Profile
Name:
Ben
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223
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755
Age:
35
Joined:
Nov 13, 2008
Latest Activity:
1 month ago
Subscribers:
3
Website:
About Me:
I want to be a part of God's reclamation of the arts and redemption/reconciliation of the Christian artist.
I believe that worship is the language that souls speak, and we have the ability to translate it through music, dance, visual art, poetry, actors/actresses, technical skills such as lighting, video, and staging, and many others.
I love serving Jesus Christ in his Kingdom. I love the gathered "called out ones...the Church" because when we share our lives with one another communally, we become the body of Christ. I love partnering with people to see the Lord's heart for a city fulfilled, a nation restored, and His Church revealed because I still believe the Bride is beautiful.
Early on in my musical life, I was influenced a lot by singer/songwriters that utilized lots of melody and harmonies...James Taylor, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, the Doobie Brothers. But then as I grew up, I had to make some key musical preference decisions as it seemed like the only options in the early 90's were hair-band rock or hip-hop. I chose R&B and hip-hop because I always loved the rhythms and the ways that they crafted songs and put words together. It was during this season that I also fell in love with worship. I remember being at Delirious' first show in the US. Martin Smith personally sold me their first album! I also grew up in the Vineyard movement where worship was not just an add-on, but an essential. So, my worship influences have always included the people that were right on the frontier of sound. Delirious, Kevin Prosch, Matt Redman, David Crowder, Israel Houghton, Hillsong, Enter the Worship Circle, Kirk Franklin, and others that present worship with a unique, creative touch and have inspired me to press in to hear what the Lord is doing now, and go for it. But truthfully, King David and the Psalms have always had an ever-present influence on me. The Psalms have taught me that the Father wants all of our hearts, even the questions and the parts that are hurting, in worship. In songwriting, I have always tried to capture people's stories of faith and hope, believing that they empower us to worship Jesus at the exact place we find ourselves in our journey.
But growing up in the South also exposed me to a lot of gospel, blues, and jazz influences musically. I can still remember going into these little dive clubs where the owner was the best blues guitarist I'd ever seen. Then there are the bands that have driven me to play a more funk and groove sound. Bands like the Roots, Dave Matthews, and the Black Crowes have certainly influenced me early on. Most recently, my style has been influenced by what is coming out musicians like Bethel Church (Jesus Culture, Brian & Jenn Johnson, and Bryan & Katie Torwalt), Hillsong United, Matt Redman (theologically) and Passion.
I would also say that I am drawn to more open and flowing styles. Worship is about communication...us to Him and Him to us...and I want to always give space for the Lord to speak. So my style is open, giving space in a song for worshipers to think their own thoughts and express their own hearts.
I play the acoustic guitar primarily. I have been sponsored by Larrivee guitars for 10 years. I'm also sponsored by a guitar string company (SIT strings), a pickup company (LR Baggs), and an electric guitar company (Epiphone). I lead predominately from the acoustic guitar, but I'm also comfortable playing or leading from electric. I am an avid songwriter, and am gifted in capturing the heart of peoples' stories and directing that to the Father in vertical worship. Additionally, what Lori and I bring to the table together is very unique. She plays a full hand-percussion setup and sings, and the combination of our voices and harmonies is, I think, as good as anyone out there.
Hometown:
Baton Rouge
Country:
United States
Occupation:
Husband, Father, Worship Pastor, Executive Pastor
Companies:
Grace Church Southern Pines
Baton Rouge Vineyard Church
Blue Renaissance Creative Group
Schools:
Louisiana State University
-BA in Entrepreneurial Business Management
West Coast Bible College and Seminary
-Masters in Worship Studies (Summa Cum Laude)
Interests:
worshipping, writing songs, recording music, social justice in my city, reading the Bible and other books by spiritual fathers, ending trafficking, spending time with my wife and sons, loving people well, barbecuing, planning things, working in the yard, playing poker, watching college football, hearing people's stories, championing the cause of children,
Movies:
Good Will Hunting, Independence Day, Tommy Boy, Rounders, V for Vendetta, Usual Suspects, Old School, Snatch, Garden State, Shine, Silence of the Lambs, Groundhog Day, Waiting for Guffman, Star Trek: Insurrection, Instinct, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Irobot, Shawshank Redemption, the Fifth Element
Music:
Bethel Church (Jesus Culture, the Johnsons, the Torwalts), Fike & Dana, Jesus Culture, David Crowder, John Mayer, Mute Math, Ani Difranco, Common, EWC, Galactic, Ben Harper, Delerious?, John Legend, Chris Tomlin, Counting Crows, Death Cab, Hillsong United, Son Lux, Kevin Prosch
Books:
the Bible, Ancient-Future Worship, the Worshiping Artist, Divine Conspiracy, Celtic way of Evangelism, Mere Christianity, Too Small to Ignore, Evil and the Justice of God, Orthodoxy
Recent Activity
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benkennedymusic uploaded a new video
This was recorded at one of our regular nights of worship on November 04...
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benkennedymusic uploaded a new video
This is a live recording from a night of worship on November 04, 2011. ...
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benkennedymusic commented on Electro-Harmonix Effectolog...
"Have you ever tried to make a harmonica sound? I could imagine that it ..."
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