Balancing Artistry and Worship: Can a Christian Artist Separate Concert Performance from Worship Leading? For many Christian artists, the line between being a performer and a worship leader can be blurry. They find themselves at a crossroads, torn between their artistic expression and their devotion to leading others in worship. In this blog post, we’ll…
As I consider all that is happening in our country with regard to racial injustice, inequality and abuse I’m concerned that the social constructs we have allowed to become prevalent in our society have not served us well. We keep revisiting these same issues (usually around elections, but that’s another subject entirely) but rarely do…
I debated on whether or not to share this photo array and a personal admonition. But now that summer is here and we’re spending so much time in the sun I decided to go ahead and put this out there, preferring to encourage early detection over offending someone with the pic. What started out as…
“In the name of Jesus” isn’t a phrase to end a prayer. It means you affirm your place in the Kingdom of heaven & have Jesus’ perspective and his authority & dominion. When we are “in the name of Jesus” we are seated in heavenly places & see things from that heavenly perspective of authority…
As you may have guessed, after all of my health issues (thanks to genetics!) my diet changed dramatically in October 2017 as I determined to become healthier and reverse some serious medical issues. So, under strict supervision by my primary care physician and cardiologist, I began the Ketogenic way of eating (no-carb/high-fat). Almost immediately I…
The journey isn’t over but it sure has gotten easier. Hopefully this will encourage those of you just starting a journey of physical, spiritual or emotional endurance, or those in the middle of it. It started with a heart murmur that sounded raspy 11 years ago. That’s when I saw a cardiologist for the first…
Someone asked the question “What are some of the reasons why the congregation does not engage or participate in corporate worship?” That prompted me to offer some suggestions as to why corporate worship is still either just a “song service” leading up to the main event – the sermon – or an afterthought – a…
I’ve been working with recording “artists” and musicians most of my adult life. For the past 13 years exclusively I’ve been either managing or developing (or both) artists and bands in the USA and around the world. Since the music industry is going through a major paradigm shift (mainly thanks to digital downloads) it’s always…
I recently read a terrific article by Branon Dempsey that asks the question “whatever happened to church music?” Here’s an excerpt: …My pastor recently asked the question, “why are songs of today not as fast and not as joyful as the ones from way-back? Today, they seem more monotone in worship. What happened?” he inquired.…
God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the…
Our country is facing a culture war like we’ve never seen before. It boiled over a little bit this week when Chick-fil-A’s CEO was attacked by the LGBT and Hollywood communities for expressing an opinion about redefining marriage to accommodate the homosexual lifestyle. This post is my response. My point, like that of many who…
Very often I’m asked “what can I do to get local churches to allow me to hold a concert in their facility?” I answer that question WITH a question: what are you giving back? In other words, of what benefit will it be to that local expression of the Body of Christ if you come in…
I’ve been asked what the difference between Christians celebrating Christmas and Easter, and NOT celebrating Halloween? Christmas and Easter, while certainly pagan in its roots, directly celebrate our Savior’s birth and resurrection, respectively. Halloween, on the other hand, has nothing to do with Jesus, His life, etc. The Christmas holiday we celebrate today is indicative…
How many times have you been in a church service where the pastor or staff person said from the stage “let’s give it up for God” or some similar exhortation? It’s as though every time someone takes the stage they feel compelled to ask for a “clap offering” from the congregation before they can speak…
When did CCM (contemporary Christian music) songs from Billboard’s Top 30 charts become substitutes for intimate worship songs in our services? It seems the more relevant local churches try to become to their neighborhoods and members, the more compromise we find in the one area most people identify with: the music. Anymore there’s no continuity…
I am sitting in the Atlanta Airport waiting for my connection to Dublin, Ireland where I will be holding two Music Industry Consultations. I am excited about my first trip to Ireland and meeting new friends, musicians, and ministry colleagues while I’m there. The week leading up to today has been quite eventful … and…
It’s a beautiful fall day here in Northeast Florida. A slight chill is in the air (okay, it’s 57℉), the sun is bright and my bird feeder is full. Hopefully the redbirds will return and enjoy autumn in my backyard. The past 4 weeks have probably been the most challenging of my life personally-speaking. It…
I’ve heard many hard-luck stories from artists who had bad experiences with managers. Yet many times the bad experiences were precipitated by a misunderstanding of “who does what” and why. That’s why the writer of the following submitted this to the blog of an industry website popular among “indie” artists and bands: You first need…
Well, you know what they say: “The best laid plans …” or something like that. Anyway, yesterday (Sunday) was a bust for me. Seems that pain in my right lower side/back was another kidney stone lurking around. By late Saturday night I was in immense pain. By Sunday early morning I was moaning and groaning…
It’s been an interesting day here in New Delhi. After getting 4 hours sleep last night, I woke up at 5:30 AM this Saturday morning fully awake though physically tired. So I sat in bed and wrote about my travels here. After posting that blog, I went back to sleep and finally slept 4 more…
After a LONG flight, I finally arrived here in New Delhi, India on Thursday night around 8:30 PM. With the 9 1/2-hour time difference, it seemed as though we were in the air over 23 hours, though the flight itself was only 14 hours from Newark. I left Jacksonville yesterday morning at 11AM and sat…
IMG_0892.JPG Originally uploaded by garystripling We had a GREAT time this past week, spending the holiday in New York City. Thanks to the realtor for which Emily works as a nanny for his daughter, we were able to get a one-bedroom flat on the upper East Side (63rd & Lexington) for the week. It was…
Here it is almost Thanksgiving and I’m sitting in my little hotel room in San Antonio wondering how the next few months will pan out. I never dreamed that I’d be working most of the time out of town, not seeing my family for 6 weeks to 2 months at a time. But alas, here…
“I want to commend you for your incredible work on designing and printing the press kits for one of my international clients. Your work is always impeccable and on time. Keep up the good work. I also love the work you are doing on my new website. I would recommend any ministry or business to…
“I knew Gary was the right man for the job when we met for the first time and he reached out to give me a hug rather than a handshake. What has been most important to me in the process of choosing representation is finding an agency and manager that shared my heart for the…
I get asked this question a lot. The indie artist or band can get easily overwhelmed with all the details, logistics, planning, and questions that come with navigating through the waters of the music industry. So, we recommend a good management team in place to raise the level of professionalism of the artist and take…
The past 24 hours have been pretty emotional for our family. My wife’s mother, Camille Mizell, passed away early yesterday morning. She was 82 years old and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for the past 7 years. Other than that cruel disease she was in pretty good shape for someone her age. She became suddenly…
