Communion Ideas from WorshipIdeas.com
“The tips in this special report will help you bring new life to your Communion services.” 

Podcast Episode 88: Interview w/ Jennie Lee Riddle from AllAboutWorship.com

How to Raise New Leaders on your Worship Team from churchleaderinsights.com
by Jason Hatley, Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and Founder of  WorshipLeaderInsights.com. 

Jonny Baker puts us in touch with some  gorgeous loops

Melissa Pirtle from worshipministry.com asks “Can An Instrument Prophesy?”

Q&A with Rick Muchow:  When Should You Remove Someone from the Worship Team? from churchleaders.com

Finally – don’t miss the best deal going on Fridays : 5$ Resources from Ligonier Ministries

Sinclair B. Ferguson

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
when our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
when we reach the end of our hoarded resources
our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits,
His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
for out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

- Annie Johnson Flint
He Giveth More Grace

It occurs to me as I’m listening to One Redemption, Tree Hill Collective’s new offering, that this is what frustrates me about many of the current worship offerings. It’s not that they aren’t made by talented people who love God and write great songs, it’s that you can’t seem to come up for air often enough. No white space. The feature that seems to show up in worship music routinely is the effects laden wall of sound – avalanches of guitars and loops encased in driving rhythms that seem more relentless than inviting. That’s why One Redemption is so refreshing and effective. This group appreciates musical white space. They provide room for the instruments to really be heard, the lyrics to be clear and the listener to explore the songs with curiosity rather than the anxiety of feeling over powered.

The treatment of O For A Thousand Tongues is outstanding; rising and falling in perfect cycles that keep the listener engaged and motivated to praise.  He Has Engraved You is a beautiful Hosea like song calling wandering lambs back to the fold.

Can you hear the ones He’s gathered?
All the lambs that He has found
All the angels will sing, every sinner He frees
They are met will joyful sound
They are met will joyful sound

I Stand is my favorite in the collection. Even though it’s written in the common first person perspective, it’s a gospel drenched call to the church to worship and has a really lovely spontaneous spot that you wish went on for some time.

I stand before His mercy seat – His holy throne of grace
I stand in freedom granted me from sin’s oppressive chains
So unrighteous, so unworthy guilty outcast, born to shame
I stand – this pardon covers me, my sentence He forgave

Saints arise – and bring your offering
Sanctified – no more in sin
Saints arise – and praise your Savior King
Magnify – and honor Him

Jeff McCullough is the “visionary behind the sound and production of each Tree Hill Collective song. Jeff owns and operates Tree Hill Media in Escondido, California.” Along with song writing partners Mark Snyder, Tim Hageland and Wisdom Moon, they create and produce the Tree Hill Collective music. Graciously, they provide the chord charts for all their songs. Follow then on Twitter and Facebook

The One Redemption collection is available on itunes and Noisetrade

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You’re beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It’s all proclaiming who You are
You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful…

This is from Mike Cosper’s blog on the Gospel Coalition website.  Well worth a listen.

“I had the privilege of sitting down with Isaac Wardell and Kevin Twit to talk a bit about the effect of hymns on the life of our congregations. Wardell is the worship director at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, and one of the founders of Bifrost Arts, through which he’s recorded a number of traditional and retuned hymns. Twit is a pastor with Reformed University Fellowship at Bellmont University in Nashville, and the founder of Indelible Grace, a collection of musicians who have been writing retuned hymns for many years.

In this conversation, we talk about why we’ve returned to hymns and some of the reasons for retuning hymns with new melodies.”

Now Why This Fear from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Now Why This Fear

Verse 1
Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men,
Condemn me for that debt of sin,
Now cancelled at the cross?

Chorus
Jesus, all my trust
Is in Your blood
Jesus, You’ve rescued us
Through Your great love!

Verse 2
Complete atonement You have made,
And by Your death completely paid
The debt Your people owed
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace,
And sprinkled with Your blood.

Verse 3
Be still, my soul, and know this peace
The merits of your Great High Priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood,
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free

Tag
How sweet the sound of saving grace
How sweet the sound of saving grace
Christ died for me

Music and alt. and additional words by Doug Plank, original verses by Augustus Toplady (1772).
© 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

“RESOUNDworship.org is an exciting free resource for churches worldwide, providing fresh worship songs containing strong, Biblical lyrics supported by singable, contemporary music. You might like to register with the site - it only takes a few seconds and gives you free access to download all the mp3s, chord charts and lead sheets on the site.”

And do they ever deliver. I listened to several of the original Christmas songs offered and I am impressed by their biblical faithfulness, creative imagery and sing-ability. The  site makes it so easy to preview and acquire the music. Look at the image below:

The links worked flawlessly and all the charts are well produced PDFs.  They also offer an mp3 of the song and even a backing track! Wait… they also want to give you a free video of the song. Who does that? They do!

Miracle Child from Sam Hargreaves on Vimeo.

The song above, Miracle Child, is one we’ll be using for Christmas Eve. Check it out along with On Christmas Day, which contains this imaginative lyric:

The hands that once split night from day
now feebly clutch a blade of hay,
this is Immanuel.
Majestic king, now small and weak,
the Word of God must learn to speak,
this is Immanuel.

Thank you ResoundWorship. You’re generosity and high quality are appreciated!