Anthony LaBruno Talks About Worship About His New EP "Into the Deep"

After years of writing and leading worship songs at his local church, Abundant Life Worship Center, the time had come for Anthony LaBruno to launch out and record his debut album, "Into the Deep," making his music available to individual listeners and church congregations alike.  Anthony LaBruno has been a worship leader and songwriter since 2007.  He has an unmistakable passion for the pursuit of God's presence, and is faithfully devoted to bringing others along with him.  

Q: Anthony, thank you for your time. Tell us a little about your background, how did you come to know Christ?

Growing up I had a basic understanding of right and wrong and who God was from my parents, but like most teenagers, I got off track. I became more and more desensitized to sin as I experimented with relationships and substances, which only drove me into anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, often cutting myself as a result. I turned to music to meet the needs of my heart and keep me happy, but it was never enough. Though there was a certain joy in it, the positive effects of music didn't last, as if there was some missing ingredient that I couldn't find but kept searching for. Spiraling further downward, as I went to college for music I crumbled under the pressure that I put on myself to be the best. One night, in the midst of an anxiety attack a Christian I knew took out a Bible and read from the Psalms and I immediately fell asleep in peace.

I woke up the next day puzzled and asked this person what happened. Just a few days later, my (now) Pastor called me and asked if I would teach music lessons to his mostly underprivileged youth group during the summer. I agreed and started to teach these kids from the projects, seeing in them what my heart longed for. I couldn't understand how kids who lived like that could have the joy and peace they had, while I was raised with a silver spoon in comparison and still I was miserable. What they taught me that summer was way more important than what I taught them, though some of them are now members of my worship team! I don't know what exact day it was, but at some point that summer my heart turned toward Jesus and I've been devoted to serving Him ever since.

Q: Currently you are the worship leader at Abundant Life Worship Center. How did you sense God's call to lead worship?

Because of how I treated music in my life before I came to Christ, I was not looking to rush into worship ministry early on in my walk. It was my Pastor who actually asked me to begin playing with the worship team, and as I began by being faithful to someone else's ministry I sensed that one day I would have my own. In time, my gift made room for me and I was able to experience the missing ingredient to what I had been searching for in music all those years apart from Christ. I finally came to understand that my true purpose in music was to use it for the glory of God and to lead others to Him.

Q: "Into the Deep," I believe, is your debut worship record. What were some of the joys and challenges in the making of this record?

The greatest challenge was probably overcoming the fear to step out in the first place, but once I had committed to the process, other challenges arose such as entrusting my music into the hands of my producer Sean Hill. As a local church worship leader, I had never had the experience of collaborating musically with anyone other than my wife and worship team, so I was nervous about what would be done to my music by this person I had never met. Needless to say, I am floored by the way Sean and his team elevated the songs to a level I could have never dreamed of on my own. I am also so happy and grateful to have been able to co-write the title track with Sean, which was an invaluable experience for me. However, the greatest joy in making this record has been the platform it has provided me by adding credibility to my ministry as a worship leader and teacher.

Q: Why did you name the record "Into the Deep"?

After being told by a number of people that I needed to record some of my songs, I hesitantly began praying about it. To be honest, I was pretty scared to put my music "out there" for the whole world to hear. I also had a pretty good idea of the amount of sacrifice it would take to complete such a project, so I approached the Lord saying, "if You want me to do this You will have to PUSH me out of the boat." I could barely finish that statement before I felt the Lord tell me, "LAUNCH OUT." So, I searched the scriptures for that very phrase, finding that it only appears once in the Bible, followed by the words "Into the Deep" (Luke 5:4).

Q: You have a new video and single out called "At Your Feet." For our readers who have not heard it, tell us more about the song and how it came about.

It actually started with my wife singing a very simple melody (similar to what wound up being the first half of the final chorus) to the words "I fall at Your feet, I weep at Your feet" repeating over and over. When she sang it for me, I sensed real potential in the idea of writing a song about the woman who broke the alabaster box pouring out oil on Jesus, falling at His feet and washing them with her tears. Jesus described the woman later in the story as someone who had been forgiven for much, as her sins were many, and therefore loved much.

So, I began to imagine what this woman's past might have been like and desired to write a song that would tell the whole story. As I did this, I couldn't help but look at my wife, who identifies so much with the woman's gratitude and love for Jesus in light of her past (for this reason, my wife is actually the actress in the music video portraying the woman!). Knowing the things my wife had experienced in her life prior to falling at the feet of Jesus herself, I began to see her and the woman in the story as inseparable. And so it became easy to write about this "Mistreated and abused" woman who finally encountered the love of Christ, now "rescued and protected" and most importantly "chosen and forgiven" (verses 1 and 2), and for those reasons can't help but fall in love with Jesus and reciprocate (as shown in the chorus and bridge).

 

Q: Being a worship leader all these years, how would you define a good worship service?

Only when God shows up is it a good worship service. Otherwise, we're just playing music for an audience. As worship leaders and team members, our responsibility is to lead the congregation into the presence of God and get out of the way. The responsibility of the congregation is to desire the presence of God and seek Him with all of their heart. When both parties can get on the same page about pursuing an encounter with God like that, freeing themselves of distractions or any other hindrances, watch out! The day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) and the glory cloud at the dedication of Solomon's temple (2 Chronicles 5:13) are both examples of how God shows up in response to believers unified in their desire for Him.

Q: What do you think are the spiritual qualities a worship leader needs to have?

I believe a worship leader must have a passion and love for the presence of God and the people of God, more than his/her passion and love for music. I often say that music is only 2% of worship leading. It's our heart for God and people, as well as our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that make up the other 98%.

Q: Where can our readers go to find out more about you and purchase your new album?

My website: anthonylabruno.com and my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages: facebook.com/labrunolaunchout and @anthony_labruno are great ways to find out more info and to stay in touch! Into the Deep is available for purchase pretty much anywhere (iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, Rhapsody, Google Play, Amazon, CD Baby, etc.).

 

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