In the 16th session of the CMB Podcast, I spoke with pastor and songwriter, Mark Altrogge.
Mark is one of the most humble men I’ve ever met. He loves God, loves his family, loves his church, and though it would seem he has a lot of bragging rights, he never takes himself too seriously.
He has written several songs over the course of his 30 year ministry, including the well known songs I Stand In Awe, and I’m Forever Grateful.
Listen to or download the podcast here, and check out the detailed show notes below….
[powerpress].Here’s what we talked about:
- His life as an artist before meeting Jesus
- His story of faith
- The early days of leading worship at his Bible study which later became Sovereign Grace Church
- The early days of Sovereign Grace Music and Mark’s songs
- Valley of Vision album
- In A Little While (album recorded with his son Stephen)
- Mark’s songwriting process
- Songwriting from the title
- Repetition in the chorus
- Why we need the local church (whether you’re musical or not)
Your Life as an Artist in the Life of the Local Church
Near the end, we talked about the reasons every believer should be a part of a life giving, gospel preaching, local church. If you’ve listened to the CMB Podcast at all, you know how strongly I feel about this.
As artists, we should never separate our “artist-life” from our “member-life” in the body of Christ. Practically, this simply means that I need to stop compartmentalizing my ministry as an artist apart from my ministry as a Christian in my local church.
We need to look at the local church more holistically. There is no other place where we will grow more. We are more than just artists. We are husbands, wives, dads, mothers, friends, co-workers, students, teachers. And before we are any of those things, we are Christians.
This really ties to what was mentioned last week in session 15. King David is a great example of this:
He lived life first and he wrote songs second. Music was simply the filter that he poured his life experiences into.
When we separate our art from the other areas in our lives, what tends to happen is our art quickly rises to the top, taking on a position that it shouldn’t.
Sites to Check Out for Mark Altrogge
- The Blazing Center
- Forever Grateful Music
- Mark’s songs with Sovereign Grace Music
- Mark’s paintings
- Mark on Twitter
- Mark on Facebook
Other Links Mentioned in Session 16
- How To Discourage Artists in the Local Church
- Communion with God : It’s Not A Chore. It’s Sweet.
- Big Launch Giveaway
Now It’s Your Turn
What jumped out to you from this episode? How important to you is your local church? How is it going as it relates to your engagement in it, not just an artist, but as a believer?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!