Fellowship Bible Church - 02/17 - 02/18/17

This weekend Pastor Joe looked at Matthew 5:38-48 and focused on Jesus' call to forgiveness versus revenge. It was a powerful challenge for our relationships. For our singing, we focused on songs that reminded us of the forgiveness that we have been shown by the Lord through the sacrifice of Jesus, and how Ephesians 2:14 reminds us that "He Himself is our peace." 

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-service - "How Can It Be" [Lauren Daigle]
"This Is Amazing Grace" [Phil Wickham]
"You Have Overcome" [Bill Horn]
"God With Us" [All Sons & Daughters]
"It Is Well" {North Point Community Church/Lauren Daigle]

It was another great weekend together!

Have a great week!

in the Son,

Bill

FBC Service Recap - Easter 2016

Jesus is Risen!

Here's what we sang together to celebrate the resurrection of Christ:

"He is Jesus" [Heath Balltzglier, Matthew Melton, Steve Fee]
"Christ the Lord is Risen" [Charles Wesley, Bill Horn]
"It is Finished" [Dustin Kensrue]
"Give Me Jesus" [African American Spiritual, arr. by Fernando Ortega]
"You Have Overcome" [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
"O Praise the Name (Anástasis)" [Marty Sampson, Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher]
"Jesus!" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger]

This weekend, we had seven services, and our team stepped up and did an awesome job serving the church. It was a powerful celebration of the life that we have because of the resurrection of Jesus. As the Bible says in Ephesians 2, "We are made alive together with Him." Specifically, we focused on the fully accomplished work of redemption through the cross of Christ, and the power and victory and life that we have because of Him. He has done it all, and He alone is worthy of all glory and honor and praise! He is risen!

Songs We Sing - 07/18 - 07/19/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend was like Easter in July, as we looked at 1 Corinthians 15 and Pastor Joe shared about the hope of the resurrection. It was a great reminder of the hope that we have because of Jesus.

Pre-Service - "Death in His Grave" [John Mark McMillan]
"Made Alive" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger - Citizens & Saints]
"Sing to the King" [Billy Foote, Charles Sylvester Horne]
"Lamb of God" [Andi Rozier, Meredith Andrews, Jason Ingram - Vertical Church Band]
"Great Are You Lord" [Leslie Jordan, David Leonard, Jason Ingram - All Sons & Daughters]
"You Have Overcome" [Bill Horn & Erik Oldberg]

We continued teaching a new song, "Great Are You Lord," and our congregation seemed to engage with it more this week than last week. We'll rest the song a week and then bring it back in two weeks and see where we're at then. We also sang "Death in His Grave" by John Mark McMillan, which is a great song about the resurrection of Jesus. Since Joe's message focused on our hope for today, when we die, and then when Christ returns, our songs pulled from each of those three themes.

It was a great weekend of worship together, despite personally wrestling with a cold and nasty cough. We made it through, and Jesus was lifted up. Our team always does a great job serving the church, and this weekend was no exception.

Now, it's time for nap.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship!

In the Son,

Bill

Set from our Worship Night - 08/03/14

Here's our plan from our Worship Night at FBC last night:

"Words in the Water" [Thrice]
"In Tenderness" [Citizens]
"This is Amazing Grace" [Phil Wickham]
"One Thing Remains" [Bethel Worship]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"How Deep The Father's Love For Us" [Stuart Townend]
"Carried to the Table" [Leeland]
"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" [Chris Tomlin, et al]
"In Christ Alone" [Keith Getty, Stuart Townend, personal arrangement]
"I Am Set Free" [All Sons & Daughters]
"It Is Well" [Todd Fields]
"You Have Overcome" [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
"Forever (We Sing Hallelujah]" [Bethel Worship/Kari Jobe]
"Before the Throne" [The Modern Post]

It was an incredible night of worship together. I realized last night that I have desired to plan a night like this for nearly eight years, but it has been hindered by various things during that span. It was a beautiful thing to see it all come together, and to see a dream realized, in a sense. My intern, Chandler Klamm, contributed to every part of the process, and I think it was cool for him to see it all come together, too. I'm so grateful for our incredible team that made it all happen!

Songs We Sing, 07/12 - 07/13/14 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we started a special short series about the end times, called "In Light of Eternity." We started on Friday night with Catacombs event, which was an extended Bible study time through the book of Daniel. We continued into the services Saturday with Pastor Joe preaching a message about the significance and importance of studying prophecy and the end times, and how we can begin to align our lives with the reality and hope we have in Jesus.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

"Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)" (G) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown]
"Hail The King" (G) [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger]
"Come Lord Jesus" (G) [Dustin Kensrue]
"Lord of All" (A) [Kristian Stanfill]
"You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]

We had a small band for this weekend, and they all did a fantastic job. We even pulled off a song in 5/4 time ("Come Lord Jesus"), which was a little crazy. It's hard to feel at rest in 5/4, but I feel that it heightens the tension and intensity of a song. At any rate, it was a first our team and for me to do a song in that time signature in a church service. It won't be the last, however (hint, hint). "Hail The King" seems like it has taken root with our church, while "Lord of All" and "You Have Overcome" are both firmly established as part of our worship vocabulary. It was a great weekend, and I'm looking forward to our Bible conference this week as we continue our intensive focus on our future hope in Christ!

Songs We Sing, 02/22 - 02/23/2014 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our family pastor Brian Tryhus concluded our series on Obedience with a message about sacrifice and the providence of God. He urged our congregation to obey the call of God despite the fear that naturally arises, because we can trust Him. You can listen to the message or the entire service here.

Here's our order from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Suffering Servant" (A–B) [Dustin Kensrue]
Call to Worship - Congregational Reading - Romans 12:1 ESV
"I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)" (E) [Charles Hutchison Gabriel]
Greeting Time
Special Guest - Pastor Reynixon Rosales
Announcements
Message - "Obedience: Sacrifice" [Brian Tryhus] 
"The Stand" (A) [Joel Houston]
"You Are God Alone (Not a god)" (A) [Billy Foote, Cindy Foote]
"You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a powerful weekend. For one, we had a special guest, pastor Reynixon Rosales (he usually goes by Pastor Nixon) from the Smokey Mountain landfill community in Manila, Philippines. He is one of the amazing leaders I had the privilege of meeting a few weeks ago on my trip to Manila with Trash Mountain Project. In our services this weekend, he shared how he grew up in Smokey Mountain, ended up getting out of the community and finishing his education, and then how God called him and his wife back to that community. Smokey Mountain has the worst living conditions I have ever witnessed, and Nixon and his wife, Cora, answered God's call on their lives to head back in these conditions to feed the children and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. They are heroes of the faith for me, and for everyone else who has met them.

The timing of his visit with our church was perfect, as it aligned perfectly with what our family pastor, Brian Tryhus, preached on: obedience and sacrifice. His example was Esther, and how her initial reaction to the call of God on her life was fear, but ultimately she willingly laid down her own life for those of her people, and she became a critical part of God's story. 

The service as a whole was a powerful time of worship. The team led very well, with everyone doing their part to serve the congregation with excellence. We opened in the pre-service again with "Suffering Servant," and after this we read Romans 12:1 together as a congregation. This verse was key to tie everything in the service together–our offering ourselves as living sacrifices is a response to the "mercies of God" (ESV). Kelsey Thomsen then led us on "I Stand Amazed." We responded to the message with "The Stand," and then Kelsey led us again in "You Are God Alone," which we sang for the fourth time now in our services and is our church is learning it and singing it together. I love this song, as it is entirely a song about who God is–His sovereignty, His immutability, and His power. The character of God is crucial to understanding why we should follow and obey Him as He calls us and directs our lives. He is ultimately worthy of all that we are. We closed our services with "You Have Overcome" to bring full circle the connection between Christ's sacrifice for us and putting our obedience in the proper place of being a response to what Christ has already accomplished for us. This truth is critical for us to understand as believers; our obedience, our worship, or any "good work" are all responses to how Christ has accomplished our salvation for us. These deeds do not move us toward salvation. They are a means of following the example of our Savior. They are a means of demonstrating our thanks and love for Him. They are a means of being selfless for others, just as Christ was selfless for us.

It was a beautiful weekend of both celebrating the sacrifice that Christ made for us and contemplating His call on our lives to make disciples. Between Brian's message, Pastor Nixon's testimony, and our time of singing together, it was an incredibly moving and challenging weekend of worship.

Your turn: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from this weekend?

- Bill

Advent Songs We Sing - Fellowship Bible Church - 2013

Here are the song sets from all of our Advent services this year. It is always one of my favorite seasons of the year, as we celebrate how God is with us, and also anticipate how He is coming again for us! You can watch the messages and services here.

December 7 & 8, 2013

"Joy to the World" (G) [George Friedrich Handel, Isaac Watts, arr. by Bill Horn] 
"Lead Me To The Cross" (Bm) [Brooke Ligertwood]
"What Child Is This" (Em) [William Chatterton Dix, arr. by Bill Horn]
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" (D) [Matt Crocker, Autumn Hardman, C. Frederick Oakeley, Ryan Taubert, John Francis Wade]

December 14 & 15, 2013

"Hark The Herald Angels Sing" (E) [Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley, arr. by Bill Horn]
"Hosanna" (E) [Brooke Ligertwood]
"Your Great Name" (Bb) [Micheal Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"Jesus Messiah" (G) [Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin]
"O Holy Night" (C) [Adolphe Charles Adam, Placide Cappeau, John S. Dwight]

December 21 & 22, 2013

"Angels From The Realms Of Glory" (Bb) [James Montgomery, Henry Thomas Smart, arr. by Bill Horn]
"Everlasting God" (Bb) [Brenton Brown, Ken Riley]
"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (Em) [Henry Sloane Coffin, Thomas Helmore, John Mason Neale]
"You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
"Rejoice" (Bb) [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013

"Joy To The World" (C) [George Friedrich Handel, Isaac Watts, arr. by Bill Horn]
"Go Tell It On The Mountain" (D) [John W. Work]
"O Come Let Us Adore Him" (D) [Matt Crocker, Autumn Hardman, C. Frederick Oakeley, Ryan Taubert, John Francis Wade]
"What Child Is This" (Em) [William Chatterton Dix, arr. by Bill Horn]
"Silent Night" (G) [Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, John Freeman Young]

Two great weekends; one blog post: 11/02 - 11/03 & - 11/09 - 11/10/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

Well, life has been happening and I have fallen behind on my posts, so a little catch-up is in order. The past two weekends have been some of my favorites here at Fellowship. We have been in the midst of a series titled "Faith" and it has been both encouraging and challenging for our church. On 11/02 -11/03, our lead pastor, Joe, shared how we have been redeemed by the finished work of Christ. This past weekend, 11/09 - 11/10, our Adult Discipleship Pastor, David Hinkle, shared about how God has set us apart for His glory and His working here on the earth. Both of these messages were powerful declarations of the gospel, and it really showed as the church sang in response. You can listen to or watch the entire messages and services here.

Here's our service plan from 11/02 - 11/03:

Pre-Service - "Song of the Redeemed" (Em) [Charlie Hall, Kendall Combes, Quint Anderson, Brian Bergman, Dustin Ragland]
Welcome
"Sing to the King" (E) [Billy Foote, Charles Silvester Horne]
Greeting Time
Announcements Message - "Faith: Redeemed" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion Intro
"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (D) [John Newton, Edwin O. Excell, John P. Rees, Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio]
Taking of the Elements
"You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg]
"This Is Amazing Grace" (A) [Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle, Josh Farro]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was one of my favorite services of which I have ever been a part. Our team did a fantastic job leading across the board. Kelsey Thomsen rejoined the team to co-lead this weekend after a long break for school in Wichita, and she did a great job in her return. I am so excited to see how everyone stepped up and called our congregation to worship Jesus. The highlights for me were "Song of the Redeemed," "Sing to the King," and "You Have Overcome." It was an amazing weekend!

Here's our service plan from this past weekend, 11/09 - 11/10:

Welcome
"Holy Is The Lord" (E) [Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio]
"Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, The Modern Post]
Greeting Time
Announcements Message - "Faith: Set Apart" [David Hinkle]
"A Mighty Fortress" (Bb) [Christy Nockels, Nathan Nockels]
"Jesus Paid It All" (Bb) [John T. Grape, Elvina M. Hall, w/ additional chorus by Alex Nifong]
"Rejoice" (Bb) [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]
Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was another great weekend of worship. Again, our team did a great job leading us in worship. Becky Tindell did a great job co-leading, especially in leading us on "A Mighty Fortress," which is an awesome song coming largely from the book of Hebrews. It was a great fit with the message this weekend, along with "Jesus Paid It All." Together, these two songs encapsulated the emphasis of David's powerful message: we are set apart to holiness for God's glory, yet our righteousness before God is only in the finished work of Jesus on our behalf. The highlights for me were "Before the Throne," "Jesus Paid It All," and "Rejoice," which is one of my favorite new songs. If you haven't heard it yet, give it a listen. The lyric is powerful and moving. In all, it was a beautiful weekend.

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

- Bill

Songs We Sing, 06/22 - 06/23/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we were in the fourth week of our series through 2 Timothy - "Lead In Christ." In his message this week, our adult discipleship pastor David Hinkle shared about guarding our hearts from things that would exalt us, and pursuing things in our lives that exalt Christ. It was a great reminder and challenge to seek Christ with all that we are, beause He is the only one who is worthy, and the only one who satisfies. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Made Alive" (C) [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger] "Hosanna" (D) [Brooke Ligertwood] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Lead In Christ: Guard Your Heart - 2 Timothy 3:1-9" [David Hinkle] "Forever Reign" (A) [Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] "Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. by The Modern Post] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was yet another great weekend (I know--I say that a lot...)! David's message was very challenging, Becky Tindell did a great job co-leading with me, our team as a whole did a great job, and the church sang well. It was one of those weekends where things in the music that we didn't even expect connected well with the message. It serves as a reminder that God is the one who ultimately leads His people to worship Himself. If we seek Him and prepare as well as we can with His leading, He does more than we could ever ask or imagine. It's a beautiful thing when we are able to really catch it and see some of the ways in which He moved! I really love each of the songs we sang this week. In particular, it was great to bring back "Made Alive" for a refresher. That song is always enjoyable to sing together with our congregation in celebrating the beauty of the gospel and Jesus' gracious love for us.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, Overflow - 05/05/13

Here's the set of songs from our Overflow worship night on May 5, 2013. It was a powerful and beautiful time of worship! I love co-leading with my friends Erik and Sarah Oldberg, who always do an awesome job. Reading - 1 John 4:7-12 (NIV) "Our God Is Love" (E) [Joel Houston] "In Tenderness" (A) [Adoniram J. Gordon, W. Spencer Walton, Nate Garvey] "Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. by The Modern Post] Reading - 1 John 2:1-2 (NIV) "I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)" (E) [Charles Hutchison Gabriel] "One Thing Remains" (B) [Brian Johnson, Christa Black Gifford, Jeremy Riddle] "Forever Reign" (A) [Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan] Communion - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV) "Sing To Jesus" (F) [Fernando Orgtega, Rich Nibbe] "Grace Flows Down" (D) [David E. Bell, Louie Giglio, Rod Padgett] "Nothing But The Blood" (A) [Robert Lowry,  arr. by All Sons & Daughters] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] Reading - 1 John 3:16-18 (NIV) "To Our God" (A) [Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, Joel Taylor] "The Stand" (A) [Joel Houston] "Hosanna (Bridge Only) (A) [Brooke Ligertwood] "Stronger" (Bb) [Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding] "Beneath The Waters (I Will Rise)" (Ab) [Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood] "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)" (G) [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin] "Rise (Bb)" [Joel Houston] Closing Prayer - Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)

Songs We Sing, 03/30 - 03/31/13 - EASTER at TPAC - Fellowship Bible Church

This year, we celebrated Easter together at the Topeka Performing Arts Center again. It was quite an extensive event to put together, but it is an incredible experience to see our church all together like that! Joe shared about the true significance of Easter for people in every station. Some need to see it, others need to believe it, others need to lives it, and still others need to give it. We also incorporated a special element of artwork that we used parts of at both Good Friday and Easter services: local artist and teacher Mike Mize painted the major stories of redemption history, and recorded the painting process on a tablet so we could replay his paintings in progress for each of the stories. It was pretty incredible to see. You can watch the message, the services, and The Cross painting video here.

Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Beautiful" (C) [Phil Wickham] Call to Worship "Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. by The Modern Post] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] Welcome - David Hinkle The Cross - Video Message - "Easter Revealed" [Joe Hishmeh] "Your Great Name" (Bb) [Krissy Nordhoff, Michael Neale] (with "cardboard testimonies" during the song) Call to Response/Offering Reprise of "Your Great Name" (Bb) "Jesus Paid It All" (Bb) [John T. Grape, Elvina M. Hall, Alex Nifong] "Lord of All" (Bb) [Kristian Stanfill]/ "How Great Thou Art" (Bb) [Stuart Wesley Keene Hine] Dismissal - David Hinkle

Thoughts: It is always a beautiful thing when our church comes together in only two services. The church really sang out, and it was overwhelming at times to hear them and see them worshiping Jesus together. A few of the highlights were the cardboard testimonies during "Your Great Name" and our extra drummers playing floor toms during "Jesus Paid It All." In all, I felt that it was one of best services I have ever been a part of planning. It flowed well from one element to another, and the tech team did a great job of facilitating each element.

Above all, people responded to the gospel - many trusted in Jesus for the first time, and others wanted to reconnect with Christ after drifting. Still others wanted to trust their lives to the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead. It was amazing!

Our staff team and volunteers did an incredible job with all of the many aspects of putting together off-campus services. It is such a privilege to serve with each of them. I am so thankful for our church!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 01/26 - 01/27/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we continued in the second week of our series through 2 Corinthians-- "Purpose In Christ." Joe shared about growing in forgiveness, and how forgiveness can be the demonstration of the victory that Christ has over sin. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "In Tenderness" (G) [W. Spencer Walton, Adoniram J. Gordon, Nate Garvey, arr. by Citizens] "Sing to the King" (D) [Charles Sylvester Horne, Billy James Foote] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Purpose In Christ - Forgiveness" [Joe Hishmeh] "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (E) [Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, John Newton, Edwin O. Excell, John P. Rees] "Forever Reign" (A) [Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a great weekend. Joe's message was very powerful and challenging, our team led well, and the church was very engaged. Becky Tindell returned to co-lead after her maternity leave, and it was great to have her back. The entire worship team locked in really well and it was a solid weekend musically. I love the songs that we sang this weekend, and I felt like there was a good balance of both energetic songs and reflective songs. Also, our tech team did a great job, with three volunteers running sound, video, and MediaShout for the first time solo. It is really amazing to see how our team is growing and developing. God continues to bring people who have a passion to accomplish the mission of our church together, for which I am extremely grateful. God is doing some great things here, and I truly believe our best days are ahead of us.

Thanks for reading and being a part of this with me!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 01/05 - 01/06/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week we continued our series: "The Gospel: In/Through/Beyond." Pastor Joe shared about how the God wants the gospel to move through our lives to others in our lives. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Everlasting God" (Bb) [Brenton Brown, Ken Riley] "Happy Day" (Bb) [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "The Gospel Through Me" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion "Nothing But The Blood" (G) [Robert Lowry, my arrangement] "You Alone Can Rescue" (A) [Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was another great weekend! Our team did a great job, and it was a great start to the new year for our church. Our people were very engaged, and the focus of the weekend was a powerful challenge to the power of the gospel in and through our lives. The gospel transforms, and we need to share it with our community and our world!

I walked away from this weekend very encouraged about what the Lord is doing here at Fellowship. Praise God for His gospel, and His working in and through us.

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience this weekend?

Set List, 11/10 - 11/11/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, taught about biblical submission in marriage as he continued our series, "Ephesians - United in Christ." It was the most clear and challenging explanation of Ephesians 5:21-33 that I have ever heard. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. In our singing, we focused primarily on how Jesus came and sacrificed Himself for the Church, that we could be redeemed and have eternal life. We also focused some on God aligning our hearts to His, that we might love others as He has loved us.

Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "In Tenderness" (G) [Adoniram Judson Gordon, W. Spencer Walton, arr. by Citizens] "Hosanna" (G) [Brooke Fraser] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Ephesians 5:21-33" [Joe Hishmeh] "Love Is Not A Fight" (A) [Warren Barfield] "Jesus Messiah" (A) [Daniel Carson, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves, Chris Tomlin] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] "Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. by The Modern Post] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a great weekend. Our team did an excellent job. We had a new team member, Thomas Banley, on bass, and he did a great job. "Love Is Not A Fight" was a good connection with the message, and a challenge to fight for our marriages. "In Tenderness," "Jesus Messiah," "You Have Overcome," and "Before The Throne" were great for us to focus on the gospel and recognize the love that Jesus demonstrated for us at the cross. As Joe said, the gospel and Christ's love for us is the foundation for how we love one another. "Before The Throne" was a new rendition by one of Mars Hill Church's bands, The Modern Post, led by Dustin Kensrue. It takes it from the usual 3/4 time to 4/4, and it has a great and unique feel to it. Typically, the slower 3/4 arrangement has a more reflective feel to it, while this 4/4 version feels like a strong declaration of the truths contained in the lyric. I really look forward to singing this song in particular with the church again soon, especially the end of the second verse: "Because the sinless Savior died/ My sinful soul is counted free/ For God the Just was satisfied/ To look on Him and pardon me." What a great way to end our services this weekend!

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience this weekend?

p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 10/13 - 10/14/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

(an image of our Ephesians set design, courtesy of our Tech Director, Wyatt Johnston)

This week our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, continued our discipleship series, "Ephesians - United in Christ." In his message for the weekend, Joe shared from Ephesians 4:1-16 about unity in the Church. Unity, Joe said, is a sign of Christian maturity and is life-giving for the believer. It was a powerful reminder of the value of unity for our lives and for Christ's mission for the Church. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

For our singing this week, we focused on .

Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"Your Grace Is Enough" (G) [Matt Maher] Welcome/Greeting Time/Call to Worship "Song of the Redeemed" (Em) [Charlie Hall, Kendall Combes, Dustin Ragland, Quint Anderson, Brian Bergman] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] "Lord of All" (A) [Kristian Stanfill] "How Great Is Our God" (chorus & bridge) (A) [Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves, Message - "Ephesians 4:1-16" [Joe Hishmeh] "Center" (E) [Charlie Hall, Matt Redman] Offering/Announcements/Dismissal

"Your Grace Is Enough" - We opened with this song because it is both familiar and it reminds us of the all-sufficient grace we have in Jesus. Our standing with God is not by our own merit, but because of His grace toward us.

"Song of the Redeemed"- This was a new song for our congregation this weekend, even though it's not really new at all. I love the concept of the "song of the redeemed" throughout Scripture--the song that can only be sung by those who have been redeemed and rescued by God. It shows up in Exodus with Moses' song, throughout the Psalms, and all the way to the book of Revelation, where the redeemed are gathered around the throne in worship in 14:3. Angels cannot sing this song; only those who have been redeemed can sing of God's redemption.

"You Have Overcome" - We sang this song because it helps us worship by clearly focusing on the gospel: we were dead and lost, but Jesus went to the cross in our place and bore the righteous wrath that we deserved from God, and then Jesus rose from the grave in victory over sin and death. Jesus has overcome, and there is no one else who can save us! It is overwhelming to see the church sing it as well as they do. There is nothing more powerful or motivating for worship than the gospel.

"Lord of All"/"How Great Is Our God" - We wrapped up the first section of our singing with this sort of medley. First, we sang "Lord of All" which is one of our church's favorite songs (which makes me very happy), and then we tagged the chorus and bridge of "How Great Is Our God" to finish up. It was a beautiful moment of exalting God together.

"Center" - This was our response song this weekend, as it is a significant prayer for us to sing to our God: "O Christ, be the center of our lives/ Be the place we fix our eyes/ Be the center of our lives." If we all truly desire for Christ to be the center of our lives, we will be unified.

This weekend was a great weekend of worship! Our team did a great job, and it was a blessing to worship with our congregation. I think the highlight for me was singing "You Have Overcome" and moving right into "Lord of All"/"How Great Is Our God." It was really powerful and moving as we simply lifted up our Savior for who He is and what He has done. I love our church!

On Sunday morning, we also had a special guest musician playing before our services: Joe Gavin. Joe is a friend of mine from Lakeland, FL, and he is an incredible fingerstyle guitarist. He has taught me a lot, and it is always a joy to hear him play. He was in town to play for the Trash Mountain Project's Spoken benefit, and he was kind enough to play for us as well. It was a beautiful addition to the day, and contributed in a great way. If you want to hear more of Joe's music, his website is joegavin.info, and you can find his CD/MP3s on iTunes and on Amazon. Support his great work!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience from this weekend?

p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 09/15 - 09/16/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

(an image of our Ephesians set design, courtesy of our Tech Director, Wyatt Johnston)

This week our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, continued our discipleship series, "Ephesians - United in Christ." In his message, Joe shared from Ephesians 2:1-10 that before Christ, we were dead in our sins, but we have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! He has made us alive for the purposes of His kingdom--sharing the good news and doing good for those around us. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here.

For our singing this week, we focused on the saving work of Christ on our behalf.

Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"In Tenderness" (G) [W. Spencer Walton, Adoniram J. Gordon, Nate Garvey, arr. by Citizens] Welcome/Greeting Time Call To Worship "All Because of Jesus" (A) [Steve Fee] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] "God Is Able" (A) [Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding] / "The Stand" (A) [Joel Houston] Message - "Ephesians 2:1-10" [Joe Hishmeh] "Jesus Messiah" (G) [Daniel Carson, Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves] Offering/Announcements/Dismissal

"In Tenderness" - This is a song that we have been teaching our congregation recently. This song is a keeper for us, and it is a great fit for our study of the book of Ephesians as a whole, especially chapter two.

"All Because of Jesus" - We continued after our greeting time with this simple chorus that recognizes the true and sole source of our life - Jesus Christ. This is a song that is very familiar for our church, so we always sing it well together.

"You Have Overcome" - This is one of our originals here, and it seems to be a song that our congregation has latched onto. This song was inspired in part by Ephesians 2:1-10, so it was a beautiful fit with the message this week. Jesus has overcome the power of the grave, and no one else can save us; no one else can raise us.

"God Is Able" / "The Stand" - Though it was impossible for us to save ourselves, Jesus did it for us. He came to rescue us and to be with us forever. He is faithful and true, and His love is steadfast and unfailing. He has done everything we needed for our eternal salvation. What is our response to this amazing gift of grace? One of thanksgiving, of love, of worship with all that we are.

"Jesus Messiah" - This was our response song for the weekend. After hearing the gospel clearly laid out in the message, I wanted to come back to a song that declared and celebrated the beautiful sacrifice that Jesus made for us, to give us redemption, salvation, life, and hope! This song did just that. My favorite part of this song continues to be the bridge: "All our hope is in You/ All our hope is in You/ All the glory to You, God/ The Light of the world." Amen! Our hope is in no one else.

This weekend was another solid weekend of worship. Our team did a good job leading, and our people were engaged. It's hard not to get excited about the gospel! When we really reflect on what Christ has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection, I think we would have to fight off the urge to worship Him. This was a weekend where that was the case. I hope this is more often the case than not, because I can think of no greater reason to worship than the gospel.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

What were your thoughts or experiences on your worship experience from this weekend?

p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 06/09 - 06/10/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, David Hinkle preached about abiding in Christ from 1 John. This was our second week walking through 1 John together in our "Love In Christ" series, and we have been reading through the entire letter each week to become very familiar with it. In his message, David emphasized the certainty and security that we have because of what Christ has done for us, and our resulting relationship and fellowship with Christ. It was a beautiful and powerful reminder of our covenant relationship with God. You can listen to the entire message here. For the music this week, we focused on God's faithfulness, God's grace toward us, the finished work of the cross, and the call for us to be completely confident in the person and the work of Jesus Christ. We have nothing to fear in Him. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"Faithful One" (G) [Original] Welcome/Greeting Time "Hallelujah To My King" (E) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown] "He Has Done It All" (G) [Andy Cherry, Jason Ingram] "You Have Overcome" (G) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] Message - "Love In Christ: Abide" [David Hinkle] Offering "You Never Let Go" (Bb) [Matt Redman] Announcements Dismissal

"Faithful One" - This is an original song that we introduced to our congregation a few weekends ago. It declares the truth that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In my mind, this is one of the crucial attributes of our Lord, because it means that He will not change His mind about us when we are in Christ. His Word is binding and unchanging, because it comes from Him. This is the reason that we can trust His promises.

"Hallelujah To My King" - This song is a simple song of praise to God for all that He has done for us. My favorite verse is the second, which sings of God's amazing grace and mercy in adopting us as sons and daughters, even when we were enemies.

"He Has Done It All" - This is a new song that I have been itching to introduce to our church for a few months. I first heard it February at the re:create conference during our night of worship with several Essential Worship artists. One of them was completely new to me: Andy Cherry. I hadn't heard any of his songs before that night, but several of his songs really resonated with me, especially this one. It declares with confidence that we are secure in what Christ has done for us. The chorus sings, "Love tells me/ It is finished, He accomplished/ What no one could, He has done it all/ Everything has been made complete/ In Him I belong, He has done it all."  Unfortunately, it's not really streaming anywhere for you to hear it, so you'll have to just pick up the album (it's worth it, believe me). I love this song, and our church joined in singing it pretty well. I think our congregation will participate in it more as we continue singing it together. This one is a keeper.

"You Have Overcome" - This is an original song that we introduced around Easter, and it is one that is simply about the gospel and what Jesus Christ accomplished for us. He has overcome sin and death and redeemed us to everlasting life. We can place our complete trust in Him; He is so worthy of our praise.

"You Never Let Go" - In response to the message, we sang this song of faith. Regardless of the circumstances we face in this life, God is with us, and He is worthy of our praise. He is faithful to His covenant toward us.

This weekend was a pretty good weekend. I didn't feel like we were as tight as I would have liked, but we sang songs that centered on the gospel and that pointed our confidence to Christ alone, which is what ultimately matters most. Christ was exalted, and I feel that we were all encouraged by the reminder that Jesus never fails and never neglects His covenant toward us. We can be assured and confident in our Savior!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

In the Son, Bill p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 05/12 - 05/13/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we continued our series called "Everything!" Joe shared this week from 2 Corinthians 8:7, which talks about excelling in the grace of giving. You can listen to the entire message here. Also this weekend, our church brought 10% of all of our clothing to donate to the Topeka Rescue Mission. Last weekend, our church brought in 8,345 lbs. (more than 4 tons!!!) of non-perishable goods for the Rescue Mission! It's a beautiful thing to see the church come together for a cause like this. It's amazing what we can do together. For the music this week, I chose songs that helped us focus on how God's grace for us was demonstrated at the cross, where Christ laid down His life for us, even when we were His enemies.

Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"Happy Day" (Bb) [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon] Mother's Day Video - "I'll Need You, Mom" Welcome/Greeting Time "Glory To God Forever" (A) [Vicky Beeching, Steve Fee] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] "God Is Able" (A) [Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan] Message - "Everything: Excel In The Grace Of Giving" [Joe Hishmeh] Offering Intro "Jesus Paid It All" (Bb) [Elvina M. Hall, John T. Grape, Alex Nifong] Announcements Dismissal

"Happy Day"- We sang this song simply for the fact that it recognizes and celebrates the gift of salvation and redemption that Christ has given us through His sacrifice.

"Glory To God Forever" - This song, as I have written about previously, gives expression to what is true worship - offering our lives as living sacrifices of worship to God: "Take my life and let it be/ All for You and for Your glory/ Take my life and let it be Yours." May this be our prayer as we meet together each weekend and as we go out into our world. May our lives be lived for His glory alone.

"You Have Overcome"- We wrote and taught this song to our congregation a few weeks ago, and this weekend be brought it back for a refresher because it is so new to us. It focuses on what Jesus has accomplished for us and provided for us in His life, death, and resurrection. He has rescued us from sin and death!

"God Is Able"- This song reminds us of God's faithful presence with us through everything we face and experience in this life. We can trust Him and depend on Him, because He will never change and He will never fail. He will always be with us, as He promised in Hebrews 13:5 (quoting Deuteronomy 31:6): "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?'  (Heb. 13:5 ESV)."

"Jesus Paid It All"- This was our response song this weekend, and we sang it to focus again on how Jesus gave first because of His grace toward us. Our response to Him and to others ought to imitate that grace and generosity. He has done great things for us, and He has been so merciful and gracious toward us; let us also have grace and mercy for those around us, and let us lay down our lives for Christ and for our neighbors.

This weekend was a good weekend spent worshiping together. The songs worked well with the message and with each other for a cohesive idea, and I felt that our congregation connected well in worship this weekend. I am so grateful for what the Lord is doing in our church. He is so faithful! May we continue to grow into a generous church!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. I am so thankful for my Mom and for my bride, Diane. They are the two  greatest mothers I know!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

In the Son, Bill

p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!

Set List, 04/14 - 04/15/12 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we began a series called "Everything!" Joe is talking through the concepts of a generous life and stewardship with all that we have. It was a really fresh and challenging perspective on generosity, beginning this weekend with a focus on the true owner of the things in this world - God owns everything, and we are stewards of what He owns. You can listen to the entire message here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"All Because Of Jesus" (Bb) [Steve Fee] Welcome/Greeting Time Call To Worship "Unchanging" (G) [Chris Tomlin] "You Have Overcome" (A) [Bill Horn, Erik Oldberg] "God Is Able" (A) [Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding] Message - "Everything: Everything Comes From God" [Joe Hishmeh] "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)" (G) [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, Jason Ingram] Offering/Announcements Dismissal

"All Because Of Jesus" - We opened our services with this song, as it tied last week and this week together. We celebrate the life that we have because of Jesus Christ - because He died in our place and was raised from the grave for us - and we also thank Him because He is the giver of all that we have, even our very breath. As James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (ESV).

"Unchanging" - Because of the focus of the message series, and the fact that this week was foundational for the whole thing, I wanted us to sing songs that help us to trust God more in all areas of our lives. This song comes from Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" and Revelation 1:8, "'I am the Alpha and Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and is to come, the Almighty.'" Jesus is unchanging, and that is the reason we can stake our lives on who He is and what He says. He will never change, and we can trust Him.

"You Have Overcome" - This is the third week that we have taught this new song to our congregation. They are singing it well, and I believe this will be a song that we will sing for many years together. This song did not have a specific tie-in to this weekend's message, other than being a simple, gospel-centered song that helps us exalt Jesus for what He has accomplished on our behalf. He has rescued us. Therefore, He is worthy of everything we have to give in response to His goodness and mercy.

"God Is Able" - This song furthered the idea of "Unchanging," in that it spoke to God's faithfulness and trustworthiness. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will never fail. We have nothing to fear in Him.

"10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)" - I felt that this song was a fitting response to Joe's message this week. God has blessed us so much, and the proper response is that we would worship God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength for all of our days. He is worthy!

This weekend was a solid and very enjoyable weekend of worship. We had our 12-year-old drummer, Anthony, on the team (he always does a fantastic job), and a first-time singer who filled in at the last minute. The team did a great job, and I believe the Lord was glorified by our times of worship. I am really excited about how it all came together. I pray that the content of what we sang together and studied together will take root in our lives outside these walls, because it will be a game-changer in our church, our community, and our world!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

In the Son, Bill

p.s. don't forget to check out The Worship Community!