Fellowship Bible Church - 05/06 - 05/07/2017

This weekend, we wrapped up our generosity series, The Flow of Everything, and we looked at what could be possible if all the church joined together to bless our community and our world with what we have. We also had our annual event, Sharefest, where we partnered with more than 30 churches in the city to bless area schools, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Topeka Rescue Mission by doing much-needed landscaping work and projects. It is always a beautiful picture of the church in action.

For our singing, we focused on how abundantly and graciously God has provided for our redemption through the cross. We concluded our services by celebrating communion together, remembering the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. He has done great things for us!

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Worthy of Your Name" [Passion Worship Band]
"It Is Finished" [The Modern Post/Dustin Kensrue]
"I Stand Amazed" [Charles Hutchison Gabriel]
"Lord I Need You" [Passion Worship Band]
"Jesus Paid It All" [Traditional, Alex Nifong, Passion Worship Band]

It was a great weekend together! I am excited about what the Lord is doing in the Church in Topeka, and it is awesome to be a part of it through Fellowship.

I hope you had a great weekend!

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Bible Church - 03/26 - 03/27/17

It has been a while! It's been a busy month, but it's time to get back on the wagon with the blog posts recapping our weekends. This weekend was our next to last in our series through the Sermon on the Mount,  The Way of Life. In his message, Joe talked about the narrow way and the wide way, and the influences that will lead us down one path or the other. This is one of the more difficult teachings of Jesus, but it was a powerful challenge to follow after Jesus because His way leads to life.

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-Service - "I Am Set Free" [All Sons & Daughters]
"The Solid Rock" [Edward Mote, The Dispatch]
"Before The Throne" [Charitie Lees Bancroft, The Modern Post]
"The Lion And The Lamb" [Leeland Mooring, Bethel]
"Lord, I Need You" [Chris Tomlin, Passion Worship Band]

It was a unique weekend for me, in that I was leading from the bass guitar. I have never led a weekend here from the bass, so it was exciting and challenging. It requires a bit of a different mentality and rhythm of playing, so it took some extra focus to do along with singing, but I really enjoyed the stretch. The team did a solid job leading, and it was a great weekend of worship together.

For the songs we sang, we focused on Jesus as the foundation and forerunner of our faith, as expressed in Hebrews 12:1-2. He is everything we need for faith, for life, and for our eternity. He supplies us with the wisdom, strength, and guidance to follow Him. As He says in John 15, we cannot bear any good fruit apart from Him. Those truths directed our singing time together throughout the weekend.

I hope you had a great weekend!

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Bible Church - 02/25 - 02/26/17

We had a great weekend together as we continued our series through the Sermon on the Mount, The Way of Life. This weekend, the focus was on our secret practices, and how God is more concerned with our relationship to Him and who we are in private than with how we seek to impress other people. It was a great weekend, and I think we were all challenged to focus more on our internal lives and private practices than performing for others.

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-service - "Your Love is Strong" [Jon Foreman]
"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue, The Modern Post]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale]
"Hosanna" [Hillsong United]
"Lord, I Need You" [Chris Tomlin]

Fellowship Bible Church - 02/11 - 02/12/2017

This weekend we looked at Jesus' challenge to us to keep our word, both in marriage and in the promises we make. In his message, Pastor Joe shared how marriage and keeping our word is a picture of the gospel and the promises that God gives us through Christ. When promises–especially marriage vows–are kept, they remind us of God's faithfulness in His relationship with us as His people.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-service - "Nothing But The Blood" [Andy Cherry, Robert Lowry]
"Grace Alone" [Dustin Kensrue, The Modern Post]
"Before the Throne" [The Modern Post]
"Good Good Father" [Housefires]
"Lord, I Need You" [Chris Tomlin]

In our singing, we focused on themes of God's grace for us, Christ being our Atonement and Advocate and Mediator, God's faithful love for us, and our desperate need for the Lord to be our Righteousness. It was a moving weekend together, as we have all been touched in some way by the brokenness and pain of divorce in our culture, and know the deep need we have for restoration, reconciliation, forgiveness, and repentance in our lives and marriages. May God gives us grace and strength to be people who keep our word and reflect His faithful love to the world around us.

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Bible Church - 01/14 - 01/15/2016

We had an interesting week, to be sure. There were many weather-related questions concerning the weekend, with a looming ice storm that threatened to hit right in the middle of our Saturday evening services and run through the night into Sunday morning. Because of the potential storm, we pre-recorded the service on Thursday afternoon so we could share it with the congregation just in case. However, we were able to get our Saturday 5 PM service in, but we canceled the remaining services to be safe and to keep our people off the roads as much as possible to prevent accidents due to icy conditions. As it turned out, the temperature danced around the freezing point, and the ice was minimal, but when we had to make the call, there was no way to know that for sure. Hindsight...

All that considered it was a great weekend. David Hinkle's message from Matthew 5:3-12 and the Beatitudes pointed us to the truth that our blessing comes to us externally because of what Jesus has done for us. His life, His righteousness, His character–they are shared with us as we depend on Him and look to Him for our satisfaction and our identity. It was a powerful message of the grace of God and being clothed in Christ.

For our singing, we focused on dependence, on the truth that we are children of God and He is our faithful Father, and on how we desperately need Him to lead us and guide us.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

"All The Poor & Powerless" [All Sons & Daughters]
"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue/The Modern Post]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"Good, Good Father" [Housefires II]
"Lord, I Need You" [Chris Tomlin]

I hope you had a great weekend, whatever weather you were experiencing!

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Service Recap - 11/12 - 11/13/16

This weekend, we continued our Together series as Pastor Joe looked at the value of being in "Fellowship Together." He focused on Daniel 1:1-21 and how Daniel and his group of friends supported and encouraged one another in remaining faithful to the Lord, even in the face of trials and difficulty during the exile in Babylon.

For our singing together, we focused on God's faithfulness and unfailing love, and the fact that He is with us. We can be encouraged to be together in fellowship with one another because God does the same for us.

Our team did a great job, and I really enjoyed including "Grace Alone" in our actual worship set after singing it a few times in the pre-service section. I love the lyric of that song, and how it points to the Trinity in the work of saving us, from beginning to end. I hope to continue singing it together as we go. We also sang a song that we haven't sung together in quite a while: "One Thing Remains." I love that song–especially the bridge. It's a powerful declaration of God's faithfulness and the security of our salvation because of Him.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-service - "A Mighty Fortress" [Christy Nockels]
"Grace Alone" [Dustin Kensrue/The Modern Post]
"I Stand Amazed" [Charles Hutchison Gabriel, North Point Community Church]
"God With Us" [All Sons & Daughters]
"One Thing Remains" [Kristian Stanfill/Bethel]

Fellowship Service Recap - 08/27 - 08/28/16

This weekend was our third in the Storms series, and this week Joe shared about Jesus as the Master of the storm, and how the best place for us to be is anywhere with Jesus.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-service - "Unleashed" [Warren Barfield]
"Rejoice" [The Modern Post/Dustin Kensrue]
"This is Amazing Grace" [Phil Wickham]
"Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"God With Us" [All Sons & Daughters]

It was a great weekend together! Warren Barfield's "Unleashed" is a great song and ton of fun to play together. That was a "just because" kind of song. :)

For the rest of our singing together, we focused on themes of God being with us, Him being Lord of all and the name above all names, and the cross being the demonstration of God's unfailing love toward us. It felt like the songs really connected well with the themes of Joe's message from Mark 4, and everything came together well for a cohesive message and reminder for all of us to trust Jesus in all of life's trials and storms.

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Service Recap - 08/20 - 08/21/16

This was our second weekend in our Storms series (I was on vacation last weekend) and the message this weekend was about Jonah, and how storms call us back to the Lord. Joe called those who have been running away to return to the Lord, and for those of us who knew people who had run away to pray for the Lord to bring them back.

Here are the songs we sang together:

Pre-Service - "Grace Alone" [Dustin Kensrue/The Modern Post]
"In Tenderness" [Citizens & Saints]
"Before the Throne" [The Modern Post, Charitie Lees Bancroft]
"I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)" [Charles Hutchison Gabriel]
"Lamb of God" [Vertical Church Band]
"Lord, I Need You" [Daniel Carson, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill]

We had a huge band this weekend (11 people!!!), and it was a great time serving together. We had three leaders, two acoustics, three electrics, bass, drums, keys, violin, and banjo, and it was a beautiful thing. The team did a great job serving and leading. For our singing, we focused on how the Lord sought us out to serve us and save us in His incredible grace and kindness toward us, and how we all desperately need His continued working in our lives.

I am so grateful to the Lord for what He is doing in our church and in our team!

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Service Recap - 06/18 - 06/19/16

This weekend, as we continued our series through the life of David this Father's Day weekend, Pastor Joe looked at lessons and encouragement for Dad from the life of David. Also, we held our second annual guitar choir, which was a ton of fun.

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-Service - "Love Come Down" [North Point Community Church]
"I'll Fly Away" [Albert E. Brumley, Traditional]
"I Stand Amazed" [Charles Hutchison Gabriel, Traditional]
"Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" [Elisha Albright Hoffman, Anthony J. Showalter, Traditional]
"Lord, I Need You" [Kristian Stanfill, Passion]

I hope you had a great Father's Day!

In the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Service Recap - 06/11 - 06/12/16

This was week two of our series through the life of David, Rise or Fall, and Joe shared about how to walk with God when we're waiting. It was a timely message for those who are walking through suffering, sorrow, and trials, and a powerful reminder of how God is at work even when we cannot see it and when we have to wait to see the outcome. He is faithful and good, and working it all together according to His sovereign purposes.

Here's what we sang together:

"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue]
"Everlasting God" [Brenton Brown]
"It is Well" [Todd Fields]
"Always" [Kristian Stanfill]

It was an encouraging and comforting weekend of worship together. There have been several unexpected deaths and illness in our church recently, and it was clear that God was at work in the timing and the planning of the entire service. We needed to hear the words of this message, and we needed to sing the words of these songs together. I'm thankful that the Lord is at work among us and reminding us who He is and what He has done and will do. He will never leave us or forsake us, and He will make all things new and right all wrongs.

May we all be reminded of God's faithfulness and trustworthiness as you walk through trials, through suffering, and through sorrow. He is with us.

in the Son,

Bill

FBC Service Recap - 04/23 - 04/24/16

For our fourth weekend of our Decided series, we looked at the choice to "confide or hide." Scripture calls us to confide in trustworthy brothers and sisters. With this, there are benefits in community with others – forgiveness, humility, authenticity, and vulnerability. For our singing, we focused mainly on themes of confession and the faithfulness of God to forgive us.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

• "Made Alive" [Citizens & Saints, The Northwest Collective]
• "There Is A Fountain" [Citizens & Saints]
• "Lord I Need You" [Chris Tomlin]
• "Forever Reign" [Jason Ingram, Hillsong]
• "One Thing Remains" [Kristian Stanfill, Passion]

It was a great weekend. The team did a great job, as always, and it was great to be back celebrating the grace of God in Jesus with my church family! 

I just returned from Church conference at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, TX, and it was a refreshing time of learning and growing with some of the pastoral team. 

FBC Service Recap - 04/16 - 04/17/16

This weekend was the third week of our Decided series, where Pastor Joe looked at the choice in the life of the believer when it comes to reading the Bible. We have to decide daily toseek God through His Word, and not merely scan the Bible for information about God. For the singing this weekend, we wanted to focus on an attitude of humble submission to God's Lordship and leadership in our lives, on what the Bible says about the character of God, and on trusting God's care for us.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

• "Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)" [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown]
• "Hail The King" [Citizens & Saints]
• "Cornerstone" [Hillsong]
• "Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]
• "Nothing But The Blood (Your Blood)" [Matt Redman]

Harper Compton and Jack Hishmeh led for me while I was off this weekend, and they did a great job serving and leading, as did the entire team. I'm so thankful for such an excellent and trustworthy team!

Have a great week!

In the Son,

Bill

FBC Service Recap - 03/19 - 03/20/16

This weekend was our final week of journeying through the book of Acts in our Mission Possible series, and we also celebrated Palm Sunday weekend together. We looked at the final days of the life of Paul, and how they reflected Jesus' final days as He headed to Jerusalem to offer Himself up as a sacrifice for our redemption. For our singing, we focused on Jesus as Lord and King.

Here's what we sang together:

"Sing to the King" [Charles Silvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"Hosanna" [Brooke Ligertwood]
"Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]
"O Praise The Name (Anástasis)" [Marty Sampson, Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher]
"This Is Amazing Grace" [Josh Farro, Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle]

It was a great weekend as we celebrated Jesus' Triumphal Entry and looked forward to the celebration of Easter. Our team did a great job, and it was a fantastic finish to our Acts series.

FBC Service Recap - 01/23 -01/24/16

This was our third week in the book of Acts for our Mission Possible series, and in his message, Joe shared about how the early Church endured suffering with the power of Lord working in them.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Suffering Servant" [Dustin Kensrue]
"Before the Throne" [Charitie Lees Bancroft, Vicki Cook, arr. by The Modern Post]
"Desert Song" [Brooke Fraser]
"Always" [Kristian Stanfill, Jason Ingram]
"God With Us" [Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan]
"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]

 It was a moving weekend of worshiping together. For our singing, we focused on themes of Jesus as our example of enduring suffering to advance the purposes of God (from Isaiah 53), Jesus as our sympathetic Great High Priest who has gone before us and walks with us (from Hebrews 4), and Jesus as Emmanuel who is always with us and who never leaves us or forsakes us (Matthew 1:23; 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).

As I looked across our congregation while we were singing this weekend, it was almost overwhelming to think of the suffering that some of our people are walking through or have recently walked through, and to see those same people limiting their hands and singing to the Lord, finding their hope and their refuge in Him. I was inspired to worship more because of these dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful thing to come together in worship, and part of that is bearing one another's burdens.

May you find your hope and confidence in our faithful High Priest, Jesus.  

in the Son, 

Bill

Service Recap - 12/19 - 12/20/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend was our third and final weekend of our Christmas message series, The Christ of Christmas. For this message, Joe focused on "Christ The Maker," examining the deity of Jesus Christ.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

*This Is War [The Modern Post, Dustin Kensrue]
*Jesus [Citizens & Saints/Zach Bolen & Brian Eichelberger]
*O Holy Night [Adolphe Charles Adam, Placide Cappeau, John S. Dwight, my arrangement]
*Angels From The Realms Of Glory [James Montgomery, Henry Thomas Smart, my arrangement]
*Lord Of All [Kristian Stanfill]
*Son of God [Starfield/Jon Neufeld, Tim Neufeld, Gordon Cochran, Ed Cash] 

It was a great weekend!

Merry Christmas!

Bill

Weekend Service recap - 10/31 - 11/1/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend, we continued our Rebuild series through Ezra and Nehemiah and Joe shared about the external resistance we experience when we seek to rebuild our hearts for God. He discussed the sway that external factors can have on us, and the resulting halting of the work of God in us, and then shared how we can resist external sway by focusing on God's presence, promise, mission, and hope.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

"Defender" [King's Kaleidoscope]
"Before the Throne" [Charitie Lees Bancroft, Vicki Cook, The Modern Post]
"It is Well" [Horatio G. Spafford, Philip Paul Bliss, Todd Fields]
"Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]
"Always" [Kristian Stanfill, Jason Ingram]

There were lots of things happening this weekend here in Kansas: Halloween and Daylight Savings Time, the Royals in the World Series, and the Chiefs playing Sunday morning in London. Craziness! Despite all of this, our team did a great job, and we had a great weekend of worship together. 

In the pre-service countdown, we sang "Defender" by King's Kaleidoscope, which is a really interesting and creative song comprised of an almost Psalm-like lyric. It was challenging and fun for our team to play together.  

The rest of the set was dedicated to looking at Jesus as our faithful High Priest who knows us, loves us, sacrifices for us, and never leaves us or forsakes us. He is so good to us, and we don't have to be afraid of resistance, trials, or sway in this life, because He is with us!

I hope you had a great weekend of worship, too! 

in the Son, 

Bill

Songs We Sing - 10/17 - 10/18 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week we concluded our Unstuck series as we looked at the often uncomfortable subject of "Fun." Joe shared how we can celebrate and have fun because of our joy and delight in the Lord. He pointed out how the entire Jewish calendar revolved around the concept of celebrating the work of the Lord for them. We can have fun in a way that both celebrates the work of the Lord and deepens our relationships with our family and our brothers & sisters in Christ.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

"Hosanna (Praise is Rising)" [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown]
"In Tenderness" [W. Spencer Walton, Adoniram J. Gordon, Nate Garvey]
"Lord, I Need You" [Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson]
"Great Are You Lord" [Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, David Leonard]
"It Is Finished" [Dustin Kensrue]

We had a great weekend of worship together. Our team did a great job, and all of our songs celebrated and reflected on God as our strength and our song, as our Father, and as our redemption and life. "It Is Finished" is fixed as one of my favorite anthems. It confidently declares the finished work of God for our salvation, and almost brings me to shouting for joy for what He has done for us. I don't think I will ever grow tired of the truth in that song (although I might grow tired from singing it–I have a hard time holding back when I sing those words!). 

It was great to be back after a weekend off. I absolutely love worshiping with my church family here, and I love experiencing how God is at work in His Church.

This week, I pray that God reminds you of His saving work on your behalf! It is Finished!

In the Son,

Bill

Songs We Sing - 09/12 - 09/13/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week we began our new series, "Unstuck," where we'll examine the areas of life where we all frequently get stuck. For this message about "The Intentional Life," Joe focused on the value of wisdom from the book of Proverbs, as well as addressing common reasons we resist wisdom in our lives. It was a powerful challenge to live intentionally and to seek out wisdom with all that we are.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]
"This is Amazing Grace" [Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, Jeremy Riddle]
"Lord, I Need You" [Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson]
"Man of Sorrows (In My Place)" [Philip Paul Bliss, Bill Horn]
"Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]

We had another great weekend of worship together. Our team did a great job overall and led well. We sang some of our church's favorites in "Rejoice," "This is Amazing Grace," and "Lord of All." "Lord, I Need You" was a great moment in response to Joe's message, and we continued to teach our new rendition of a great hymn, "Man of Sorrows (In My Place)." It's always fun and interesting to sharpen a song as you continue to use it and share it with the church, as you see what parts work well and what parts don't connect with people. We'll continue to sharpen it in coming weeks, and I hope it's something we can continue to sing together, because Philip Paul Bliss' hymn lyric is definitely worth repeating.

I hope you had a great weekend of worship!

in the Son,

Bill

Songs We Sing - 08/01 - 08/02/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

Below is a recap of both our services and our worship night from this past weekend. It was a fantastic weekend of worship together! - bh

Weekend Worship Services

"It is Finished" [Dustin Kensrue]
"There is a Fountain" [William Cowper, Zach Bolen]
"Before the Throne" [Charitie Lees Bancroft, The Modern Post]
"Son of God" [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Ed Cash, Gordon Cochran]
"Rock of Ages" [Augustus M. Toplady, Thomas Hastings]
"Lord, I Need You" [Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson]
 

Worship Night

"Lead Me to the Cross" [Brooke Ligertwood]
"10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" [Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman]
"A Mighty Fortress" [Christy Nockels, Nathan Nockels]
"Great Are You Lord" [Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, David Leonard]
"Lamb of God" [Jason Ingram, Andi Rozier, Meredith Andrews]
"Jesus Paid It All" [John T. Grape, Elvina M. Hall, Alex Nifong]
"This is Amazing Grace" [Josh Farro, Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle]
"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]
"Made Alive" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger]
"It is Finished" [Dustin Kensrue]
"Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)" [Brian Johnson, Kari Jobe, Jenn Johnson, Gabriel Wilson, Joel Taylor, Christa Black Gifford]
"He is Jesus" [Heath Balltzglier, Matthew Melton, Steve Fee]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"Rise and Sing" [Steve Fee]
"Jesus!" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger]

Songs We Sing - 06/13 - 06/14/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This week, we looked at 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 as we continued in our message series through 1 Corinthians, Grounded. Pastor David Hinkle preached about doing all to the glory of God.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "In Exile" [Dustin Kensrue, Thrice]
"There is a Fountain" [William Cowper, William Gardiner]
"Lead Me to the Cross" [Brooke Ligertwood]
"Revelation Song" [Jennie Lee Riddle]
"Lord of All" [Kristian Stanfill]

For our singing, we focused on laying down our own rights and our own lives for the sake of the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom. We do this because He gave Himself up for our redemption. He is our example in sacrificially giving up His rights and laying down His life for us. Because of this, our lives ought to reflect that same kind of sacrificial love for others, giving up our own rights and priveleges for the sake of those around us.

It was a great weekend of worship together. We sang a few songs that we hadn't sung in a while, and it was special to sing them together again. I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoyed "There is a Fountain," so it was great to bring that one in particular back this weekend.

I hope you had a great weekend worshiping the Savior together with His Church!

- Bill