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BLENDED 9:30AM
"To God be the Glory"
Fanny Crosby was probably the most prolific hymnist in history. Though blinded by an incompetent doctor at six weeks of age, she wrote over 8,000 hymns. About her blindness, she said:"It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me."
Click here for a newer arrangement by Tommy Walker: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qlfNZiDV4A
Click here a more traditional arrangement of the song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymrZO1PZbU4
“The Wonderful Cross”
The 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.
“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?
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
"Fill this Place"
CONTEMPORARY 11:00AM“All to You”
This worship song was written by Lincoln Brewster. Brewster has been musically inclined since his early childhood in Homer, Alaska. At the age of one, his mother, Cheryl, noticed how well he could keep rhythm on a drum set his grandfather had given him. At the age of five, his mother introduced him to the mandolin. Quickly mastering the instrument, he began playing for cruise ship tourists alongside his mother in Homer, Alaska. By the age of 12, Brewster had a band called Lincoln and the Missing Links, which included his mother on bass and vocals. In his late teens, he moved with his family to California where he joined the high school jazz band (playing guitar and drums) and marching band (playing snare drum).
Due to connections gained in Los Angeles, he had recording contract offers by 19. Feeling emptiness in his life, Brewster attended church services with his high school sweetheart and Christian, Laura. He recalls feeling God drawing him close after attending a drama ministry performance with Laura. "I was afraid to lay down a lot of things in my life," Lincoln said. "One night, I laid all my cards on the table. I asked the Lord to come into my life, all by myself. It was the best night of sleep I'd ever had. I was very peaceful.
Click here to listen to the song online: http://play.rhapsody.com/lincolnbrewster/letthepraisesringthebestoflincolnbrewster/alltoyou?didAutoplayBounce=true
Click here to read more about Lincoln:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Brewster
Click here to play Lincolns’ songs on his myspace – the songs are available on his standalone player, you can also listen to “Everlasting” and “Let the Praises Ring”
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=83285546
Click here to listen to Lincoln share about his journey and how a 70 year-old woman encouraged him during a time of worship;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJPh1asdTsw
"Matchless"
Aaron 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
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
"Surrender"
This worship song was written by Marc James. Marc has been involved in music for many years, as a front man of hard rocking trio Verra Cruz, a song writer and session guitarist, and has performed in many different countries and settings. Before setting up his own label full circle records in 2005 (fullcirclerecords.co.uk), Marc released most of his songs through vineyard music. He features on the well known 'Hungry' album and wrote the popular worship song 'Surrender' which, after being featured on the 'Surrender' album went on to be sung and played all over the world. Marc has been the vocalist on many Vineyard albums since, most notably 'Holy' and 'Beautiful' and more recently 'Winds of worship' live from Nottingham.
Click here to worship along with Marc James:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0nmTY88p-Q&feature=related
Click here for Marc James' myspace, you can play the song on his standalone player: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=52418918
“O Praise Him”
When David Crowder was attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas in the mid 90'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. Although David Crowder's music ministry has grown significantly since then, he can still be found leading worship there on many Sundays.Crowder deeply wanted to find a way to connect these college students to the heart of God, so he began writing songs that he hoped the students at his school could relate to. A band began to form, and a few years and some new members later, the current lineup came into being and they all commited themselves completely to the ministry.This song was written while David and his band were flying back from Atlanta to Waco. It was the sound of wind on a plane that stirred his soul to a phrase “All this for the King”. David took a pencil and a piece of paper and wrote the following lyrics:Turn your ear To Heaven and hear The noise inside The sound of angels awe The sound of angels songs And all this for a King We could join and sing 'All for Christ our King!' How constant How divine This song of ours will riseOh, how constant How divine This love of ours will rise Will rise... CHORUS: Oh praise Him! Oh praise Him! He is Holy! He is Holy!
Click here to listen to David share how the song came about: www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2fbX4dRLO0&feature=related
Click here to worship along with David Crowder: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2qfCynlTVg
“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
"Sweetly Broken"
To the cross I look, to the cross I cling Of its suffering I do drink Of its work I do sing For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed Showed that God is love And God is just At the cross You beckon me You draw me gently to my knees, and I am lost for words, so lost in love, I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
Click here to learn more about Jeremy Riddle: www.jeremyriddle.net/
This song of surrender was written by Jeremy Riddle. God began bringing Jeremy to Full Attention several years ago, when Jeremy was playing in a mainstream band and getting attention from some big label players. Though he was hotly in pursuit of his desire for success, something felt off-balance. Looking back, Jeremy remembers, "I knew if I was ever going to have peace about it, I was going to have to lay the whole thing down before the Lord and let Him resurrect it."
So down it went, and a season of brokenness followed as Jeremy watched what he thought was the end of his dream of performing. Yet in its place, Jeremy found a much deeper relationship with God. He tells the story of the change that occurred in his life during that time in "Hallowed Father," and recalls the state of his heart when he wrote the song. "When I repented and returned to the Lord, I died a death to selfish ambition, and I am content to never see it resurrected. My only goal then and my only goal now is to hit the mark God intended my life to hit—nothing less. Jesus' heart cry was not to do His own will, but the will of the One who sent Him. My hope is to live the same."
Jeremy took a position as a middle-school youth pastor at the Anaheim Vineyard in Anaheim, California, and began to lead worship for junior-high students. The end of one dream grew into a very purposeful and rewarding career of six years for Jeremy as a pastor and worship leader.
"I think God had a purpose in that secular season of really teaching me: I am a worship leader," he says. "And in coming back to it, I knew this was what I was made to do."
"Sweetly Broken," like all of the songs of Full Attention, was born from that place of surrender and focus. Jeremy's songs found a first audience engaging the worshippers of Anaheim Vineyard Church, who remain the heart of his ministry. "My life is meant for more than just making music," he says. "[Music] is just one means for pastoring and discipling people. People are the only really eternal things around us."
Click here to worship along with Jeremy Riddle: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_Z3ZZYLDc
Click here to purchase "Sweetly Broken"
"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
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