Songs We Sing, 11/16 - 11/17/13 Fellowship Bible Church

As followers of Jesus, we are guided by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. This was the message from our Family Pastor, Brian Tryhus, as we continued our series titled "Faith." It was a great reminder for us to look for guidance in the right places. You can listen to or watch the entire messages and services here.

Here's our service plan:

Pre-Service - "Lead of Love" (G) [Aaron Tate of Caedmon's Call]
Welcome
"I'll Fly Away" (G) [Albert E. Brumley]
"Your Grace Is Enough" (G) [Matt Maher]
Greeting Time Announcements Message - "Faith: Guided" [Brian Tryhus]
"It Is Well" (Bb) [Philip Paul Bliss, Todd Fields, Horatio G. Spafford]
"One Thing Remains" (Bb) [Christa Black, Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle]
"Rejoice" (Bb) [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]
Dismissal
Post-Service - ""Lead of Love" (G) [Aaron Tate]

Thoughts: This was a solid weekend of worship with our church. It was one of those weekends where I felt the Lord was strong in my weakness. The lyric that stuck with me throughout the weekend was from "Lead of Love": "Looking back I can finally see/ How failures bring humility/ Brings me to my knees/ Helps me see my need for Thee." That resonated with me this weekend. During the message in the first service on Saturday night, I was having a conversation with my wife and keeping my eye on the timer for the message. When it said four minutes left, I quickly headed upstairs, only to hear music playing and to find the speaking pastor, Brian, in the stairwell. Needless to say, I panicked. Kip did a good job covering and getting the band started without me, and I tried my best to quietly head out to my position on the platform and join in. Talk about embarrassing! Anyway, that only contributed to how "off" I felt through the weekend. I'm not sure if it was allergies or a slight cold, but I just didn't feel like I had any energy or focus.

Despite all of that, the team did a great job, and our congregation was really engaged throughout the weekend. I felt the Lord was glorified, and that people responded to the Word of God through the message. Ultimately, the Lord was strong in my weakness. It seems that some of the greatest weekends of worship I experience or witness in our church are those where I feel weakest. I don't believe that's a coincidence, either. :)

The highlights for me were having my friend Ronnie Murphy on mandolin, singing an older favorite of mine in Caedmon's Call's "Lead of Love," "It Is Well," and one of our congregation's new favorites in "Rejoice." The church has really seemed to latch onto that song. I love the declaration and the energy in that song, and I'm thankful we can sing it together.

So, I leave you with this: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from this past weekend?

- Bill

Songs We Sing, 06/29 - 06/30/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we were in the fifth week of our series through 2 Timothy - "Lead In Christ." In his message this week, our lead pastor Joe Hishmeh shared about how daily trials lead to transformation in our lives. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "I'll Fly Away" (G) [Albert E. Brumley] "I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)" (G) [Charles Hutchison Gabriel] "Amazing Grace" (G) [John Newton, Edwin O'Excell] Greeting Time/Announcements WWII Veteran Interview Video Message - "Lead In Christ: Trials - 2 Timothy 3:10-4:8" [Joe Hishmeh] "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" (Bb) [William Steffe, Julia Ward Howe] Mail Call for guest WWII Veterans Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a special weekend for our congregation, as we took time before Independence Day to recognize and thank many WWII veterans from our area. The idea was inspired by the Honor Flight film, where WWII veterans were flown to Washington D.C. to see the WWII memorial and other military cemeteries, and then were received home by their communities with a showering of love and thanks for their great sacrifice for us. We sought to do something similar for veterans in our community. Our congregation wrote many notes thanking each veteran for their sacrifice and service, and we handed each of the veterans a packet of these letters. Joe pointed to the sacrifice of these men as a picture of Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross. He selflessly laid down His life for us that we could have life through Him.

For our singing, we sang all hymns and did them in a sort of folk/bluegrass style, which was a lot of fun with the team. We also had two of our new team members with us who did a great job this weekend: Ronnie Murphy on banjo and Trent Raines on vocals and acoustic.

- Bill

What were your thoughts or experiences from your worship gathering this weekend?

Set List, 07/02 - 07/03/11 Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we were talking about the Biblical perspective on citizenship, and how our citizenship as believers is with Christ in His kingdom, from Philippians 3:17-21. Joe preaching about imitating Christ and our spiritual leaders rather than pretending as imposters, seeking more of ourselves rather than more of Christ in us. We sought to support this message by focusing on the authority of Jesus as the King of kings, His love for us even though we were His enemies, and the fact that He is coming again to set everything right and to make everything new. For the band, we did something a little different, having only acoustic guitar, bass, and rhodes (on our Motif 8), with a single vocal. It was very simple and raw, and I think it was a refreshing change of pace for both the team and the congregation. I never want what we do on a given weekend to become rote, where we just know exactly what to expect. As the saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt." Contempt, in this expression, is displayed by complete disregard and ignoring of the value of something due to saturation and familiarity. I never want our music, which ought to always keep our eyes pointed at Christ and engage us in the story of who He is and what He has done, to become something so familiar that we ignore its message and therefore, its power. Sometimes surprises in the songs we sing or the way they are presented are what is necessary to jar us and remind us of our purpose in singing together in our gatherings.

Here's our set from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "I'll Fly Away" (G) [Albert E. Brumley] Call to Worship - Psalm 47:6-8 "Hosanna (Praise is Rising)" (G) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown] Welcome/Prayer/Offering/Announcements "Because of Your Love" (G) [Phil Wickham] "Son of God" (G) [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash] Message - Philippians 3:17-21 - "An Appraisal of Citizenship" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion Preparation Communion Song - "In Exile" (Em) [Thrice] Response Song - "Hosanna" (G) [Brooke Fraser]

"I'll Fly Away" - This song is always an energetic one in our congregation (and, I would guess, everywhere else, too.). I think this song strikes the proper tone regarding our ultimate destination. We should celebrate the fact that we will be with God forever, and we should long for that day! We should never settle down in this world and feel that we have arrived or achieved all that we desired. We should always have a sort of unsettling feeling, that we are not truly home. We won't be home until we see Jesus' face.

"Hosanna (Praise is Rising)" - This is one of the best "call to worship" songs available. It has the feel of our praise "rising" up to God and calling out to Him. The most significant in the song is in the chorus: "Hosanna, Hosanna/ Come have Your way among us/ We welcome You here, Lord Jesus." That should be our prayer every time we encounter Jesus in worship, whether personal or gathered together - Lord, have Your way in my life and in us as the body of Christ.

"Because of Your Love" - I love the focus of this song, speaking to the thought of 1 John 4:19, "We love because He first loved us" (ESV). Because of the love of God, we have life, and the proper response ought to be love in return, expressed in and by the things we say and do in this life. Our lives should be lived in thanksgiving to God, seeking to make much of Him with everything we do in this life.

"Son of God" - I love the writers' attempt to give a complete picture of Jesus in this song. It speaks of His role as Creator, Eternal Son of God, Almighty and Omnipotent, the Holy One, the Lover of my soul, the fulfillment of prophecy, the promised Messiah, the coming King, and the one who is worthy of all our praise. It is a song that our congregation has grabbed onto, and sings wholeheartedly. I love that we can sing this powerful truth together! It's a beautiful thing.

"In Exile" - This song is one that I have wanted to do since it was released on the Beggars album around two years ago. This song is such a powerful statement about our citizenship and our true home being stored up with God in heaven. If we are in Christ, we are citizens of a better country, a heavenly city (Heb. 11:16). We look forward to that day, when we see Him face to face, and will finally be fulfilled and complete in His presence. We cannot truly rest until that day. In this song, I love the imagery and lyric of the chorus: "My heart is filled with songs of forever/ A city that endures, where all is made new..." Dustin Kensrue is an incredible songwriter and lyricist. Check out his solo stuff (Please Come Home, This Good Night Is Still Everywhere) and his recent work with Thrice (Vheissu, The Alchemy Index, Beggars).

"In Exile" Thrice 

VERSE 1 I am an exile, a sojourner A citizen of some other place All I’ve seen is just a glimmer in a shadowy mirror But I know one day, I’ll see face to face   VERSE 2 I am a nomad, a wanderer I have nowhere to lay my head down There’s no point in putting roots too deep when I’m movin’ on Not settling for this unsettling town   CHORUS My heart is filled with songs of forever A city that endures, where all is made new I know I don’t belong here, I’ll never Call this place my home, I’m just passin’ through   VERSE 3 I am a pilgrim, a voyager I won’t rest until my lips touch the shore Of the land that I’ve been longing for as long as I’ve lived Where there’ll be no pain or tears anymore

"Hosanna" - This song ended up being an even more fitting way to end than I thought it would be. Joe really emphasized how we are to live in "suspense," waiting eagerly for Christ's return. Everything will be changed, because we will see Him face to face. We should live with that expectation and that desire. If we are truly seeking more of Christ, His return is the complete fulfillment of that desire.

It was a refreshing weekend of worship, and I really enjoyed worshiping together with the band in this format. God is faithful, and I am looking forward to the day He comes like He promised.

I hope you had a great day of worship wherever you were. Please check out Sunday Set Lists over at The Worship Community, and leave your thoughts and comments below. If you were with us at Fellowship this weekend, how were you affected by your experience? If you weren't with us here, have you experienced anything similar that stirred you or changed your perspective on worship?

In the Son,

Bill

Set List, 04/02 - 04/03/11 Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend was beautiful. We implemented a few new things, and their benefit was felt immediately. We also had some late-notice band cancellations, but we had people step up and help out. We expected some difficulties, and there were very few to speak of. Beyond that, Joe's message was on our blessed hope of eternity with God through Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful thing. Here's our set from this weekend:

"I'll Fly Away" (G) [Albert E. Brumley] Call to Worship - Psalm 98:1-2 "Glory to God Forever" (A) [Steve Fee and Vicky Beeching] Welcome/Announcements/Offering/Greeting "Forever Reign" (Ab) [Jason Ingram and Reuben Morgan] "Jesus Messiah" (Ab) [Daniel Carson, Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, and Jesse Reeves] Message - "I Believe: God Restores" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion Song - "Beautiful" (D) [Phil Wickham] Closing Song - "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (Eb) [John Newton, Chris Tomlin, and Louie Giglio]

The main new implementation this weekend was the Aviom in-ear monitoring (IEM) system. It was something I was very familiar with in other situations, but was completely new to most of our team here at Fellowship. Setup was relatively painless, and we were done with rehearsal much earlier than we thought we would be. Everybody got the hang of it pretty quickly, and were hearing the things they wanted to hear (with a small exception - the keys which put out a very low-gain signal). My in-ears were much clearer because of the Avioms, and it was easier for me to hear some instruments that I hadn't been able to hear clearly without dominating the rest of the in-ear mix, such as the bass guitar. It made this weekend particularly enjoyable.

Another new implementation was the click-track. I hadn't planned on using it in the services--only for rehearsal to start getting used to the idea--but our drummer, Aaron, went for it, and we were so much tighter because of it. Click-track is one quick way to tighten your band up, because everyone is working from the same point of reference, and it removes tempo battles or the feeling that anyone has of carrying the rhythm and pace of the song. The problem many have with it is that it can dominate your thinking and you feel like a slave to the click. That is why I planned on using it for rehearsal, but not for the services. I didn't want it to affect the services negatively. Over time, the click becomes less of a driving force, and more of a reference in your ears. It is interesting how it fades into the background over time, and you listen past it, in a way. We got to that point quicker than I expected, and I loved it. We have an awesome team here at Fellowship, and they step up to challenges in a major way.

This was the first time we tried Brumley's "I'll Fly Away," which was fitting for the message this week. It was a fun way to begin the service. Our bassist this week, Ben, learned a great deal early in his playing from a mariachi musician, so he was right at home with the walking bass lines (a little-known bit of trivia there). Our electric guitarist was playing a Line 6 Variax, and switched it to a banjo setting, and it was pretty convincing. In all, I think it was a win, and we had fun doing it. I don't imagine it was what anyone expected as they walked in this week...

After the call to worship, we went to "Glory to God Forever," which is a really solid declaration of worship, and has a great statement of commitment to the Lord: "Take my life and let it be/ All for You and for Your glory/ Take my life and let it be Yours." Instead of returning to the chorus at the end of the song, we return to this bridge, because this is the thought I want us to take away from this song. May we all lay our lives down for God's glory and for His kingdom, no matter the cost. The only thing I would have changed would have been the tempo of the song, for which we set the click a little slower, and felt like it could have been faster. We changed it for the last service, and it made a big difference.

After the greeting time, we moved to "Forever Reign" and "Jesus Messiah." "Forever Reign" is a song that Fellowship has done for a while, but it is new to me, as I mentioned last week. Jason Ingram and Reuben Morgan, two fantastic songwriters, co-wrote, and it does a great job of pairing our present hope in Christ for this life with our future hope of His eternal reign. I love how it ties it all together in a simple, singable way. I especially love the bridge: "My heart will sing/ No other name/ Jesus, Jesus." This is another song we ended up increasing tempo on in the last service, which I wish we would have done earlier.

We wrapped the message with a time of communion, where we sang Phil Wickham's "Beautiful." I do not know of many songs that tie creation, Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, and eternity in heaven together like this song does. The last verse sings, "When we arrive at eternity's shore/ Where death is just a memory and tears are no more/ We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring/ Your bride will come together and we'll sing/ You're beautiful." This verse helps us set our minds on heaven and gives us hope. I never get tired of singing this song. Our treatment of the song was a little more reflective than what is normal for me because of the communion time. I liked how it linked the time of communion with the message on eternity, just as Paul pointed out when he taught about the Lord's Supper: "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:26).

We then closed with "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)," which was a fitting finish to the service, as we celebrated our redemption in Christ, and the promise that we have in Him of life together forever. The last verse sings, "The earth shall soon dissolve like snow/ The sun forbear to shine/ But God, who called me here below,/ Will be forever mine." This is one of Newton's original verses, which were later changed to those that are more well-known. I think the original does a better job of relating our redemption to our hope in Jesus Christ, and it worked really well to set our eyes heavenward while remembering our redemption in Jesus, as we set out into our world.

It was a really enjoyable weekend, and I was on a high throughout. The combination of the message of eternal hope and the musical worship successes were really encouraging, and I am more excited than ever about where we are heading as a church, generally, and as a worship team, specifically. God is so good.

I hope you had a great time of worship wherever you were. Check out The Worship Community's Sunday Set Lists to see what other leaders and churches experienced this week in worship.

In the Son,

Bill