Songs We Sing, 03/29 - 03/30/14 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our student pastor, Nick Strobel, continued our series on worship with his message about godly wisdom. He went through the Proverbs and explained how living with godly wisdom is the only appropriate response of worship to who God is and what He has done for us. He told us that godly wisdom calls us to reality, humility, obedience, and ultimately, the cross of Jesus. We cannot truly walk in wisdom without the redemption that Jesus accomplished for us through the cross. It was a powerful and challenging message. He even took time out to mock my fandom of the Cleveland Browns. I was in tears from laughing, because it was so true... You can listen to or watch the message and service here.

Here's the order from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Remedy" (G) [David Crowder]
Call to Worship
"Sing to the King" (E) [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"Name Above All Names" (A) [original]
Greeting Time/Announcements
Message - "Worship: Godly Wisdom" [Nick Strobel]
"How Deep The Father's Love For Us" (D) [Stuart Townend]
"Revelation Song" (D) [Jennie Lee Riddle]
"Son of God" (G) [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran]

This was a special weekend of worship! Our entire team did an incredible job. Kelsey Thomsen co-led with me, and she continues to grow in her leading. Also, all of our singers and musicians really stepped up and led well throughout the weekend. It was a a powerful worship time.

For the songs this weekend, we focused on Jesus' sovereignty, and His worthiness of our worship because of His atoning sacrifice for us at the cross. Every song focused on these aspects in some way, and it tied in really well with where Nick went with his message. I think the highlight of the weekend for everyone was "Revelation Song." Kelsey led powerfully, and the church responded powerfully as we lifted Jesus up together. He is so worthy of all we are and of all our praise!

Hope you had a great weekend of worship wherever you were!

Songs We Sing, 09/21 - 09/22/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, continued in our fourth week of our series, "Deep and Wide," and shared how the deep and wide follower of Jesus is called to be generous with everything we have. It is always in response to the how  God gave first, in giving His only Son for our redemption. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Video - Aaron and Jessica Catlin, Missionaries to East Asia "Rejoice" (Bb) [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend] "This is Amazing Grace" (Bb) [Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, Jeremy Riddle] "Lord of All" (Bb) [Kristian Stanfill] Tag of "How Great Thou Art" (Bb) [Stuart K. Hine] Greeting Time Video - Family Ministries Announcements Video - You & Two - Scott May Message - "Deep & Wide: A Follower of Jesus... is Generous" [Joe Hishmeh] Elder-led Prayer - Greg Pruett "Son of God" (G) [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran] Dismissal

Thoughts: It was great to be back after a week off for our move (my family and I moved to our new home on the east side of town). It was a little bit of a hectic week getting everything together, but the Lord was strong in my weakness and we had a great weekend worshiping together as a church. We introduced a new song, the team did a fantastic job and was very flexible with some adjustments, and Jesus was glorified through it all.

For our singing this weekend, we sang songs that focused on how God gives first ("Rejoice," "This Is Amazing Grace," "Lord of All," "Son of God"), and some of the songs also focused on His sovereignty and goodness, and our response to all He is ("Rejoice," "Lord of All," "How Great Thou Art"). It was a powerful weekend throughout, and it was beautiful to hear the church sing it out.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 09/07 - 09/08/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, continued in our second week of our series, "Deep and Wide," and shared how the deep and wide follower of Jesus has received the greatest gift the world has known, the love of God, and then shares that gift with his world. He said the greatest thing we can ask God for is more love for Him, for His Word, and for others. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Video - Brett Durbin, Trash Mountain Project "In Tenderness" (G) [Nate Garvey, Adoniram Judson Gordon, W. Spencer Walton] "Because of Your Love" (G) [Phil Wickham] "Jesus Messiah" (G) [Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin] Greeting Time Video - Adult Discipleship Ministries Announcements Video - Trash Mountain Project - Spoken Promo Video - You & Two - Bruce Poage Message - "Deep & Wide: A Follower of Jesus... Loves" [Joe Hishmeh] Elder-led Prayer - Rick Tague "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)" (G) [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a busy weekend in terms of service flow. We had four videos in each of our services, which we had to interweave with the regular, weekly elements. I think we fit the pieces in the best way possible, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of having four videos in our services. Joe's message was a great challenge to love like Jesus loves, Trent Raines did a great job co-leading, and our team did a solid job serving and leading.

For our singing this weekend, we sang songs that celebrated the incredible love that Christ has for us ("In Tenderness," "Because of Your Love," "Jesus Messiah," "10,000 Reasons"), and then some that also had elements of surrender and giving ourselves to God for His purposes and His mission in this world ("Because of Your Love," "10,000 Reasons"). I love the songs that we sang this weekend. I'm looking forward to continuing this series together, and seeing what God does in our congregation.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 08/30 - 09/01/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, introduced our new series, "Deep and Wide," where he shared the vision for the new series, and how a follower of Jesus is always used by God when he or she is available. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. by The Modern Post] "Hosanna" (E) [Brooke Ligertwood] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Deep & Wide: A Follower of Jesus is Always Used" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion Song - "I Surrender All" (Bb) [Judson Wheeler Van DeVenter, Winfield Scott Weeden] "Jesus Take All Of Me (Just As I Am)" (C) [Brenton Brown, Charlotte Elliott] "Hallelujah to My King" (C) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown] Dismissal

Thoughts: It was a solid weekend of worship, and a good kickoff to our new series. Sarah Oldberg co-led this weekend, and she always does an awesome job. We also had two brand-new team members this weekend, Eric Dehner on drums and Aron Montaini on lead guitar, and they did great in their first weekend! I love to see our team grow and more people getting involved in leading our congregation in worship!

For our singing this weekend, we sang songs that established our foundation, hope, and security in the gospel ("Before The Throne," "Hallelujah To My King"), and then songs that helped us respond to God's goodness and mercy with surrender and obedience ("Hosanna," "I Surrender All," "Jesus Take All Of Me (Just As I Am)"). I loved the songs that we had the opportunity to sing together, and I love where God is leading us as a church. We are heading out on an incredible journey, and I can't wait to see what happens, and how we impact our community as a result!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 08/24 - 08/25/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, shared the the fifth and final message in our series, "Positive Identity," where he taught how we are significant in Christ. He shared how God has given us gifts and abilities for the purpose of advancing His kingdom, so we all have a part in God's mission here on earth. We grow in significance when we serve the King and His kingdom. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"Kingdom" (A) [Kristian Stanfill] "Everlasting God" (Bb) [Brenton Brown, Ken Riley] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Positive Identity: Significant" [Joe Hishmeh] "Your Great Name" (Bb) [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff] "How He Loves" (Bb) [John Mark McMillan] "Made Alive" (C) [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger] Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a great finish to a fantastic series for our church. We all need to be reminded how Jesus has changed our status. We are loved, forgiven, accepted, secure, and significant because of Jesus!

For our singing this weekend, we sang about being  a part of the mission of the Church and the love of God which gives us value and purpose in life. We opened our services with "Kingdom," which declares in the chorus "We are the kingdom of God/ We are an army of love/ We carry truth to the world/ We are the kingdom of God." It was very fitting for Joe's message this weekend, and I thought it set the tone for what we were after in each of the services. We continued with "Everlasting God," which is one of our church's favorite big-picture songs, worshiping the everlasting God for His unchanging goodness and care for us. After the message, we responded first with "Your Great Name," which sings of how God reaches all of us in different places, and gives us a new identity in Him. For all He is and all He has done for us, He is worthy of all our worship! We then went immediately into "How He Loves," where we took the opportunity to acknowledge our struggles and weaknesses and to actively receive God's unfailing love for us. After we prayed, we finished our services with "Made Alive," which was an uplifting send-off for each of our services.

It was a fantastic weekend in all. Our team did a great job and worked hard to serve the congregation well. Also, Joe's message was a great call to service and significance because Christ. I am excited to see how our church responds in serving over time in response what Joe shared. It would be a life-changing experience for the individuals and for our church.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 08/17 - 08/18/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, shared the the fourth message in our series, "Positive Identity," where he taught how we are secure in Christ. He reminded us that we have nothing to fear any longer in Christ, because in place of condemnation, desperation, and separation, Jesus gives us faith, hope, and love. It was a moving reminder of Christ's love for us and of where we now stand because of Him! You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"The Solid Rock" (E) [Edward Mote, William B. Bradbury, Charlie Hall, Trent Austin, Kendall Combs] "I Stand Amazed" (E) [Charles Hutchison Gabriel] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Positive Identity: Secure" [Joe Hishmeh] "Jesus Messiah" (A) [Daniel Carson, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves, Chris Tomlin] "Forever Reign" (A) [Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan] "This Is Amazing Grace" (A) [Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, Jeremy Riddle, recorded by Phil Wickham and Bethel Live] Dismissal

Thoughts: It was great to be back with our church this weekend after being gone last weekend.

For our singing this weekend, we tried to focus on the finished work and all-sufficiency of Christ for us. "The Solid Rock" celebrates our firm foundation in Jesus. "I Stand Amazed," "Jesus Messiah," and "This Is Amazing Grace" all remember and praise Jesus' incredible, unfailing, and live-giving love for us, demonstrated at the cross. And "Forever Reign" worship Jesus for His perfect love and goodness in spite our own shortcomings. All of these songs bring us to one conclusion - Jesus is our only hope!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 08/03 - 08/04/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our family pastor, Brian Tryhus, shared the the second message in our series, "Positive Identity," where he taught how we are forgiven in Christ. His big idea was that when we understand how God has forgiven us in Christ, we will then be able to forgive others. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Unchanging" (G) [Chris Tomlin] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Positive Identity: Forgiven" [Brian Tryhus] Communion "Nothing But The Blood" (G) [Robert Lowry, arr. by Bill Horn] "This Is Amazing Grace" (G) [Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, Jeremy Riddle, recorded by Phil Wickham and Bethel Live] "Son of God" (G) [Jon Neufeld, Tim Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran, recorded by Starfield] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a great weekend. Communion was a special moment with the congregation, as always, and everything fit for there well. I felt that the congregation engaged with God through the word and through our times of singing. Brian's message was a great reminder of God's amazing grace and the forgiveness we have because of Christ.

For our singing this weekend, we opened our services with "Unchanging" by Chris Tomlin to establish our foundation for trusting and comprehending how God loves and forgives us: His faithfulness. He does not go back on His Word, and His promises are true; therefore, we can depend on what He has said about us because of the cross--that our sins are erased and forgiven, and that we are in right standing with Him because of the cross. After the message for our communion song, we sang the great hymn, "Nothing But The Blood." The blood of Jesus is the means of our forgiveness, and this was a great fit for both communion and the message this weekend. We continued from there by continuing to teach the newer song "This Is Amazing Grace," which is a great co-write between Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, and Jeremy Riddle. This week, we dropped it from the key of C down to G, and just kept the melody up throughout. I thought this would be easier for our congregation to sing, and it was definitely easier for me to sing for four services! We then finished our services with one of our church's favorite songs, "Son of God." The chorus of this song is where I wanted to land our services: "Jesus, O Holy One/ I sing to You, forgiven/ Savior, I'm overcome/ With Your great love for me."

It was yet another great weekend of worship together with Fellowship Bible Church!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 07/27 - 07/28/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our lead pastor shared the the first message in our series, "Positive Identity," where he taught how we are loved in Christ. He said that how we view God and how we view ourselves contributes to how we see the world around us. It was a powerful reminder of the love of God for us. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

"Unleashed" (F#m) [Warren Barfield, Scott Krippayne] Welcome "Happy Day" (B) [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon] Greeting Time/Announcements Musth Cycle Video/ The Bridge Promo - Chris Stewart of The Bridge Message - "Positive Identity: Loved" [Joe Hishmeh] "Jesus Take All of Me (Just As I Am)" (C) [Charlotte Elliot, Brenton Brown] "This Is Amazing Grace" (C) [Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, Jeremy Riddle] "Made Alive" (C) [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a solid weekend. I am very excited about this series, which I believe will give our church a clear picture of our identity in Christ. I saw the truth of Joe's message really land in lives over the weekend, and I can't wait to continue this week!

For our singing this weekend, we opened the pre-service time with "Unleashed" by Warren Barfield for the countdown song. We sang this song because it simply focuses on the overwhelming love of God for us, regardless of where we are or the decisions we have made. This one is just a blast to play with our team, as well. We then began the service with "Happy Day." One of our new leaders, Trent Raines, led us in this song, and he did a great job. After Joe's message, we responded with "Jesus Take All Of Me (Just As I Am)," which is a beautiful rewrite of the great hymn, "Just As I Am." We sang this because I wanted our congregation to take a moment to reflect on the decision to come to Jesus just as we are, recognizing that He loved us before we ever made a hint of a move toward Him. We followed this with a new song for our church, "This Is Amazing Grace," which is a great co-write between Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, and Jeremy Riddle. I love the lyric of this song, and it moves me more and more as I sing it: "This is amazing grace/ This is unfailing love/ That You would take my place/ That You would bear my cross/ You would lay down Your life/ That I would be set free/ Jesus I sing for/ All that You've done for me." Amen! We then finished our services by celebrating what Jesus has done in singing "Made Alive," which has quickly become one of our church's favorite songs.

This weekend also happened to be the last weekend for one of our core team members and drummers, Jordan Hymon. He and his wife Ashley are moving to Nashville to pursue a career in music, and I felt that this weekend was a great send-off. Jordan is an extremely talented man, and a great teammate and coach at the same time. He has poured into countless students of our NextGen student bands, and he has helped set the environment of humility, encouragement, and excellence on our team. I will truly miss him here, and I know that God will continue to use him in a great way in his future endeavors.

All in all, it was a fantastic time of worship together. I already can't wait for next weekend!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 07/20 - 07/21/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, our lead pastor, Joe Hishmeh, shared the "State of the Church," where he celebrated what God has been doing in our church, dedicated our church to what God is currently doing, and anticipated the future of our ministry in Topeka and around the world. It is incredible to see what God has been doing and to envision what could happen with our church as we continue to pursue Him. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)" (G) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown] "Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, Vicki Cook, arr. by The Modern Post] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "State of the Church" [Joe Hishmeh] "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)" (G) [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin] "God Of This City" (B) [Richard Bleakley, Aaron Boyd, Boyd Aaron, Peter Comfort, Ian Jordan, Peter Kernaghan, Andrew McCann, also sung by Chris Tomlin] "Lord Of All" (B) [Kristian Stanfill] Tag of "How Great Is Our God" (B) [Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was an exciting weekend in our church. We don't take much time throughout the year to celebrate how God has moved in our church and to dream together about what is possible here. We dreamed and prayed for a major awakening in Topeka, asking the Lord for 18,000 new believers in our county. This wouldn't be possible with just our church, but would need to involve all the gospel-preaching churches here. It will be amazing to see what God will do.

For our singing this weekend, we sang "Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)" to invite God to have His way in us and to celebrate how He has redeemed us. "Before The Throne" was our main gospel-focused song, singing about how Jesus is our divine Substitute and Advocate. I absolutely love the clarity of the gospel in this song. In the middle of the message, after Joe celebrated some of the amazing things God has been doing in our church, we sang "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)." We did this just with one guitar and the voices, and it was a great moment this weekend. We responded to the vision for our future by singing "God Of This City," and its chorus was a great declaration for us this weekend: "For greater things have yet to come/ Greater things are still to be done in this city." It had been a while since I had sung this song (because it had been played so often at the time), and it felt fresh for me this weekend. We finished the service by singing about God's sovereign lordship and power in "Lord of All," and tagged the chorus of "How Great Is Our God." It felt fitting to end with this, because God is the one who will direct our steps with His perfect wisdom, and who can uphold us as we sacrifice and serve to advance His kingdom.

- Bill

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

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

This weekend, we had a stand-alone message about walking in faith. Our family pastor Brian Tryhus taught this weekend. In his message, Brian shared about how we gain the conviction to walk in faith because of the assurance of future hope in Christ, looking at the examples of the heroes of the faith from Hebrews 11. It was a powerful challenged to trust Jesus, no matter what. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Those Who Trust" (Em) [Don Chaffer] "Blessed Be Your Name" (G) [Matt Redman, Beth Redman] Greeting Time/Announcements Video - Super Kids Super Kamp promo Message - "Faith: Hebrews 11" [Brian Tryhus] "Your Great Name" (Bb) [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff] "You Never Let Go" (Bb) [Matt Redman, Beth Redman] "It Is Well" (Bb) [Horatio G. Spafford, Philip Paul Bliss, Todd Fields] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a very emotional weekend for me, as we sang primarily about trusting God and about God's amazing faithfulness. As we sang "You Never Let Go," I was overwhelmed at how God has provided for me and my family, and how He has seen us through so many different situations to where we are today. He is so good to us!

Our team did a great job throughout the weekend. Becky Tindell and Heidi Carlson helped co-lead, and we had our Discipleship Pastor, David Hinkle, as a guest on trumpet. It was a lot of fun, and I love each of the songs that we sang together, helping us to trust in Jesus like Brian challenged us in the message. Jesus is worth following, and He will never fail. He is all we need, and He will see us through.

May we each walk in faith, knowing that Jesus is coming again, and that He will see us through.

- Bill

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

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?

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, 06/08 - 06/09/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

First of all, please accept my apology for the long delay in getting this out from two weeks ago. That Sunday, my wife had emergency surgery and we have been in recovery mode since then. That weekend, we were in the second week of our series through 2 Timothy - "Lead In Christ." In his message, our lead pastor Joe Hishmeh continued sharing about suffering for the gospel from 2 Timothy 2:1-13. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Sing to the King" (E) [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote, recorded by Passion Live] "Let Me Sing" (A) [Todd Fields] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Lead In Christ: Suffering For The Gospel - 2 Timothy 2:1-13" [Joe Hishmeh] "None But Jesus" (B) [Brooke Ligertwood, recorded by Hillsong Live] "It Is Well" (B) [Horatio G. Spafford, Phillip Paul Bliss, Todd Fields, recorded by Todd Fields] "Lord of All" (B) [Kristian Stanfill, recorded by Kristian Stanfill] Dismissal

Thoughts: It was another great weekend of worship with our church. Sarah Oldberg led with me, and she always does a great job. "None But Jesus" is a great song that we have not done much, so it was great to sing it with the church. I loved how everything in the weekend fit together, and I felt like Jesus was truly exalted by all the pieces of the puzzle. I'm so grateful for our church and for all the people who have helped care for us over these past two weeks! Now it is time to finish this week's post!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 06/01 - 06/02/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we began our series through 2 Timothy - "Lead In Christ." In the message, our lead pastor Joe Hishmeh shared from 2 Timothy 1:1-14 about suffering and living our lives for the sake of the gospel. He called us to share, to suffer for, and to guard the gospel, You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "In Tenderness" (G) [Adoniram J. Gordon, Nate Garvey, W. Spencer Walton, recorded by The Citizens] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Lead In Christ: Suffering For The Gospel - 2 Timothy 1:1-14" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion "Nothing But The Blood" (G) [Robert Lowry, arr. by Bill Horn] "To Our God" (G) [Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, Joel Taylor, recorded by Bethel Live] "Son of God" (G) [Jon Neufeld, Tim Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran, recorded by Starfield] Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a solid weekend. Our team did a great job, and the church sang well together. Because of the focus of the message being on the gospel and laying our lives down for its sake, we focused on songs that declared the truth of the gospel and our confidence in what Christ has done, and therefore how worthy He is of all our praise and of lives lived to worship and serve Him. I love each of the songs that we sang. Also, communion is always a special time of remembering together, and that is heightened even more when we focus so much on the gospel throughout the service.

I am really excited about the new series that we started this weekend, too. I believe it will be a powerful call to be faithful to the gospel, and to be faithful to share it with our world.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 05/18 - 05/19/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This past weekend, we continued in our sixth message of our series - "Seven." Two of our pastors, Frank Eschmann and Nick Strobel, shared a challenging word from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 about the importance of honoring God with our health choices. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Made Alive" (C) [Brian Eichelberger, Zach Bolen] "Hallelujah To My King" (C) [Brenton Brown, Paul Baloche] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Seven: Health - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20" [Frank Eschmann & Nick Strobel] "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (D) [Chris Tomlin, John Newton, Louie Giglio] "To Our God" (A) [Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, Joel Taylor] "Before The Throne" (A) [Charitie Lees Bancroft, Vikki Cook, arr. by Dustin Kensrue] Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a great weekend. Our team did a solid job leading throughout the weekend. We brought "Made Alive" after teaching it for consecutive weeks a few weeks back, and it was a great way to start our our services. Becky Tindell co-led this weekend, and she did a great job leading us on "Hallelujah To My King" and "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)." "To Our God" was a new song for our congregation that we introduced it at our Overflow worship night a few weekends ago. It was written by Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, and Joel Taylor from Bethel church out of Redding, CA. I'm really enjoying this song right now, as a simple song of worship that declares the surpassing worth of Christ because of who He is and what He has done. I'm looking forward to singing it again soon with our church. We finished our weekend with "Before The Throne," which is quickly becoming one of our church's favorites. It was a great way to close the weekend.

Because of the message this weekend regarding health, and the tendency that we all could have towards shame and guilt, we sang primarily about grace of God and the finished work of cross for us. Our response to the Word of God should not be out of shame, guilt, and fear, but instead it should be out trust, love, and worship of God. That's what we tried to emphasize through what we sang this weekend.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 05/11 - 05/12/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This past weekend, we continued in our fifth message of our series - "Seven." Our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, shared from Philippians 2:3-4 about the importance of having healthy friendships in following Christ. The best way to have great friendships is to be a great friend--one who loves like Jesus has loved us. Joe called us to being available, building up, accepting, enduring, sharpening, and understanding in our friendships. It was a great call for us, and it was something I needed to hear this weekend. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome "Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)" (G) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown] "Unchanging" (G) [Chris Tomlin] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Seven: Friends - Philippians 2:3-4" [Joe Hishmeh] "One Thing Remains" (Bb) [Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, Christa Black] "How He Loves" (Bb) [John Mark McMillan] "Everlasting God" (Bb) [Brenton Brown, Ken Riley] Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a great Mothers' Day Weekend. Joe's message was very challenging, and our times of singing were really moving. It was highlight to sing "One Thing Remains" and "How He Loves" together again. I really enjoy both of those those songs because they portray the love of God for us so uniquely and powerfully.

Since Joe was talking about friendship and how our relationships ought to reflect the gospel and how Christ gave Himself up for us, you can see that we sang primarily of Christ's unfailing love and grace for us. I believe when we sing of true character of God, we are also in a sense calling ourselves to reflect that character in our own lives. What we praise, in some way we also desire to be. If we want to love like Christ, let's worship Him for His amazing love for us, which He demonstrated at the cross.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 05/04 - 05/05/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This past weekend, we continued in our fourth message of our series - "Seven." Our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, shared about being content with what God has provided for us, and leveraging our resources for the gospel and the kingdom of God, rather than trying to keep up with other people we see. It was a challenging message that called us away from the Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses mentality of the world to the selfless mentality of a Christ-follower. 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] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Seven: Finances - Philippians 4:11" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion "Jesus Take All Of Me (Just As I Am)" (C) [Charlotte Elliot, Brenton Brown] "Wonderful Maker" (G) [Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman] "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)" (G) [Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin] Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a solid weekend of worship. The team did a great job, and the church sang out! I am loving "Made Alive." It is a song that I can't get out of my head, and it is a great way to get the truth of Ephesians 2 in our hearts and minds throughout the week. I think the church is getting a hold of it, and I look forward to continuing to sing it in the near future. We're going to rest the song next weekend, and we'll pick up the weekend after that to continue to teach the song & refresh it for those who don't remember it as well. "Jesus Take All Of Me" is one of my favorite newer songs for our church, and it was a very meaningful moment during communion in the wake of Joe's message.

"Wonderful Maker" always holds a special place in my heart as the song that opened my eyes to how selfish I was in worship. This song helped me see just how much I was saying the words "I" and "Me" in worship, and seeking what I could get from God, rather than the glory and praise that I could give to Him because of His surpassing goodness and worth. He alone has effected our rescue, so He alone is worthy of all glory, praise, and honor. This was the first song I can remember singing that didn't say "I" or "me" in it even once. This song was a game-changer for me that really altered my trajectory as a worshiper and as a worship leader.

I love our church, and I love what God is doing in us!

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 04/27 - 04/28/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

First off, sorry for the late posting this week! This past weekend, we continued in our third message of our series - "Seven." Our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, shared about the importance of our calling, and how we are all called to be ministers of the gospel in whatever vocation we have. Every job can present an opportunity for the gospel if we serve with excellence and integrity. His message called us all out to a higher level of serving with our lives. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Only A Word" (E) [Original] Welcome "Your Grace Is Enough" (G) [Matt Maher] "Made Alive" (C) [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Seven: Calling - Colossians 3:17" [Joe Hishmeh] "Take My Life And Let It Be" (D) [Frances Ridley Havergal, Henri Abraham Cesar Malan] "Your Great Name" (Bb) [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff] "Let Me Sing" (Bb) [Todd Fields] Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a beautiful and powerful weekend. The team did an amazing job, and the church sang out! I was really encouraged by the feedback we received regarding the weekend, especially about the new song we introduced: "Made Alive" by The Citizens. I LOVE this song. It feels totally different from most of the music for the Church that is out there, and it is taken right out of Ephesians chapter 2, which is one of my favorite gospel passages. It lays out where we were and where we are now because Christ has brought us back and made us alive together with Him because of His grace, love, and mercy. Singing it really just makes me want to shout out! I can't wait to sing it again this week. Another highlight of the weekend was when we sang "Your Great Name." I'm not sure I have ever heard the church sing as loud as they did during that song this weekend. It was overwhelming. Jesus is so good, it's ridiculous.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 04/13 - 04/14/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

This was our first week of our new series - "Seven," which is about the seven marks of an intentional life. Our discipleship pastor, David Hinkle, started us off by preaching through the spiritual area of our lives, coming primarily from Galatians 2:20. It was a powerful challenge with four practices for help us seek and serve Jesus with our lives. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome/Call to Worship "All Because of Jesus" (B) [Steve Fee] "Happy Day" (B) [Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "The Seven: Spiritual - Galatians 2:20" [David Hinkle] "Because of Your Love" (E) [Phil Wickham] "Forever Reign" (A) [Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram] "Jesus Messiah" (A) [Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash] Dismissal

Thoughts: This weekend was a fantastic weekend. David's message was a great reminder for our church, and our worship team did an awesome job leading together. I am so thankful to lead beside such amazing people. They love God, they love the Church, and they give their best to point our people towards Christ through our time of singing together. The church sang out beautifully this weekend, especially during the final three songs of the services. It was so much so that I was getting a little choked up at several points (It's a little hard to keep singing at those moments...). It was amazing. I felt the songs we sang really connected with the central message of Galatians 2:20, and I think it was really powerful all together.

I love my team. I love our church. Praise God for what He is doing in us.

- Bill

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

Songs We Sing, 04/06 - 04/07/13 - Fellowship Bible Church

For our final week of our 2 Corinthians series - "Purpose In Christ," our pastor, Joe Hishmeh, preached through 2 Corinthians 13, and taught about how believers can pursue peace with one another through "rejoicing, restoring, reaffirming, reuniting, and reconciling." It was a great challenge to each of us to pursue health in our relationships. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan from this weekend:

Welcome/Call to Worship - Ephesians 2:4ff "In Tenderness" (G) [Adoniram J. Gordan, W. Spencer Walton, arr. by Citizens] Greeting Time/Announcements Message - "Purpose In Christ, pt. 11" [Joe Hishmeh] Communion "In My Place" (G) [Michael Bleecker, Matt Boswell] "Son of God" (G) [Jon Neufeld, Tim Neufeld, Ed Cash, and Gordon Cochran] "Our God" (G) [Jonas Myrin, Jesse Reeves, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin] Dismissal

Thoughts: This was a good weekend. Our team did a great job, and the church engaged well in each of our worship experiences. Lindsay Kraisinger and Heidi Carlson did a great job leading "In My Place" during communion, which was a beautiful moment. Kip Kraisinger did a great job co-leading on several of the songs, as well. It was great to have a few people to share the leading load this weekend, especially since I was fending off strep throat (which my wife had) the whole weekend. My immune system finally gave in Sunday afternoon, but I'm glad to have gotten through the weekend without too much trouble. Now, it's time for some rest.

- Bill

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