Something to tell you!

Today, I attended worship band practice. It was fairly straight forward. We practiced some carols and moved onto the Sunday morning setlist.

One of the other worship leaders suggested that we learn a new song and intro it on Sunday morning. This did not happen, so as a team we were discussing what songs we should sing. It was interesting to hear what people engage with. One of the worship leaders said that she found the first verse of Hillsong’s ‘you hold me now’ hard to engage with. For me, that song has powerful lyrics that stir up your spirit. For me, it also has a deep sentimental attachment. You see, when my grandfather died last year, this was one of the songs he worshipped along to a lot near the end. The first verse speaks of heaven – and for him it was so true. In the last weeks of his life, he was so in tune with the Holy Spirit – he was truly a man on fire for God. He looked forward to his reward in heaven, which he went on to see.

The song reminds me of how, even in the face of death and all his friends, we can burn brightly for God. It reminds me that there will be no more pain or suffering in heaven; no weeping, no hurt, no sickness… no cancer, no heart disease, no diabetes… It will be perfect. And I think of my grandfather, who in spite of his fatal condition, praised God and proclaimed His word to the very end of his days on earth. I thank God for my grandfather. I sometimes think of him just hanging out with God. I think of how wonderful it must be for him resting in God’s presence right now.

I see the sickness and the hurt in the world, and I know that he has gone to a better place. And I know that through Jesus’s unfailing love, I will be hanging out with God in heaven one day too.

Sorry, I digressed a little there.

Erm… For me, personally, I find songs like Hillsong’s ‘you deserve’ hard to engage with. I think the lyrics are great – maybe its just the key that we sing it in that is hard. Its so high… But, regardless, I sing it out. After all, its not for me or about me – its all for my Audience of One.

Also at worship band practice, a few of us were discussing what God had talked to us about in the week. 3 of us had received similar things from God about being still and relaxing in His presence; but not just this – also, going back to the heart of worship – stripping back the layers of sound and instruments and just praising God intimately with the overflow of your forgiven soul. Joining with the angels in song, and hearing the heavens roar.

You see, the heart of worship is intimacy with God. Thankfulness for what Jesus did on the cross for us. Unending joy in the Holy Spirit. Just, letting God know how much you love Him.

I think sometimes about how undeserving I am of His love. If I was God (which, thank goodness I’m not!), I’m not sure I’d have died to save someone like me. But you see, I’m not God. God is God. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. And together, they are the Holy Trinity. And they love me so much. Even though I frequently mess it up, God loves me. Jesus died to save me from my sins so that I might get to know Him better – so that my eyes would be opened to the awesomeness of God. The Holy Spirit dwells within me, and gives me all that I need to make it through each day. I do not deserve any of this, but by the grace of God, I have been given it as a gift. For this, I am eternally thankful. Jesus came and He died for us. And after 3 days, He conquered death and rose again. DEATH. HAS. NO. HOLD. ON. US!!!! AMAZING!

Lately, in my bible in one year passages, I’ve been reading the christmas story in the book of Luke. I read it and I think back to the birth of Jesus. Jesus being God, He came to earth as a baby. He had to live like us; In school and the temple, He had to learn about Himself from the scriptures and prophecies. He was sinless in a corrupt world. He gave His all for us.

Listen to this song. It is amazing. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Its basically the life story of Jesus (whilst He was on earth) in about 5 minutes:

But before He did any of that, He had to be born on earth.

Luke 2

New International Version (NIV)

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The King of the universe; The God who saves; Emmanuel… He was born in a stable and spent His first night on earth in a manger. Even from birth, this world rejected Him. And yet He still loved and loves us. The only anointed one – the Messiah is born unto us! The saviour of the world is lying in a stable.

Meanwhile, some shepherds are watching their sheep. It was probably a pretty normal day of shepherding. A baa here and a baa there, and so on! Suddenly, an angel appears and the glory of the Lord shines around them. Note here that the shepherds are terrified, but there is nothing to say that the sheep are scared! It’s like I pointed out here, I think that the animals know who God is!

The angel tells them not to be afraid. And then the angel gives some great news.

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The saviour of the world has just been born! And the first people that are told are shepherds. Did you ever think about this? I know that Jesus is described as the good shepherd to His sheep (the church), but I think there is also another significant point to be made here – shepherds were not one of the highest members of society. They were common and of low status. They were also in Jesus’ heritage. On earth, He was a descendant of the line of King David (the one who wrote a lot of psalms). Before David became King, he was a shepherd! I think its interesting, but not at all coincidental that the first people to visit Jesus are common people, who are also in His bloodline. Jesus did not just come for the rich and well off people – He came for EVERYONE. And I mean EVERYONE!

The shepherds nip off to see Jesus. When they do, they go and spread the word – the long awaited Messiah has been born! They can’t contain themselves. They erupt with praise and they worship God.

The news was so brilliant for the shepherds that they could not keep it to themselves.

The news remains the same today. Jesus came to earth to die for you and me, and everyone who ever was, is and ever will be. He died to take away our sins. He conquered death. He tore down the walls that separated us and God. He wants to know you. Before you were even born, He set you apart. He loves you.

I’ve just told you this news. How will you respond? 

Heavens Roar

Today was a windy day. The fierce gusts lashed my car and pushed it around. Swirls of browning leaves flew across the road as I concentrated on keeping control of the car. The harsh winds howled. Regardless, I worshipped to some Tim Hughes and Soul Survivor. Why? Because my God is greater than the harshest storm and He is more powerful than anything this world throws at me. My God is greater; My God is over all. He can calm a storm with just His voice! I didn’t need to worry about a bit of wind- I have the King of the universe by my side!

Check this song out! This was one that I was worshipping along to!

Tonight was a momentous occasion; It was the first time I’d ever sang in the CU worship band. You’d have thought I’d be more nervous about this, but no! I was fairly confident! (see why: BOOM!). The only drawback to this was my mouth/throat. Y’see, Its been troubling me for a few days now. Apparently, I have an infection or something. The word ‘tonsillitus’ was used in passing when talking about symptoms… I may or may not have this D: !! Regardless, I was able to worship in spite of the discomfort.

The thing about my mouth/throat though, was that it took my focus out briefly. (Also, for some reason I felt really tired after singing too… I felt so tired that I had to leave straight after; I thought that if I left it any longer I wouldn’t have been able to drive home safely.) Usually, before I sing in a time of worship, I like to pray it through. I pray to see a glimpse of heaven touching earth. I pray that I would burn brightly for God. I pray that God, by His power, would touch people’s hearts through the time of worship. But not today. Today, I was downing a bottle of water.

It came to the time and I went up to sing. It was different to leading in church – for one it was just me and 2 singer/guitarists. Theres something nice about cutting back the sound/distortion/FX pedals/ drums/ electric in a time of worship. It creates a sort of intimate atmosphere. I feel this was achieved tonight. As a result of this atmosphere, there were no fold-back speakers, so you couldn’t just hear the musicians. We did a 3 song list; 2 songs before the sermon, 1 song after. And God granted me the desire of my heart.

Things I have usually prayed through many times before worship sessions happened tonight. I glimpsed the glory of the Lord. I heard the sound of heaven touching earth. I heard the people worshipping alongside me. I don’t often get to hear this as there are usually drums and electric guitars behind me, but tonight I heard it. I saw the people giving their all in worship. I heard the sweet sound of God’s children bringing Him praise. It was wonderful. Oh, to bask in that moment – it is like being in the heart of worship! God’s children intimately singing praise to their loving Father in Heaven. Heaven roars God’s praise; His children echo the roar. It was such a blessing to be part of this experience. It was a holy moment. There are times for selah moments – but there are also times to hear the heavens roar. And even if the roar is soft, there is a time to hear it! For a second there, It was like we weren’t on earth! It was like we were just resting in His company and serenading the Lord with song. And. it. was. lovely.

That said, here’s a psalm to ponder on! Or at least part of a psalm!

Psalm 33

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 33

¹ Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
² Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
³ Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.⁴ For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
⁵ The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

⁶ By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars^[a];
he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

 

 

Praise the Lord! God is worthy of praise! He made EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE and yet He still meets with me! He still has time for lil’ old me!

Even when my I’m not 100%, or when the distractions of this world grab my attention, God always re-aligns my heart! And when I bring God praise, He meets me powerfully. He never ceases to amaze me! He always welcomes me with arms open wide! And I love it. And I love Him.

 Our God is coming, you can hear the heavens roar!; hold on, get ready for the glory of the Lord!

Praisin’

Clothing Percussion - The inexpensive drumkit (depending on where you get your clothes)

For the most part of a week, I have been stricken by a despicably nasty illness and so have felt like a bit of a lemon. I had to miss the worship training day (which i’d been looking forward to for weeks ) and I had to miss some other events too. On the subject of lemons, i’ve found Lemsip to be a good aid at a time like this. And catarrh pastilles.

Due to this illness, i’ve found myself to be of limited vocal capacity. This saddens me, because I love to sing. Moreover, I love to praise God through my singing. Its sort of a release for me. So, having been at a bit of a lyrical loss this week, I thought it was best to step up and do something.

I prepared myself. I took the lemsip. I took the catarrh pastilles. I took water. And then I set sail on the seas of change towards the pentecostal gospel choir. THATS RIGHT! Pentecostal gospel choir. It was well good. I didn’t know any of the songs before hand, but it’s nice to worship God with songs of a different style to the usual soft rock/ alternative  style of Hillsong. And the harmonies were beautiful. Even though I wasn’t in the best of voice, I sang the best I could. This gospel style of worship music inspired me. Practice ended and I made my way back to the car.

I thought back to the worship songs i’d attempted to write and record. Whilst they all carried their unique values, their styles were pretty similar. And in terms of drumbeats that i’d thought of putting to them, I mainly think of one drum pattern. It sort of drums its way through my head all too often. A sort of boom tsch ka tsch boom tsch ka tsch…

AND THEN IT HIT ME!

I suddenly became very aware of the way I walked. My shoes were squeaking a little bit. My baggy-ish jeans were making a bit of  a noise when I walked fast. The drum beat of my songs is familiar because its the way I walk!!!! Having my right foot play the part of a bass drum, my left foot the snare drum and my legs/ baggy trouser material the part of the hi-hat cymbals, my walk sounded something a little like this: boom tsch ka tsch boom tsch ka tsch. This is an all too familiar beat! Its ingrained within me! haha! Its funny how my worship songs reflect a true part of me – not just my own heartfelt feelings, but even the beat that I ‘march’ to, so to speak!

I am reminded of this Psalm:

Psalm 150

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]   Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

This psalm tells us that we should praise the Lord with what we’ve got. Usually I praise the Lord with my voice, but as it’s failed me a little bit this week then i’ve turned to other methods. Clothing percussion opened my eyes to the beat of my personal worship stylings, but its not the only way i’ve managed to praise God this week. I’ve done it through guitar, piano, dance… And on top of that i’ve still tried to croak out and whisper His praise. God’s surpassing greatness has given me the means by which I can praise Him! And so praise Him I shall. He is good to me, even when I don’t feel 100%! He hears me even when my voice doesn’t make a sound. He listens even when the praise and prayers I bring Him are off key or are crackly or muted. He loves me regardless.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Even if you don’t think you have the strength to, try! You can still glorify God whilst being virus-ridden / sick as a dog!