Music for Sunday May 24th

Music at 10:00

Ever since we started our contemporary service, nearly 12 years ago, the keyboard player has been the band leader, and has driven the worship music during the services. This has worked out well, but its been nice over the last couple years to dive into more and more guitar driven songs and arrangements. This past Sunday I purposely did not schedule myself on keys, and let this weeks band go, and go they did! They sounded great! I really enjoyed hearing their original sounds that they created, without me banging away at the keys, and directing,..er...controlling the arrangements. Great job Scott, Dan, Frank, Kevin, Gina and choir!

Theme Verse- I John 5:9-17

pre-service

One Way- by Joel Houston ( This was the first time at 10:00 for this song. I like the song, more for the great lyrics, and cool bridge, then anything. It sounded really nice in worship, but no matter how hard we try, this song always ends up sounding like a country song, rather than how Hillsong United sounds...no problem though, lots of people love country! :) )

Call to Worship

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
You Are Holy Prince of Peace (hey! the guys are really startin to sing their part on this one! Woo hoo!)

After absolution

My Redeemer Lives (love, love, love the way the band sounds on this one)

During the offering

Jesus Loves Me- (yes, Jesus Loves me this I know for the bible tells me so!- the band did a great- hmm... countryish- arrangement of this song- awesome! the whole congregation was singing, and they rarely sing along on songs during the offering. nice.)

Closing-

Lord Reign in Me

Notes- I scheduled myself at the sound board today, and really enjoyed it. Despite my limited knowledge of sound tech stuff, it's fun to be on the other side of everything, and I think its a good idea for all band (and choir members) to try it at some point or another.

***********************************************************************************

Music at SANCTUARY1010

Don, Danny, Dustin, and Chris (welcome Chris!) a great new drummer, filling in for Dave, led worship at Sanctuary. Thanks guys!

Check out this link to planning center for this Sunday's set list.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This post is part of a blog carnival at Fred McKinnon's blog, check it out here to take a look at worship set lists from all around the world!

Day of Rest

So, its been almost 15 days or so, since I last posted...boy am I behind! Two Sundays worth of set lists, and 3 concerts, I have a lot of work to. Saddest thing is, I just may have lost the 3 people who may be reading this. Come back... please.

My excuse? None really, except a need to rest my brain a bit from work/music stuff

People often talk of being able to "leave work at work". I'm pretty sure this happens less often then people would let on. Years ago I worked at the Dove Ice Cream Factory, simply moving ice cream bars coming down a conveyor belt at an angle, I was the "ice cream bar straightener" the best job I could get as a summer temp. Simple as this job was I would have Laverne and Shirley type nightmares at night when I got home from the 12 hour shifts. A major Snicker's Ice Cream Bar Jam up would be at the center of these "nightmares".

Now, although these nightmares are a thing of the past, I still have a hard time leaving work at work. Being in a creative field such as the one I am in, it's hard to put a schedule to creativity, and I admire those who are able to do this, (if you do this well, please share your tips)! No matter how hard I try, round about 9pm- 12am (the creativity starts to kick in) and of course this is not just Mon- Friday, but Saturday and Sunday too.

The word Sabbath comes from the word Shabbat, which means "to cease", or as I see it... rest the brain. My prayer is that we all, worship leaders, Sunday morning volunteers, Dove Ice Cream Factory workers, can take a look at our busy, busy lives, and find that day of rest, that time to sit and enjoy God's creation, and to hear His voice, a day of rest that God asks us, and wants us to have.

May the Word have the run of the house

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

Before telling us about the stuff we as musicians like to hear, Paul first tells us to keep the word of Christ in us. The Message translation even says that the word should "have the run of the house"

Practice on Thursday night was good... praise choir practiced for a half hour, then the band came, and practiced with the praise choir. Stacy, a church music student, and field worker from Concordia was our guest pianist, and did a wonderful job. Drummer Dan joined us, which is always nice since after twelve years of contemporary worship, we can count on two hands the amount of Sunday's we have had a drummer. We got through the songs in an efficient manner, and just as the choir was getting ready to leave for the evening, I grabbed a bible to pick a Psalm for a quick devotion, I paged through the Psalms looking for something short, found one, promptly closed the bible, with out reading it, and told the choir to join me in the basement to practice one last song for Easter. "um... Ellen" Janice politely said, "you were going to read a Psalm to us" I looked at the closed bible in my hand, and remembered the 'quick devotion' I was going to have, and realized how one tracked my mind was that evening and on so many other occasions. Forgetting a devotion here, not remembering to pray before worship there. Often I am so focused on the task at hand, I forget about focusing on the One who authors our tasks.

Today, I was reading in Nathan's new blog, www.leadgracefully.com/blog/ and saw words that really spoke to me as I reflected on Thursday's practice. he says

"This week, lighten the load, pick some older songs and do a shorter set so that you can set aside 15 minutes of rehearsal to do a devo, scripture reading, prayer, etc. Let’s prayerfully fall on Jesus, being filled up in the Spirit before attempting to lead others to do the same. "

I believe that my not remembering to spend more time in the Word and prayer with the music groups, is a direct result of me not making the time to do so in my own personal life. Not only am I going to begin proactively securing this time for myself, I think I will also try to find people in our groups, to be devotion and prayer leaders, who would take on that role at practice and before worship.

May the Word have the run of our practices!!