work in a full time job as the Director of a youth organisation (www.niyf.org) and that I was not leading worship as a 'living' then they seemed to relax a little bit.)

Hmmm. This experience, for some reason, has stuck with me. There are a number of things that interest me:

1. At my core, my intention has never been about being a 'rock star'. Yes, I play a nice Fender Tele, the music is at times loud and we sometimes play to big crowds. However...this all began years ago as a simple personal expression of worship, on a cheap acoustic guitar, to a God that radically changed my life. Over the years, this has grown and I now lead worship at bigger events, however, it has always felt like a personal expression of worship and an act of service. I have always viewed it as an opportunity to be faithful with my gifts and confident that the Giver has asked me to use these gifts to the best of my ability. I made a choice years ago to offer these gifts to God as an act of service and that is still my decision. My hope is that somehow normal people like you and me get the chance to meet God and be encouraged through the music I play. I never made a choice to be a rock star.

2. I am currently not leading worship full-time. I give a lot of my time to this however my main job is being the Director of a non-Christian youth organisation that is all about promoting young peoples' views to government. Three and a half years ago, I felt this is what God was asking me to do. This has also been my demonstration of worship. People seem to be really suprised by this when I tell them and I often wonder why they are so surprised? I am now having to consider the possibility of changing my circumstances in order to allow me to be involved in leading worship more (as I am having to turn down opportunities to do this). If I decide to spend the majority of my time doing this it wouldn't be driven by wanting to be a star but by taking my gifts and wanting to perfect and hone them for the sake of supporting, encouraging and at times, challenging local church. This is the thing that excites me.

Currently, I don't do this full-time. It is likely that I will end up leading worship full-time (which really excites me and makes me feel incredibly blessed) however this will be a risk that I will take. It will be something that I consider with those I love and with God and it will always be about giving something back to the One who has given me so much. God is my star.

JP xo

Summer Madness!!

2006-07-02T01:10:00.000+01:00

Yo Y'all

OH MY GOODNESS!! I am just back from SM06. It's late (1.15am) on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I am sitting in my kitchen with my shoes off and feet up on the kitchen table (kinda smelly, I know) and I am feeling soooo excited, pleased and privaleged to have been a part of SM06. Worshipping with that massive, rowdy, noisy, beautiful crowd of young people has been so encouraging. I feel totally 'stoked' - it was such a 'rad' time. I really feel like I am missing out by not being around to do more over the next 2 days.

Firstly I want to say a HUGE big thank you and give a MASSIVE big manly hug to all of the young people who came along, got sweaty and worshipped God. You are great! I was blown away by your willingness, freedom and excitement to give something to God that He really enjoyed. I genuinely hope that you had the time and space to encounter God and be drawn further into His Mystery and Majesty. He loves you so much. I really pray that the seeds that have fallen over this weekend will take root and grow into big, massive mature Canadian Redwoods (the Papa of all trees)!

I also want to give a rather emormous thanks to the band I was playing with and to all the SM sound, light and stage crew. It has been such good fun working and playing with these guys. The band and myself have worked pretty hard at the songs over the last wee while and it was so great to be standing on stage with them, enjoying the songs and having so much fun! It was really hard not to just keep on smiling - we loved it. Smiling, jumping, playing nice guitars and getting sweaty - not a bad wee night out! Thanks band for all the effort and hard work...I am sitting here sensing the big love I have in my heart for you all right now.

So...it would be great to hear what you guys thought of the event and what God was saying to you. What was going on with you over the weekend? Did you enjoy it? Did anything special happen? How have you been challenged and encouraged?

I'd also love to hear what you thought of the new songs we were doing. We played 3: 'Rescuer', 'Our God Is Mighty' and 'Walls Tumble Down'....what did you think? It would be great for me and the band to hear your feedback.

Well - I need to go to bed and get some beauty sleep. If I can get some photos of the event, I'll post them up on the site.

Stay in touch

Love ya

JP xo

World Cup 2006

2006-06-28T22:35:00.000+01:00

Hi

You know, generally speaking, I love the World Cup. I am not a complete football fanatic but I have to say the World Cup is one of the best sporting events on the planet. However, this years has been a bit of a disappointment to me. The last WC in Korea was absolutely great...remember it? Loads of the big teams were put out by the underdogs in the first round which made the competition exciting. This year it seems to be all the usual big dogs are through and it's fairly predictable who is gonna do well. It's not quite Formula 1 but so far it has been fairly tell tale. Plus...are you not a wee bit embarassed by the amount of diving that goes on?

I know it's kinda controversial for a fella from northern Ireland but I am supporting England in this WC. Yea, yea...I know they always go on about winning in 1966 and that they are obsessed with Rooney but I think they have a good squad and I kinda like them! Why not? I hear so many people be negative about them. Some people focus so much on wanting to see England lose when they don't even know what team they do support. Plus I figure that if they do win, they might go on less about 1966 - as a nation they'd be relieved and fulfilled...what's wrong with that? So, come on England!

Anyway, I am gonna be playing a lot over this weekend which means I might miss the quarter finals (boo) but I think I'll have time for the Semis and the Final (yea).

Ok, I'm away to watch today's highlights...oh yea, there were no games today!

JP

Getting Ready for Summer Madness

2006-06-22T19:44:00.000+01:00

Hi all

Yo...hope you're all well.

Just a wee entry to let you all know that the preparations are going really well for Summer Madness 06. (For those of you who don't know, SM is Ireland's biggest Christian Youth Festival.)

The band have been rehearsing like busy little bees. It's been great craic. Last night, Hambo (our guitar player) was in particularly boyant form. He was shaking his hips just like Elvis...in fact it was slightly less co-ordinated and cool than Elvis...but it was a good effort and made me smile.

We've been working hard on some new material that we'll feature in SM. There are 3 new songs that we want to get out there: Shake The Ground; Our God Is Mighty and Rescuer. We're pretty excited about them...some nice guitar parts and great drums. Our hope is that these songs will travel far beyond us to the wee churches that you get in the sticks. It would be great if you hear them to let us know what you think of them and in particular, if they are the sort of songs that your church would sing or that you would use to lead worship with. If so, GREAT...if not, let me know why.

We've been having some techy problems...My amp needs new tubes and speakers and the foot pedal is bust...so that needs fixed up. Plus I am looking at getting some new gear like a Boss EQ, some sort of digital delay and a Hot Plate. It's exciting even thinking about it. Anyone know where I can get a good deal?

Anyway need to split. Heading out for a meal with the family...need to put a shirt on!

talk soon

Johnny