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