"It's a good song — it's just not 'There’,” is what Hillsong songwriter Ben Fielding said to me about a song I'd poured myself into. And that was SO challenging to hear!

This episode digs into the gap between good and great worship songwriting, and why so many worship songs — good ones — never rise above the noise. This episode unpacks what it actually means for a song to be "There.” Imagine an ocean full of songs, where only a few islands ever break the surface and get noticed. Most worship songwriters are writing at "sea level" — good enough, competent, and… invisible. This episode explores why chasing greatness in songwriting isn't about ego or self-expression, but about serving God and reaching the ‘one’. Write more, write better, and write specific. And discover mindset shifts that keep songwriters stuck writing average, instead of remarkable worship songs.

Chapters:

00:00 "The song just isn't 'there'"

01:46 Understanding the Concept of 'There' in Songwriting

07:51 1. Why you should want your songs to be 'There'

10:30 2. How to get your songs 'there'

17:56 3. What it will take to get your songs ‘There’

Resources Mentioned:*

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven Pressfield

https://link.amazon/B0aEB69bu

*This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you buy something through one, I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. It's one small way you can support my work while grabbing gear or books you were probably going to buy anyway. Thanks for being here.

🔥Take the KILLER CHORUS CHALLENGE

Write the best worship Choruses you’ve ever written in just 5 days: https://www.raybadham.com/choruschallenge

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Will your worship songs stay unwritten? Not because you lack talent — but because you lack the courage to write them. In this episode, worship songwriter and mentor Ray Badham unpacks what it actually takes to write brave, Spirit-filled worship songs instead of songs that just repeat familiar worship tropes. Drawing from 2 Timothy 1:6-7 and the story of the twelve spies in Numbers 13-14, Ray explores why so many worship songwriters hold back out of fear, comparison, and chasing the algorithm — and how to fan the gift of God into flame instead. This episode is a call to courageous worship songwriting: writing from conviction, not caution, so your songs can carry real faith-building power. Topics covered include creative courage, overcoming fear in songwriting, writing for an audience of one, and finding boldness in God's delight over you.

Key points covered:

• Why creativity requires courage, and what's at stake when songwriters play it safe
• The "ten spies vs. two spies" framework for facing fear in your creative calling
• How fear of comparison and chasing the algorithm quietly kills the courage to write worship songs
• Why God's delight in you — not your confidence — is the real source of courage
• Practical steps to prepare spiritually before you sit down to write

My Website: https://www.raybadham.com/

Follow Ray Badham:

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Ps 42:7 “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”

There's something fundamentally wrong with a lot of contemporary worship — and if you're a worship songwriter, you're in the perfect position to change this. In this episode, we dig into what worship actually is, using Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 as our guide. Worship songwriting isn't about writing songs that feel good in the moment -feeding individualism and self-help ‘theology.’ It's about crafting worship lyrics that take people into the true depth of who God is.

Discover why so much contemporary worship music stays on the surface, how worship leaders can write songs that actually transform hearts — not simply produce a good feeling — and what it means to write from, and to, the depth of worship.

In this episode:

• Why John 4 reframes what worship really is
• The problem with individualistic, self-help worship songwriting
• Moving worship lyrics from expression to transformation
• A surprising discovery about worship that reshaped this approach

Chapters:

• 00:00 — Introduction
• 01:18 — Fundamental Problems in Contemporary Worship
• 03:14 — The Depth of Worship
• 05:34 — 1. The Deep Need of Humanity
• 09:49 — 2. The Deep Desire of the Father
• 12:16 — 3. The Deep Barrier to Worship
• 14:26 — 4. Conquered by the Deep Love of God

• • 29:07 — Conclusion

Resources Mentioned:*

The Church (sacraments, worship, ministry, mission) Donald G Bloesch

“Stupid Deep” by Jon Bellion

“How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan

*This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you buy something through one, I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. It's one small way you can support my work while grabbing gear or books you were probably going to buy anyway. Thanks for being here.

Can your melodies be ten times better?

Ray breaks down 10 practical ways to write melodies that people actually remember, sing, and feel.

If you write worship songs and want your song to carry more impact, this episode gives you a clear path forward.

You’ll discover:

• How to run the “melody test”
• Why great melodies need to both follow the worship stream and diverge enough to feel fresh
• How to put your melody through transformations
• Why writing in-the-character of the song creates something more original and more true
• How to make your melody tell a story, use repetition well, and connect verse to chorus
• Why contrast, focus, and a stronger chorus matter more than production or a great vocal

Ray also challenges the habits that keep songwriters stuck - overproducing too early, listening too narrowly, and assuming the first idea is the best idea.

Essential listening if you’re a worship songwriter wanting to write melodies that are stronger, more singable, and built to last.

Resources mentioned:*

“Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting” by Jimmy Webb

https://link.amazon/B0jlEoWNB

"The Anatomy of Poetry" by Marjorie Boulton

*This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you buy something through one, I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. It's one small way you can support my work while grabbing gear or books you were probably going to buy anyway. Thanks for being here.

What if the biggest threat to your worship songwriting right now isn't a lack of talent — it's the overexposure to the rising tide of mediocrity hidden in plain sight? In this first episode, worship songwriter and mentor Ray Badham casts a bold vision for what's possible when worship songwriters stop settling for good enough — and write worship songs that genuinely change people.

The episode maps out the enormous opportunity in front of today's worship songwriters, charts a clear path to get there, takes on the doubts and objections that keep writers stuck, and ends with a direct challenge to take your first steps — this week.

Chapters

00:00 1. The Opportunity Before Us

09:49 2. The 7 Steps to Get There

15:10 3. Objections in the terrain and questions that may come up

33:03 4. Encourage you to take action.

If you are a worship songwriter who knows you’re capable of more than what you’re currently writing. If you feel there’s a gap, and don't know how to close it.

That's the one problem this podcast episode will help with.

How to close the gap between your calling and your capability (Ephesians 5:14-20):

02:28 1. Wake your imagination

07:17 2. Use wisdom

17:41 3. Walk in the light of His love for you