Favorite Worship Songs

Worship and music are a huge part of my life. As I have written before, it is an awesome time to be alive and to be a worshipper of Jesus Christ. We have some amazing songs being written! This got me thinking….what are my favorites?

Here is my current Top 10 list of worship songs and the particular recording that I really love. It may be different next week but, right now, these are the ones that really take me to a special place in worship.

10. Resurrection Day (written and recorded by Matt Maher)

9. Your Grace Is Enough (written and recorded by Matt Maher)

8. Everlasting God (written by Brenton Brown & Ken Riley; recorded by Lincoln Brewster)

7. You Gave Your Life Away (written by Paul Baloche & Kathryn Scott; recorded by Paul Baloche)

6. We Will Remember (written and recorded by Tommy Walker)

5. Our God Saves (written & recorded by Paul Baloche)

4. Alive Forever Amen (written by Moffitt/Smith/Cottrell; recorded by Travis Cottrell)

3. I Have A Hope (written & recorded by Tommy Walker)

2. Hosanna (written by Paul Baloche & Brenton Brown; recorded by Paul Baloche)

1. This Is Our God (written and recorded by Travis Cottrell *not very well known but an awesome song)

*Honorable Mention – if I had a higher number than 10, these would make the list for sure:

Mighty To Save (written by Fielding/Morgan & recorded by Hillsongs)

You Never Let Go (written and recorded by Matt Redman)

Dance With Me (written by Paul Wilbur; recorded by Calvary Temple Indy)

It’s Your Presence (written and recorded by Tommy Walker)

Revelation Song (written by Jennie Riddle & recorded by Gateway Worship)

Kim has already let me know that her list would look very different than mine. I told her to start a blog and make her own list!

What are your favorites?

You Gave Your Life Away

Being a worship leader in this day and age can be very cool. There is nothing like standing before a congregation and seeing them connect with the Lord through a moment that you have worked hard to create. When you see hours of planning and rehearsals come together in that Holy Spirit directed total God moment it reminds you of the purpose of your calling. It can be a real rush. 

I also have come to enjoy looking for new worship songs. The Church has some amazing songwriters that are raising the level of our worship in services across the country. You’ve probably heard people make jokes about 7-11 music – you just take 7 words or phrases and repeat them 11 times…. That used to be true and probably helped to create the chasm between worship traditionalists and those who prefer contemporary worship. Certainly there are other issues to that debate and I don’t plan to get into them here.

My point is that we have some amazing songwriters today that are spending their lives bringing God’s Truth to music. They are writing deep & rich lyrics that, many times, come straight from the Word of God. It is an exciting time to be alive and to get a chance to use these songs as we plan worship.

Recently, I have come across another of those songs that I simply cannot get out of my head. It isn’t a musical thing either – it’s a theological thing. The Truth of this song just resonates over and over in my heart. The song is, “You Gave Your Life Away” by Paul Baloche. Take a minute and read over these lyrics:

You spoke and worlds were formed, You breathed and life was born
You knew that one day You would come.
So far from Heaven’s throne, clothed in human form
You showed the world the Father’s love.

You gave You gave Your life away – You gave You gave Your life away,
You gave You gave Your life away for me.
Your grace has broken every chain – my sins are gone my debt’s been paid
You gave You gave Your life away for me, for me.

You lived a sinless life, yet You were crucified
You bought our freedom on the cross.
Forsaken for our sin, You died and rose again
Jesus, You are the Lamb of God.

How glorious is Your Love – if I could sing forever
it’s not enough. It’s not enough.

You gave You gave Your life away – You gave You gave Your life away,
You gave You gave Your life away for me.
Your grace has broken every chain – my sins are gone my debt’s been paid
You gave You gave Your life away for me, for me.

Amazing TRUTH from the Word and heart of God. What an awesome reminder of the price that was paid for each and every one of us.

Ah – The Holidays

So here we are, coming toward the end of the holiday season. Does it ever seem odd to you that so many big holidays are crammed together in such a short span of time? Seriously, could we not have spread them out a little bit? There are certain months that could really use a splash of something special….take March for instance….once you become an adult you can forget about spring break so what else is there to March? There’s some college basketball but what if your team stinks?

I do find Thanksgiving to be awesome. It is, hands down, my favorite holiday. I also love Christmas and all the trappings that come along with it. One of my favorite things to do is drive around and look at lights while listening to Christmas music. We try to do that every year around Christmas. There is a guy who lives in the next neighborhood who has his own enormous Christmas light display. He broadcasts music on an FM station and you sit in front of his house and watch a really amazing light display that is timed to music. Very impressive. I can only imagine the hours it takes to set that up. I can also imagine what it would be like to be one of his neighbors…they all have their windows covered with bed sheets to minimize the glare from the lights…not to mention the privacy issue with as many as 25 cars stopping at one time to view the display. Amazing.

The holidays really are a special time. This year, we are exhausted from an enormous fall season of ministry, ending our assignment at First Naz, preparing for our new assignment at Mt. Pleasant and learning music for the trip with Sandi Patty to Manila in February. We have a lot going on. This weekend, I will have my first Sunday off in more than 3 years. It will be nice to get a break and charge the batteries.

I guess I would say that even if I could, I probably wouldn’t change anything. The hustle and all these special holidays really give me a good emotional “shot in the arm.” Plus, this year, my wife discovered an awesome recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms, which are my new favorite cookie. They rock & she knocked it out of the park!

After reading this post, I am all over the place….I sat down to write and this is what came out. I guess that happens sometimes.

I hope that you had an awesome Christmas!

Food & Fun – 12.12.08

If you know me or are a frequent reader, you know that I love to talk about food and restaurants. I really enjoy a great meal. If that meal can be a unique experience, it’s even better! After traveling for several years professionally we began to notice that most cities have lots of the same places to eat. After a while, they all run together. So, we began to search out the unique experiences and those are some of what I try to pass on through this blog.

Recently, we had the chance to go out with some friends for a meal at one of the newer Indianapolis restaurants. It’s a Brazilian eatery called Fogo de Chao. I can honestly say that I don’t remember a more unique food experience. Before I get into my thoughts, let me say this. If you plan to go to Fogo you absolutely need to go hungry. I would also suggest limiting your meat intake for a day or two ahead of time!

I am a person who loves a good steak. I would also say that I have to have some kind of protein at every meal. Having said that, I was not prepared for what I experienced at Fogo de Chao. The basic premise is this: there is no menu; they serve meat and lots of it – 15 different cuts to be exact; there is also a huge salad bar and they bring some side dishes to your table; and, oh yeah….it’s completely awesome!

The 15 cuts of meat fall into the following categories: beef, chicken, pork & lamb. Each person at your table is given a place card – one side is green and the other side is red. This card is your signal to the servers to let the meat-fest begin. Once you flip this card to the green side, hold on to your hats….the meat begins coming from all sides. In our experience, I would estimate that approximately every 2-3 minutes we had a server coming with a different cut of meat. It’s your choice to partake in whatever you like. And, if you find something that you really like, they will keep bringing it back as long as you can stand it.

Here is a pic of one of the skewers of beef. The meat is extremely tender and very well seasoned. I was prepared for more spice, which is not something that I typically enjoy all that much. But, I was pleasantly surprised by how moderately seasoned all the cuts were. I thoroughly enjoyed everything I tasted. Each skewer is filled with the same meat cooked at different temperatures….so, the rare person can get rare and the medium well person can get medium well.

One of the highlights for me was a dish called Lombo, a lightly flavored parmesan pork. Another highlight was the bacon wrapped filet mignon and chicken. Then there’s the signature dish, Picanha, a cut of sirloin seasoned with sea salt and garlic. I would easily order any of these dishes as my entree’ whenever I had the chance. The beauty of Fogo de Chao is that you don’t have to because you really get to have them all.

I also need to tell you that as a person who really, really enjoys steak, I was not prepared for the meat hangover that I experienced the next day. You really do have to pace yourself at this place. Don’t be afraid to flip your place card to the red side and take a break. You will definitely need it!

In all, this was an amazing experience that I would highly recommend. Keep in mind that Fogo is expensive at $44.95 per person for dinner ($29.50 for lunch) although where else could you sit and literally eat fine steak – all you can eat – for an entire evening?

We had an awesome time and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. If you are looking for a unique place to spend an evening, check this place out. Make a reservation. You will not be disappointed.

My friends Steve & Tony at Fogo de Chao

Changes

For the last several months Kim and I have been praying about our future. We have really been in one of those places where we weren’t “lobbying” the Lord for anything…we just wanted to sense His Heart for our ministry and ask Him to order our steps. Our prayers have not been frantic or overly emotional, we have just been asking Him, the Lover of our souls, to speak clearly into our hearts about what our next chapter is to look like. 

We have the Tabor Ministries piece and the church staff piece to consider. It was becoming clear to us that there was going to be a change coming and we have just waited on the Lord to make that change clear to us. Back to traveling full-time? Keep the traveling piece where it is and go to a different church? 

We have had a tremendous 3 years at First Naz. God has used these years to teach us & stretch us in many ways. We have developed lifelong friendships in this special place. He has also used this community to heal some places in us that needed to be healed. We are so grateful & humbled by the ways that He has been working in us. It has been an honor to work with our tremendous staff team and to see our choir & band growing in their desire to lead God’s people in life changing worship experiences.

As we were praying, the Lord dropped a crystal clear piece of direction right in our laps. After walking with the Lord for many years I know this isn’t the way it always happens, but that is what happened this time. Meeting after meeting and week after week He continued to confirm this new direction. 

We are excited to begin this new chapter in our lives by joining the staff of Mt. Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood, IN. I will serve this great church as Music & Worship Pastor. It is a dynamic church and we are excited to see how the Lord will use this new opportunity. MPCC is doing some incredible things to build The Kingdom both here and around the world. We look forward to seeing what the coming years will hold as we take this next step. They are very intentional and aggressive in their outreach strategies. In September, they opened a $7 million dollar Community Life Center. This 67,000 square foot facility is designed to provide an intentional place and designated space for people of all ages to grow spiritually and physically. It is a full-service fitness center designed to be a gathering place for the community. When I first saw this facility, I got really excited about a place that has literally put their money where their mouths are, in terms of outreach.

We will start at Mt. Pleasant the weekend of January 10-11, 2009. This first weekend I will not be leading worship, but just playing in the band and Kim and I will be introduced to the church. We hit the ground running the next week and will be leading a weekend retreat for the entire Worship Department January 23-25, 2009.

So, we find ourselves in a time of change…a time of transition. We have mixed emotions as we leave the place that has been our ministry home for the last 3 years. We also find ourselves excited and humbled as we look to this next chapter, wondering how God will work in and through us. We are certain that the only safe place to be is where HE wants us to be. Trusting that, we face these changes with excitement!

My Thoughts – 12.2.08

Here are some random thoughts on a snowy Indiana Tuesday……

I think that snow is beautiful….for about 4 days. Then I am tired of shoveling it, driving in it and dealing with it. I have no idea where this snowy picture was taken but it looked like a cool place to walk during one of my 4 days of enjoying snow.

I think that Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday. I mean really, an entire day devoted to eating and family…what could be better than that?

I think that one of the most powerful worship songs ever written is “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty. Powerful. Those are words that you can really sit and think about. Very rich.

I think that the Colts could actually end up making some serious noise in the playoffs this year. I also am pretty sure I will owe Steve Adams a lunch when they reach 10 wins on December 14 vs. the Lions. Steve believed from the beginning and I had my doubts. That is a lunch I will be glad to buy. How many White Castle sliders can you eat, Steve??

I think that Kim is wonderfully gifted at making our house feel like Christmas. I must admit that putting up Christmas decorations is one of my least favorite things to do in the whole world. But Kim perseveres, puts up with my attitude and gets the job done. I love the finished product.

I think I have found the perfect spaghetti. Bravo serves Spaghettini Bolognese, which for my tastes is absolute perfection.

I think that the Church has to learn to adapt more quickly. I’m not talking about watering down our message in any way, but I do think that we have to find creative ways to be more culturally relevant. I really believe that will be our next huge challenge. The culture keeps changing and we keep doing things the same way. Is it any wonder that most churches aren’t growing?? Same message – new methods. That’s the target I want to head for.

I think XM radio rocks. We have it in both of our vehicles and love it. Right now there are 3 stations dedicated to different styles of all Christmas music. I love the classics. Call me crazy but those classic arrangements really take me back….

I just got a Blackberry Curve and I think I am really going to like it.

I think our schedule this week is going to absolutely wipe me out. It goes something like this: (1) FCN through Thursday; (2) Friday drive to Cleveland; (3) Saturday TM gig in Warren, OH; (4) Drive home to Indy; (5) Sunday AM & PM worship services at FCN; (6) Monday drive to Chicago; (7) Monday night TM gig in Chicago; (8) Tuesday morning drive home to Indy; (9) Back to the office Tuesday afternoon. Man, I need a nap after just writing that down.

I think that Christmas has major potential for outreach. I am praying that the Lord will use HIS Church in a major way this Christmas to reach many people.

Your Thoughts??