Daniel McLaughlin Homepage
Resources For Worship Is Live
A couple of months ago I had an idea to start a website that would provide great resources to any church’s creative arts team. Well, it has finally launched and received some attention from other fellow bloggers and resource websites. Here is an excerpt from Church Musician Jobs.
One of the things I love about having a web site, like church musican jobs, with over 10,000 visitors per month, is the opportunity to promote new, young, aspiring worship leaders and church musicians who bless God and serve people.
Daniel McLaughlin is a young aspiring worship leader who has a great heart for worship and the church. One of the things that impresses me most about him is he is largely self-taught musically. He and I served together at a youth conference about a year ago. I learned a lot from him in terms of passion and love for those he serves.
Daniel has recently launched a website that will encourage you to keep the main thing the main thing.
Resources For Worship is a website designed to help Christ following creative types be all God has called them to be within the walls of their local church. We are committed to offering “FREE” outstanding media production elements as well as spiritual growth and leadership development materials. Please browse the site and let us know what improvements we can make to better meet your needs.
Well?! What are you waiting for?! Go check it out!!
Multi Media Production Music
Kind of a mouth full isn’t it? Well… here’s the idea. A few friends of mine (thanks to 1/10 & some change) have an idea to launch a website to help other Christ following creative types make there job a little easier. What we are working on is a site that will host a ton of resources, including the music you hear playing on this site. If you like what you hear and want to use some of our songs to help with your media productions just drop me a line and let me know what you are looking for. We have starting compiling some resources on this website- http://www.resourcesforworship.org. I’m very excited about this opportunity and pray that it impacts those around me.
You Tube!!
Hey check out this video on youtube! There is an HD version coming soon!“On Bended Knee”
The Call
As you probably can tell things are changing a bit around here. My awesome friends at Steinruck Design have done it again! The new content is a direct reflection of a New Call God is putting on my life. You see, I started this whole musical journey with the idea of being a “solo artist”, traveling around the world playing music for hundreds of thousands of people. Well, guess what? Yep you’re right…. God had other plans.
In the past couple of months God has been re-directing my focus. He has called me to take my two loves (writing good Christ-centered music and leading people in worship of Him) and, some how combine the two with equipping others to do the same. “So what does that look like you say?” well your guess is as good as mine at this point, but please stay posted. As God reveals to me more of the picture, I’ll be sure to draw you into it as well. In the meantime browse the site. Be sure to check out the “Contact” page for specific ministry info and let me know if I can be of any help to your church/organization or team. Lastly, please be praying for my wife and me as we strive to understand and follow the call.
Deer Hunt
Another Typical Deer Hunt…..Not!
I woke up this morning in a terrible mood. The alarm went off around 5:30am and I rolled out of bed for another typical morning of deer hunting. Frustrated by my streak of bad luck, I decided to give it another try. A wonderful friend of mine owns a small piece of property just outside of Leesburg, Va. and he has offered to let me hunt again this year. This place usually yields very large bucks and many does, but for some reason I had been skunked four times. Making up my mind that this was a complete waste of time and would certainly be frustrated by the time I got home, I hopped in my truck and headed for the woods.
The barometric pressure was supposed to drop this morning and a cold front was moving in, along with some rain showers. For those of you who may not know, this makes for a perfect morning to hunt. As I was sitting on my bucket in the woods I heard that “almost silent sound” that makes every deer hunter’s heart race a mile a minute! Could it be that big buck every hunter dreams of? Of course, not….! Little did I know this sound would be much bigger than any deer a man could shoot. It was the voice of the Holy Spirit reminding me that I had said some pretty idiotic things to my wife the night before. Jeezs, I thought, you sure know how to ruin a good hunting experience! But that voice would not go away! It wasn’t a voice of anger or frustration. It was a voice of conviction!! As I sat there, getting colder by the minute and bored out of my mind, I decided I might as well contemplate the discussion my wife and I had the night before. It was about finances, (or the lack there of,) and there was a lot of finger pointing, mostly, from me. That still small voice began to show me my wife was not the only one at fault here. In fact, I truly am the one responsible for the actions of my family. So in short…..IT WAS ALL MY FAULT!!! Quietly I spoke these words out loud. God forgive me and I promise when I get home I’ll ask my wife to forgive me as well. I decided I was done hunting for the morning. It was obvious God brought me out in these woods all by myself once again, to tell me an important message. With the weight of life a little lighter on my shoulders I decided to pack up my stuff take one more peak around the woods and hit the road.
“Goodness gracious what was that noise, Could it be!” I whipped my head around just in time to see a doe running right in my direction. About 30 yards behind her was the biggest buck I had ever seen in the woods!! I raised my gun slowly and with my heart racing and the scope moving with the beat of it, I tried to find the buck. The doe came to a screeching halt about 40 yards down wind of my hunting blind, and the buck responded. His head was behind a tree and he was broad side! I couldn’t believe it, Mid-December and there was a still a doe in heat with a buck chasing here. I held as steady as I could and pulled the trigger! Perfect shot! (This is very unusual for me). The buck dropped like a sack of potatoes. I tried to sit as long as I could to make sure He was really dead, but the excitement got the best of me! I stood up walked over to the buck and let out a huge sigh of relief! I killed the biggest buck of my life; on the day I least expected it!
I called Ron, whose property I was hunting on, and he asked me to stop by his work so he could see it. On the way there, I called many people telling them the incredible story. Ron took one look at the buck and said, “You’ve got to get it mounted!” I sheepishly responded, “I really don’t have the money for that right now.” His response was one I’ll never forget. He said, “The Psalmist writes, Delight in the Law of the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I said, “What does that have to do with deer hunting?” He began to share with me an incredible spiritual truth I had failed to recognize. That is, when our heart is in tune with the will of the Father and we are obedient to His commands, often time’s blessings will follow. Ron said, “I don’t think the Psalmist necessarily had “deer hunting” in mind when he wrote that, but if you think God would stop short of mounting a deer for you, then think again. Go home and pray about it, but whatever you do don’t cut the antlers off that buck, I’ll call you later this afternoon.”
On the way home I was talking to another friend whose spiritual insight I really respect. Jerry’s response to my story and to Ron’s insight was, “I too think something bigger is happening here. Go home talk to your wife and pray about it, but don’t cut the antlers off that buck.” I thought to myself, “Okay! I can take a hint.” After having many more conversations with others about the buck I had shot, I began to feel a serious stirring inside of me. I too was sensing God wanted to unfold a testimony with this deer. As strange as it may seem, God wanted me to be willing to obey Him and if need be sacrifice something for this buck to be mounted, so a testimony could unfold. I went home shared all of the conversations I had that morning with my wife. I asked her forgiveness for pointing fingers and not taking responsibility for what I had failed to do as the leader of our home. She began to cry and we shared an incredible moment together as we talked about how we both had failed to follow God’s desire for our finances. We spoke forgiveness into each other’s lives, prayed together and, promised to never bring up our “now forgiven” frustrations with each other again. I said to her,“If God wanted me to take this buck to the Taxidermist in faith that He would provide the money would you support me?“ She nodded her head in agreement.
Literally seconds later, the phone rang. It was Ron. He asked me if it would be alright with me, if He and Jerry split the cost of mounting the deer as a Christmas to me. At that moment, it all came together. God wanted me to be obedient in the dealings with my wife and to be willing to step out in faith even when it didn’t make any earthly sense for me to do so. At the moment I was willing to do that, He provided the sacrifice for a testimony to be born. Needless to say, I took Ron up on his offer and we headed off to the Taxidermist. We shared many stories of God blessings in our life and laughed together all the way back home.
My wife and I will join a new church in January and there will be an opportunity for me to start an “Outdoor Men’s Ministry.” You better believe I’ll be using this story to help reach lost men for Christ. To God be the glory for the great things He Has done.
Ps. when you have a moment read in the book of Genesis the account of God providing a Ram for Abraham and Isaac.
New Song A Coming!!
Hey Everyone! It’s Daniel here, keeping you posted on the latest happenings. I just recently paid a visit to N.Y. and on the way home was inspired to write a new song. You’ll find the Acoustic version in the playlist, be sure to read the lyrics and drop me a line about them. I’m interested to hear some thoughts. I’ve been working hard to record a full band version of that song and Lord willing it will be finished and ready for posting in a few weeks. Before I go, don’t forget about the “ free mp3” !!! The link is found in the journal entry’s. Gotta run have a blessed day!
VIRB!!
I finally made it to Virb. Basically it’s a Myspace on steroids, if you haven’t ever heard of it. If you have an account please add me and drop me a comment. Check out the new page at Virb.com
New Song
I just posted a new song I wrote featuring acoustic guitar virtuoso Mike Rayburn. The song is called Because of Your Grace. It should automatically play when you open this site. If not, just press the play button directly underneath the photos. There are 3 songs in that playlist. Enjoy!
Spreading the News - Download the Free mp3
God gave me a chance to do some studio time courtesy of Mike Lukens and Fellowship Bible Church.
We recorded the first full-band version of “Maker of All.“ The song will be featured in Fellowship Bible Church’s monthly audio magazine. Click here to download the free mp3!
The Christian Pulse online music magazine has written a review about my song writing style and ministry calling. Click here to read the article and listen to the music. Feel free to drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.
I also struck up a friendship with Tony at ccmlinks.com. Click here to check out the comments section on some personal thoughts on “Maker of All”.
“Moved By You”
Have you ever been through something hard to deal with in life? Something that really gets you down, hurts you, or humbles you. You know those times right? Everyone has them. Those times of desperation where we feel lost, helpless, or angry. Let me give you a better example.
I’m listening to a Lifehouse song right now, as I am writing this. It’s called “In Between” .The writer is talking about a time where circumstances are over his head. When he can’t stop dwelling on a situation. The writer explains the desperation of the situation and how he can’t beat it. He’s stuck between feeling like this thing must a dream, but it’s real.
I want to be very honest here, and say that I’m just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on two years of serious struggle. At times I even questioned if God existed and if He did, did He really care for me the way the Bible says. I am now on the “back nine” of those struggles, and God has made it perfectly clear that He loves me more than I will ever understand. My dreams and passions have started to come alive again, relationships are being restored, and struggles are becoming victories. It’s amazing when we struggle in life how easy it is to blame someone else or get angry at God. Let me tell you, the moment I took responsibility for my selfish actions and asked God to forgive me He began to do something in me, a “softening” of sorts. I have begun to hear Him speak again, not audibly of course, but this understanding that everything is going to work out, just as He has promised in His Word.
Now, back to the Lifehouse cd. In the very next song the writer talks about someone finding him where he is, and leading him to a place of peace again. The songwriter realizes that this person has everything he needs for every situation in life. WOW!! What a change from the feeling of desperation and loneliness to a feeling of redemption, peace, and fullness. I’d be willing to bet that if the writer of those songs had never been through that tough situation he would have never come to understand and believe what he does, to the level that he does, in the next song.
What an incredible picture I now have of God and His love for me, after going through that tough time. Sometimes we have to see ourselves in a mirror for a while without Christ, just to show us how deeply we need Him and what our life produces without Him. I’ll save you the trouble and let you know, life only gets worse without the grace and love of our precious Saviour. I’ll leave you with this final lyric from the song “Everything” by Lifehouse.
“And how can I stand here with You and not be moved by You.
Would You tell me how could it be any better than this!?“
