new Music Thursday!

So I'm a day late on my New Music Wednesday Post, that I just started last week, it's pretty new, so I'll call it New Music Thursday this week!  Disclaimer about the music that I will post on here in the future-  it is new to me.  it may not be new "on the scene".  Just new to me, and posted here for your enjoyment!

So here we go!   I'm really enjoying this song Refuge by the folks over at Sojourn Music.  Sojourn is a worship community in KY that produce a lot of great music!  Check out their music page and blog here

Their latest record is one based on hymns written  by Issac Watts ( a famous hymn writer- Joy to the World, When I survey the wondrous Cross- who lived from 1674-1748)

Love this song Refuge(adapted from "Psalm 31, pt 1)  Here is a snippet!

I know my days are in Your hands though I draw near to dust. 

You are the God in whom I trust. 

 You are my refuge. 

So lift up your voice and sing a loud, and praise Him, all you saints. 

 How wondrous is His grace? 

 He is our refuge.

Good Shepherd Sunday

It was Good Shepherd Sunday this past week. Pastor Prohl gave a very comforting message about how Jesus continues to call our name, hold our hand and tell us how much he loves us. no matter how far we stray.

Pastor Prohl preached at both campuses this Sunday, so that meant as soon as he was done preaching the sermon at 10:00 he drove over to Sanctuary in Woodridge, preached there, drove back to Downers Grove to Immanuel and finished off the day preaching there for the 11:30

Vicar Lohman was at north campus helping out while Pastor Prohl was at Sanctuary. Vicar Lohman had is own running around today though, because I had asked him to sing lead for our worship band, so he was back and forth from the worship leader mic, and then up to the front of the church for the children's message, and then back over to the band area, and then back up front for prayers, and back and forth, back and forth. Fortunately he had a smile on his face the whole time, and was able to catch his breath enough to sing beautifully!

Speaking of singing beautifully , and playing beautifully, the band and choir sounded great today, and just shined on our song selections;

Glory to God Forever- a new one for us by Steve Fee-  we like this one! 
Take My Life/holiness
Shout to the Lord
Glorious by Paul Baloche- another favorite of ours!
You are Holy/prince of Peace
I am Free

In closing this morning- I would like to dedicate the following video to all the running around and back and forth our Pastor and Vicar did this Good Shepherd Sunday!  Enjoy!

Listen...Hear... "new" Music Wednesday

Thought I'd try something new, and attempt a weekly post of new music I find, and like, that you might like, so take a listen to Josh Garrels


"The Children's Song" - Josh Garrels from Josh Garrels on Vimeo.

Not by might, nor by Power!

Greetings!

Today at Sanctuary Pastor James preached his STRONG sermon. Wanna know what I mean? Check out the sermon recording at www.ilcdg.org

I really appreciated Pastor James' message that strength in our belief and faith in the resurrected Jesus, comes not from what we can do, but from how the Holy Spirit works within us.

I really enjoyed putting the music together for today, and was looking forward to singing with Pastor James, who has an unusually amazing voice for a Pastor (not to mention a pastor who can lift a lot of weight during a service! see STRONG sermon above)

Rather than our 'typical' opening worship set, we saved the music to be used as a response after the message. We sang Hillsong's Stronger after the message. I thought it fit well with the message, and I was feeling pretty good about everything when, bam! My 10 year old, always reliable, Roland keyboard stopped working. This was particularly eventful because it was a piano only Sunday, so there was no other instruments, and not a harmonica or accordion in sight! My old faithful then proceeded to cut in and out throughout the song, losing power and then gaining power and back and forth. Despite our valiant efforts (Don literally sitting in front of the keyboard holding the power cord in place, the keyboard (and its electrical power) failed us.

We proceeded through the service singing the rest of the songs A Cappella
I know My Redeemer Lives (the beloved Easter hymn)
In Christ Alone by the Getty's
I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin

I'm not sure Pastor James and I sounded all that great without the comfort of the piano behind us but it was a beautiful, beautiful thing hearing the congregation sing despite lack of accompaniment. A beautiful, Spirit led thing!


Check out what other churches sang this past week right here

ok so something is up with my blog

Has anyone been watching Celebrity Apprentice? Rod Blagojevich, former governor of Illinois is one of the celebrities, well should I say one of the celebrities until he got voted off last week. Why did he get voted off? Basically for not being able to use a computer or a cell phone. He is not technologically gifted. In the least. How did he manage as governor of Illinois not knowing how to send an email, I have no idea, but I feel his pain. Although I know how to send a text message to my kids, I am behind in every other technological gadget. Now my latest issue is with this blog, for some reason it is only showing 1 post, and none of my additional information in the sidebar. So i post this in the hopes it is just a one time thing and everything will go back to normal. If you actually have a reasonable solution that makes sense please let me know!

Thanks!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Beautiful weather on this Beautiful Easter Day!

I had the pleasure of worshiping this morning at the 10:30 service, with a convergence of familiar hymns led by organ, handbells and brass, and upbeat worship songs led by our praise band, choir and children's choir- ps the children's choir absolutely shined! The church was packed with the family of God as we all sang our hearts out this Easter morning.

The songs we sang:

My Redeemer Lives- I know he rescued my soul!
A New Hallelujah- Every son, and every daughter, sing it out sing a New Hallelujah!
Jesus Christ is Risen Today (great arrangement by Cynthia Dobrinski)- Alleluia!
All the Earth Will sing Your Praises- You took, You take our sins away O God!
Jesus Lives the Victory's Won- This shall be my confidence!
The Wonder of Your Cross- He is Not Dead Behold He Lives Forever More!
Now all the Vault of Heaven Resounds- Christ is Triumphed! He is Living! Alleluia!
Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone- I've been set Free!
I Know that my Redeemer Lives(classic arrangement by Paul Bunjes)
He Lives Eternally to Save!

Amen!

My Song is Love Unknown

My song is Love unknown- my Savior’s Love for me. Love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be. Oh who am I, that for my sake my Lord should take frail flesh and die?
Lyrics by Samuel Crossman c. 1624-83


I grew up with the 1941 Lutheran Hymnal we called “the Red Hymnal” (it also came in blue). As someone who loved to sing, I never grew tired of the hymns on those pages. My friends and I would sit together in church and sing loudly , and harmonize, and worship. It wasn’t long before I knew exactly what pages all of my favorite hymns were on! Open now Thy Gates of beauty- hymn #1- On What Has now been Sown hymn # 46 were just some of them.

During those same years of childhood I was introduced to a ‘new’ kind of music as well. We sang it accompanied by acoustic guitars during Sunday school, and vacation Bible School, and Church Camp. I loved it, not more or less then the hymns in our worn out hymnals, just loved it. The intimacy of just voices and guitar, and the more personal and vertical (directed from us to God) lyrics allowed a feeling of being, close to God, in a more personal relationship. Songs like; Sing Hallelujah to the Lord, For Those Tears I Died, Father I Adore You.

Today I have the blessing of being able to worship on an every week basis, at a service using solely hymns and traditional styles of liturgy, a service that is more ‘laid-back’ with a blended contemporary style with songs and more modern styles of liturgy, and a service that embraces the use of the old and new, freely moving from ancient liturgy and hymns to Taize, and modern songs of worship.

Each style of worship moves me in the same way. I leave church knowing that God loves me. My favorite part of worship? hearing about that love, proclaiming what I know about that love, and responding to that love in song. I love hearing the voices sing together as one, knowing our many different backgrounds and stories, but still singing… still singing together. A hymn, a Psalm, a spiritual song- it doesn’t matter as long as it proclaims the truth, and is sung and played in an authentic, honest, and passionate way.

Thank you to the volunteer musicians at Immanuel and Sanctuary for helping to proclaim God’s truth in song every week!

PS- share your favorite church songs and/or hymns from when your were growing up! I would love to hear about them!