Be Thou My Vision

To know, love and glorify Jesus: This is why I live.

Sunday Setlists – 12/21/08

Early service:

  • Like Christmas All Year ‘Round
  • Go, Tell It on the Mountain
  • Angels We Have Heard on High
  • What Child Is This
  • Choir: Angels Sang
  • I Surrender All

Contemporary service:

  • Your Throne Will Last Forever
  • What Only You Can Do
  • Mansion
  • Freedom
  • Dance With Me
  • You Said
  • Freedom Reigns

Services went well today. We had some extra music for a special offering this week, too. The worship felt like it could go on longer at both services at the end, and some stayed at the end of the contemporary service even after they were “dismissed” to worship more. Awesome! That is a good thing!

This post is apart of Sunday Setlists.

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Our Role as Worship Leader

What’s our role as the worship leader?

Matt Craig writes:

“[The worship leader's] job is to bring order (when needed) and provide the best possible opportunity and environment for us to worship.”

In a previous paragraph, he reminds us that we as worship leaders:

  • Cannot lift the hearts of those taking part in the worship to God
  • Cannot refresh their souls
  • Cannot satisfy their thirst for God

Only each individual can do that with the Holy Spirit’s enabling.

As worship leaders, we must focus on what God calls us to do, but nothing more. No sense in carrying burdens we weren’t intended to carry. There is freedom in knowing and living that, praise God!

You can download the rest of Matt’s document containing these quotes here. He also has other resources available on this page.

Share your thoughts here.

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Sunday Setlists – 12/14/08

Early service:

  • He Is Exalted (Paris)
  • Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus (Wesley/Prichard)
  • Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Wesley/Mendelssohn)
  • O Come All Ye Faithful (Oakeley/Wade)
  • Welcome to Our World (Rice/arr. by Roberts/Hart)
  • O Come Let Us Adore Him (Oakeley/Wade – O Come All Ye Faithful chorus)

Contemporary service:

  • King (Tree 63)
  • O Praise Him (Crowder)
  • Marvelous Light (Hall)
  • Hosanna (Baloche)
  • I Need You More (Cooley/Haynes)

King by Tree 63 is a great song, and fast becoming a favorite of mine. Anyone else do this one? Here’s the chorus:

We will give You glory
Bring You honor
King above all kings
You deserve our everything
We will lift our voices
With Your praises
Jesus, You are our King

(see all the lyrics here)

Was a great day today! I’ve had quite a week of trusting and resting in God, and spent most of it “fighting” instead of resting… Tonight we also had our choir’s Christmas concert, and God was greatly glorified! Thank you for all of your hearts for the Lord!

This post is apart of Sunday Setlists.

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Sunday Setlists – 12/07/08

Early service:

  • O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Neale/Coffin, Plainsong adapt. by Helmore)
  • The Savior Is Waiting (Carmichael)
  • I Need Thee Every Hour (Hawks/Lowry)
  • Choir: All the Earth Will Worship (Bible/Fettke/Kingsmore)
  • Offertory: Holy Spirit, Rain Down (R. Fragar)

Contemporary service:

  • You Are Good (Houghton)
  • Rain Down (Martin Smith/Stuart Garrard)
  • Freedom (Bushard)
  • Dance With Me (Dupree)
  • You Won’t Relent (Edwards)

I have a God story to tell today. :)

If you are familiar with the song Dance With Me, you know that the song comes from Song of Solomon and refers to God as “the Lover of our souls.”

Before we sang it this morning, our contemporary service worship leader had something to read to our congregation. As he began reading, I started to think that it was sounding awfully familiar and emotion began to flood my heart. I had written it! Written just from the overflow of things God’s been putting on my heart.

It turns out that our worship leader had no idea that God had led me to write what he was reading. Later on, I shared with him and another friend in the car about how it blessed me that God used it. That was when it was discovered that he didn’t know it was from this blog, and had “stumbled” upon it via a search engine.

I was blessed, humbled and loved on by God as part of this post was read to our congregation, and that God would use it in our very church, without us even knowing it prior! What unity that is–totally a God-thing, uniting with our hearts! How amazing our God is!

I am greatly blessed that something God’s teaching me could be used by Him for others. It was just… that God would use something like that, the mere outpouring of one’s heart. I am humbled. And I am praying that God will bring us closer and closer to Him as a church, as His beloved children!

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the LORD.
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it…

(Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

This post is apart of Sunday Setlists – click the link to see others’ setlists.

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Sunday Setlists – 11/30/08

This post is apart of Sunday Setlists – click to see more from other worship leaders.

Early service:

  • Lead Me to Calvary (Hussey/Kirkpatrick)
  • At the Cross (Hudson/Watts)
  • How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (Townend)
  • I’m Forever Grateful (Altrogge)
  • Choir: Calvary Is the Sea (Alexander/Clark/Wood, arranged by Sterling)
  • Ladies Ensemble: We Are the Body of Christ (Brown/Hampton)
  • Response: Cleanse Me (Orr/Maori melody arranged by Douglas)

Went speechless today especially after all of the songs reminding us of God’s love for us and Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Almost couldn’t pray prior to the offering time. Wow, God, I can’t believe You even care about me. I’m so not worth it–none of us are–but dang, You love us so!!

Contemporary service:

  • Mansion (Springer)
  • Freedom (Bushard)
  • Everybody Praise the Lord (Brewster)
  • Send the Fire (Booth)
  • Show Your Power (Prosch)
  • ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (Kirkpatrick/Stead)
  • What Only You Can Do (Edwards)

Some highlights from the message today:

  • Our God is a God of second chances! Just ask Jonah, and countless other Christians here today!
  • Hearing testimony through a song written and song by a woman visiting our church today who’s come out of addiction, and also a man who is a Katrina hurricane survivor.
  • God believes in us more than we believe in ourselves!
  • If you’re alive, it isn’t too late, no matter how far away from God you’ve gotten. He is a God of second chances!
  • God is in control of every single circumstance in our lives!

I think today God was doing some powerful things, though unseen to our eyes. God is working for sure. Why must I be so impatient? ;)

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Sunday Setlists – 11/23/08

(This post is apart of Sunday Setlists.)

Today was a good day. Enough said!

Early service:

  • How Majestic Is Your Name
  • Take My Life and Let It Be
  • Spirit of the Living God
  • Our Great Savior
  • Choir: How Can I Keep from Singing
  • Give Thanks

Contemporary service:

  • What Only You Can Do
  • Sing Hallelujah
  • My Hope Is You
  • Mansion

This is my prayer:

What Only You Can Do – Misty Edwards

I’ll take my cold, cold heart
I’ll take my unrenewed mind
I’ll take Your Word in my hand
And I’ll give You time, to come and melt me

I can’t even love You unless You call my name
I can’t even worship unless You anoint my heart
I can’t even want to unless You want me first
So come fan the flame, yeah, come fan the flame

Do what only You can do – Come fan the flame
Do what only You can do – Come fan the flame
Do what only You can do – Come fan the flame
Do what only You can do

Just let my heart be alive
Let me be living deep, deep on the inside
Just let my heart be alive
Let me be living deep, deep on the inside
Come fan the flame, yeah, come fan the flame

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Sunday Setlist – 11/16/08

This post is apart of Sunday Setlists.

FYI: This little guy–Samuel–is still in need of a sponsor via Compassion.

I didn’t lead worship this week, except in leading the choir’s special, because of dealing with laryngitis leftover from a cold, but here’s what we did today:

Early service:

  • Immortal, Invisible
  • Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down
  • Worthy, You Are Worthy
  • Awesome in This Place
  • Choir: Who Can Satisfy?
  • Fill My Cup, Lord
  • ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Contemporary service:

  • Hosanna (Baloche)
  • Beautiful One
  • Better Is One Day
  • Dance Like a Father
  • I Need You More

It was different to worship without being able to sing, but who said worship is supposed to be painless or without sacrifice? (Check out this blog post: The Myth of a Painless Offering of Worship as well as Romans 12:1.)

Both services were powerful. Wow and ouch powerful at the same time. (How’s that for descriptive words? Ha.)

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My Voice Ran Away…

Well, not quite. I still have a voice, but I sound like a frog when I talk, and singing is pretty much non-existent. Singing is kind of important to what I do, so…. With that said, help a girl out and tell me what helps you get your voice back quickly and/or helps protect it when you’re sick or you’ve worn it out!

I’ve already been doing stuff I know to do, but I’d love to hear new possibilities to try! Also, I would appreciate your prayers even if you have no suggestions.

Comment here! :)

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Sunday Setlist – 11/09/08

This post is apart of Sunday Setlists.

Early service:

  • Children’s Choir: I Won’t Be Afraid
  • Near the Cross
  • Knowing You
  • In Christ Alone (Getty/Townend)
  • Choir: Hear Our Praises

Contemporary service:

  • Children’s Choir: I Won’t Be Afraid
  • Awesome Is the Lord
  • Everybody Praise the Lord
  • Sing to the King
  • Show Your Power
  • ‘Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus

Worship was really hitting me this morning. It really was spiritual warfare for me because I wasn’t feeling the best physically or mentally. While we were singing of all God’s done via In Christ Alone, God reminded me that I forgot to “put my armor” on this morning (Ephesians 6) in addition to reminding me of His Word concerning His children.

It’s amazing how God uses us as worship leaders to choose songs to sing to Him and about Him, and this week He used those very songs to strengthen me as I worshiped Him! He also used the children’s song as they sang in both services, a song I didn’t know beforehand! I needed these reminders of all God has done for me through Jesus, and that it’s all about Him and His purposes, no matter how I feel, physically, mentally or both, and that I have nothing to fear! We’ve just got to turn to Him and His Word, and worship Him through everything! Bless His holy name at all times!

It was amazing today to see some hands raised during worship that I hadn’t seen (or noticed) before., especially during Awesome Is the Lord (“Raise your hands, all you nations…”) It touches my heart to see people worshiping God freely!

The message today on sharing your faith was right there with it, too! I needed that, and God is growing in me a greater passion to share the Gospel. Make me even more willing and bold, Lord; provide opportunities and don’t let me miss them! A gem from the sermon at church today:

It’s not about our abilities [in sharing Jesus], it’s about our availability [for God to use us]!

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Tools For Worship Leaders/Songwriters

I’ve found or been recommended some useful tools for worship leaders as well as musicians and others lately. I thought I would share my findings in hopes that others will find these useful as well!

MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protected
MyFreeCopyright.com: Here you can get copyright done for your songs, writings, and even your web site. Worth doing to have proof in case someone tries to use or steals your original work without permission or even giving you the credit.

OpenSong: A free, multi-platform and open source alternative for displaying lyrics, presentations, etc. during worship services. Also useful for transposing chord charts, displaying Bible verses, etc. Read more about what OpenSong can do here.

Guitar Chord Finder: Quite useful for quick chord look-ups. This site has other useful resources, too.

Transposr from PlanningCenterOnline Transposr: A great online tool useful for transposing both chord charts AND mp3s to different keys from the creators of PlanningCenterOnline.

What useful tools have you found worth sharing?

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“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"
(Jeremiah 32:27)

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A woman seeking after God's heart.
To know, love and glorify Jesus:
This is why I live.

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