BLENDED 9:30AM
"Come Thou Fount"
Robert Robinson, following the tradition of ministers of the time, wrote "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" as a hymn-poem for the conclusion of his sermon for Whitsunday, 1758. He was 23 years old at the time. It was published the following year in A Collection of Hymns used by the Church of Christ in Angel Alley, Bishopsgate (1759). There has been some speculation that it was written by the Countess of Huntingdon, but it is generally agreed to be the work of Robinson.
Originally "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" had four stanzas. The fourth stanza was omitted by Martin Madan in Psalms and Hymns, 1860 and has not been used since. The statement in stanza two, "Here I raise my Ebenezer" refers to I Samuel 7:12, "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." Ebenezer is the Hebrew for "Stone of Help." Israel had suffered defeat because of its sin. But the people had repented of their sin, God had helped them and they were victorious. Samuel placed the stone to remind Israel that God had them, their victory was because of Him.
In stanza three, Robinson speaks of being "prone to wonder, prone to leave the God I love". This seems to be a forecast of his later life, when he lapsed into sin, unstableness and involvement with Unitarianism. There is a well-known story of Robinson, riding a stagecoach with a lady who was deeply engrossed in a hymnbook. Seeking to encourage him, she asked him what he thought of the hymn she was humming. Robinson burst into tears and said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."
If you like more of a traditional arrangement check out this choir arrangement here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUhU0HgTq94&mode=related&search=
“Mighty is the Power of the Cross”
This song was written by Chris Tomlin & Jesse Reeves. Chris was stirred by the phrase "What can take a dying man and bring him back to life again". Chris and Jesse were amazed by the mystery of the cross, as it is foolishness to those who are perishing.
What can take a dying man And raise him up to life again?
What can heal the wounded soul? What can make us white as snow?
What can fill the emptiness?What can mend our brokenness?
Brokenness?
Mighty, awesome, wonderful Is the Holy cross.
Where the Lamb lay down His lifeTo lift us from the fall.
Mighty is the power of the cross.
Click here to hear more about how this song on the cross was written:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gDVwQ_Oyhc
Click here for a moving visual portrayal of the cross:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkO-D0fatRQ&feature=related
"How Great is Our God"
This worship song was written by Chris Tomlin. Chris said he almost apologized to the Lord for writing such a simple song, but felt that the English language could only go so far in describing the greatness of our God. After writing the song he felt in his spirit that he had written a song that would be embraced by the church around the world.
Chris received his first guitar from his father, Connie, at the age of eleven after contracting a case of mono. Then, Tomlin wrote his first worship song at age fourteen. He entered college planning to study medicine, but he stated that he felt God's calling to something else and did not pursue that career.In the mid-1990's Tomlin spent time leading worship at the Dawson McAllister Youth Conferences, as well as at various camps around the state of Texas.Following college, at Texas A&M University Tomlin continued to play and write songs, and in 1997, Louie Giglio asked if he would be interested in working with the Passion Conferences. Tomlin agreed, and he has played a key role ever since. His first nationally released solo project, entitled The Noise We Make, was released in 2001, which saw the emergence of songs "Forever" (his most famous song other than "How Great Is Our God"), "Be Glorified", and "Kindness", all of which made the top 200 in the CCLI 2005 top 500 worship songs.
According to Christian Copyright Licensing International's list of the top 25 worship songs in the United States as of August 2007, Tomlin held 5 spots with songs he has either written or co-written with other songwriters: "How Great Is Our God" (#1), "Forever" (#5), "Holy Is the Lord" (#7), "We Fall Down" (#12),and "Indescribable" (#22).
Click here to listen to the story behind the song:
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-302-HowGreatisOurGod-Tomlin.mp3
Click here to listen to Chris share about how the song came about on newsong café: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpfKli_4LQ0&mode=related&search=
Click here to worship along with Chris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxPG_mRHDs&feature=related
Click here to learn more about Chris’ ministry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Tomlin#Biography
Click here to visit Chris’ website:
http://www.christomlin.com/
Click here to visit Chris’ myspace:
www.myspace.com/christomlin
“Jesus Paid it All”
The words were written by Elvina M. Hall and the music by John T. Grape on New Year’s night, 1886, some missionaries were holding open-air services in order to attract passers-by to a near-by mission, where meetings were to be held later. "All to Christ I owe" (Jesus, Paid it All) was sung, and after a gentleman had given a short address he hastened away to the mission. He soon heard footsteps close behind him and a young woman caught up with him and said: "I heard you addressing the open-air meeting just now; do you think, sir, that Jesus could save a sinner like me?" The gentleman replied that there was no doubt about that, if she was anxious to be saved. She told him that she was a servant girl, and had left her place that morning after a disagreement with her mistress. As she had been wandering about the streets in the dark, wondering where she was to spend the night, the sweet melodies of this hymn had attracted her, and she drew near and listened attentively. As the different verses were being sung, she felt that the words surely had something to do with her. Through the whole service she seemed to hear what met her oppressed soul’s need at that moment. God’s Spirit had showed her what a poor, sinful and wretched creature she was, and had led her to ask what she must do. On hearing her experience, the gentleman took her back to the mission and left her with the ladies in charge. The young, wayward woman was brought to Christ that night. A situation was secured for her in a minister’s family. There she became ill and had to be taken to a hospital. She rapidly failed and it became evident that she would not be long on earth. One day the gentleman whom she had met on New Year’s night was visiting her in the ward. After quoting a few suitable verses of Scripture, he repeated her favorite hymn, "All to Christ I owe"…and she seemed overwhelmed with the thought of coming to glory…Two hours afterward she passed away.
Click here for a solo arrangement of the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo4WcozMTlU
Click here for an instrumental arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZDc-1AV6SA
Click here for a choir arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUMLHsMZ5Gk
Go here for a solo arrangement by Ben Forde, scroll down on the rhapsody player to song # 32
http://play.rhapsody.com/playlistcentral/playlistdetail?playlistId=ply.11990274&didAutoplayBounce=true
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM
“For all You’ve Done”
This song is by Reuben Morgan.
Reuben Morgan on men worshipping:People are more passionate than ever, Morgan observes. I think God's stirring the church. For the most part, churches are singing the same songs no matter where you go, which is pretty incredible. Even in countries that don't speak English, they're still singing the same songs. As a strong male leader, Morgan is particularly interested in seeing the men of the church take more risks in their outward expressions of faith. I think a really good model for men and worship is David, Morgan says. Men can be a little more reserved when it comes to expressing their feelings and really being passionate. But I think there's health in a guy really learning how to do that in the right way. I think the Bible is clear on what are appropriate ways to express our love for God passionately. My personal feeling is that lifting our hands, shouting and all of that is a way of connecting with God. They're expressions, and they can be healthy in our growth.
Click here to read more about Reuben Morgan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_Morgan
My Savior, Redeemer Lifted me from the miry clay
Almighty forever I will never be the same
‘Cause You came near From the everlasting
To the world we live The Father’s only Son You lived and You died
You rose again on high You opened the way
For the world to live again Hallelujah
For all You’ve done Hallelujah For all You’ve done
Click here to worship along with the Lakewood Church in Houston:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=60cZ5SmlXMc&feature=related
“You never let Go"
This powerful new song by Matt Redman has been described as follows from Christianity Today:"You Never Let Go" begins with a quiet piano and moody atmospherics that mirror far-from-ebullient lyrics based on Psalm 23: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/You're perfect love is casting out fear/And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life/I won't turn back, I know you are near…The chorus is a loud, exultant proclamation that God will never let go of us and in it Redman uses the minor-key construction to subtly (and maturely) declare that God's love is still valid, even in the midst of pain.
Click here to listen watch the video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIAdgLR1ZGw
Click here to read more about Matt Redman on his myspace - you can play the song directly from his stand-alone player and can buy the song from his website
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=120781688
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back I know You are near
And I will fear no evil For my God is with me
And if my God is with meWhom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go Lord, You never let go of me
“Remedy"
This song is by David Crowder. As you might guess from the title and the medical cross on the cover, Remedy focuses on God's constant presence as the answer to our hurts while challenging listeners to be the balm needed in the lives of others. Indeed, the Texas band's 2007club tour is part worship experience, part rallying cry to inspire change in local communities. At the same time, one could view this album as the band's personal healing in response to the tragic death of their friend and pastor Kyle Lake shortly after the release of A Collision.
Here is Davids' answer to what is worship? This is actually a really difficult question because language is such a fluid thing. A word like “worship” changes and evolves and provokes different meanings for different community sets. Over the last few decades, at least within Christian culture, the word has become synonymous with “music within a congregational context.” You say the word “worship” and a person immediately pictures in his head people singing in a room with lyrics projected on a screen. Words and the objects they signify are very difficult to separate. I’ll show you what I mean. Okay, in your head, say the word, “eight”—and try to not picture the number eight. It’s nearly impossible. So, once a word begins to signify something, it is hard to separate it from the thing it is signifying. For me, I tend to not trust moments of congregational singing as an indicator of where our true affections lie. It is a very simple thing to get caught up in the beauty of music and song erupting in a room full of people. So I rarely trust that moment. I think a better indicator of worship may be the way we interact with the world around us.
Click here to watch the David Crowder band on tour:
www.youtube.com/profile?user=davidcrowderband
Click here to learn more about The David Crowder band:
www.davidcrowderband.com/
Click here to visit Davids' myspace:
www.myspace.com/davidcrowderband
Click here to worship along with a powerful video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3UWiJCZAz8
Click here for a live performance:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGIth9d_LXE&feature=related
THIRD 6PM
"Come Thou Fount"
Robert Robinson, following the tradition of ministers of the time, wrote "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" as a hymn-poem for the conclusion of his sermon for Whitsunday, 1758. He was 23 years old at the time. It was published the following year in A Collection of Hymns used by the Church of Christ in Angel Alley, Bishopsgate (1759). There has been some speculation that it was written by the Countess of Huntingdon, but it is generally agreed to be the work of Robinson.
Originally "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" had four stanzas. The fourth stanza was omitted by Martin Madan in Psalms and Hymns, 1860 and has not been used since. The statement in stanza two, "Here I raise my Ebenezer" refers to I Samuel 7:12, "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." Ebenezer is the Hebrew for "Stone of Help." Israel had suffered defeat because of its sin. But the people had repented of their sin, God had helped them and they were victorious. Samuel placed the stone to remind Israel that God had them, their victory was because of Him.
In stanza three, Robinson speaks of being "prone to wonder, prone to leave the God I love". This seems to be a forecast of his later life, when he lapsed into sin, unstableness and involvement with Unitarianism. There is a well-known story of Robinson, riding a stagecoach with a lady who was deeply engrossed in a hymnbook. Seeking to encourage him, she asked him what he thought of the hymn she was humming. Robinson burst into tears and said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."
If you like more of a traditional arrangement check out this choir arrangement here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUhU0HgTq94&mode=related&search=
"Matchless"
Shust grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied music theory at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, where he studied Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach. He also became influenced by U2 and Bob Marley. He began performing at churches and coffeehouses while at college. Shust began leading worship at Perimeter Church, Duluth, Georgia in 2000 and recorded his album, Anything Worth Saying in 2004 with producer Dan Hannon who delivered the album along with a stack of others along to Brash Music for consideration. Brash Music signed Shust shortly thereafter.
Son of a Man, Great I am, King of heaven, son of god, you hold the measure of my days Holy Lamb, spotless Lamb, You are worthy, I am not Before Your throne I stand amazed Every tongue confess and every knee will bow To Jesus Christ the Lord forever, hear our praises now Your name is matchless, Your name is priceless Your name means more than I could know You're so far above me, the way that you love me goes further than any love could go Wonderful Counselor, Root of David, morning star you are the way, the truth, the life lion of the tribe of judah, Mighty god is who you are the only perfect sacrifice In your name you took the blind man and you gave him back his sight In your name you took the dead man and you brought him back to life In your name you took this prisoner and you opened up the doors And I will sing before your throne forever more
Click here to learn more about Aaron:
www.aaronshust.com/index.html
Click here to worship along with Aaron Shust:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW9NJiSXHmE
“The Wonderful Cross”
ISAAC WATTS & CHRIS TOMLINThe original song was written by Isaac Watts, the new chorus was written by Chris Tomlin. Isaac was born in 1674 and Chris was born in 1972. Even though they are separated by three hundred years, there is no separation between their passion and commitment to leading God's people in worship. WOW! The past meets the present.
Click here to hear Chris Tomlin talk about how this new arrangement came about. www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-306-TheWonderfulCross-Tomlin.mp3
Click here to learn more about Chris Tomlin
www.christomlin.com/
You can listen to more of Chris Tomlins' music on his myspace website.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=94631118
Isaac Watts (July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) is recognized as the "Father of English Hymnody", as he was the first prolific and popular English hymnwriter, credited with some 750 hymns. Many of his hymns remain in active use today and have been translated into many languages.
Click here to read more about Isaac Watts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Watts
This is an interesting read on Isaac Watts.
www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/w/a/t/watts_i.htm
Isaac is best known for his emphasizing the role of music in worship, where the congregation actually began to sing with the choir. Watts became the congregation's pastor in 1702. Just five feet tall, he was an unprepossessing figure in the pulpit. Health problems continued to plague him, and an assistant had to be appointed to fill in for him after a severe bout with illness in 1703. Despite these problems, Watts was a powerful preacher. The Mark Lane congregation outgrew its quarters and twice had to move to larger facilities, and Watts' sermons began to be collected and printed. Part of his success was due to his emphasis on the role of music in worship. A minister, he felt, should not only write sermons but should seek to involve his congregation in worship through music.
“Once Again”
Matt Redman is a British Christian worship leader and songwriter, and was one of the main worship leaders associated with the Soul Survivor organization. He is now working with a church plant in Brighton, England. His latest Church was opened late in 2006 at St. Pauls Catholic College in Burgess Hill. He also works with Passion Conferences and an artist for Survivor Records (Six Steps Records in the US). Contemporary Christian music (CCM) artists such as Michael W. Smith, Rebecca St. James, and Tree63 have covered a number of Redman's songs. Some of his most popular songs include "Heart Of Worship", "Let Everything That Has Breath", "Once Again", and the 2005 Dove Award-winning "Blessed Be Your Name" (Worship Song of the Year). Redman was formerly the worship leader for Soul Survivor church in Watford, and led worship at the annual Soul Survivor youth conferences. According to founder Mike Pilavachi, the Soul Survivor festivals (which began in 1993) grew out of worship sessions with him and the then 15-year-old Redman. He has authored and edited multiple books on Christian worship, including The Unquenchable Worshipper and the book Facedown which accompanied the album.
Click here to learn more about Matt Redman:
www.mattredman.com/
Click here to listen to the song:
www.last.fm/music/Matt+Redman/_/Once+Again
"All Things New"
Blue skies that take me back to being a child
Trees with leaves that turn the colors
I love A heart that's beating to Your melodies ringing
And I am a miracle 'cause heaven is a part of me
And You are the song that I'm singing
I was created to love You
I was created to need You
I was created to know You
And I am a miracle 'cause heaven is a part of me
And You are the air that I'm breathin'
Click here to listen online:
www.ilike.com/artist/Watermark/track/All+Things+New
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Behind the Praise - Sunday December 27, 2009
BLENDED SERVICE 9:30AM
“How can I keep from Singing”
There is an endless song echoes in my soulI hear the music ring and though the storms may comeI am holding on to the rock I clingHow can I keep from singing Your praiseHow can I ever say enoughHow amazing is Your loveHow can I keep from shouting Your nameI know I am loved by the KingAnd it makes my heart want to sing Chris Tomlin joined Ed Cash and Matt Redman to write this song. The song is on the album "See the Morning". This song anchors the theme of hope found on the album. "How Can I Keep From Singing," is a rendition of the 1860 hymn by Robert Lowry. "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is listed in some hymnals by the opening line "My Life Flows On". The original composition has now entered into the public domain. The song is frequently cited incorrectly as a traditional Quaker hymn. Chris reworked the original text and crafted a song that could be sung to God during the difficult times.
Click here to listen to Chris share how he wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lTZySpbpo
Click here to worship along with Chris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQI5wxtH6OY&feature=related
“Immortal Invisible, God only Wise”
Based on I Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever", "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" reminds us of the awe and reverence that we need to have as we worship our God. Even as we cannot see the sun, we see merely the light reflected by the hot gases surrounding the sun, so God’s glory is hid from our eyes. Even the angels cover their faces in God’s presence (Isaiah 6:2) because they cannot look on God’s full glory.
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" draws from other Scriptural references as well. "The Ancient of Days" from stanza one is from Daniel 7:9. "Thy justice like mountains" from stanza two is from Psalm 36:6. Originally written with six stanzas, stanza four referenced II Corinthians 3:15-16. The original stanzas four and five were combined to make the contemporary fourth stanza.
Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light,Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;But of all thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart -Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.
All laud we would render; O help us to see 'Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee, And so let thy glory, almighty, impart,Through Christ in his story, thy Christ to the heart.
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" was first published in Hymns of Christ and Christian Life, (1876). The text was altered by the author and published in W. Garrett Horder’s Congregational Hymns. (1884)
Click here for a finger picking guitar arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Tmq_B2eIg
Click here for a tower bell arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jodz3Muw8i8&feature=related
Click here for a newer arrangement by Daniel Rodriguez:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiV3ODJA9Ik
“How Great Thou Art”
The history of the hymn How Great Thou Art begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). He was a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. Mr. Boberg was enjoying a nice walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared out of no where. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell in the distance. And the words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart -- O Lord, my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made. . . Can you imagine what Boberg felt as he formed these words? There was such calmness after the fierce storm he could only utter those words of peace. This poem, titled O Store Gud (O Great God) was published in 1891 in Witness of the Truth, the weekly newspaper that Boberg edited. It was later translated in German. In 1927, it was published in a Russian version of the German text.
How Great Thou Art was sung by George Beverly Shea at the London Crusade of the Billy Graham evangelistic team in 1954. He later sang this song over 100 times during a revival in New York at a Billy Graham Crusade. This caused the hymn to receive new attention in Sweden and America and be published in several songbooks. Today millions across the world continue to sing this beautiful song. Giving God all praise, glory, and honor for who He is -- the Creator of this universe.
Click here to see the different arrangements available from Elvis Presley, Alan Jackson, The Grand Ole Opera Sandy Patti, Crystal Lewis, & David Phelps.
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+great+thou+art+&search_type=
“Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble”
Martin Smith is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of the English Christian rock and worship band Delirious? He is generally considered to be one of the foremost songwriters in modern Christian worship music. Some of the most recognized songs by Delirious? include "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever”, "History Maker", "My Glorious", "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble", "Shout To The North", "Deeper", "Majesty (Here I Am)", and "What A Friend I've Found".
In 1995, Martin was involved in a near-fatal car accident, and during the weeks of his recovery, he decided to become a full-time musician. He wrote the 'King Of Fools' song 'August 30th' based on this experience.
Click here for the story behind the song
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-197-DidYouFeeltheMountainsTremble-Smith.mp3
Click here to listen to the song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Q5vVa0q8Q
Click here to sing along:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICRukDH7eKo
Click here to watch Martin Smith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO_bKR2Wzhk&feature=related
"Mary did You know"
Mark Lowry is best known as a singer and comedian who spent more than a decade as a regular fixture of Bill Gaither's vocal band. But years from now, when all is said and done, Lowry's most enduring legacy will probably be the beautiful little song that he wrote 18 years ago as a meditation for a Christmas program at his church.In 1984, the leaders at Lowry's Nashville congregation asked him if he'd be willing to write a musical for Advent. He gladly agreed.Inspiration came as Lowry focused his heart and mind on the wonder of Christmas."I tried to picture Mary holding the baby Jesus on the first Christmas morning and wondered what she was thinking about that child," he says. "She knew he was special—the Virgin Birth was her first clue—but could she ever imagine all the things that he would do while he was here?"Soon, Lowry came up with a series of questions that he would like to ask Mary: "Did she know he would walk on water? Raise the dead? Give sight to the blind?"Lowry decided to use the questions as a monologue to be recited between the scenes of his musical. But the profundity of those questions lingered in his mind long after the church musical was done.Six years later, harmonica virtuoso Buddy Greene supplied just the right music and "Mary, Did You Know?" was complete.Since then, Lowry and Greene's tune has become a modern classic. It has been recorded by more than 30 different artists (besides Lowry), including Kenny Rogers, Kathleen Battle, and Reba McEntire."I hear from a lot of people who have sung it in the church choir for Christmas and Easter programs," says Lowry. "When I wrote it, I felt there was something special there, but I never imagined how wide-reaching it would become."
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfpK6cNPF7Y
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM
"Open up the Gates"
This worship song is by the group Planetshakers: Living by the core Planetshakers mandate "to empower a generation to win a generation", the Planetshakers Band are passionate and anointed. United by the vision set by Senior Pastors Russell & Sam Evans, they travel internationally, bringing God's breakthrough anointing to conferences and churches worldwide. Dedicated to the cause of Christ, it is their desire to see this planet impacted by the power God. Team members include worship leaders Henry Seeley, Sam Evans, Rudy Nikkerud and Matt Garner, drummer Mike Webber, guitarist and keyboard player Jonathon Hunt.
Click here to learn more about the Planetshakers:
www.planetshakers.com/
Click here for an arrangement of the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L-2BElFeAY&feature=related
“Holy is the Lord”
Chris Tomlin wrote this song after meditating on Isaiah 6. He was intrigued by the passage where the angels called to one another. The phrase “Holy is the Lord and the earth is filled with his glory” kept ringing in his mind. He met up with Louie Giglio who had been meditating on the passage in Nehemiah where after Israel rebuilt the wall they built a wooden tower and opened the word of the lord. When this happened the people stood and lifted their hands then also bowed down. Louie was struck by the picture in his mind and wrote the following phrase in his journal:
“It’s rising up all around, it’s the anthem of the Lord’s renown”
Click here to listen to Chris & Louie Giglio talk about how the song came about:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv6hSdbfo2E
Click here to worship and sing-along
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKN5PX_3a0&feature=related
Click here to worship along with Chris Tomlin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X4CwGGJQMI
"Jesus Paid it All"
The following is from Alex Nifong who wrote the additional chorus:
I have an old hymnal that I frequently play through sometimes during my private times alone with the Lord. I was playing through that song one day in Jan of 05 and I just started praying and singing out the phrase O praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead. It was as simple as that. Just a prayer that came right out of my heart. This is a new arrangement of the old hymn, based on the recording from the Passion album "Everything glorious". It adds a new line "O praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead".
Check out the composer of the tag on his website
ww.alexnifong.com/
Here’s a story about the song:
The words were written by Elvina M. Hall and the music by John T. Grape on New Year’s night, 1886, some missionaries were holding open-air services in order to attract passers-by to a near-by mission, where meetings were to be held later. "All to Christ I owe" was sung, and after a gentleman had given a short address he hastened away to the mission. He soon heard footsteps close behind him and a young woman caught up with him and said: "I heard you addressing the open-air meeting just now; do you think, sir, that Jesus could save a sinner like me?"The gentleman replied that there was no doubt about that, if she was anxious to be saved. She told him that she was a servant girl, and had left her place that morning after a disagreement with her mistress. As she had been wandering about the streets in the dark, wondering where she was to spend the night, the sweet melodies of this hymn had attracted her, and she drew near and listened attentively. As the different verses were being sung, she felt that the words surely had something to do with her. Through the whole service she seemed to hear what met her oppressed soul’s need at that moment. God’s Spirit had showed her what a poor, sinful and wretched creature she was, and had led her to ask what she must do. On hearing her experience, the gentleman took her back to the mission and left her with the ladies in charge. The young, wayward woman was brought to Christ that night. A situation was secured for her in a minister’s family. There she became ill and had to be taken to a hospital. She rapidly failed and it became evident that she would not be long on earth. One day the gentleman whom she had met on New Year’s night was visiting her in the ward. After quoting a few suitable verses of Scripture, he repeated her favorite hymn, "All to Christ I owe"…and she seemed overwhelmed with the thought of coming to glory…Two hours afterward she passed away.
Click here to worship along
www.youtube.com/watch?v=onxhvivQYfI
Click here to worship along with a younger generation led by Kristian Stanfill:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-OOjfaBGnA&mode=related&search=
You can go here to Kristians' myspace and click on the song just to listen
www.myspace.com/kristianstanfill
WOW - here it is in Spanish
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRRBtWP_buA
"True Love"
This powerful song about the love of God was written by Phil Wickham. Phil Wickham’s music has been called every flowery adjective in the thesaurus and some that may have even been made up. And while they are often accurate descriptors they are at the same time distracting. When hearing these buzz words it’s too easy to lump an artist into a meaningless equation consisting of two musical references, a vague genre title and a classic predecessor. Welcome to missing the point. The point is that Wickham is at his core a humble and sincere artist who writes songs and worships God using the medium of music. It is with that brush that he paints images of a loving and creative God across the canvases of listeners’ hearts and minds.
Click here to learn more about Phil Wickham:
http://philwickham.com/blog/
Click here to visit Phils' myspace:
www.myspace.com/philwickham
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gU-ejQxEXk
“How can I keep from Singing”
There is an endless song echoes in my soulI hear the music ring and though the storms may comeI am holding on to the rock I clingHow can I keep from singing Your praiseHow can I ever say enoughHow amazing is Your loveHow can I keep from shouting Your nameI know I am loved by the KingAnd it makes my heart want to sing Chris Tomlin joined Ed Cash and Matt Redman to write this song. The song is on the album "See the Morning". This song anchors the theme of hope found on the album. "How Can I Keep From Singing," is a rendition of the 1860 hymn by Robert Lowry. "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is listed in some hymnals by the opening line "My Life Flows On". The original composition has now entered into the public domain. The song is frequently cited incorrectly as a traditional Quaker hymn. Chris reworked the original text and crafted a song that could be sung to God during the difficult times.
Click here to listen to Chris share how he wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lTZySpbpo
Click here to worship along with Chris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQI5wxtH6OY&feature=related
“Immortal Invisible, God only Wise”
Based on I Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever", "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" reminds us of the awe and reverence that we need to have as we worship our God. Even as we cannot see the sun, we see merely the light reflected by the hot gases surrounding the sun, so God’s glory is hid from our eyes. Even the angels cover their faces in God’s presence (Isaiah 6:2) because they cannot look on God’s full glory.
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" draws from other Scriptural references as well. "The Ancient of Days" from stanza one is from Daniel 7:9. "Thy justice like mountains" from stanza two is from Psalm 36:6. Originally written with six stanzas, stanza four referenced II Corinthians 3:15-16. The original stanzas four and five were combined to make the contemporary fourth stanza.
Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light,Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;But of all thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart -Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.
All laud we would render; O help us to see 'Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee, And so let thy glory, almighty, impart,Through Christ in his story, thy Christ to the heart.
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" was first published in Hymns of Christ and Christian Life, (1876). The text was altered by the author and published in W. Garrett Horder’s Congregational Hymns. (1884)
Click here for a finger picking guitar arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Tmq_B2eIg
Click here for a tower bell arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jodz3Muw8i8&feature=related
Click here for a newer arrangement by Daniel Rodriguez:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiV3ODJA9Ik
“How Great Thou Art”
The history of the hymn How Great Thou Art begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). He was a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. Mr. Boberg was enjoying a nice walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared out of no where. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell in the distance. And the words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart -- O Lord, my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made. . . Can you imagine what Boberg felt as he formed these words? There was such calmness after the fierce storm he could only utter those words of peace. This poem, titled O Store Gud (O Great God) was published in 1891 in Witness of the Truth, the weekly newspaper that Boberg edited. It was later translated in German. In 1927, it was published in a Russian version of the German text.
How Great Thou Art was sung by George Beverly Shea at the London Crusade of the Billy Graham evangelistic team in 1954. He later sang this song over 100 times during a revival in New York at a Billy Graham Crusade. This caused the hymn to receive new attention in Sweden and America and be published in several songbooks. Today millions across the world continue to sing this beautiful song. Giving God all praise, glory, and honor for who He is -- the Creator of this universe.
Click here to see the different arrangements available from Elvis Presley, Alan Jackson, The Grand Ole Opera Sandy Patti, Crystal Lewis, & David Phelps.
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+great+thou+art+&search_type=
“Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble”
Martin Smith is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of the English Christian rock and worship band Delirious? He is generally considered to be one of the foremost songwriters in modern Christian worship music. Some of the most recognized songs by Delirious? include "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever”, "History Maker", "My Glorious", "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble", "Shout To The North", "Deeper", "Majesty (Here I Am)", and "What A Friend I've Found".
In 1995, Martin was involved in a near-fatal car accident, and during the weeks of his recovery, he decided to become a full-time musician. He wrote the 'King Of Fools' song 'August 30th' based on this experience.
Click here for the story behind the song
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-197-DidYouFeeltheMountainsTremble-Smith.mp3
Click here to listen to the song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Q5vVa0q8Q
Click here to sing along:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICRukDH7eKo
Click here to watch Martin Smith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO_bKR2Wzhk&feature=related
"Mary did You know"
Mark Lowry is best known as a singer and comedian who spent more than a decade as a regular fixture of Bill Gaither's vocal band. But years from now, when all is said and done, Lowry's most enduring legacy will probably be the beautiful little song that he wrote 18 years ago as a meditation for a Christmas program at his church.In 1984, the leaders at Lowry's Nashville congregation asked him if he'd be willing to write a musical for Advent. He gladly agreed.Inspiration came as Lowry focused his heart and mind on the wonder of Christmas."I tried to picture Mary holding the baby Jesus on the first Christmas morning and wondered what she was thinking about that child," he says. "She knew he was special—the Virgin Birth was her first clue—but could she ever imagine all the things that he would do while he was here?"Soon, Lowry came up with a series of questions that he would like to ask Mary: "Did she know he would walk on water? Raise the dead? Give sight to the blind?"Lowry decided to use the questions as a monologue to be recited between the scenes of his musical. But the profundity of those questions lingered in his mind long after the church musical was done.Six years later, harmonica virtuoso Buddy Greene supplied just the right music and "Mary, Did You Know?" was complete.Since then, Lowry and Greene's tune has become a modern classic. It has been recorded by more than 30 different artists (besides Lowry), including Kenny Rogers, Kathleen Battle, and Reba McEntire."I hear from a lot of people who have sung it in the church choir for Christmas and Easter programs," says Lowry. "When I wrote it, I felt there was something special there, but I never imagined how wide-reaching it would become."
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfpK6cNPF7Y
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM
"Open up the Gates"
This worship song is by the group Planetshakers: Living by the core Planetshakers mandate "to empower a generation to win a generation", the Planetshakers Band are passionate and anointed. United by the vision set by Senior Pastors Russell & Sam Evans, they travel internationally, bringing God's breakthrough anointing to conferences and churches worldwide. Dedicated to the cause of Christ, it is their desire to see this planet impacted by the power God. Team members include worship leaders Henry Seeley, Sam Evans, Rudy Nikkerud and Matt Garner, drummer Mike Webber, guitarist and keyboard player Jonathon Hunt.
Click here to learn more about the Planetshakers:
www.planetshakers.com/
Click here for an arrangement of the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L-2BElFeAY&feature=related
“Holy is the Lord”
Chris Tomlin wrote this song after meditating on Isaiah 6. He was intrigued by the passage where the angels called to one another. The phrase “Holy is the Lord and the earth is filled with his glory” kept ringing in his mind. He met up with Louie Giglio who had been meditating on the passage in Nehemiah where after Israel rebuilt the wall they built a wooden tower and opened the word of the lord. When this happened the people stood and lifted their hands then also bowed down. Louie was struck by the picture in his mind and wrote the following phrase in his journal:
“It’s rising up all around, it’s the anthem of the Lord’s renown”
Click here to listen to Chris & Louie Giglio talk about how the song came about:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv6hSdbfo2E
Click here to worship and sing-along
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKN5PX_3a0&feature=related
Click here to worship along with Chris Tomlin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X4CwGGJQMI
"Jesus Paid it All"
The following is from Alex Nifong who wrote the additional chorus:
I have an old hymnal that I frequently play through sometimes during my private times alone with the Lord. I was playing through that song one day in Jan of 05 and I just started praying and singing out the phrase O praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead. It was as simple as that. Just a prayer that came right out of my heart. This is a new arrangement of the old hymn, based on the recording from the Passion album "Everything glorious". It adds a new line "O praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead".
Check out the composer of the tag on his website
ww.alexnifong.com/
Here’s a story about the song:
The words were written by Elvina M. Hall and the music by John T. Grape on New Year’s night, 1886, some missionaries were holding open-air services in order to attract passers-by to a near-by mission, where meetings were to be held later. "All to Christ I owe" was sung, and after a gentleman had given a short address he hastened away to the mission. He soon heard footsteps close behind him and a young woman caught up with him and said: "I heard you addressing the open-air meeting just now; do you think, sir, that Jesus could save a sinner like me?"The gentleman replied that there was no doubt about that, if she was anxious to be saved. She told him that she was a servant girl, and had left her place that morning after a disagreement with her mistress. As she had been wandering about the streets in the dark, wondering where she was to spend the night, the sweet melodies of this hymn had attracted her, and she drew near and listened attentively. As the different verses were being sung, she felt that the words surely had something to do with her. Through the whole service she seemed to hear what met her oppressed soul’s need at that moment. God’s Spirit had showed her what a poor, sinful and wretched creature she was, and had led her to ask what she must do. On hearing her experience, the gentleman took her back to the mission and left her with the ladies in charge. The young, wayward woman was brought to Christ that night. A situation was secured for her in a minister’s family. There she became ill and had to be taken to a hospital. She rapidly failed and it became evident that she would not be long on earth. One day the gentleman whom she had met on New Year’s night was visiting her in the ward. After quoting a few suitable verses of Scripture, he repeated her favorite hymn, "All to Christ I owe"…and she seemed overwhelmed with the thought of coming to glory…Two hours afterward she passed away.
Click here to worship along
www.youtube.com/watch?v=onxhvivQYfI
Click here to worship along with a younger generation led by Kristian Stanfill:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-OOjfaBGnA&mode=related&search=
You can go here to Kristians' myspace and click on the song just to listen
www.myspace.com/kristianstanfill
WOW - here it is in Spanish
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRRBtWP_buA
"True Love"
This powerful song about the love of God was written by Phil Wickham. Phil Wickham’s music has been called every flowery adjective in the thesaurus and some that may have even been made up. And while they are often accurate descriptors they are at the same time distracting. When hearing these buzz words it’s too easy to lump an artist into a meaningless equation consisting of two musical references, a vague genre title and a classic predecessor. Welcome to missing the point. The point is that Wickham is at his core a humble and sincere artist who writes songs and worships God using the medium of music. It is with that brush that he paints images of a loving and creative God across the canvases of listeners’ hearts and minds.
Click here to learn more about Phil Wickham:
http://philwickham.com/blog/
Click here to visit Phils' myspace:
www.myspace.com/philwickham
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gU-ejQxEXk
Monday, December 14, 2009
Behind the Praise - Sunday December 20, 2009
"Go Tell it"
"Go Tell It on the Mountain" is an African-American spiritual dating back to at least 1865 that has been sung and recorded by many gospel and secular performers. It is considered a Christmas carol because its original lyric celebrates the Nativity: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."
Like many carols, the precise history of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is a bit fuzzy. Although generally considered an anonymous work, Studwell believes the piece was written by Frederick Jerome Work (1880-1942), a black composer, teacher and scholar. Work was deeply involved in the collection, arrangement and dissemination of black spirituals, so it is possible, says Studwell, that Work only discovered and preserved the song. However, Studwell’s research has led him to believe that Work actually penned the piece, which was then arranged and disseminated by his nephew John Wesley Work. Studwell places its first publication in the early 1900s, but the piece gained little notice until the 1920s when the Fisk University Singers began performing the song. Even then, it did not make much of a splash.“I looked through hundreds of carol collections and other song books and I could not find it in any collection prior to the 1950s,” says Studwell. About that time the song steadily began to gain in popularity, winning over listeners with energetic beat and its enthusiastic call to action. “Most carols of the 20th century are not so enthusiastic. This is more like some of the older carols, like Joy to the World or Come All Ye Faithful in that regard,” says Studwell. “It shows some real enthusiasm for the Christmas holiday."
Click here to listen to James Taylor sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifEUn1AxDYo
Click here to see the various arrangements available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=go+tell+it+on+the+mountain+&search_type=&aq=f
"Angels from the Realms of Glory"
The author of Angels From the Realms of Glory was an Irishman called James Montgomery. He came from a religious family background and sadly his parents, who were missionaries died following their vocation. Angels From the Realms of Glory was written in 1816. The music for Angels From the Realms of Glory was composed by Henry Smart. The lyrics of Angels From the Realms of Glory tell the story of the shepherds, sages and Saints.
Click here for a stirring arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-pb456fN20
Click here for the various arrangements available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=angels+from+the+realms+of+glory+&search_type=&aq=f
"Angels We have Heard on high"
The words of the song are based on a traditional French carol known as Les Anges dans nos Campagnes (literally, The Angels in our Countryside). Its most common English version was translated in 1862 by James Chadwick. It is most commonly sung to the hymn tune "Gloria", as arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes. Its most memorable feature is its chorus: Gloria in Excelsis Deo! (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")
Click here to listen to the Third Day arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K17zGHFrKU
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
“Hark the herald angels sing” Christmas Carol was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A sombre man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially. Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDPwNPAV6tAg:
Click here see the various arrangements available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hark+the+herald+angels+sing&search_type=&aq=f
"Joy To The World"
One of our most popular Christmas carols is the result of the efforts of Isaac Watts and Lowell Mason—and, some believe, George Frederick Handel. Watts was a frail, quiet man only five feet tall. Mason was an energetic publisher, choir director, and composer. Handel was a large, robust musical genius. Handel and Watts were contemporaries in London and one imagines they must have appreciated each other's talents. Mason lived 100 years later in Boston.
In 1719 Isaac Watts, already a notable scholar and author, sat down under a tree at the Abney Estate near London and began to compose poetry based on Psalm 98. Watts had begun writing verses as a small child. In his teen years he complained that the songs in church were hard to sing. His father said, "Well, you write some that are better." And so he did. For the next two years, young Isaac wrote a new hymn each week. (He would eventually write more than 600 of them, all based on Scripture.) Today, hymns like "Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed" and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" are hallmarks of the Christian church, and Watts is regarded as "the Father of English Hymnody."In 1741 George Frederick Handel, who was already famous as the composer of several operas and oratorios, decided that he wanted to do a truly great work. After spending time in prayer, he arose from his knees and for 23 days labored almost continuously day and night. The immortal Messiah, now a Christmas tradition, was the fruit of that incessant struggle.A nobleman once praised Handel for the "entertainment" he had furnished in one of his compositions. In no uncertain terms Handel let the nobleman know that his music was composed to make men better, not to entertain them.Almost a century later, Lowell Mason set Watts's poem of "joy" to music. For years it was assumed that Mason used tunes from Handel's Messiah for portions of the arrangement, but the veracity of that claim is now debated among scholars. Listeners can judge for themselves. But this we know: It was Mason who ultimately brought the pieces together to give us "Joy to the world"
Click here to listen to the acapella group Take 6:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=evywpq32Oa0
Click here if you like Michael Bolton:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXY8Vtnrsxc
Click here for the various recordings:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=joy+to+the+world&search_type=&aq=f
Flute Choir: "Bright and Glorious Sky"
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
“Hark the herald angels sing” Christmas Carol was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A sombre man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially. Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDPwNPAV6tAg:
Click here see the various arrangements available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hark+the+herald+angels+sing&search_type=&aq=f
"O Come All Ye Faithful"
Also known in Latin as "Adeste Fidelis", this Christmas carol is credited to an English hymnist named John Francis Wade (1711-1786). Written originally in Latin, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', it was penned as a hymn by an Englishman called John Wade. In Latin, it is known as 'Adeste Fideles'. Another Englishman called John Reading composed its music in early 1700s, which was first published in 'Cantus Diversi' in 1751. Rev. Frederick Oakley translated it to English in 1841.
Click here to read more about the history of the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adeste_Fideles
Click here to listen to Bianca Ryan sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I8XAf4Rwa4
Click here to hear a traditional setting:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZKp4npV47Q&feature=related
Click here for the various recordings of this Carol: www.youtube.com/results?search_query=o+come+all+ye+faithful&search_type=&aq=f
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"
Rector Phillips Brooks (1835-1903) of Philadelphia, wrote the words to O Little Town of Bethlehem in 1868, following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He was inspired by the view of Bethlehem from the hills of Palestine especially at night time hence the lyrics of O Little Town of Bethlehem. His church organist Lewis Redner (1831-1908) wrote the melody to O Little Town of Bethlehem for the Sunday school children's choir.
Click here to listen to Sarah McLachlans's version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioStjMFOJZs
"Away in a Manger"
Away in a manager is always the first carol that children are taught. Away in a Manger was originally published in 1885. The publication of Away in a Manger was in a Lutheran Sunday school book and this created the misconception that the lyrics of Away in a Manger were actually written by Martin Luther himself. The author is unknown. The music to Away in a Manger was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895.
Click here to see the various versions available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=away+in+a+manger&search_type=&aq=f
Click here to hear celtic arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOJb6uOF05Q
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Behind the Praise - Sunday December 13, 2009
BLENDED 9:30AM
"The First Noel"
The word Nowell comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas", from the Latin word natalis ("birth"). It may also be from the Gaulish words "noio" or "neu" meaning "new" and "helle" meaning "light" referring to the winter solstice when sunlight begins overtaking darkness.
Click here to read more about the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_No%C3%ABl#Animaniacs_parody
Click here to hear Helmut Lotti sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=We4xRHMuCNg&feature=related**
Click here for an interesting arrangement - one person, two guitars:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyWiw3cSOI
"Away in a Manger"
Away in a manager is always the first carol that children are taught. Away in a Manger was originally published in 1885. The publication of Away in a Manger was in a Lutheran Sunday school book and this created the misconception that the lyrics of Away in a Manger were actually written by Martin Luther himself. The author is unknown. The music to Away in a Manger was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895.
Click here to see the various versions available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=away+in+a+manger&search_type=&aq=f
Click here to hear celtic arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOJb6uOF05Q
"Silent Night"
("Stille Nacht") is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the Austrian priest Father Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1863, John Freeman Young translated the song into the English version sung today. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original. Today, the lyrics and melody are in the public domain.
The carol was first performed in the Nicola-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.
In his written account regarding the composition of the carol, Gruber gives no mention of the specific inspiration for creating the song. According to the song's history provided by Austria's Silent Night Society, one supposition is that the church organ was no longer working so that Mohr and Gruber therefore created a song for accompaniment by guitar. Silent Night historian, Renate Ebeling-Winkler says that the first mention of a broken organ was in a book published in the U.S. in 1909.
Click here for the various arrangements of the carol:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=silent+night+&search_type=&aq=f
"Ring the Bells"
Click here to listen to the song by Travis Cottrell:
www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4RNTN_enUS328US328&q=ring+the+bells
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
O come, O come, Emmanuel is a translation of the Christian Latin text ("Veni, veni, Emmanuel") by John Mason Neale in the mid-19th century. It is a metrical version of a collation of various Advent Antiphons (the acrostic O Antiphons), which now serves as a popular Advent and Christmas hymn. Its origins are unclear, it is thought that the antiphons are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th Century in origin. The text is based on the biblical prophesy from Isaiah 7:14 that states that God will give Israel a sign that will be called Immanuel (Lit.: God with us). Matthew 1:23 states fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Click here to listen to the carol:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBfPnUZh-Bc
Click here for Whitney Houstons' version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NactFcZeeUE&feature=related
Click here for a carol arrangement and dance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrJAilZYoR4&feature=related
“How can I keep from Singing”
There is an endless song echoes in my soulI hear the music ring and though the storms may comeI am holding on to the rock I clingHow can I keep from singing Your praiseHow can I ever say enoughHow amazing is Your loveHow can I keep from shouting Your nameI know I am loved by the KingAnd it makes my heart want to sing Chris Tomlin joined Ed Cash and Matt Redman to write this song. The song is on the album "See the Morning". This song anchors the theme of hope found on the album. "How Can I Keep From Singing," is a rendition of the 1860 hymn by Robert Lowry. "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is listed in some hymnals by the opening line "My Life Flows On". The original composition has now entered into the public domain. The song is frequently cited incorrectly as a traditional Quaker hymn. Chris reworked the original text and crafted a song that could be sung to God during the difficult times.
Click here to listen to Chris share how he wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lTZySpbpo
Click here to worship along with Chris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQI5wxtH6OY&feature=related
"We Three Kings"
Written by Rev. John Henry Hopkins (1820-1891) in 1857, he wrote both the music and lyrics of this carol. In 1863 the said Christmas carol was published in Rev. Hopkins' Carols, Hymns and Song. "We Three Kings" was written for the General Theological Seminary in New York during their Christmas pageant. Interesting Fact: Aside from being a writer and editor, Hopkins was also a stained glass artist and book illustrator.
We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light
Click here for an arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHf1p3C8iVw
Click here for another arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDe3zcTejjQ
"The First Noel"
The word Nowell comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas", from the Latin word natalis ("birth"). It may also be from the Gaulish words "noio" or "neu" meaning "new" and "helle" meaning "light" referring to the winter solstice when sunlight begins overtaking darkness.
Click here to read more about the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_No%C3%ABl#Animaniacs_parody
Click here to hear Helmut Lotti sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=We4xRHMuCNg&feature=related**
Click here for an interesting arrangement - one person, two guitars:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyWiw3cSOI
"The First Noel"
The word Nowell comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas", from the Latin word natalis ("birth"). It may also be from the Gaulish words "noio" or "neu" meaning "new" and "helle" meaning "light" referring to the winter solstice when sunlight begins overtaking darkness.
Click here to read more about the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_No%C3%ABl#Animaniacs_parody
Click here to hear Helmut Lotti sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=We4xRHMuCNg&feature=related**
Click here for an interesting arrangement - one person, two guitars:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyWiw3cSOI
"Away in a Manger"
Away in a manager is always the first carol that children are taught. Away in a Manger was originally published in 1885. The publication of Away in a Manger was in a Lutheran Sunday school book and this created the misconception that the lyrics of Away in a Manger were actually written by Martin Luther himself. The author is unknown. The music to Away in a Manger was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895.
Click here to see the various versions available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=away+in+a+manger&search_type=&aq=f
Click here to hear celtic arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOJb6uOF05Q
"Silent Night"
("Stille Nacht") is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the Austrian priest Father Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1863, John Freeman Young translated the song into the English version sung today. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original. Today, the lyrics and melody are in the public domain.
The carol was first performed in the Nicola-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.
In his written account regarding the composition of the carol, Gruber gives no mention of the specific inspiration for creating the song. According to the song's history provided by Austria's Silent Night Society, one supposition is that the church organ was no longer working so that Mohr and Gruber therefore created a song for accompaniment by guitar. Silent Night historian, Renate Ebeling-Winkler says that the first mention of a broken organ was in a book published in the U.S. in 1909.
Click here for the various arrangements of the carol:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=silent+night+&search_type=&aq=f
"Ring the Bells"
Click here to listen to the song by Travis Cottrell:
www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4RNTN_enUS328US328&q=ring+the+bells
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
O come, O come, Emmanuel is a translation of the Christian Latin text ("Veni, veni, Emmanuel") by John Mason Neale in the mid-19th century. It is a metrical version of a collation of various Advent Antiphons (the acrostic O Antiphons), which now serves as a popular Advent and Christmas hymn. Its origins are unclear, it is thought that the antiphons are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th Century in origin. The text is based on the biblical prophesy from Isaiah 7:14 that states that God will give Israel a sign that will be called Immanuel (Lit.: God with us). Matthew 1:23 states fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Click here to listen to the carol:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBfPnUZh-Bc
Click here for Whitney Houstons' version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NactFcZeeUE&feature=related
Click here for a carol arrangement and dance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrJAilZYoR4&feature=related
“How can I keep from Singing”
There is an endless song echoes in my soulI hear the music ring and though the storms may comeI am holding on to the rock I clingHow can I keep from singing Your praiseHow can I ever say enoughHow amazing is Your loveHow can I keep from shouting Your nameI know I am loved by the KingAnd it makes my heart want to sing Chris Tomlin joined Ed Cash and Matt Redman to write this song. The song is on the album "See the Morning". This song anchors the theme of hope found on the album. "How Can I Keep From Singing," is a rendition of the 1860 hymn by Robert Lowry. "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is listed in some hymnals by the opening line "My Life Flows On". The original composition has now entered into the public domain. The song is frequently cited incorrectly as a traditional Quaker hymn. Chris reworked the original text and crafted a song that could be sung to God during the difficult times.
Click here to listen to Chris share how he wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lTZySpbpo
Click here to worship along with Chris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQI5wxtH6OY&feature=related
"We Three Kings"
Written by Rev. John Henry Hopkins (1820-1891) in 1857, he wrote both the music and lyrics of this carol. In 1863 the said Christmas carol was published in Rev. Hopkins' Carols, Hymns and Song. "We Three Kings" was written for the General Theological Seminary in New York during their Christmas pageant. Interesting Fact: Aside from being a writer and editor, Hopkins was also a stained glass artist and book illustrator.
We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light
Click here for an arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHf1p3C8iVw
Click here for another arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDe3zcTejjQ
"The First Noel"
The word Nowell comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas", from the Latin word natalis ("birth"). It may also be from the Gaulish words "noio" or "neu" meaning "new" and "helle" meaning "light" referring to the winter solstice when sunlight begins overtaking darkness.
Click here to read more about the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_No%C3%ABl#Animaniacs_parody
Click here to hear Helmut Lotti sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=We4xRHMuCNg&feature=related**
Click here for an interesting arrangement - one person, two guitars:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyWiw3cSOI
Monday, November 30, 2009
Behind the Praise - Sunday December 6, 2009
BLENDED 9:30AM
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
O come, O come, Emmanuel is a translation of the Christian Latin text ("Veni, veni, Emmanuel") by John Mason Neale in the mid-19th century. It is a metrical version of a collation of various Advent Antiphons (the acrostic O Antiphons), which now serves as a popular Advent and Christmas hymn. Its origins are unclear, it is thought that the antiphons are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th Century in origin. The text is based on the biblical prophesy from Isaiah 7:14 that states that God will give Israel a sign that will be called Immanuel (Lit.: God with us). Matthew 1:23 states fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Click here to listen to the carol:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBfPnUZh-Bc
Click here for Whitney Houstons' version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NactFcZeeUE&feature=related
Click here for a carol arrangement and dance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrJAilZYoR4&feature=related
"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus"
Charles Wesley wrote seventy-five hundred hymns (Encyclopedia Britannica) -- roughly a hymn every other day for fifty years. I find that amazing! It would be amazing if he had written one verse every other day, but most of his hymns have several verses. I can scarcely imagine how he managed to do anything else -- but he was a great preacher as well as a great writer of hymns.
The hymn, "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus," looks forward to Jesus' Second Coming. It begins, "Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free." Wesley looked forward to the time when Jesus would come again to set us free from fear and sin.
Wesley knew what it meant for people not to be free. When he was about thirty years old, he traveled to America on a mission, where he saw slavery in its rawest form. He recorded in his journal that he had seen parents give their child a slave to torment. Wesley was so shaken by the evil of slavery that he nearly had a nervous breakdown. It wasn't long before he returned to England.
Some would criticize Wesley for not remaining in America to join the fight against slavery, but Wesley's weapons were his sermons and his hymns. For the next several decades, his sermons and hymns lent their power to the efforts to make people free -- free from slavery -- free from fear -- free from sin. He was blessed to live long enough to see England put an end to slavery.
Click here for a piano arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg8OJf40LJE
Click here for another arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUbCbT4Yuog
"O Sing a Song of Bethlehem"
The lyrics were written by Louis F. Benson and the music was arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This hymn chronicles the life of Christ.
Click here for an organ arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5SNqYgrTZs
"O Come All Ye Faithful"
Also known in Latin as "Adeste Fidelis", this Christmas carol is credited to an English hymnist named John Francis Wade (1711-1786). Written originally in Latin, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', it was penned as a hymn by an Englishman called John Wade. In Latin, it is known as 'Adeste Fideles'. Another Englishman called John Reading composed its music in early 1700s, which was first published in 'Cantus Diversi' in 1751. Rev. Frederick Oakley translated it to English in 1841.
Click here to read more about the history of the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adeste_Fideles
Click here to listen to Bianca Ryan sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I8XAf4Rwa4
Click here to hear a traditional setting:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZKp4npV47Q&feature=related
Click here for the various recordings of this Carol:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=o+come+all+ye+faithful&search_type=&aq=f
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM
"Blessed Be Your Name"
This powerful worship song by Matt Redman has a phrase that is based on Job 13:15. The Message translates it like this "So hold your tongue while I have my say, then I'll take whatever I have coming to me.Why do I go out on a limb like this and take my life in my hands?Because even if he killed me, I'd keep on hoping. I'd defend my innocence to the very end. Just wait, this is going to work out for the best—my salvation!"
Click here to hear the story behind the song by Matt Redman.
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-257-BlessedBeYourName-Redman.mp3
Click here to hear the song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6xo5KogzaI
Click here to worship along with Tree63
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mZH9T9XNVU&mode=related&search=
"O Come All Ye Faithful"
Also known in Latin as "Adeste Fidelis", this Christmas carol is credited to an English hymnist named John Francis Wade (1711-1786). Written originally in Latin, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', it was penned as a hymn by an Englishman called John Wade. In Latin, it is known as 'Adeste Fideles'. Another Englishman called John Reading composed its music in early 1700s, which was first published in 'Cantus Diversi' in 1751. Rev. Frederick Oakley translated it to English in 1841.
Click here to read more about the history of the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adeste_Fideles
Click here to listen to Bianca Ryan sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I8XAf4Rwa4
Click here to hear a traditional setting:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZKp4npV47Q&feature=related
Click here for the various recordings of this Carol:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=o+come+all+ye+faithful&search_type=&aq=f
"Beautiful"
This song was written by Phil Wickham. In a world where swagger usually triumphs over substance, it’s refreshing when a young singer/songwriter arrives on the scene with something to say. With the multi-faceted sound of a much older soul and shimmering melodies that match the intensity of his heartfelt lyrics, 21-year-old Phil Wickham’s self-titled debut can’t help but stand out in a crowd of cookie-cutter pop and angst-fueled rock. And it’s his personal journey of faith expressed in the songs that really makes the difference.Even though singer/songwriter Phil Wickham grew up in a devout Christian home, there came a point early in his life when he knew his faith needed to become his own. He no longer wanted to coast on his parents’ coattails or go to church simply because that’s what he was supposed to do. He wanted something real, that personal friendship with Jesus. And that crucial realization, combined with moving to a new city while he was in junior high, paved the way for Phil to pick up a guitar and start writing songs about his growing faith.
Click here to worship along with Phil:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg4cYdP1ngw
“Here I Am to Worship”
If songs are like children to their writers, then 25 year-old Englishman Tim Hughes carried "Here I Am To Worship" to full term, letting the reverent tune take perfect shape over a nine-month period. Back in 1999 while still in college, he first sat down to craft a musical response to his reading of Philippians 2:5, which says, "Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus." And from the start, he had the humility part mastered. "I was playing around with my guitar when the verse just came out," he modestly recalls. "However, I couldn't get a chorus that I was happy with. The original one was embarrassingly bad!" Thankfully, Tim recorded the verse into his Dictaphone, and months later during a quiet creative time, he patched it together with another strong melody idea and brought "Here I Am To Worship" to fruition. "I'd been reading about the cross and thinking through Jesus' amazing sacrifice," Tim says of the lyrical theme. "Sometimes when God meets with us we don't quite know how to respond properly. It's often too much for us to take in. Hopefully in a small way the chorus captures that: 'Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that you're my God. You're altogether lovely, worthy, wonderful.'" Although the song had been completed, the writer was still not convinced of its potential. Leading worship at his Soul Survivor home church one day, Tim sang "Here I Am To Worship" for his fellow members and was duly advised by his pastor Mike Pilavachi to start using it more often. Since then, Hughes - who built his own chops leading Delirious and Matt Redman favorites - has seen the song take on a life of its own. It must be a God thing.... People have seemed to really connect with it, and we've had some special times in worship using the song," he admits. "I remember one time at the end of a Worship Together conference in San Diego when we'd been performing the song. The band stopped, and then the congregation just kept singing the chorus for about 15 minutes."
Click here to listen to the story behind the song by Tim Hughes.
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-196-HereIAmtoWorship-Hughes.mp3
Click here to worship along with Michael W. Smith:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_kAjok4-Uk
Click here to read more about the composer Tim Hughes
www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/worship/1227531/
THIRD SERVICE 6PM
“How can I keep from Singing”
There is an endless song echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring and though the storms may come
I am holding on to the rock I cling
How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enoughHow amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing
Chris Tomlin joined Ed Cash and Matt Redman to write this song. The song is on the album "See the Morning". This song anchors the theme of hope found on the album. "How Can I Keep From Singing," is a rendition of the 1860 hymn by Robert Lowry. "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is listed in some hymnals by the opening line "My Life Flows On". The original composition has now entered into the public domain. The song is frequently cited incorrectly as a traditional Quaker hymn. Chris reworked the original text and crafted a song that could be sung to God during the difficult times.
Click here to listen to Chris share how he wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lTZySpbpo
Click here to worship along with Chris:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQI5wxtH6OY&feature=related
"Blessed Be Your Name"
This powerful worship song by Matt Redman has a phrase that is based on Job 13:15. The Message translates it like this
"So hold your tongue while I have my say, then I'll take whatever I have coming to me.Why do I go out on a limb like this and take my life in my hands?Because even if he killed me, I'd keep on hoping. I'd defend my innocence to the very end. Just wait, this is going to work out for the best—my salvation!"
Click here to hear the story behind the song by Matt Redman.
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-257-BlessedBeYourName-Redman.mp3
Click here to hear the song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6xo5KogzaI
Click here to worship along with Tree63
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mZH9T9XNVU&mode=related&search=
"Facedown"
Matt Redman shared the following on the writing of the song:
When you face up to God you'll find yourself face down. The real point it's not God that does the shrinking it's us that starts to shrink. Facedown is our response to an awesome God.
Welcomed in to the courts of the King
I've been ushered in to Your presence
Lord, I stand on Your merciful ground
Yet with every step tread with reverence
And I'll fall facedownAs Your glory shines around
Yes, I'll fall facedownAs Your glory shines around
Who is there in the heavens like You?
And upon the earth, who's Your equal?
You are far above, You're the highest of heights
We are bowing down to exalt You
So let Your glory shine around
Let Your glory shine around
King of glory, here be found
King of glory
Click here to hear the story behind the song:
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-278-Facedown-Redman.mp3
Click here to worship along with Matt Redman:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaOWcCJn74
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
O come, O come, Emmanuel is a translation of the Christian Latin text ("Veni, veni, Emmanuel") by John Mason Neale in the mid-19th century. It is a metrical version of a collation of various Advent Antiphons (the acrostic O Antiphons), which now serves as a popular Advent and Christmas hymn. Its origins are unclear, it is thought that the antiphons are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th Century in origin. The text is based on the biblical prophesy from Isaiah 7:14 that states that God will give Israel a sign that will be called Immanuel (Lit.: God with us). Matthew 1:23 states fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Click here to listen to the carol:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBfPnUZh-Bc
Click here for Whitney Houstons' version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NactFcZeeUE&feature=related
Click here for a carol arrangement and dance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrJAilZYoR4&feature=related
"Still"
… the challenge of the Church is to keep worship accessible to all people - Rueben Morgan
Rueben wrote the song "Still" as a reminder to "be still and know that I am God". Reuben has a passion to see the church and the world inspired to worship God. A worship pastor on the Hillsong church leadership team, Reuben works alongside Darlene Zschech to create an atmosphere of praise and worship that draws people into God’s presence and helps soften hearts to Jesus’ salvation message. Reuben is an integral leader of the Hillsong church worship team, teaching often at the Worship and Creative Arts program. Leading worship on a weekly basis at
Hillsong church, Reuben was the youth Music Pastor who helped to establish ‘Hillsong United’- currently one of the most sought after youth praise and worship bands having appeared at Creation, Edmonton and Soul Survivor in 2003. He was one of the major producers on four of the United albums including Everyday, Best Friend, King Of Majesty and To The Ends Of The Earth. With a congregation of over 15,000 people, Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia is potentially the nations largest local church with a TV program that reaches over 125 different
countries across the globe. Hillsong has been instrumental in
Click here to worship along with the Hillsong version
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk8horRi3_E
Click here for another arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPtZRnQyzSM
Monday, November 23, 2009
Behind the Praise - Sunday November 29, 2009
BLENDED SERVICE 9:30AM
“Open Our Eyes, Lord”
Robert Cull (born 1949), a pastor with a traveling music ministry, wrote this text and tune in Hawaii during the summer of 1975, in order to reach some “close-hearted people.” After a half hour in prayer, he says, the song “fell into my head.” It has been translated and recorded in dozens of languages.
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XJu0mnn_b4
Click here to an instrumental arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mudAEAPuLk&feature=related
"Higher Ground"
The hymn "Higher Ground" has a secure place in the American hymnology. The scripture reference is found in Philippians 3:14 of The Bible's New Testament: "I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus." (NIV) According to J. H. Hall, Biographies of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers, "Nothing can bring forth more shouts at a camp meeting of "Glory," "Hallelujah," than the singing of "Higher Ground."
Hymn Writer Johnson Oatman, Jr.
American hymn writer Johnson Oatman, Jr. was born near Medford, New Jersey, on April 21, 1856. He became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church when he was 19 years of age. Although he never pastored a church, he was licensed to preach and was ordained by his denomination. Early on in life, he was involved in the family's mercantile business, but when his father died, he entered the insurance business.
In 1892, he was 36 years old, he started writing gospel songs, and, from then until his death in 1922, he wrote about 3,000 gospel hymn texts. Reportedly, he generally averaged 4 to 5 new texts each week, all through his life from this period. Notably, he received no more than a dollar for each of his songs. His texts were always in great demand by the leading gospel musicians of his day, including Charles Gabriel, William James Kirkpatrick and Edwin Excell.
Composer Charles H. Gabriel
American composer Charles Hutchinson Gabriel was born on August 18, 1856, in Wilton, Iowa. Gabriel is generally considered to be the most popular and influential gospel song writer during the Billy Sunday – Homer Rodeheaver evangelistic crusade, in 1910-1920. In his association with the Rodeheaver Publishing Company as music editor, Gabriel continued his prolific musical output until his death on September 15, 1932, in Los Angeles, California.
Gabriel wrote more than an estimated 8,000 gospel songs including the editing of numerous compilations and hymnals. He also authored both the text and music of his many songs. Sometimes, he used a pseudonym, 'Charlotte G. Homer,' in his texts.
Read more: http://christianmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/notes_on_higher_ground_hymn#ixzz0Xi74M5Pa
Click here for an arrangement of the hymn:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKgUyjeKMLk
Click here for a gospel arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD9KAz7xdjQ
“How can I keep from Singing”
There is an endless song echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring and though the storms may come
I am holding on to the rock I cling
How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enoughHow amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your nameI know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing
Chris Tomlin joined Ed Cash and Matt Redman to write this song. The song is on the album "See the Morning". This song anchors the theme of hope found on the album. "How Can I Keep From Singing," is a rendition of the 1860 hymn by Robert Lowry. "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is listed in some hymnals by the opening line "My Life Flows On". The original composition has now entered into the public domain. The song is frequently cited incorrectly as a traditional Quaker hymn. Chris reworked the original text and crafted a song that could be sung to God during the difficult times.
Click here to listen to Chris share how he wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lTZySpbpo
CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP 11:00AM
"You are Good"
Nearly Disposed - Israels' Testimony
My mother became pregnant at the age of 17 in Waterloo, Iowa. You can imagine how this is shaping up. She was given the choice of a back-alley abortion or being disowned by her family. Thank God she chose the latter. Ultimately, she was disowned, abandoned by my biological father, and ended up in San Diego, California. Picture this. It was 1971 and my mother was 8 months pregnant, all alone, thousands of miles from home, and forced to enter reality unprepared. Pretty bleak. One day while walking down the street, a lady pulled up in her Volkswagen Bug, got out, and respectfully yet boldly, began to share the Gospel with her. Words of life and hope began to overtake the words of rejection and abandonment she had grown accustomed to. There on a street corner, she ended up on her knees and cried out to God-committing her life to Jesus Christ. The lady gave her a bible and that's how I got my name. My mother started reading at page one and well, you know-you have a bible, my name's on every page!
I'm often asked by skeptics or the stoic, why I'm as passionate about worshiping God as I am. The answer is simple for me. In this age of disposable relationships, I could have easily become a statistic and at best, a distant memory of a youthful mistake. Instead, a Sovereign God rescued my mother and me and gave us hope, a future, and a testimony of the providence of God. The very least I can do is enter into His gates with fresh thanksgiving, His courts with a passionate praise, and eventually bow before His throne in intimate worship. As far as leading worship goes (which is my passion and calling), I now realize that there have been demands put on me from every part of my experience since day one - culturally, emotionally, musically, and more. So things tend to sound cross-cultural, cross- denominational, and cross-generational. I like to call it, "The Sound of New Breed Worship." I tend to lead from an internal platform founded in Psalm 124:2, "If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side"....where in the world would I be? In an age of disposable relationships, maybe we should be asking ourselves that question a lot more often. I am confident that we would worship with far more conviction, intensity, and overwhelmed gratitude if we did. It is my delight to encourage you today.
Israel
Israel leads a worship band called "New Breed" here's their website, you can listen to portions of the songs they sing including "You are Good"
www.newbreedmusic.com/
Click here to learn more about Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Houghton
Click here to worship along with Israel:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAGZ8HmiWCM
Click here to see Israel singing "You are Good" in concert:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCpy1Bg255A&feature=related
"We Delight"
This worship song was written by Joshua Moore, keyboard player for the group Caedman's call.The band's unusual name was inspired by Cædmon, an Anglo-Saxon cowherd who lived during the 7th century. Legend has it that Caedmon was afraid to sing in public due to a lack of musical talent, and shied away from occasions where he had to sing. After leaving a feast one night because he was too embarrassed to sing, he lay down in the pasture with the cattle to sleep. An angel appeared to him in a dream, calling him to sing. After refusing, he eventually decided to sing and when he did, he sang beautiful verses that had never been heard before, based on the story of creation and using the style of pre-Christian, Anglo-Saxon poetry. Many songwriters tried in vain to write songs as good as or better than Caedmon's, but could not because Caedmon's songs came from God. Founding band members Cliff, Danielle, and Aaron decided on the name "Caedmon's Call" after all three heard this story during the same week and thought it was fitting.
Click here to listen online:
http://www.last.fm/music/Caedmon
Click here to worship along:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEtYb_XDqjY
“Remedy"
This song is by David Crowder. As you might guess from the title and the medical cross on the cover, Remedy focuses on God's constant presence as the answer to our hurts while challenging listeners to be the balm needed in the lives of others. Indeed, the Texas band's 2007club tour is part worship experience, part rallying cry to inspire change in local communities. At the same time, one could view this album as the band's personal healing in response to the tragic death of their friend and pastor Kyle Lake shortly after the release of A Collision.
Here is Davids' answer to what is worship? This is actually a really difficult question because language is such a fluid thing. A word like “worship” changes and evolves and provokes different meanings for different community sets. Over the last few decades, at least within Christian culture, the word has become synonymous with “music within a congregational context.” You say the word “worship” and a person immediately pictures in his head people singing in a room with lyrics projected on a screen. Words and the objects they signify are very difficult to separate. I’ll show you what I mean. Okay, in your head, say the word, “eight”—and try to not picture the number eight. It’s nearly impossible. So, once a word begins to signify something, it is hard to separate it from the thing it is signifying. For me, I tend to not trust moments of congregational singing as an indicator of where our true affections lie. It is a very simple thing to get caught up in the beauty of music and song erupting in a room full of people. So I rarely trust that moment. I think a better indicator of worship may be the way we interact with the world around us.
Click here to watch the David Crowder band on tour:
www.youtube.com/profile?user=davidcrowderband
Click here to learn more about The David Crowder band:
www.davidcrowderband.com/
Click here to visit Davids' myspace:
www.myspace.com/davidcrowderband
Click here to worship along with a powerful video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3UWiJCZAz8
Click here for a live performance:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGIth9d_LXE&feature=related
Here we are Here we are The broken and used Mistreated,
abused Here we are Here You are Here You are
The beautiful one Who came like a Son Here You are
So we lift up our voices We open our hands
To cling to the love That we can’t comprehend
“To the Ends of the Earth”
Marty Sampson (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"
Love unfailing
Overtaking my heart
You take me in Finding peace again
Fear is lost in all You are And I would give the world to tell Your story
Cause I know that You've called me I know that You've called me
I've lost myself for good within Your promise I won't hide it I won't hide it
Click here to visit Marty Sampsons’ myspace:
www.myspace.com/martysampsonmusic
Click here to learn more about Martys’ ministry:
http://martysampson.net/
Click here to worship along:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0G5azgrTUo
THIRD SERVICE 6:00PM
"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.
Come 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.
In the summer of 2001, I was sitting in my office, in Evergreen, CO, reading through a Baptist Hymnal when I came across an old hymn called Sing We the King, written by Charles Silvester Horne. As I read the first verse I was amazed by the lyrics. There was not a wasted word. I had been working on a melody for several weeks, but did not have any lyrics. Horne’s first verse was a perfect match to the melody I had written. It did not take long to come up with a chorus. The second verse takes two phrases from Horne's last verse including, "satan is vanquished and Jesus is King". Of course, I have documented this on both of my worship projects and try to make sure everyone who records Sing to the King does the same.
My prayer is that this song will remind the church that the King really is coming back. It seems as though we have left this fact out of worship songs for too long. It is encouraging to be reminded that the enemy does not win (Rev. 20:10). We have a hope in the knowledge that the King is going to one day split the sky and the dead in Christ will rise, and believers, who are alive, will be caught up in the clouds to meet Him. I also pray this song will give the church a sense of urgency to win the lost; as Fanny Crosby said, to "rescue the perishing, care for the dying." We must not be idle, but live as those who know the King and know He is coming to reign.
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 listen to the Passion version: http://de.tunesbag.com/music/Candi+Pearson+Shelton/638024-the-best-of-passion-so-far-disc-2/7188463-sing-to-the-king.html
“Who Can Satisfy”
Dennis Jernigan is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. He is native to Oklahoma, and headquarters a music-based ministry from there. Formerly a homosexual, Jernigan now lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma with his wife of nearly 24 years and their nine children.
A primary source of inspiration for Jernigan's message and music is an experience he describes as his "deliverance from homosexuality", which he states to have begun during a 2nd Chapter of Acts concert in 1981 at Oklahoma Baptist University. Jernigan has stated that he believes his prior identification as homosexual was related to a childhood perception that he had been rejected by his father. He claims that both perceptions were erroneous:
As a boy I needed a role model to show me the way to manhood. But because I felt rejected by the main man in my life I, in turn, rejected him and began to yearn for intimacy with a man in perverse ways. Because of this wrong thinking I came to believe I was homosexual. It must have begun early in my life because I remember having those feelings for the same gender at a very early age.
It was then [during a critical moment at the 2nd Chapter of Acts concert] that I lost the need to be accepted or loved by others because I realized Jesus would love me and accept me no matter what, even when I was rejected by others! It was also at this same time that those sexually perverse thoughts and desires were changed...and He began to replace them with holy and pure thoughts about what sexual love was all about.
You may know the music of Dennis Jernigan rather than the mention of his name. Songs like: "You Are My All in All", "Great is the Lord Almighty", and "Nobody Fills My Heart Like Jesus", as well as hundreds of others are sung literally all over the world. Dennis believes worship is all about relationship rather than performance...and he believes he is called to help people get honest with themselves and with God simply because he has found in his own life that honesty and truth have set him free. He has an incredible testimony that he shares very openly with his audiences.
To read more about Dennis visit his website at
http://www.dennisjernigan.com/.
Dennis and his wife Melinda, along with eight of their nine children make their home in Muskogee, Oklahoma where they serve Christ through the local body of believers known as New Community Church.
Click here to listen to the song “Who Can Satisfy” by the Lee University Singers:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNMw73XAtaA&feature=related
Click here to hear the Hebraic Christian worship team:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUGjaCtxwKQ&feature=related
Click here to listen to Dennis share about his favorite scripture: www.revver.com/video/516239/dennis-jernigan-shares-about-his-favorite-bible-verses/
“When it’s All been said and done”
This song was written by Jim Cowan was born on Sept. 26, 1952 in Gunnison, Co. Growing up in Colorado he was very involved in sports. He participated in competitive ski racing, baseball, golf, tennis, soccer, swimming, and many outdoor activities. His Dad was a recreation director for the city, and his Mom taught music in the Elementary school. Jim’s early music training included piano lessons from his mother, and voice lessons from a retired voice teacher and friend of the family. After high school, Jim studied music at Western State College in Gunnison, and at Emporia State Teacher’s College in Emporia, Kansas. His training included classical voice, piano, theory and harmony of music, and general studies. It was while he was at Emporia State that Jim experienced a spiritual conversion, and began to seek God’s direction in his life. He withdrew from school and went to the Benedictine Monastery in Pecos, New Mexico. It was there that he converted to Catholicism, and began to write songs for liturgy and worship.
Click here to listen to an inspiration thought on the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc5SdTV6rYk
Click here to read more about Jim Cowans’ ministry:
http://www.jimcowan.com/
“You never let Go"
This powerful new song by Matt Redman has been described as follows from Christianity Today:"You Never Let Go" begins with a quiet piano and moody atmospherics that mirror far-from-ebullient lyrics based on Psalm 23: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/You're perfect love is casting out fear/And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life/I won't turn back, I know you are near…The chorus is a loud, exultant proclamation that God will never let go of us and in it Redman uses the minor-key construction to subtly (and maturely) declare that God's love is still valid, even in the midst of pain.
Click here to listen watch the video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIAdgLR1ZGw
Click here to read more about Matt Redman on his myspace - you can play the song directly from his stand-alone player and can buy the song from his website
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=120781688
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caughtin the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back I know You are near
And I will fear no evil For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let goThrough the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go Lord, You never let go of me
“Nothing but the Blood"
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would write these words, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." (Romans 3:25) The emphasis of this verse is on the shed blood that satisfies or propitiates our sin debt. Another way of saying the same thing is, "What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." More than likely it was this verse or one like it, dealing with the subject of blood, which caused Pastor Robert Lowry to write a hymn.
Born in Philadelphia, on March 12, 1826, young Robert accepted Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 17 and later graduated from Bucknell University with high scholastic honors. In the 73 years of his life here on earth, he pastored churches in Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City and Brooklyn. Along with his preaching, Dr. Lowry also had the gift of music in the writing of hymns. When asked about his method for writing songs, he would answer by saying:
I have no set method. Sometimes, the music comes and the words follow…. I watch my moods, and when anything strikes me, whether words or music, no matter where I am, at home or on the street, I jot it down…. My brain is sort of a spinning machine, for there is music running through it all the time. The tunes of nearly all the hymns I have written have been completed on paper, before I tried them on the organ. Frequently, the words of the hymn and the music have been written at the same time.
He supplied the music for such familiar hymns as We’re Marching to Zion, Savior, Thy Dying Love, Where Is my Wandering Boy Tonight, I Need Thee Every Hour and Fanny Crosby’s song, All the Way my Savior Leads Me. The words and music would come together in 1864 to produce Shall We Gather at the River. Then, in the Easter season of 1874, Christ Arose would flow from his pen and his heart. Finally, in 1876, Pastor Lowry would give us the answer to our sin debt in his song, Nothing but the Blood.
Down through the ages, man has tried to work off his sin debt in good works and religion—only to fail. The Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22) Robert Lowry understood this very well:
Oh! Precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Click here to sing along with the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxDHamIhF7o
Click here for an organ arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvNNFPBkEsw
"The Glory of it All"
When David Crowder was attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas in the mid 1990's, he learned that more than half of the 14,000 students enrolled in the college were not attending church. This was very disturbing to Crowder, and after many conversations with a friend of his, they decided to start a church that was college friendly. Thus, University Baptist Church was born. That was 1996. Today, almost a decade later, nearly 1,000 people, most of which are college students, are attending the church.
When David first started writing music, he mainly focused on lyrics that discussed the difficult things he was going through. At that time there were not many congregational worship songs that did that so he struck a chord with many people. Today, David says that he writes many of his songs while riding in the car in the country with his wife. Even though his audience has changed, though, David always writes his songs with his University Baptist Church congregation in mind. Although the David Crowder Band is comprised of six different individuals, they have all committed themselves to work together in an effort to give hope to those who have left the church, as well as those who have come back. They feel very blessed by the work God has done in their lives and look forward to what He has planned for them in the future.
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg-1yM6insA
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