Set List, 01/29 - 1/30/11 Fellowship Bible Church

Here's our set from this weekend, which was also our baptism weekend at Fellowship: Pre-service: "Happy Day" [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon] Call to Worship - Psalm 47 "All Because of Jesus" [Steve Fee] Welcome/Offering/Announcements/Greeting Time Focus passage for second set - Ephesians 2:1-10 "Jesus Messiah" [Daniel Carson, Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, and Jesse Reeves] "Son of God" [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash, and Gordon Cochran] "The Stand" [Joel Houston] Message - Pastor Joe Hishmeh Baptisms/Testimonies Response: "Jesus Paid It All" [Alex Nifong, Elvina M. Hall, John Thomas Grape]

This weekend was my second week leading Fellowship Bible Church in worship, and I thought it went well, and that God was glorified. I have many dreams and ideas for the future of our Worship & Arts ministry, but it doesn't all happen over night, and I am looking forward to building these things and making these ideas happen here in the near future.

We opened up with "Happy Day" as some people were still entering the worship center. We had to cut this song for the fourth service, because the baptisms went a little long, and our two services ran into one another, creating quite the traffic jam as people were coming and going. This song is fairly new to this congregation, so it was another teaching moment. I used this song during one of my trips up here to interview with the church, and this weekend was the second time they have sung it. With that in mind, it did seem that the people were with it and participating.

The second song was "All Because of Jesus," and it followed a call to worship, in which the Word of God challenged us in Psalm 47 to clap our hands and to sing praises to our God, the great King over all the universe. I made the comparison between the way we cheer for our favorite sports teams, with loud clapping and shouting, and the way we worship our God. I challenged our people to offer at least as much energy to our God, who is infinitely more worthy than a sports team (especially the Cleveland teams that I root for...).

After the welcome, offering, announcements, and greeting time, we moved into a time of worship focused on the idea of Ephesians 2:1-10, specifically how God made us alive together with Christ when we were dead in our sins and transgressions. We were completely hopeless for eternity before He intervened and rescued us. Because of His great gift for us, we ought to respond with our lives as living acts of worship. The next three songs, "Jesus Messiah," "Son of God," and "The Stand," followed that focus.

"Jesus Messiah" and "The Stand" were both very familiar to the congregation, so they engaged well with it. "Son of God" was new to Fellowship, and is a song that I believe the Church should be singing. It does a good job of describing the story of Jesus, from shaping the stars to fulfilling the prophecy of the Messiah. It wraps it up nicely with a simple, solid chorus ("Jesus, O Holy One/ I sing to You, forgiven/ Savior, I'm overcome/ With Your great love for me") and bridge ("You are worthy/ You are worthy/ You are worthy of all my praise/ You are beautiful/ You are beautiful/ I will lift up my hands and sing").

Pastor Joe's message focused on the life of Saul/Paul as an example for us to describe how God's story has intersected our own story and taken it over, transforming our lives from one centered on ourselves to one that is properly centered on Jesus Christ. After he shared, we baptized people who had signed up and prepared a testimony to share how God had rescued them.

We wrapped it all up with "Jesus Paid It All" as the response song. It's hard to go wrong with that song, as the hymn does a great job of examining our own weakness and dependence on Jesus for our every need, and the additional chorus by Alex Nifong is a beautiful, concise expression of thanksgiving for what Christ has done: "O praise the One/ Who paid my debt/ And raised this life/ Up from the dead". This is another song that I believe the Church needs to sing, because of the powerful truth which it contains.

Three of the four services went without a snag. The third service (Sunday, 9 AM) went a little long because some fo the testimonies were longer than we had planned for. It was a moment where we have to remind ourselves of the reasons we gather together. One of those reasons is to see lives changed, regardless of how long it takes. Sometimes our organization and systems can make it easy to lose track of the things of most importance, because we're concerned about someone complaining or having to change our plans. While I don't prefer to make a habit of this kind of thing (going 30 minutes over our scheduled time), I am reminded that this morning we were witnesses of God's amazing grace and power in the lives of His people. I am thankful that He still moves in such amazing ways, and that He still rescues, just as He rescued me.

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

In the Son,

Bill

Sunday Set Lists

Set List, Sunday 10/10/10 Church at the Mall

Here's our set for this morning: "All Because of Jesus" [Steve Fee] "Happy Day" [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon] "Glory to God Forever" [Steve Fee] "How Great is Our God" [Chris Tomlin, et al] "Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]

Message: "It's Your Serve: Use Your Pain"

INV: "Never Be the Same" [original]

This morning was probably the hardest day I have ever had as a worship leader. I shared the news with our congregation that my wife and I are sensing God leading us out to something different, possibly a church plant or a smaller congregation that is getting going. We've known about this since mid-July, and shared it with our church leadership at that time, and they have been very helpful in this time of transition for us. We are seeking God's guidance and wisdom for what is next for the two of us. We have a framework in mind, but nothing certain yet. I shared the news after the first two songs (there is never a good time to do something like that), and then had to continue on in leading our worship time after Pastor Jay's welcome and the baptisms. I believe this was a moment to demonstrate that worship is even more important in the difficult times, because it truly becomes a matter of trust and belief that God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. It is a bittersweet moment for us, as we have poured out 4 1/2 years of our lives here in Lakeland, FL. We consider this place home. Our house is the only home our children have ever known, and this town is the same for them. We are trusting the Lord with our lives and with the future direction of the church. He is faithful--He has always been, and He will always be.

Pray for us as we step out in faith.

I hope you had a great day of worship wherever you were this weekend.

In the Son,

Bill

(check out Sunday Set Lists)

Set List, Sunday 09/12/10 Church at the Mall

Sorry I didn't do a recap sooner. It's been an insane week. Quickly, here's our set from last Sunday: "Say Say" [Kristian Stanfill, Christy Nockels, Chris Tomlin] "Happy Day" [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon] "Blessed Be Your Name" [Matt and Beth Redman] "Let Me Sing" [Todd Fields] "You Never Let Go" [Matt and Beth Redman] INV - "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" [Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, John Newton, Edwin O. Excell, John P. Rees] OFF - "Our God" [Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, et al]

This past Sunday was another great week of worship together. God is moving, and it's exciting to be a part of it all. This week, we're in the middle of our church's first original evangelistic production, Thanatos, and God is moving in that as well. People are coming to Jesus and coming back to Jesus in droves. I believe this is a hint of revival, the likes of which I have not have the privilege of witnessing before.

Praise God for His power and working, and His choosing to use broken vessels for His amazing purposes.

I hope you had a great day of worship wherever you were this week.

As always, check out Sunday Set Lists at www.theworshipcommunity.com.

In the Son, Bill

Set List, Sunday 08/01/10 Church at the Mall

(Listening to Jon Foreman right now) Here's our set from yesterday:

"Happy Day" [Tim Hughes] "Say Say" [Kristian Stanfill, Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels] "Our God" [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, Chris Tomlin] "Beautiful Jesus" [Kristian Stanfill] "Mighty to Save" [Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan] "Psalm 19 (May the Words of My Mouth)" [Terry Butler] "Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]

We had a great day of worship yesterday. Pastor Jay taught about meditating on the Scriptures, and gave a lot of practical wisdom and instruction about it. It was very helpful, and I believe it will be transformational in the church's approach to studying and dwelling on the Scriptures. I was challenged by his message, and will be seeking to implant more Scripture into my heart and my mind, so that it will penetrate every of my life.

I tried to focus the music on the phrase, "Is anything to difficult for the Lord?" Hence the themes of God's power and sovereignty throughout the songs. Some were even inadvertent, but God was guiding the process and really brought it all together. "Our God" is a fantastic song that focuses God's people on His strength and turns the corner to help us see how that same strength is for us when we are in Him. It's a beautiful thing.

I hope you had a great day of worship wherever you were this week. God bless you!

Bill

p.s. as always, make sure to check out Sunday Set Lists at www.theworshipcommunity.com to see what other leaders and worshipers experienced this week.

Set List, Sunday 06/13/10 Church at the Mall

Reflections on the progressive worship service from Sunday, 06/13/10 at Church at the Mall. Jesus' blood covers us, heals us, washes us, and defends us even today!

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Set List, Sunday 04/11/10 Church at the Mall

[Currently listening to Rush of Blood to the Head, by Coldplay (still a great album!)] Here's our set list for this week:

"Kingdom" [Kristian Stanfill] "God is Alive" [Steve Fee & Eddie Kirkland] "Happy Day" [Tim Hughes & Ben Cantelon] "It is Well" [Todd Fields' arrangement] "Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill] INV "Mighty to Save" [Ben Fielding & Reuben Morgan]

This past Sunday was a great morning! Our student ministry moved everyone into one service, and moved them all to the front of the room, and it was awesome. They are such a positive influence on the atmosphere of worship, and they seem to free people to express themselves to God. That was the highlight of the day for me. I felt like we were still celebrating Easter, and it was a beautiful thing. God is at work, and I'm glad to be around it and be involved with it. He is so good.

I hope you had a great worship experience this week. Take time today to express your thanksgiving to God for who He is and what He has done!

In the Son,

Bill

P.S. Be sure to check out Sunday Set Lists at www.theworshipcommunity.com, where other leaders share how their times of corporate worship went this week. Good stuff!

Set List, 02/28/10 Church at the Mall

Currently listening to High Flight Society, High Flight Society (props to my bro, Jerad Griffin), on my way back from seeing Living Sacrifice in Jacksonville, FL this evening. Here’s our set from this morning:

“God is Alive” [Fee and Kirkland] “Happy Day” [Tim Hughes] “It is Well” [Horatio Spatford w/ arr. and add. chorus by Todd Fields] “Nothing But the Blood (Your Blood)” [Matt Redman] “Jesus Paid It All” [trad. w/ add. chorus by Alex Nifong] Response: “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” [trad. w/ add. chorus by Tomlin, Giglio, Reeves]

Today was a great day of worship. Pastor Jay’s message on the Holy Spirit and our sin was right on and in our faces, and God’s people responded in a big way to the call to pray and seek God’s face, and to confess our sins. Pastor referenced a brochure that was used in the Chinese revival of 1938. It is a list of questions to search our hearts and see if we are harboring any sin. Wow. I don’t think I’ve experienced such searching and penetrating questions before. Here's the file (from www.basicministries.com): Revival_Prayer_List. After going through this list, the reality of how we are walking in the Lord is apparent. I think it would be healthy for each of us to examine ourselves so thoroughly on a regular basis.

As far as the worship in music portion of the service goes, there was a lot of energy this morning. I felt more prepared and confident in leading, as our preparation time was unhurried and sweet this morning. I love working with our band at Church at the Mall. We have so much fun together, and I think our camaraderie comes through as we lead together. We truly enjoy being around one another. Once we made the quick turnaround for setting up for our service, I had a sweet moment to breathe, pray, and recite some Scripture in my heart just before we began. I normally don’t have time for that, and I felt at ease and empowered as a result. It was a beautiful thing. I am going to make that time a priority from now on.

“God is Alive” continues to be a great song for our congregation. It is such a powerful and victorious lyric. It is perfect as we lead up to Easter. “Happy Day” was particularly fitting for the message this morning. We continued to teach “It is Well” this morning, and it seems to be catching on with the people. Todd Fields’ additional chorus is so appropriate for the hymn: “It is well, it is well/ Through the storm, I am held/ It is well, it is well with my soul/ It is well, it is well/ God has won, Christ prevailed/ It is well, it is well with my soul.” I love singing this lyric out.

“Nothing But the Blood (Your Blood)” has some beautiful language about the work of the cross, and it remains a favorite of mine when it comes to singing about the cross. We finished the set with “Jesus Paid It All,” with the additional chorus written by Alex Nifong. When we reached the final, additional chorus (“O praise the One who paid my debt, and raised this life up from the dead”), it felt like the place could erupt. There is so much truth and thanksgiving in that lyric, and it comes through in the way the people sing and express themselves in worship.

I can’t wait for next week. God continues to move in a powerful way, and I am privileged to be a part of it at Church at the Mall.

In the Son,

Bill

P.S. be sure to check out Sunday Set Lists at www.theworshipcommunity.com to see what other leaders did this weekend. God is moving in the Church!

Set List, 01/24/10 FBC @ the Mall

Here's our set list for this morning: "You Are" [Todd Fields] "Salvation's Chorus" [Todd Fields] "Happy Day" [Tim Hughes] "Lamb of God" [Bill Horn] "You Never Let Go" [Matt and Beth Redman] "I Want to Love You" [Todd Fields] "True Love" [Phil Wickham]

This morning, Pastor Jay spoke about the times when it's difficult to love God. A great message, coming primarily from Jeremiah. In talking with him, we both agreed that suffering, hurt, and frustration are part of life, even the Christian life. It just seems like Western Christianity has forgotten that fact, and as a result, does not know how to deal with it. Jay's message was right on target on the subject, and I think some people really poured out some of their hurts to the Lord this morning, which was a beautiful thing to witness. People were saved, and we worshiped with our hearts. What more can you ask?

"Salvation's Chorus" has so much energy. I'm really enjoying that song and its message lately. We tried one of my originals, "Lamb of God," in a different key, Ab, which is a half-step lower than our usual key. It had a more somber tone to it, and the vocal felt much more natural there. The key of G was just too low, so we struck a perfect balance there. I think it will stay there in the future and when it's recorded. "You Never Let Go" was a great fit with Jay's message, and it communicates our confidence in God in such a beautiful way. I love that song. "You Are" is another great rocker by Todd Fields, and has a very bold lyric ("You are God, Jesus/ Majesty/ You are life, Jesus/ Saving me/ You are King, Jesus/ All will see that You are God"), which I feel the Church really needs to sing. We often don't go far enough in describing the deity of Christ. Jesus is God, and that is a truth that we need to declare together! Very few songs declare this truth so clearly, and I think that is why I enjoy this song so much.

It was a great day today.We fought with the click a little bit because of some noise in the in-ear channels, but we'll get it figured out. I love worshiping with my band. They are so talented, and they love to be a part of leading the church into God's presence. They are a dream come true for me, and I am so thankful for them.

Check out other worship leaders' set lists and Sunday confessionals at Fred McKinnon's site, The Worship Community.

Set List 12/13/09 FBC @ the Mall

This week was a little different mix, because we were in the midst of our church-wide Christmas Celebration, which takes up almost all of our technical resources for several weeks. Danny and I led together for the services, including the praise team and the band. We focused our attention more on carols with a few worship tunes in the mix. Here's the list:

  • "Joy to the World" (New Arrangement)
  • "Angels We Have Heard On High"
  • "The First Noel"
  • "Angels from the Realms of Glory"
  • "Here I Am To Worship"
  • "O Come, Let Us Adore Him"
  • "Joseph's Lullaby"
  • "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)"

All in all, I thought it was a good morning. I had never heard "Joseph's Lullaby" before this past week, and I really love that song. It is such a fresh perspective on the birth of Christ and the care of his parents, especially Joseph, for him. It is especially significant for me right now because I have my one-month-old son, and fresh eyes with which to see the incarnation. It's a beautiful thing. We will probably use the song again at Christmas Eve, and I am considering holding my by while I sing it then. We'll see. I wasn't sure I could get through the song that way...

Check out Fred McKinnon's http://www.fredmckinnon.com/myblog/2009/12/13/sunday-setlists-73/ to see other worship leader's set lists.

Set List 12/06/09 FBC @ the Mall

Here's our set list from this past Sunday. It was a great day of worship, and the acoustic combo was a fun way to deliver it. I hope we can do it again soon.
  • "Joy to the World" (arr. by Bill Horn)
  • "Happy Day" (Tim Hughes)
  • "Blessed Be Your Name" (Matt and Beth Redman)
  • "You Never Let Go" (Matt Redman)
  • "Glory to God Forever" (Steve Fee and Vicki Beeching)
  • "Enough" (Chris Tomlin)
  • "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" (arr. by Bill Horn)

I really enjoyed the combination of "Joy to the World" with "Happy Day." In a way, they bracket the life of Christ and His redemptive work for us. One takes a perspective from before Christ was born, and the other looks from the present backward to all that He accomplished.

"Blessed Be Your Name" is an older but beloved song for the church, and I love how it expresses such confidence in our God despite the circumstances. "You Never Let Go" shares these sentiments. I don't think anyone captures these ideas better than Matt and Beth Redman.

"Glory to God Forever" is a simple but excellent expression of eternal concepts. Essentially, this is what we should all be about: the glory of God, expressed in everything we say and do.

"Enough" worked really well as the invitation for Jay's message this week. God is our supply and He is all that we need. He has been so generous to us with His love and grace and mercy, and we ought to do the same for the people around us.

""O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is quickly becoming one of my new favorite Christmas tunes. I'm pretty happy with this arrangement of it, and I think it has a really cool vibe as an acoustic song. We'll be doing this a few more times this Advent season.