Behind the Praise - Sunday June 1, 2008

BLENDED WORSHIP - 9:30am

"Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah"

This hymn is also called “Guide Me O, Thou Great Redeemer”. Encouraged by the Welsh Calvinist Methodists to update their hymnal, William Williams, the "Sweet Singer of Wales" produced about 800 hymns, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" being the first in 1745.
This very personal hymn seeks the same care that God gave the Israelites in the wilderness: "Bread of heaven", the manna in the wilderness, "Open now the crystal fountain", water from the rock, "Let the fire and cloudy pillar", the pillar God used to guide them and protect them in the wilderness.
"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" has been translated into seventy-five languages. It is so loved in Wales that it is considered an unofficial national anthem
Many are the stories of this beautiful anthem giving people strength in time of adversity. Three women missionaries in China, with bandits outside their door, sang this as though nothing was wrong, receiving comfort and courage from their "Strong Deliverer". Imprisoned with only dry, hard bread and tea, they sang it as Paul and Silas, their spirits undaunted, fed by the "Bread of heaven." In the trenches of Flanders during World War I, it was sung so melodiously by the Welch soldiers that the German soldiers also took it up. Miners sang it on their way to the mines. It could be spontaneously sung at Welsh sporting events, and was sung at Princess Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, London, on September 6, 1997.

Click here to listen to a tower bell arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejdz1yAtDq0

Click here to listen to the great Mahalia Jackson sing the hymn:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe6C92qJGMQ&feature=related

Click here to listen to a choir arrangement of the hymn:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oei9Hcp5W9U

Click here to read through the words:
www.oremus.org/hymnal/g/g401.html

"You are My King"
Billy is a member of the Alamo City Christian Fellowship in San Antonio. Billy started leading worship in 1990, right out of college. Back then Christiandom didn't demand bands. They were satisfied with simplicity. Billy played his guitar and led worship by himself until several years later. He added a drummer (Joe McArthur) first and then a bass player (Shawn Skeen) and then Cindy joined in with vocals in 2001. Sometime around the year 2000 Billy began having vocal trouble which turned out to be a neurological condition called hyper-disphonia. There's really no cure for this condition. So Cindy began singing more of the lead vocals over time. Though Cindy sings most of the songs, Billy is still the person giving direction to the worship time and, of course, he writes most of the songs the band plays. Billy began song writing in the late 1990's. He's written several well known songs including:"Break Our Hearts", "Goodness and Mercy", "You Are My King (Amazing Love)", "Sing to the King", "I Have a River", "Die the Death", "You Are God Alone (not a god)", "You Are Welcome Here" and "Welcome to the Cross".
Learn more about Billy's ministry on his myspace website & ministry website:
www.myspace.com/billyfooteband

Learn more about Billy's ministry here:
www.billyfoote.com/

Click here to worship along with the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNBZXzN0tLU

Click here for another arrangement of the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUO0NhsaGKc

“In Christ Alone”

This song was written by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Townend and Getty both admit they are motivated by the idea of capturing biblical truth in songs and hymns that will not only cause people to express their worship in church, but will build them up in their Christian lives. “I’ve been amazed by the response to this song,” says Townend. “We’ve had some incredible e-mails about how people have been helped by the song through incredibly difficult circumstances.” One e-mail described how a U.S soldier serving in Iraq would pray through each verse of the song every day, and how the promises of God’s protection and grace helped to sustain him through the enormous pressures and dangers of life in a war zone.

Click here to read more about how the song was composed
www.crosswalk.com/1275127/

Click here to worship along with the Newsboys
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8welVgKX8Qo

Click here to worship along with Natalie Grant
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA9WbEn-Nj8&feature=related

CONTEMPORARY 11:00 am

"Sing to the King"

This song was written by Billy James Foote. The song is based upon the hymn by Charles S. Horne. Here are the original words penned in 1910. Notice the similarity between the Horne's words and Billy's adaptation of the song.
Sing we the King Who is coming to reign,
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain.
Life and salvation His empire shall bring,
Joy to the nations when Jesus is King.RefrainCome let us sing, praise to our King,
Jesus our King, Jesus our King,
This is our song, who to Jesus belong:
Glory to Jesus, to Jesus our King.

Billy and his wife Cindy live in San Antonio, Texas. Billy started leading worship in 1990, right out of college. Back then Christiandom didn't demand bands. They were satisfied with simplicity. Billy played his guitar and led worship by himself until several years later. He added a drummer (Joe McArthur) first and then a bass player (Shawn Skeen) and then Cindy joined in with vocals in 2001. Sometime around the year 2000 Billy began having vocal trouble which turned out to be a neurological condition called hyper-disphonia. There's really no cure for this condition. So Cindy began singing more of the lead vocals over time. Though Cindy sings most of the songs, Billy is still the person giving direction to the worship time and, of course, he writes most of the songs the band plays. Billy began song writing in the late 1990's. He's written several well known songs including:"Break Our Hearts", "Goodness and Mercy", "You Are My King (Amazing Love)", "Sing to the King", "I Have a River", "Die the Death", "You Are God Alone (not a god)", "You Are Welcome Here" and "Welcome to the Cross".
Learn more about Billy's ministry on his myspace website & ministry website:
www.myspace.com/billyfooteband

Learn more about Billy's ministry here:
www.billyfoote.com/

Click here to worship along with the passion band
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrsrPfGmpPg

"King of Majesty"

This song was written by Marty Sampson. Marty (b. May 31, 1979) is a Christian songwriter and a worship leader at the Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. Originally featuring in the Youth Alive albums of the late 1990s, he was one of original Hillsong United worship leaders and has led worship on every United album to date. He plays guitar and occasionally piano. He was married in November of 2006 to Michelle.
Sampson was a former worship leader for Hillsong United together with Joel Houston (son of pastor Brian Houston). His last album with United in the 2007 United album All of the Above, could be his last album with Houston and the Hillsong United team.
Since his marriage with Michelle, Sampson has moved from Hillsong United to the Hillsong band and helps lead worship with Darlene Zschech and the rest of the team. He is now one of the main worship leaders in Hillsong Church along with Zschech and Reuben Morgan.
Sampson recently released a solo album entitled "Let Love Rule".

Click here to learn more about Marty Sampson:
www.martysampson.net

Click here to worship along with the Hillsong worship ministry:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyyRfx563Zs

Click here for an arrangement by Marty Sampson:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg9Zqipk2nU

"Oh the Glory of it All"
This worship song by David Crowder is a play on the word glory. David said even as believers we struggle with defining glory.
At the start he was there,
he was thereIn the end,he’ll be there, he’ll be there
And After all our hands have wrought
He forgives Oh the Glory of it all is:
he came here For the rescue of us all
that we may live for the glory of it all
for the glory of it all

Click here to listen to David share about how he wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r_XWX00lH8

Click here to worship along with David at a Passion event:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg-1yM6insA&feature=related