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

Fellowship Service Recap - 07/09 - 07/10/16

This weekend we wrapped up our series on the life of David, Rise or Fall. The message this weekend from our family pastor, Brian Tryhus, was about the legacy of David as a man after God's own heart. Despite many moments of serious failure with heavy consequences, David always responded to his sin with confession and repentance and turned back to the Lord in faith and obedience. Brian challenged us to respond in the same way to our sin so that we might all be people after God's own heart like David.

A highlight of the message for me was a story Brian shared about G.K. Chesterton. He told us how a London newspaper had asked authors to answer the question, "What is wrong with the world today?" G.K. Chesterton's response was simply,

Dear Sirs,

I am.

Yours, 
G.K. Chesteron

In light of the tragic events in our country and around the world over these past few weeks, that answer is simple but profound. We all need to recognize that we, because of sin, are are each part of the problem with the world. The solution is to pursue a life of humility, confession, repentance, and love–like David.

Here's what we sang together this weekend:

Pre-service: "How Can It Be" [Lauren Daigle]
"In Tenderness" [Citizens & Saints]
"God With Us" [All Sons & Daughters]
"I Stand Amazed" [Charles Hutchison Gabriel]
"Grace Flows Down" [Christy Nockels, Passion Worship Band]
"O Come To The Altar" [Elevation Worship]

It felt like a heavy weekend as we gathered together, but one in which I felt a great deal of hope because of Jesus and His gospel. We had planned for a few weeks to emphasize how Christ had worked redemption and forgiveness for our sin through the cross, and I can see how God was at work in the planning because it felt very fitting to sing these songs together this weekend. Our team led well, and the church sang out together as we celebrated the light and hope of the gospel message, even in the face of great darkness, both within each of us and in our world.

in the Son,

Bill

Fellowship Service Recap - 06/04 - 06/05/16

This week was the start of a new series called Rise or Fall: The Life of David. For the first message of the series, Pastor Joe talked about drawing on your foundations and remembering where the Lord has brought you.

Here's what we sang together:

Pre-service - "How Can It Be" [Lauren Daigle]
"This is Amazing Grace" [Phil Wickham, Bethel]
Communion - "Wonderful, Merciful Savior" [Dawn Rogers, Eric Wyse]
"O Come to the Altar" [Elevation Worship]
"Forever Reign" [Jason Ingram, Hillsong]

We sang some old and new favorites of our congregation, and celebrating communion together is always a highlight. Our team did a great job, and it was great to back after a weekend off with my family. I feel recharged and refreshed, and worshiping together with my church family is always a special time.

Have a great week!

in the Son,

Bill

Service Recap - 11/7 - 11/8/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

For our third weekend of our Rebuild series, Pastor Joe shared about our internal resistance to having our hearts devoted to the Lord. He talked about the value of the daily practices of repentance, dependence, and obedience in rebuilding a heart for God, and being available for His working in us.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "Hail the King" [Zach Bolen, Brian Eichelberger of Citizens & Saints]
"Sing to the King" [Charles Sylvester Horne, Billy Foote]
"How Can It Be" [Jeff Johnson, Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury, as sung by Lauren Daigle]
"Jesus Take All of Me (Just As I Am)" [Charlotte Elliot, Brenton Brown]

It was a great weekend, as we celebrated the Lord's Supper together and looked at the condition of our hearts for God. We sang "How Can It Be" (sung by Lauren Daigle) again, which is one of my favorite newer songs that I have heard. It is an honest and thankful song of worship, looking at all the Lord has done for our redemption and to bring us to Himself, despite all of our sin. He is so good to us. For the Lord's Supper and the response time, we sang "Jesus Take All of Me (Just As I Am)," which is Brenton Brown's modern arrangement of one of my favorite hymns, "Just As I Am." I love the beautiful image of coming to Jesus with nothing but our sin and Him accepting us based on Himself and His work for us. Our salvation is not dependent on us, but on our gracious heavenly Father. He has done great things for us!

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

In the Son,

Bill

Songs We Sing - 10/24 - 10/25/15 - Fellowship Bible Church

This weekend we began a new series through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, called Rebuild. In this series, we're looking at rebuilding a heart for God and a heart for the city where He has placed us. This weekend our outreach pastor, Kyle Brown, shared about how God brings "Redemption in the Ruins," and how God meets us in the midst of our failures and sin to call us back to Himself and to redeem and restore us.

Here are our songs from this weekend:

Pre-Service - "How Can It Be" [Jeff Johnson, Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury (Lauren Daigle)]
"Rejoice" [Dustin Kensrue, Stuart Townend]
"Man of Sorrows (In My Place)" [Philip Paul Bliss, Bill Horn]
"Your Great Name" [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"This is Amazing Grace" [Phil Wickham, Josh Farro, Jeremy Riddle]

It was a great kickoff to the new series, and a powerful reminder of the unfailing covenant love of God for us. We introduced Lauren Daigle's "How Can It Be" in the pre-service, and Kelsey Thomsen did an excellent job leading it. I love the lyric of that song, and I look forward to singing it more with our church. We also sang "Man of Sorrows (In My Place)," which we first introduced a little over a month ago. I love the strength of that hymn lyric, as it gives such a powerful depiction of Christ's sacrificial death for us.

For all of our singing, we wanted to focus on how we have been redeemed and brought back by God despite our sin. He is so good to us.

It was a wonderful time for us to cast aside our idols and look to our incomparable Savior.

in the Son,

Bill