Beauty in Brokenness

Desert Song

2012-01-26T15:58:00.000-06:00

This is a video about the story behind Desert Song. It is an incredible testimony to God's faithfulness in every season of life. Come this Sunday to hear more about God's faithfulness, and the ripples of faith as we grow Stronger together in our faith.

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

2012-01-19T17:08:00.002-06:00

Grace Greater Than Our Sin mp3 click here

Josh Wilson in Concert December 21

2011-11-07T15:29:00.000-06:00

So excited that Josh Wilson will be at Southern Hills Baptist Church on December 21st. This is the perfect way to celebrate the birth of Christ just a few days before Christmas. Bring the whole family for this incredible time of worship and celebration. If you have never seen Josh before.... what's wrong with you? Just kidding. No but seriously the video below shows the unique way that Josh creates music through a process called looping where he actually creates his own accompaniment live on stage. It's like nothing else you will see. Also Josh is married to Pastor Hess and Julie's daughter Becca, so it always a treat to have them home especially for Christmas. So mark your calendars and make plans to join us for this incredible concert.

Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

2011-11-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

We will be singing this anthem on Sunday for Friends Day. Just click on the following link to listen or to download. This incredible song was written by David James White for a close friends who had a child who died unexpectedly. I look forward to seeing how it ministers on Sunday.
Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

We're Marching to Zion

2011-10-27T11:39:00.002-05:00

We're Marching to Zion mp3

The song We're Marching to Zion has a fun history in that before arriving with it's current title it had not one, not but three former titles. The original verses written by Isaac Watts were entitled "Heavenly Joy On Earth". It reflected the joy of the Christian life, and the hope of eternity. Thirty year later John Wesley included it in a collection with the title "Heaven Begun on Earth" He changed some of the pronouns to make the prose more personal without changing the overall meaning of the hymn. It was shortly after that publication that the story is told of a congregation in New England whose choir in light of a disagreement had decided that they protest by not singing when called upon in the service. Somehow the pastor was notified of the protest and announced the hymn "Come We That Love the Lord" and read it aloud. Then he kindly turned to the choir and asked them to sing the second verse:"Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God, but children of the heavenly king, but children of the heavenly king, may speak their joys abroad, may speak their joys abroad."

I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy

2011-10-11T22:50:00.003-05:00

I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy
This is an mp3 of the choir song from Sunday. A few people asked about the audio from Sunday so here it is. I was sick on Sunday so it is amazing that it sounded like it does. I had a few life groups praying for me on Sunday, and I could feel it! In the 8:00 A.M. communion service i was weazing, and my voice was gruff, but it was anything but in the 10:30 service. I woke up at like 3:00 A.M. that morning and was having trouble breathing. It was like I was having an asthma attack. So I wasn't able to go back to sleep. So I felt like it was a miracle that I was even able to sing that morning. God is so good, and always takes care of us. I literally prayed I can't do this God. You have to do it, and He did. Hope you enjoy.

Great and Marvelous

2011-10-06T18:51:00.000-05:00

Great and Marvelous

This is a song I wrote based on the Song of Moses found in Exodus 15 and then again as a part of Revelation 15. We recorded this with "Audience of One" at Crawley Studios. To find out more about Audience of One you click on the following link. Audience of One A Concert of Prayer
I have had some people ask about some original songs in the last few weeks so thought I would post one. Enjoy! and God Bless!

Jesus What A Savior

2011-09-22T12:14:00.000-05:00

This is the choir anthem for this Sunday. Such a beautiful message of who Jesus is and his power to change written by Shannon Wexelberg. You can click on the following link Shannon Wexelberg blog to read more from Shannon's blog. In this blog entry she says "When the Father sent Jesus, and His arms were stretched out on the cross, God was saying to us “I am all in. I love you this much" How incredible to know that God loves us that much that He would send His son Jesus to die for our sins.

Fall and Christmas Music

2011-09-07T16:37:00.001-05:00

Desert Song

High and Lifted Up

I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy

Jesus Is The Lord

Jesus The Most Beautiful Name

Let Your Kingdom Come

Love Has Come

Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

Whispered Prayers with Down to the River to Pray

You Are God

You Are Worthy

Christmas Music
Joseph's Song

The Joy of Christmas

Silent Night

Emmanuel

A Baby Changes Everything

Freedom Celebration Listening

2011-06-20T14:48:00.000-05:00

Always Enough

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Amazing Grace

Freedom

Give Me Your Tired

God Bless America

God of This City

I Am Free

Salute to the Armed Forces

Stronger

Awakening

Freedom Celebration 2011

2011-06-09T16:55:00.000-05:00

The Southern Hills Baptist Church, Freedom Celebration is on Thursday, June 30th at the Jenks Riverwalk Amphitheatre and all the festivities start at 7:00 P.M. This evening of worship is a time to celebrate the freedom of our country, and the freedom we have received from Jesus Christ. Led by the worship and creative arts ministry this annual celebration has become a wonderful part of the Fourth of July celebration in our community. It's also a great opportunity to invite a friend, family member, or co-worker. So save the date and make plans to join Southern Hills Baptist Church for Freedom Celebration 2011

The Story Behind Always Enough

2011-06-09T16:50:00.000-05:00

The SHBC choir and orchestra will be leading out in worship on this song on Sunday. We will also be singing it as a part of the upcoming Freedom Celebration at the Jenks Riverwalk on June 30th.

This song was written by Casting Crowns. Lead singer Mark Hall explains how the song was written. "Always Enough" has God's fingerprints all over it. Hall remembers, "Several months ago, we lost a soldier in Afghanistan who was part of our church. His son is in our middle school ministry, and it really rocked us. You know it's going on, but then it happens close to you, and it opens your eyes to the reality. Casting Crowns was on the road and couldn't be home for the funeral. The song really came together that day. When life is hard and tragedy comes, you discover how real Jesus is to you. Your friends and your church try to help, but at that moment, Jesus can't be Plan B. He's got to be it; He's got to be enough. When things that are constants in our lives are stripped away, that's when we have to know He's 'Always Enough.'"

Forever Reign

2011-06-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

This is an incredible song that we have been singing in worship the last few weeks. It's a song of hope that reminds us that God is our loving father and that He knows us and longs for us to run to Him with hearts wide open falling into His arms of grace and mercy. Just click on the following link to watch and incredible live version from Hillsong Live.
Forever Reign Live Video

Feels Like Redemption

2011-02-17T16:36:00.000-06:00

The choir is singing this song on Sunday. The video starts with a powerful testimony of God's healing grace.

Be Thou My Vision

2011-01-13T10:23:00.000-06:00

Be Thou My Vision.mp3

Here is the mp3 for Sunday. I am also including some of the history behind the song. See you on Sunday.

With its heartfelt poetry and moving melody, “Be Thou My Vision” beautifully expresses the desires of the Christian heart. Though its popularity rose only in the past 50 years or so, the hymn actually has a rich history dating back to the 8th century

Between the years of 400 and 700 AD the Irish people lived out a passionate faith in Christ. Ireland took up the missionary endeavor with excitement, and the country became known for its all-absorbing efforts to share Christianity throughout the world. Irish missionaries were found from Scotland to Switzerland, spreading the Good News wherever they went.
Some scholars believe that the words to the hymn are the product of a man known simply as St. Patrick. Patrick was born in A.D. 373 along the banks of the River Clyde in what is now called Scotland. When he was 16 he was kidnapped by pirates and taken as a slave to Ireland. There he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He eventually escaped, but he never forgot this experience and when he was about 30 he returned to his former captors with only one possession: the Latin Bible. History tells us that St. Patrick was the man most responsible for the Good News of Christ coming to Ireland. As a result of his preaching, more than 200 churches were established and 100,000 converts were baptized.

Thou O Lord

2010-11-04T11:22:00.000-06:00

This is the song that the alumni choir will be singing this Sunday for Friends Day. Just click on the song to listen or download. Thou Oh Lord.mp3 . The text is taken from Psalm 3, a Psalm written by King David, when he fled from his son Absalom who was trying to overthrow him. Join us for Friends Day, at Southern Hills Baptist Church this Sunday to hear the worship choir sing this powerful song.

Paraphrase of Matthew 25 for today's reader

2010-10-13T22:40:00.001-05:00

This hit me hard when I read it.

"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty , but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, but you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behavioral that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.".

Richard Stearns: President of World Vision

Josh Wilson in Concert, December 9th

2010-09-23T15:35:00.001-05:00

Josh Wilson will be in concert at Southern Hills Baptist Church, Thursday December 9th. Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken. Save the date you don't want to miss this.

You Alone Can Rescue

2010-09-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

You Alone Can Rescue was written by worship leader Matt Redman. In this video Matt share how he wrote the song, and the thoughts guiding him as he wrote. It's a wonderful song about salvation, and how salvation comes from God alone.

Summer Concert Series

2010-05-24T15:11:00.002-05:00

Join Southern Hills Baptist Church host a benefit concert for Food For the Hungy featuring 33 Miles, Aaron Shust (My Savior My God) and new artists Among the Thirsty and New Fire. Tickets are only $5 at the door, so be here early on July 17th. They will go fast.

Come to the Table

2010-05-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

Join Southern Hills Baptist Church for a special communion service this Sunday.

This is the story of love and of living

So wipe off your tears and laugh just a little
Come break this Bread, celebrate the Forgiver
Raise up a glass, a time to remember
Come break this Bread, celebrate the Forgiver
--Charlie Hall

How Great Is Our God played on the iPhone

2010-05-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

This is pretty impressive considering how hard it really is to play iPhone instruments. Maybe I'm easily impressed.

DVD's available

2010-04-14T11:01:00.002-05:00

Copies of the Palm Sunday and Easter services are available. To get a copy call the church office at 918-743-8897 or check out a copy in the RC (resource center) just off the lobby on the main campus.

Scott and Alicia Crawley Testimony

2010-04-14T09:41:00.001-05:00

This is the video of Scott and Alicia Crawley's testimony from the Easter Service. It was such a blessing to our congregation that day. Think about someone who needs to hear the message of this testimony and then forward it so they can hear about the incredible plan God has for their lives, and how much God loves them.

Jesus You Are Worthy

2010-02-25T17:26:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone this is a song that we have been singing in worship lately, and I want to make sure everyone has a better feel for it. So I made a quick recording. So don't pay any attention to the hack piano player (me). We will be singing this song on Palm Sunday congregationaly, and I really want everyone to know it better. I hope this helps.

Jesus You Are Worthy.mp3

By Our Love

2010-02-11T14:56:00.002-06:00

The following is Christy Nockels description of how she wrote the song By Our Love. What an incredible song with a timely message. I had the privelege of meeting Christy last year at the Riverwalk in Jenks, when Southern Hills hosted the Riverwalk concert series with KXOJ. Christy is from Oklahoma originally, and attended at my alma matter Oklahoma Baptist, before leaving for Nashville. She has an incredible voice, and an incredible heart for worship.

Songwriting is such an amazing process to me... Long before there were lyrics or even a melody for this song, I knew it would be on my record. My husband Nathan and I would talk about songs during the writing process and I'd say, "remember there will be a song called "By Our Love". I had one tiny melodic idea for it, but that was it really... This song really took shape the morning after a very special gathering with our new church family in Atlanta. It was one of those sweet times together in God's presence that I will never forget. Our two oldest children were a part of that gathering, and even though their eyes could barely stay open towards the end of our worship time that night, my prayer was that they'd somehow sense and grasp the presence of God in that place and remember it.

I realized more than ever that night that I want my children to "get it." I want them to understand that you can't have worship without love and justice. Our songs must have hands and feet, and they must go into the darkest places of the world. The distractions that our children are exposed to in this country and their desensitized minds and hearts became like a heavy brick on my heart. My prayer is that God will allow my children to see with His eyes and love with His hands in their lifetime...that they might "stand firm in the truth and set their hearts above". How can we show them most effectively that it's "by our love" that we are set apart and "by our love" that we show Jesus to the world.

I can recall some amazing moments from my childhood that my parents faithfully exposed me to worship, and also lived lives of love to those around us. I have vivid memories of my mom, in particular, involving me in random acts of kindess. I have an early memory of her driving me to the home of a little girl from our church, who had no mother, and a father who could barely care for her. She took down the little girl's measurements that day and in the following weeks, made her a beautiful Easter dress. My mom was also the one who sat with me for hours at the piano, teaching me worship songs and how to sing harmonies. My mother understood worship and justice, and because she involved me, I remember and I understand...

I've always been intrigued by Ephesians 5:19, it says, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." There is an exhortation that songs can carry with them, and I believe even modern worship songs can have that feel and purpose, as many of the old hymns did. My prayer is that this song might be a song we sing to each other when it's appropriate...a reminder and a "calling forth" of those whom we walk life with, whom we parent and lead...to live lives of deep love for Jesus' sake.

Father's Love Letter

2010-02-10T10:40:00.000-06:00

This is neat video that we showed a few months ago, but I thought it might be appropriate for Valentine's Day. It simply shows in scripture how much you are loved, and how much our heavenly father cares for us. It is ultimately the love of God that allows us to love, so it was a wonderful reminder to me of God's love. A love that is unlike the love of men and women, it is a perfect love, and unending love, an all encompassing love. In fact you might say God's love is truly amazing. Blessings

O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing

2010-02-05T22:43:00.001-06:00

The choir is singing this song on Sunday. What an incredible song. I remember singing this while I was on the Praise Team at Falls Creek Youth camp, and literally having thousand of voices and tongues singing praise to God. Incredible times of worship. I shared the following with the choir in a weekly email, after I read the following story behind this song. It kind of made ask “what am I doing to remember all that God has done in my life through the transforming power of Jesus”. My hope is to celebrate what Christ has done through my daily life, in a way that brings Him glory, and draws others closer to Him. Take some time to remember all God has done for you, and how He has rescued you.

Story Behind the Song
Charles Wesley the writer of this song, was suffering a bout of pleurisy in May, 1738, while he and his brother were studying under the Moravian scholar Peter Böhler in London . At the time, Wesley was plagued by extreme doubts about his faith. Taken to bed with the sickness on May 21 Wesley was attended by a group of Christians who offered him testimony and basic care, and he was deeply affected by this. He read from his Bible and found himself deeply affected by the words, and at peace with God. Shortly his strength began to return. He wrote of this experience in his journal and counted it as a renewal of his faith; when his brother John had a similar experience on the 24th, the two men met and sang a hymn Wesley had written in praise of his renewal. One year from the experience, Wesley was taken with the urge to write another hymn, this one in commemoration of his renewal of faith. This hymn took the form of an 18-stanza poem, beginning with the opening lines 'Glory to God, and praise, and love,/Be ever, ever given' and was published in 1740 and entitled 'For the anniversary day of one's conversion'. The seventh verse, which begins, 'O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing', and which now is invariably the first verse of a shorter hymn recalls the words of Peter Böhler who said, 'Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them all.' The hymn was placed first in John Wesley's A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists published in 1780. It appeared first in every (Wesleyan) Methodist hymnal from that time until the publication of Hymns and Psalms in 1983.

O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing.mp3

New Interactive SHBC Newsletter

2010-02-04T11:14:00.002-06:00

This is something we are working on. Feel free to give me or Angela some feedback.

Click to launch the full edition in a new window
Publisher Software from Yudu

YUDU Library - Item by www.yudu.com

Salvation Is Here

2010-01-28T13:47:00.002-06:00

This is the new song we did last week. It's from Hillsong United, and I think it fits so well with Pastor Hess's new sermon series entitled "Word of God Speak". Take a look and a listen. It's one of my favorite songs.

Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus

2010-01-21T17:03:00.004-06:00

"Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” was written by a woman, Louisa M. R. Stead. Out of one of her darkest hours—the tragic drowning of her husband—this hymn was penned. Louisa Stead was born in England. She felt the call of God upon her life for missionary service. She arrived in America in 1871. In 1875, Louisa married a Mr. Stead, and to this union was born a daughter, Lily. When the child was four years of age, the family decided one day to enjoy the sunny beach at Long Island Sound, New York. While eating their picnic lunch, they suddenly heard cries of help and spotted a drowning boy in the sea. Mr. Stead charged into the water. As often happens, however, the struggling boy pulled his rescuer under the water with him, and both drowned before the terrified eyes of wife and daughter. Afterward Stead was forced to work, and she was hardly able to provide for her daughter. One day when it seemed that all of their resources were gone, she found a gift of food and money left on her doorstep. It was on that day that she sat and wrote the words of this song. A song that both capsulate her struggle, and her trust in God.

I have posted a great video from Bluefish.tv It is a dramatic portrayal with the story behind the song. This is the video we showed on Sunday, during the choir song.

Winter and Easter Choir Songs 2010

2010-01-21T15:51:00.003-06:00

Christ Is Risen.mp3

By Our Love.mp3

Send Me.mp3

Jesus Paid It All.mp3

Love has Come.mp3

I Am.mp3

Brand New Day.mp3

He is Lord.mp3

Holy Holy Holy.mp3

O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing.mp3

There Is A Fountain.mp3

Tis So Sweet.mp3

True Love.mp3

You Are Worthy.mp3

Christmas Choir Listening

2009-11-30T16:16:00.002-06:00

12 Savior King.mp3

11 Love Came Gently.mp3

05 Made.mp3

03 You Oughta Know.mp3

There Will Be A Day

2009-11-02T15:18:00.003-06:00

This is the video from the dance on Sunday. It was so moving and inspiring to everyone who was at Friends Day.

Untitled from Southern Hills Baptist Church on Vimeo.

From the Inside Out

2009-10-22T12:06:00.003-05:00

WOW! What an incredible song. This is from my favorite worship team Hillsongs United. They have incredible songs and incredible hearts. This song just speaks to me about the eternal perspective that I should have every day of my life. There are so many things that are temporary in this world, so many things that were made to be broken. We also see the effects of the fall of man around us. We are broken, creation is broken, but there is one who is completely and utterly whole, and His name is Jesus. He longs to fully restore what was broken, He longs to make us completely whole, and one day He will for all those who trust in Him. There is something comforting to know that the eternal one, the everlasting one has given up so much to be with us, to call us friend, to rescue us from ourselves. I think that as we see who He is, then our overwhelming desire is to worship Him, to give Him praise, and that through that process of meeting with Him that we would be transformed daily through the renewing of our minds and be more like Him. I'm excited about this song for Sunday. See you then.

The House Cleaning Choice

2009-10-19T21:50:00.001-05:00

This is Pastor Hess's sermon from Sunday. It is from the series Life's Healing Choices. If you missed it on Sunday it's worth watching. I think it's one of the most important parts of the series. Enjoy

The House Cleaning Choice from Southern Hills Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Our God Saves

2009-09-10T11:42:00.002-05:00

Here is a video from Paul Baloche, talking about the story behind the song he wrote entitled "Our Saves". Paul's heart for community has inspired some of today's most powerful songs of worship, including "Open the Eyes of My Heart" (ranked fourth in CCLI’s Top 25), the radio favorite "Hosanna," which he co-wrote with Brenton Brown and "Above All," a Dove award winner for Inspirational Song of the Year that he co-wrote with Lenny LeBlanc. In addition to his own work, Paul has co-written with a wide range of artists such as Michael W. Smith, Brenton Brown, and Lincoln Brewster . But though Paul often creates music for different genres and styles, he maintains a straightforward approach to writing."I try to keep it simple, yet interesting—simple and inspiring," he says of his songwriting. "You don't want to teach the whole Bible in one song, you can't do that. I try to take one aspect of God's character perhaps, and really focus on that and try to bring it to light." Now 25 years into his journey in worship, Paul continues to be one of today's most prolific songwriters. Friend and fellow writer Michael W. Smith tapped Paul to co-write the title track and first single from Smith's live worship release, New Hallelujah. Paul is a member of CompassionArt, a unique songwriting collective committed to social justice. Conceived by Martin Smith of Delirous?, CompassionArt features a veritable who's-who of contemporary Christian and worship artists including Darlene Zschech, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Israel Houghton. All proceeds from the group's songs and recordings are pledged to aiding those living in extreme poverty. Paul is also passionate about encouraging and training those who lead worship. Through his web site www.leadworship.com, Paul offers a wealth of resources for equipping the worship leaders of today and tomorrow. Paul also serves with Seminars4Worship where he trains and mentors worship leaders, songwriters, and musicians. Paul's contemporaries readily recognize his vital contributions to the worldwide worship community. "Paul continues to amaze me with his ability to write songs that connect with so many people and give voice to the cries of the heart," shares fellow songwriter and Dove Award winner Don Moen. "As a worship leader, he understands the need for songs that embrace sound doctrine and universal themes, songs that transcend generations and cultures." Pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren adds, "Paul Baloche has the hand of God on his songwriting and worship leading. His music is a great gift to the body of Christ." Paul realizes that songs are secondary to a lifestyle of community and praise. "We need each other. We need to worship," says Paul. "The essence of life is a relationship with God and a relationship with others. I think writing songs and trying to be creative with God's word, to sing out your prayers spontaneously is a great spiritual exercise. And if a good song comes out of it, that's a bonus."

Revelation Song

2009-09-01T23:07:00.002-05:00

Ever had one of those days when, smack in the middle of all the everyday “stuff” that screams for attention, all you wanted was a sure sign that God was present and at work? Worship songwriter Jennie Riddle has.
I gave my life to Jesus back in 1988. There was a new song out at the time entitled, "I Hear Angels" by Gerrit Gustafson. The lyrics read:
I hear angels singing praises, I see men from every nation,bowing down before the thronelike the sound of many waterslike the rushing wind around usmultitudes join the songand a symphony of praise arisestears are wiped away from eyesas men from every tongue and tribe all sing…Holy, holy, God almighty, who was, and is, and is to come
I remember looking up and around, asking, "Where God? I want to see and hear that too!" Those prophetic words from Mr. Gustafson took residence within me, became the lullaby sung over each of my children, and fueled an earnest, decade long prayer to see multitudes gathered around the throne.
Back in 1999, I had just changed my 20,446th diaper (Yes. I count. Don't you? ), when I began singing the aforementioned lullaby over my fourth son, Andrew, as we cuddled in our blue chair. My keyboard was broken down, and I simply didn't have the energy to set it up. It had been a really tough "mommy" day. The guitar (which I didn't really play) was accessible, but the spaghetti dinner I’d yet to cook was screaming my name. But so was the Holy Spirit! I, again, began telling Him how much I wanted to SEE and HEAR all creation worshipping Him. The songs being sung by the Bride at that time were focusing on need. My heart longed to focus on something far greater than my need, knowing that all needs would be satisfied with just one glimpse of Him.
Therefore, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me write a song that painted Him—a song that the angels and creation were already singing, so we could join in with One Voice, as One Bride, to One King. My heart recalled Ezekiel 1:26-28 and Revelation 4:
"And then, as they stood with folded wings, there was a voice from above the dome over their heads. Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne, sky-blue like a sapphire, with a humanlike figure towering above the throne. From what I could see, from the waist up he looked like burnished bronze and from the waist down like a blazing fire. Brightness everywhere! The way a rainbow springs out of the sky on a rainy day-that's what it was like. It turned out to be the Glory of God!” (Message)
"A throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns[] of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightening, thundering, and voices. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ' Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'"
I put the baby down to play with his toys, picked up the guitar, and began to play four chords I had "discovered" the day before. Immersed in those scriptures, the Lord helped me paint what I was seeing through those passages: "Clothed in rainbows of living color, flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder..." The melody stuck. It had the sound of heaven in it. The song wouldn't leave me, and I sang it for weeks. I can still hear the Lord whispering to me that He would carry this song across the world. I remember thinking how cool it was going to be to have a couple of my missionary friends carry it to the natives in the bush to be sung around campfires. I had no idea.
"Revelation Song" made its very first public outing when I introduced it to my local church. That Sunday, the Lord moved in such a way that I felt it was called for, so we offered it unrehearsed and "on the fly." The song resonated with the congregation, and Jesus danced, I'm just sure of it. It quickly became a loved song. Next, it was introduced to my students at the high school. God met us every time we used it from that point on.
The first demo of the song was done for me by Walker Beach a couple of months after I wrote it. Klaus Kuehn helped me do a second demo in 2002. They both remembered it when it came time to select songs for the annual live recording at Christ for the Nations where Klaus was leading worship and Walker was directing the School of Worship. They introduced it to the student body during chapel, and it was decided that it would be sung by Kari Jobe, to release on the Glorious album in 2004. The anointing on those gifted worshippers, the excellent production, the tremendous musicianship, and the glory of God was fully captured in that recording. God met us powerfully that night!
Even though I had been writing songs for years, I had not promoted my music and didn't know how to begin had I wanted to do so. The Holy Spirit kept nudging me and saying, "Give it to the Bride." Finally, determining to send it to the two places that kept coming to mind, I mustered my courage, obeyed, and sent two recording. That act of obedience was my only attempt to "do something" with the song. From there it spread. Encouragement and support materialized from all corners. Lindell Cooley with Music Missions International, the International Worship Institute, Song Discovery, and LeadWorship.com were instrumental in the early grass roots spread of “Revelation Song.”
"Revelation Song" has taken on a life of its own, and it has been an intense joy to watch the Father "grow it up” and to hear the Voice of the Bride sing to Jesus. Her voice is so lovely.
I often get asked the song story, and even more often, the question of "how" it got "out there" comes up. My only answer is that God chooses what He chooses. No amount of maneuvering, strategizing, posturing or pitching would have gotten my music "out there." Whatever that means.
I remember telling Jesus with complete sincerity that I could wait until I got to heaven to hear my song sung. Although, I also suggested that it would be a terrific song for the angels and great cloud of witnesses to sing when He comes back for us. In the event that He had not already chosen one for the occasion, I didn't think it would hurt to ask!
Jennie Riddle wrote this powerful worship song: She is housewife from McKinney, Texas who simply heard what some would call a song from the "other side". She said it was between cooking spaghetti and changing one of the kids’ diapers.
If you’ve been blessed by the song, send Jennie an encouraging note here –
jennie@jennieriddle.com

Click Here to watch a video of Revelation Song with Kari Jobe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL0nDrEYDnk

Fall Choir Songs 2009

2009-08-25T16:05:00.005-05:00

Here are the mp3 download for the Fall choir music. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on next Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009. There are some new songs, there are some old songs, there are some good songs. There are two songs I don't have recordings for as well. Enjoy.

Long As I Got King Jesus.mp3

Jesus Saves.mp3

Where Joy And Sorrow Meet.mp3

From the Inside Out.wma

You, You Are God.mp3

For Who You Are.wma

I then shall live.mp3

Unfailing Love.mp3

Our God Saves.wma

Somebody Tell It.mp3

Revive Us Again.wma

Free Concert with Josh Wilson

2009-08-18T23:13:00.003-05:00

We are so excited to announce that Josh Wilson will be in concert promoting his new album on Wednesday evening September 9th, 2009 at Southern Hills Baptist Church. The concert is free for everyone. Josh just recently married our pastor's daughter Becca and God is doing amazing things in their life. Come out and support them on September 9th at 7:00 P.M.

Hillsong United is coming to Tulsa!

2009-08-13T17:40:00.005-05:00

The well-known worship band, Hillsong United from Hillsong church in Sydney, Austrailia will be at the Spirit Bank Event Center, Wednesday, August 26. (Darlene Zschech who wrote "Shout to the Lord" was the worship pastor there for several years.)

Hillsong United is the youth ministry of Hillsong Church, pastored by Brian Houston. After the summer youth camp in 1998, the worship band released their first CD, Everyday. After coming back from summer camp with God full in their hearts, the youth ministries desired to continue worshipping together. They gathered for times of worship, called the nights, "UNITED" Nights. Each year since then the group has released a new album and has steadily grown in popularity. Some of their albums include To the Ends of the Earth (2002), United We Stand (2006), The I-Heart Revolution(2008), and a-Cross the Earth - Tear Down the Walls (2009).

Many of the original songs recorded were covers of songs from Hillsong Church, or other popular worship songs. Recently however with such emerging songwriters like Joel Houston, who currently leads the band, and Brooke Fraser (Ligertwood), many of the songs originate from the band itself. Both "Mighty to Save" and "Hosanna", which we sing currently in worship on Sunday mornings, were written by Hillsong United members, Joel Houston and Brooke Fraser, respectively.

KXOJ is sponsoring the event. Tickets for the concert are $25 and can be purchased from livenation.com, spiritbankeventcenter.com, the event box office, or charge by phone 918-369-9360. Hope you can join us for an unforgettable night of worship!

Here is video of the band singing "Mighty to Save".

Hosanna

2009-07-16T21:20:00.009-05:00

This is a Hillsongs song written and performed by Brooke Gabrielle Fraser who is an award-winning New Zealand singer/songwriter. Brooke started taking piano lessons at age 7. She started writing songs at age 12 and taught herself the acoustic guitar at 16. In 2003, Brooke released her first album, What to Do With Daylight. Shortly after the release of this album, she toured briefly with both America artist, John Mayer and UK artist, David Bowie.
In 2005 Brooke release her second album, Albertine, named after a Rwandan orphan that she met while visiting her sponsor children. On this album is the well-played song, "Shadowfeet".
Brooke has toured with Hillsong United and is a member of Hillsong Church in Sydney. In 2008 she married Scott Ligertwood, and uses both the names Brooke Ligertwood and Brooke Fraser in her writing.
This video is her description of how the song "Hosanna" was written. She says the chorus was the last part of the song and came to her late in the writing process. She describes the word "Hosanna" as a universal cry of the church, both of those people who have gone before us in the faith and those who follow behind. Watch this amazing video!

God of this City

2009-07-09T16:44:00.001-05:00

Let Your Glory Fly

2009-07-09T15:22:00.001-05:00

I just thought this one was fun. I like all of the waving flags.

God Bless America

2009-07-09T15:20:00.001-05:00

I thought everyone might want to see some of the video from the Freedom Celebration. So here are a few clips. What an amazing evening.

Freedom Celebration Pictures

2009-07-09T12:39:00.002-05:00

Thanks again to everyone who made this evening such an amazing success!

O God Our Help In Ages Past

2009-06-19T09:56:00.000-05:00

Isaac Watts wrote "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" as a paraphrase of Psalm 90. His desire to write the hymn was born, in part, out of his dissatisfaction with the church music of his day. At 20 years of age, he complained that the metrical psalms they had to sing at Above Bar Chapel in Southampton were grim and ponderous. But to sing anything other than the actual words of Scripture was said to insult to God. Watts’ father heard Isaac’s complaining and challenged him to "write something better for us to sing." In 1719, he published an important hymnal titled The Psalms of David in the Language of the New Testament. In it he paraphrased the entire Psalter with the exception of twelve Psalms he felt were unsuited for usage. At this time in England, religious freedom was severely limited and Watts’ father was jailed twice for his religious views. Isaac himself was considered a radical churchman, since he wrote many "hymns of human composure” songs that did not directly quote Bible passages. In such uncertain times, Watts looked to Psalm 90 for comfort and wrote more than a paraphrase of its heartening words. His hymn actually gave a grand commentary on the subject of time and how God stands above human time. Originally, "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" contained nine verses. Today most hymnals use only verses 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9. In 1738, John Wesley changed the first line from "Our God" to "O God." Some feel that the change makes it easier to sing and also calls the vocative case which causes the singer to expect the "Thy" of the second stanza.

Be My Everything

2009-06-04T16:47:00.003-05:00

This is the song that we did for offertory last week. It is based on the prayer of St. Patrick. Yes the guy from Ireland. The prayer is amazing, and we are going to pray part of it congregationally this Sunday. Here is the part we are going to pray together. It is written by Tim Hughes, who was at our church for the worship conference back in March. Was it really that long ago? WOW!

The Prayer of St. Patrick

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Both far and near,
Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation

Be My Everything

2009-06-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

Worship Quote

2009-05-20T15:14:00.002-05:00

"The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members."

"Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. To worship is to quicken the consciened by the holiness of God. To feed the mind with the truth of God. To purge the imagination by the beauty of God. To open the heart to the love of God. To devote the will to the purpose of God."

William Temple

Freedom Celebration Music

2009-05-07T09:07:00.005-05:00

Here are a few of the songs for the Freedom Celebration. All of the worship songs are here as well. I am so excited about all of the doors that God is opening for the Freedom Celebration. The Freedom Celebration will be at the Jenks Riverwalk Amphitheatre on Tuesday Evening June 30th.

I Am Free.mp3

God of this City.mp3

Freedom.mp3

America.mp3

Freedom Song.mp3

Amazing Grace.mp3

11 O God, Our help in Ages Past.mp3

Battle Hymn of the Republic.mp3

Let Freedom Ring.mp3

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor.mp3

God Bless America.mp3

Salute to the Armed Forces.mp3

Cardboard Testimonies

2009-04-21T14:41:00.003-05:00

This is the Southern Hills version of cardboard testimonies. All I can say is WOW! It was so amazing to see all of the transformed lives in Christ. God is so good, and He loves us all so very much. The song is called "How He Loves". It was written by Kim Walker an up and coming worship leader. Kim Walker is a joyful, radical lover of Jesus! She lives to worship him with every once of her being. One of the greatest desires of her heart is to see God's kingdom and power manifest for people to be set free, healed, and radically changed as they encounter God in worship. Kim currently leads worship and pastors the worship team at Bethel Church in Redding, California. She has quickly become one of the strongest voices for the current youth revival. She is a passionate worship leader with an anointing to bring an entire generation into an encounter with God. All of those who are in a worship service led by Kim will catch her contagious love to worship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbk7TY_4d2U

I Will Rise

2009-04-21T14:38:00.003-05:00

This is a Chris Tomlin song that we did on Easter. Our Easter service this year was truly amazing. The whole service was centered on the Resurrection, but also had a large focus on the resurrection of the saints. So many times we separate those two events, but they are so intrically a part of each other. Thank you to everyone who participated in the drama. I know that all of your hearts beat for eternity, and thanks to Nichole Tomberlin for choreographing the dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTfbE7h1IQ0

Palm Sunday 2009 Photos

2009-04-08T12:37:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone. I just wanted to post a link to an album of pictures that Norma took of the Palm Sunday Celebration. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for sharing these with us.

http://gallery.me.com/nooniem#100593

Palm Sunday 2009

2009-04-02T21:12:00.007-06:00

Come join Southern Hills Baptist Church for a meaningful time of worship during this Easter Season, as we celebrate the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This dramatic service lead by our worship and creative arts teams combines the elements of worship, music, drama, multimedia, lighting and dance. Our service this year will focus on scenes from the life of Christ, including the Last Supper, the Garden, and the death and burial of Christ. We will also have a special focus on the veil of the temple. The Bible tells us that there was a veil in the temple that separated man from where the presence of God resided. The Bible also tells us that at the moment that Christ died that veil was torn in two from top to bottom. This was to symbolize what Christ has done for us in that through Christ’s sacrifice we now have access to relationship with a Holy God. In fact we have direct access. In fact the Bible tells us that for those who know Christ Jesus, that God’s Holy Spirit lives inside of us, the very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. That is truly something to Celebrate.

Worship Together Live!

2009-04-02T21:04:00.002-06:00

WOW! What can I say except God is amazing. His spirit truly poured down like rain on the campus of Southern Hills on Monday. We had an amazing day of training and worhsip with Tim Hughes, Brenton Brown, Al Gordon, and Michael Gungor band, but as good as it was to have their presence at SHBC, it was so much better to have the presence of God permeating an incredible day. I have talked to so many people who were impacted by the training and worship that took place. We had a lot of people from our church who came, and many more from churches all over Oklahoma and Texas. We had over 30 walk ups on the day and about 180 people who attending the conference included in that number about 25 volunteers. Then we had an amazing evening of worship with over 525 people, maybe more I'm just trying to be conservative. It wasn't the number that mattered. People came ready to experience the presence of God corporately and it was amazing. To hear all of the people singing and worshipping was thrilling, and uplifting. Thanks to everyone who came, and everyone who helped in any way. Blessings!

You Are My God

2009-03-16T19:02:00.003-06:00

Ok so here it is. I normally don't post songs that I have written, but I think God used this to touch some hearts yesterday, so I hope God will use it touch many more. Sorry about the audio, nothing on Youtube ever turns out quite the same as the orignial. It's a little raw. Oh and I forgot to edit out the end of the service, so just stop listening when the song is over. Blessings!

I Have A Hope

2009-03-12T22:22:00.003-06:00

The song was written by Tommy Walker. Tommy has led worship at Christian Assembly in Los Angeles, California with his pastor, Mark Pickerill, since 1990. He has traveled with Promise Keepers, Greg Laurie Harvest Crusades and Franklin Graham.
He has also been privileged to serve with such church leaders as Jack Hayford, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren. He has recorded worship projects for Maranatha! Music, Integrity Music, and Get Down Ministries.
He has written over 100 songs that are currently being tracked by CCLI and are being sung in churches around the world, including “He Knows My Name,” “Only A God Like You,” “That's Why We Praise Him,” “Lord I Believe In You,” “Mourning Into Dancing,” “Break Through,” “This is What Christmas Means to Me,” and his latest song, “I Have a Hope.”
Tommy writes “ I was serving at a church that serves meals to the homeless and was so taken with the hopelessness in the eyes of the people I was serving. They looked like they had given up on life, just existing, like they were waiting to die. I thought, Lord, what is it that you want to say to them? I was inspired to write a song that encourages them and other hopeless people like them to declare the promises of God over their life. It’s one thing to have someone tell you that there’s hope, it’s another to speak words of hope and promise out of your own mouth with a sense of faith and God’s assurance. After I wrote it I went back and had the privilege of singing this song over them. On a more personal level, when I wrote this song the circumstances of my life were telling me that my ministry influence was only going to be shrinking. I was actually feeling a bit discouraged about this, but then God, as if I had nothing to do with writing it, ministered a renewed sense of destiny and hope to me through this song.”

Easter Music

2009-02-19T11:04:00.009-06:00

Here are the downloads for the Easter Music.
Thanks for all you do to make everything so successful.

Hosanna.mp3

Happy Day.mp3

Remember Me.mp3

I Will Rise.mp3

Let the Veil Down.mp3

He Rose.mp3

At the Cross.mp3

Matt Maher

2009-02-09T15:19:00.004-06:00

We had the privelege of hosting Matt Maher at our church this weekend. Matt is an amazing worship leader and it is so evident that God's hand and annointing are upon him. Matt lead worship for our youth focus weekend, and help call our students and many of our adults to a higher recognition of God's presence in our lives. You probably know Matt from the songs he has written like "Your Grace Is Enough", and "Let Your Kingdom Come". Matt is also actively involved with the ministries of Worship Together.com We were blessed to have Matt and his band here, and I know that the impact of this weekend will continue to be felt for a long time.

http://www.mattmahermusic.com/

Worship Together Live! Coming to SHBC

2009-01-30T09:09:00.012-06:00

You won't want to miss this one. Worship Together Live, is coming to Southern Hills Baptist Church, in Tulsa OK on March 30th, 2009. This worship training event and evening worship concert will be lead by Tim Hughes, who has written the songs "Here I Am to Worship", "Beautiful One", "Happy Day", "God of Justice", and many other. Tim will be joined by Brenton Brown who has written the songs "Everlasting God", "Hallelujah Your Love Is Amazing", "Lord Reign In Me". They will also be joined by the Michael Gungor Band. Michael co-wrote the song "Friend of God", as is one of the most talented up and coming worship leaders. Michael has some local ties because he is an ORU graduate, and his father pastors a church in Tulsa. You can find out more information about this exciting event by clicking on the following link. Mark this date on your calendar, it will be a wonderful time of worship. You can also click on the second link to watch a video about Worship Together Live.

http://www.worshiptogether.com/live/

http://www.worshiptogether.com/static/ads/video/leg2_wtlive.mpg

Every Day

2009-01-18T19:36:00.004-06:00

This is a new song that we have been singing the last three weeks. It is very simple, but the message is one that we all need. Worship is all about a daily relationship with an eternally amazing God, who has revealed Himself through His son Jesus. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth of worship, and His desire is to walk in fellowship with us. All I can say to that is "Amazing" The Message says is this way.

Romans 12
Place Your Life Before God
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

This song was written by Joel Huston of the Hillsongs Church in Australia. You are probably familiar with another one of their worship leaders by the name of Darlene Zschech who "Shout to the Lord". I hope you enjoy the song. I have embedded a link to the song, and another link with the story behind the song.

http://www.theheartofworship.com/stories/Story-360-EveryDay-JHouston.mp3

Michael Chenoweth

2009-01-15T16:59:00.003-06:00

It was a privelege to have Michael Chenoweth ministering with us today in song. Michael is the nephew of Ralph Jones, and is one of the principal soloists with the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX. Prestonwood is one of the largest churches in America. Michael sings as a soloist with choir, but also has a wonderful solo worship album. Michael sang a few songs from his worship project, but the highlight of the day was when he sang the song "Cry Holy" with the worship choir and orchestra. Michael recorded this song on the Prestonwood choir album "Power in the Name". If you would like to find out more about Michael or his church you can click on the following links.

http://www.praiseprojects.org/

http://www.prestonwood.org/

Winter 2009

2009-01-13T21:37:00.008-06:00

Here are all of the mp3 for the Winter Choir CD. They will be up here for at least a month, and I will probably repost them at the end of the month. You can click on the following links to download these songs. On some computers you may have to download the song by right clicking on the link and then clicking on "save target as". Also the newest version of windows media players should play these without downloading them by simply clicking on the link. There is also a zip file that will download all of them into a zip folder.

Use Me.mp3

O Taste And See.mp3

No More Night.mp3

Let Your Kingdom Come.mp3

Journey Medley.mp3

Cry Holy.mp3

12 From the Rooftops.mp3

At the Cross.mp3

10 Because of Who You Are.mp3

10 Be Still and Know.mp3

08 I then shall live.mp3

05 Somebody Tell It.mp3

02 I Have a Hope.mp3

batch.zip.zip

Ron Dicianni

2008-11-13T20:17:00.003-06:00

I had the privelege of meeting and spending some time with renowned artist Ron Dicianni. Mr. Dicianni is a well known Christian artist who is displaying some of his artwork at the Victory Christian Center church this week. For those who have been to my home, or in my office you have seen many of the works of Ron Dicianni. I went up to see the paintings this afternoon, but was suprised when I was told they were having some trouble with some of the displays. As I was waiting in the lobby, I saw Ron Dicianni, and began a lengthy conversation. He was very delightful. He talked about his love of painting and his desire to reclaim the arts for Christ. Before his venture into Christian art, he was a well know artist in the secular world, but he told me that he always had a desire in his heart to bring his art to the Christian community. We also spoke about how it is his desire to paint works of art that display the body of Christ in a way that makes people think. He said that art always carries a message with it. We talked about family, and he said what kind of messages do we want to send to our families. If we have pictures of a boat, or pictures of Michael Jordan, or the latest entertainer in the rooms of our houses we are sending a message, sometimes a message or influence of people we would never allow to enter our house an influence our families, but that through art or pop culture we allow to send messages that sometimes go against our own beliefs. It is his desire to create works of art that would draw individuals and families towards the presence of God in their lives. What an amazing concept. Worship through art. One of Dicianni's most famous paintings is called the "Prodigal" and amazing depiction of the prodigal son returning home. He shared with me that many years after he painted this picture, he experienced a similar scene with his son who had ran away from the faith that he had been taught, but returned home to his family and to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was blown away by how genuine Ron was, and how he was so trasparent in his sharing. If you have never seen any of his works, I encourage you to click on the following . You won't be disappointed.

http://www.rondicianni.com/

Bass Pro Shops

2008-11-12T16:23:00.004-06:00

This last Sunday evening the choir had a great time of ministry at the Bass Pro Shops in Broken Arrow. We were invited to share Christmas carols, and pass out information about the church as a part of the Bass Pro Shops Santa's Wonderland. We had a great group of singers, and sang for hundreds of people who came for this free event. The choir even made it on the Channel 6 and 8 nightly newscast. It was a fun and festive time, and I know that many were blessed through this time of caroling.

The Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

2008-09-10T14:01:00.003-05:00

Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c. 1540 – January 27, 1595) was an English privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Queen Elizabeth I awarded Drake knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588, subordinate only to Charles Howard and the Queen herself. He died of dysentery after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1595.

Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Yeah Dad, Yeah George

2008-07-29T17:30:00.001-05:00

When we came to Southern Hills Baptist Church in Tulsa, we bought a house that we loved, except for one thing. The carpet! The floorplan was great, the house had been repainted, it had fairly new roof, but the carpet was this horrible shade of pink. It was somewhere between rose colored and dirty red, and it was old. So before we moved in we had the brillant idea of putting in lamenant wood flooring. The guy at the store said, "it's easy" it just clicks together like a jigsaw puzzle. I have now come to realize that in many ways "it's easy" are someone's famous last words. It wasn't easy, in fact it was hard. We were blessed that there was a man in our church who was about as handy as they get. In fact we did one bedroom before George took over the project, and it took us two days. It took George one day to do the entire living room, but as we got to the end even George was little frustrated by the materials we were working with which were less than friendly. As we approached the end of the project we were all tired, and weary from our work. My mom had been watching my two year old at the time at a park near our house, and when they learned that we were nearing completion she brough him home. When we came in the door he was so excited he ran over to where we were working and he began jumping up and down yelling Yeah! Daddy Yeah! George. He stood there and cheered us on until we finally put down the last board. I must say that those last board where probably some of the hardest, but they seemed like some of the easiest because of the enormous encouragement we had recieved. I began to think about that scene as I went to sleep that night, and God began to show me that my little boy was reflecting His heart toward us. God is our great encouragement. He cheers us on when we are weary, and gives us strength to finish the course with skill and courage. In fact the Bible tells us in Hebrews 12
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons.

How encouraging it is to know that God calls us His children, and that as our Father He has a great plan for each of our lives.

Here I Am to Worship

2008-07-20T19:16:00.003-05:00

My son's favorite worship songs is Here I Am To Worship. He amazed me the other day by singing it almost all day long. It seemed like wherever he went he was singing this song. He sang it in the car, at the splash pad, on the swing, while he was eating ice cream, and while he was going to bed. I enjoy my kids singing, but at first I had to admit I thought it was a little strange that he was singing this song everywhere he went. Then God spoke to me, and revealed to me that Ben had the right idea. He reminded me that every moment that we are alive, every moment that we live and breathe is a moment that He has given us to worship Him. We should be worshipping non-stop. Yet sometimes we seem to think that worship only takes place on Sunday, in a worship center, with guitars and big screens, when in reality worship is what takes place in our hearts. So we literally can worship God in every moment, no matter the space, and regardless of our circumstances.

Freedom Celebration Pictures

2008-07-01T15:51:00.005-05:00

Here is a link to some pictures taken by Stephanie Love at the Freedom Celebration. Thanks for sharing these. I hope you enjoy.

http://gallery.mac.com/nooniem#100193&view=null&bgcolor=black&sel=0

Channel 2 video from Freedom Celebration

2008-07-01T15:34:00.003-05:00

This is the video that aired on the 10 o clock Channel 2 news on Sunday evening. It was a wonderful evening. Thanks to everyone who made this evening a great success. Thanks to God for giving us a beautiful evening.

God of Wonders

2008-06-24T16:05:00.002-05:00

God of Wonders was written by Marc Byrd and Steve Hindalong for the album "City of A Hill", a compilation cd recorded with the idea of community in mind. Hindalong explains, "Our concept of community was one that takes the emphasis off of the particular artist and places it where it belongs-- in worship and exaltation of God." God of wonders is a simple declaration of the holiness and majesty of God. According to the group Third Day who appeared on the original recording, and then released a very popular version of the song they at first passed on recording the song, not feeling that the song was right them. Hindalong had a different idea, and later convinced them to record part of the song. It has since become one of the most popular songs on the radio and in worship. Hindalong says "The second verse to me is where the song really has its power. It says 'when I stumble in the darkness, I will call your name by night.' I wanted to say that the God we worship is that big and vast, beyond even our world, but yet He listens to us when we're in trouble and He cares for us like a loving, tender Father. That's a powerful truth, that song, and it's a privelege to offer something like that."

Below is a video montage from the Hubble telescope set to the song "God of Wonders"

Mark Buchannon

2008-06-21T17:06:00.003-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to spend the day with Mark Buchannon at the Willow Creek Arts Conference, in a small group setting. Mark is one of my favorite authors. He spoke on his book "The Rest of God", and about a new book he is writing about the seasons of life based on Ecc. 3.

As It Is In Heaven

2008-05-20T13:54:00.002-05:00

This is a link to the song As It Is In Heaven. We did this song on Sunday. It incorporates parts of the Lord's Prayer, and really seeks to ask what is God's will, and how it can be accomplished through the body of Christ here on Earth. I think that it really makes you think about the fact that God's will has an eternal perspective, and that He is using the circumstances of this life to prepare us for heaven the place where see His will perfected.

Freedom Celebration

2008-05-05T14:11:00.002-05:00

Join us for the Freedom Celebration on June 29th, 2008 from 5-7 P.M. at the Jenks Riverwalk. This concert is a celebration of the freedom we enjoy in our country and the freedom we have in Christ.

God of This City

2008-04-02T21:45:00.005-06:00

Click here to listen to the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmC44K0xQLE

A group named "Bluetree" wrote the song "God of this City", and it's actually quite an amazing story. Nov 2007,the worship band Bluetree are heading out to Pattaya Thailand to participate in an event arranged by Belfast missionaries living in Pattaya, Thailand called Pattaya Praise. Here is the story in their own words.

We’ve no expectation of the event; we were just looking for an opportunity to serve somehow. We didn’t know much about it before we left, but Pattaya is a dark place. It’s a small seaside town notorious for it’s sex trade. Throughout our time there we heard countless stories of girls who are bought from their parents for a price, sold to the sex industry at ages as young as 5 years old. Arriving in Pattaya the spiritual climate seems to change, it’s hard to define, but there is a very tangible change. On the bus journey in we’d been our usual cheery selves, but entering Pattaya at 10am and turning on to a street lined by girls ready for business, the bus became very quiet. We’re in total shock. It’s a sunny day but it’s incredible how dark it feels.

’Walking street’ we learn is the epicentre of the sex trade in Pattaya, it’s about a mile long and at night springs to life with neon signs. Thai people are generally conservative in their dress sense – it’s generally considered provocative to bare your shoulders. But on their street the girls are wearing very little, and offering anything you can imagine for a price. It’s easy to look around with human eyes, see the depravity and get angry. You see older men walking hand-in-hand with young girls – as a daddy, that’s hard to take in. It’s easy to get angry, it’s easy to judge – but that’s not our job, so we grit our teeth.

We were in Pattaya to be part of a praise event not far from this street, the soul purpose of which was to worship and show God’s light in a dark place. We wanted to play more than the scheduled slots while we were there, so we found out that one of the bar owners would let us play a worship set in her bar on the proviso that we brought as many from the missions team who would buy coke-a-cola all night. We walk in to the bar which is about the middle of walking street, girls are lined up on the stairs waiting for business. We get set up, we’re really nervous and quite uncomfortable but we kick in to a familiar beat of worship and soon it’s ok. God starts to speak and we started to move in to this spontaneous song. The truth is when you worship in a place, you start to see God’s heart for that place. What would God say to a place like this?

Amidst the depravity God say’s, I’m the God of this City, I’m the King of these people and Greater Thing are Yet to Come, Greater Things are Still to be Done HERE. The song wasn’t written before that night, but we came out of the bar having worshipped with the song that is now the title track of our album – God of this City (Greater things). The song isn’t just for Pattaya – it’s for your city, and it’s true. By faith we must expect that greater things are still to be done.

Chris Tomlin and his band were leading worship at a conference out in the UK. Bluetree was also in attendance and Daniel Carson (Chris' guitarist) heard the song and told Chris to come over to give it a listen. Chris didnt make it in time to hear the song, but talked with Bluetree heard the story of the song after they were done playing it and brought the song to Passion and Louie Giglio as they planned to do their Regional USA tour and World Tour.

Unto the Lamb

2008-04-02T20:57:00.003-06:00

This is a song that we did on Easter Sunday. It is an amazing glimpse of what I think heaven might be like. It also has vision of Isaiah 6 in it as well.

Saved the Day

2008-03-31T15:07:00.004-06:00

I am putting up two videos from our service on Easter Sunday. This is the first one. It is called Saved the Day. Easter Sunday was such a powerful service. I was amazed at how God poured out His presence.

Palm Sunday

2008-03-18T13:07:00.012-06:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the Palm Sunday Service. I thought I would share a clip from Sunday with everyone. This song is called Hosanna, and it is the song that we used for the Triumphal Entry. Get your palm branches out, and your hands up.

Your Grace Is Enough

2008-02-29T15:02:00.004-06:00

Your Grace is Enough was written by Matt Maher, although it originally appeared on an album by Chris Tomlin. Here is a little bit about how Matt wrote the song.

“I wrote ‘Your Grace Is Enough’ when I was going through some hard times in my life. I found myself on the back patio at home with my guitar, reading the Psalms, and I kept singing the same word, “Remember. Remember. Remember…” In the Psalms, David is crying out to God to remember His people. I was fascinated by that and began writing this song I was calling “Remember”, asking God to remember us as we remember Him. When we recall the language of God’s covenant, we end up being in a space where God is already remembering us. The chorus came from Paul’s letter to the Romans, and the idea of the thorn in Paul’s side, begging God to take it away. I think in my mid-twenties, the thorn in my side was loneliness; I was like, “OK God, give me something to fill that space.” I think God comes to us and says, “No, I need to be enough.”

"I had been raised believing in God, but music was my religion in a way. Once high school came, I stopped going to church. I would pray at night before I went to bed. I had a Bible in my room and would read Genesis and Revelation, because I was fascinated with how we got here, and how we're going out, but that was all. My
relationship with God was not very strong. I knew He was real, I just didn't know how much He loved me."

While attending his new church in Arizona, Matt was approached by the youth pastor and the music director to help out. "They both saw something in me that I didn't see, and I know it was God leading me closer to Him. Within two months, I was led to accept what Christ did for me on the cross, and to respond in serving Him in my new church community."

Ten years and many songs later, Maher is now travelling full time as a "musical missionary," and is still involved in local church ministry at St Timothy Catholic Community.

Hosanna

2008-02-20T12:07:00.003-06:00

Paul Baloche is an American Christian music artist, worship leader, and singer-songwriter. Baloche is currently the worship pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas. His wife, Rita Baloche, is also a Christian songwriter. Several Christian artists, such as Michael W. Smith and SONICFLOOd, have recorded Baloche's songs. Many of his songs are among the most performed songs in services in America. Among them are "Open the Eyes of My Heart" and "Above All", cowritten with Lenny Leblanc. "Above All" was nominated for Song of the Year in both the 2002 and 2003 Dove Awards, and in 2002, Michael W. Smith's recording of that song won Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year. Baloche was also nominated for Songwriter of the Year in 2002.

Baloche uses his position as a recording artist to provide resources for churches. His catalog of six albums is focused on providing worship music for the listener to worship along with, and for churches to use in their own services. Baloche has also written a book, God Songs, and released instructional DVDs that cover a variety of issues central to contemporary worship, such as music styles, music theory, creating flow in worship, and guitar techniques (including his distinct open chord voicings).

The song "Hosanna" was co-written with Brenton Brown who wrote songs like "Hallelujah Your Love Is Amazing". They wrote this song out of a need for a stong anthematic song of worship for the celebration of Palm Sunday. There is one line that always jumps out to me, and that is the line "When we see you, we find strength to face the day, in your presence all our fears are washed away". The truth is that sometimes the things we face in this world seems overwhelming. You know what I'm talking about, those days where you wake up and wish you could just go back to bed. Sometimes our worship even reflects that sentiment, but an amazing thing happens as we approach God. As we see Him for who He is we find strength, courage, and boldness to walk through those situations that sometimes seems unbearable, because we find out that we are not alone. God is there walking through those times, washing away our fears, pushing away the doubts of our minds until we are able to break through those obstacles. It's like coming through the clouds on an airplane, and on the other side seeing the most beautiful sunrise. We see God, the reflection of His glory, and we began to experience healing in His presence.

Click to hear Paul Baloche talk about this song:
http://www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-377-Hosanna-Baloche.mp3

Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone

2008-02-07T16:23:00.000-06:00

This song is featured on Chris Tomlin’s CD “See The Morning", and is the last track on his album. Amazing Grace my Chains are Gone is a track that Chris recorded after being approached by Walden Media to rework the hymn for the upcoming feature film entitled Amazing Grace.
This movie is based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Wilberforce meets John Newton the writer of Amazing Grace who inspires him to pursue a life of service to humanity. Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21, and on his way to a successful political career, Wilberforce, over the course of two decades, took on the English establishment and persuaded those in power to end the inhumane trade of slavery.

See an interview with Chris Tomlin where talks about how he came to be involved in recording this song, and view a video clip where he performs his version of Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).

http://www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-345-MyChainsAreGone-Tomlin.mp3

Mighty to Save

2008-01-24T14:33:00.000-06:00

Mighty To Save"

This is another song from the Hillsong music ministry in Sydney Australia. This song is by Reuben Morgan & Ben Fielding. This song has a great reoccuring text. "OUR GOD IS MIGHTY TO SAVE". This is taken from the passage in Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." We will be learning this song to sing at Easter

Click here to read more about Reuben Morgan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_Morgan

Click here to worship along with the song:

My Savior Lives

2008-01-24T14:02:00.000-06:00

The song "My Savior Lives" comes from the New Life Community Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a powerful declaration about the faith that we have in our risen Savior Jesus Christ. The New Life Church is lead by worship pastor Ross Parsley. Ross is responsible for all the weekend services and oversees all the music ministries within the church. A graduate of Oral Roberts University, Ross has been leading worship for over 20 years in local Colorado churches and has led several outreach teams to other countries. He is the worship leader on Integrity Music's "Lord of the Harvest", "Around Your Throne", "I Am Free", and, most recently, "My Savior Lives", as well as co-producer for the Desperation Band. His wife, Aimee, ministers with him in worship and they have five children. Ross served as the Interim Senior Pastor at New Life Church before Pastor Brady Boyd was selected as the new Senior Pastor of New Life Church after the dismissal of former Senior Pastor Ted Haggard. I had the privelege of sitting down and talking with Ross extensively at a conference I went to in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. Ross is a wonderful man of God, who is very passionate about leading others in worship.

http://newlifeworship.com/

Praise to the Lord the Almighty

2008-01-24T13:59:00.000-06:00

Past traditions come to us through the ages. Actions of today determine traditions that will carry on to the future. Praise to the Lord the Almighty was written by Joachim Neander (1650-1680). Though he lived only thirty years, his life and his heritage were steeped in wonderful traditions, and by a surprising twist, his name is carried forward in the scientific community today. Neander was the fifth in a line of Protestant ministers in his family tree named Joachim. All had been powerful preachers, and by tradition alone, Neander had the attention of his community.
He started his youth as something of a prodigal. The story is told that one day, he and his friends went to a church service to make fun of the speaker. As Neander listened to the message, though, his heart was touched and his mind was changed. He reconsidered his plans, and his attentions turned to things that were at least somewhat less prodigal, but he still had a very independent streak. That independent streak nearly led to his death. One day he was chasing an animal through the woods. He chased so far and so long that he was unable to return home before the sun set. In the daylight, the hills in this area were dangerous. In the dark, they were deadly. It was not long before Neander found himself on the brink of falling from a high precipice. Frozen with fear, he prayed to God for help. As Neander related the story, God gave him the courage and strength to move away from the danger. From that day on, Neander devoted himself entirely to serving God.
At age 24, he became head master of a grammar school owned by the Reformed Church in Dusseldorf. The school did well, but Neander could not confine his interests to work. He enjoyed the woods and the hills, and frequently wandered in the countryside. There was a cave in the hills that he especially enjoyed, and he would conduct meetings there to discuss the Bible and various beliefs espoused by the new Protestant sects such as Lutherans and Calvinists. These meetings had not been approved by the local elders, who arrived at the school one day in in 1678 to publicly remove Neander from his post. After that, Neander spent even more time at the cave. He was so closely associated with this place that the area came to be known as the "Neander Valley," and the cave itself as "Neander's cave." Almost two centuries later, evidence of "Neanderthal man" was found in this place.
It is intriguing that the name of this powerful preacher of faith should become connected with a fossil record that is relied on by some scientists as evidence of evolution. Having lived and roamed that very valley, though, Neander clearly stated his conclusion--"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!" Creation is here because God spoke. God looked at the creation and called it good. Consider your origins, the source of your existence, as you sing the words of this song this week. You are a creation of God. You are created to adore the creator. Take time to experience the joy that comes from praising the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

Isabella Grace

2008-01-24T13:55:00.000-06:00

We are so excited about the addition of Isabella (Ella) Grace to our family. Ella was born on December 31st 2007, at 4:02 P.M. at St. Francis Hospital. She was 20 1/2 inches long, 7lbs 14 ozs. Ella is a wonderful baby and beautiful little girl. Momma and baby are both doing wonderful.

Friends Day at Southern Hills

2007-10-29T12:10:00.000-06:00

Come join us for Friends Day, this Sunday November 4th, 2007.

After-Worship Celebration will include not only the free lunch, but also...

* Three inflatable rides for the kids

* Incredible balloon artist

* A terrific Blue Grass Band for all

* Drawing for two trips to Branson!

Drawing for 2 trips to Branson- one for members/attenders- one for guests! (two days/1 night, gasoline voucher, free show of your choice) Members/attenders enter the drawing by making your lunch reservations in advance. Guests enter the drawing by turning in their “Friends Day Guest Card” during the Worship service on November 4. (If you were wondering, you will NOT be required to sit through a timeshare presentation in Branson!)

New sermon series begins on Friends Day: “DESPERATE HOUSEHOLDS” In this series we’ll discover how we can find hope in Christ even when life’s circumstances begins to feel desperate- whether it’s a lack of satisfaction, the frantic pace we live, financial strain, marital/parenting stress, hassles at work, etc.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME CHANGE! Sleep in an extra hour! Remind your friends, too- turn your clocks BACK 1 hour on Saturday night and enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

My Savior, My God

2007-09-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

After serving for five years as a worship leader at Perimeter Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Aaron is now humbled to serve a much larger congregation. As he first began to tour nationally, it was difficult for him to create the intimate environment he longed for at his concerts. “Rather than being able to lead the crowd, I had to think of it as demonstrating the songs, teaching them so that listeners could use them to worship God in their own way,” Aaron recalls. “Now, people are becoming familiar with my songs, and that can change a concert into a corporate worship experience where the crowd can sing along, rather than just being entertained.” Throughout the overwhelming changes he’s experienced over the last few months, Aaron has continued to be awed by God’s kingship and mercy over all of his life, and the songs on Whispered and Shouted are a testament to that.

You can click on the link below to hear from Aaron himself the story behind the song "My Savior, My God", and to listen to the song.

http://www.theheartofworship.com/stories/Story-308-MySaviorMyGod-Shust.mp3

Friend of God

2007-09-13T14:26:00.000-05:00

This song was written by Israel Houghton. Israel leads at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. He and his band New Breed are known for eclectic, cross-cultural praise and worship music and high-energy performances. With 2002's Real, rife with funky 1970s influences, and this year's Live From Another Level, the group has continued to break new ground with their musical combination of the fresh and the familiar. At New Breed's retreat two years ago, we were kind of defining our group mission. We had a moderator help us think that through, and I assumed it would be kind of straightforward. Here's why we exist. It's great. God bless you, everybody. Have a good day. But God hijacked our whole time together. The moderator handed us a sheet listing promises of God and ways we're described in the Bible. He instructed us to circle the one that stood out the most to us. So there are all these statements—"I'm more than a conqueror through Christ." "Nothing can separate me from God," Romans 8, all this stuff. And then I see the statement, "I am a friend of God." Without even thinking of it, I circled that. So the moderator went around the room asking everyone what we'd circled. When it was my turn, before I could even say "I am a…" I just started weeping, uncontrollably. I grew up in a fairly legalistic home. My parents loved God, and they did the very best they could with what they knew. They came from a very discipleship-oriented, fairly heavy-handed way of doing kingdom work. So I would have more easily said, "I am afraid of God" than "I am a friend of God." The view I had of God was dysfunctional, almost like he was looking for opportunities to punish me. That was more what I caught than what was taught. But the more I said "I am a friend of God," the more that old, condemning view was purged from my life. I gained a healing sense of God saying, "I want to know you." Click on the link below to hear Israel talk about this song, and to hear an audio file of the song.
http://www.theheartofworship.com/stories/Story-229-FriendofGod-Israel.mp3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu4PWSnVabg

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

2007-09-13T13:52:00.000-05:00

This hymn by Isaac Watts, labeled by the well-known theologian Matthew Arnold as the greatest hymn in the English language, was written in 1707 for use at a communion service conducted by Watts. It first appeared in print that same year in Watts's outstanding collection, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Its original title was "Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ." Isaac Watts was born on July 17, 1674, in Southampton, England. The eldest of nine children, he was the son of an educated deacon in a dissenting Congregational church. At the time of Isaac's birth, his father was in prison for his non-conformist beliefs. Young Watts showed an unusual aptitude for study and learned Latin at the age of five, Greek at nine, French at eleven and Hebrew at thirteen. He began to write verses of good quality when he was very young.
Watts is frequently referred to as the father of English hymnody. One of his early concerns was the deplorable state to which congregational singing had degenerated in most English-speaking churches. The singing consisted of slow, ponderous Psalms in which each line was first read by an appointed deacon and was followed by the droning of the congregation. The texts of these Psalm-hymns were often crude and inelegant. This is what gave him the desire to write new songs to be used within the church. Watts knew that he would suffer criticism when he sought to change the existing songs into purer Christian worship. The hymns that Watts wrote are over 500 in number and many of them are "the fruit that remains". Wherever believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, meet together for worship, ministry or prayer, his hymns are used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1IUO52q0ZE

Amazed

2007-08-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

The song Amazed was written by Jared Anderson. You can hear the song by clicking on the link below, there is also a video of Jared and some of the other worship leaders from New Life Church. Jared Anderson is an Associate Worship Pastor at 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In this role, he serves as worship leader and director of the Saturday Night Worship Band as well as a worship leader and band director for New Life’s Sunday services. In addition, Jared frequently leads worship for Promise Keepers’ national conferences and also is a member of the critically acclaimed modern worship band Desperation Band.
Writer of the popular worship songs “Rescue,” “Amazed” and “Beauty of the Lord,” Anderson recently stepped away from his collaborative efforts to work on a solo album, Where To Begin. The result sounds, he says, like Ben Folds leading worship, or the church-going offspring of Billy Joel and Joni Mitchell.
Anderson’s artistry has blossomed at New Life Church where he works alongside Worship Pastor Ross Parsley. Anderson, a 26-year-old Oral Roberts University alum credits the collaborative and nurturing environment at New Life for allowing him to pursue his musical gifts and the opportunities that have come his way. “There’s a philosophy of freedom at the church and the leadership empowers people into whatever comes out naturally, letting people do what’s in them to do,” he explains. “That’s created an environment of innovation.”
Jared, his wife Megan and their two young sons reside in Colorado Springs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJm93wx7Qb0
http://www.awaken.nu/Amazed-JaredAnderson.mp3

Everlasting God

2007-08-29T14:59:00.000-05:00

The following is a devotional thought by Brenton Brown the writer of Everlasting God, about the song that he wrote. We did this song last week, and we are doing it again this Sunday. He tells in an interview that he wrote the song around the time that he was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. He say that the Lord used this song to remind him of his dependance upon God. I have also attached a video of Brenton telling some more about the story behind the song, and playing the song.
When the words of Isaiah 40 were first written, Israel was in exile, punished for abandoning her first love, and scattered across the lands of the middle east. Her temple destroyed, Her people conquered in warfare and then enslaved or forced to live as aliens in other countries. In every way they were far from the blessing and peace of David and Solomon's reign. And then God, through Isaiah, speaks these words to her.

6 "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.

One of the things i love about God is how aware He is of our weaknesses - even more aware than we are i think. Aren't these words a healthy corrective to the 'you can do anything you put your mind to' approach we tend to adopt in the West when we want to get things done. The truth is we can't do anything we put our minds to. Sooner or later, no matter who we are, we are eventually confronted with our own mortality. Our own limits. We are weak and fragile and the time we have here on earth is very small. Unfortunately we tend to be mindful of this humbling truth only when we encounter tragedy. But God in this chapter not only reminds Israel of her fragility. He offers His people something they had not known for a long, long time - hope. God promises Israel His comfort and His strength if they simply call on Him. 'Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins....' What God says next to Israel offers all of us hope today because it depends not at all on where we are in history, but entirely on who our unchanging God is. 'See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young'. As God reminds Israel, He reminds us, the spiritual Israel today, that He is aware of us. He is aware of our needs. He knows exactly who we are and what each one of us is struggling with. And He gives us this hope. That those who wait on Him, those who entwine themselves in Him, like a cord is entwined with other cords and is strengthened, will be strengthened by the God who does not grow weary or weak. The everlasting God.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Doesn't this stir your heart to praise? I know it stirs mine. I've said it before, and I know it sounds strange, but I am so proud of our God. I am so proud of His consistency, His compassion, His awesome and unlimited power. But even beyond His power I am moved by the mercy and compassion He has for His people. This is a God worth following, this is a God who stirs my heart in adoration and worship.

Running From God

2007-08-21T19:56:00.000-05:00

The other day while we were in the car my family and I were listening to some music. We love to listen to worship music, and Joseph's children's Cd's, and just have a good time singing at the top of our lungs. This day we were listening to Casting Crowns, a Christian band with an authentic sound and message. They tend to write songs about the church, the world, and the disconnect that sometimes takes place between the two. We were listening to a song called "Does Anybody Hear Her". Andrea and I sang this song in church a couple of months ago, and we really like the message. You can check out the original video at the link below. The song describes a young woman who is searching for significance, meaning, and beauty in all the wrong places, and all the wrong ways. The chorus asks:

"Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?"

The tag line of the song which is sung at the beginning and as the closing thought says this: "She is running a hundred miles an hour, in the wrong direction". As the song ended with this line, my 2 1/2 year old(now 3 year old) quietly asked, "What's she running from, Daddy and Mommy?" I paused to take in the moment and we replied, "She's running from God." "From God?" he asked. "From God," We replied. He sat there for a second, the wheels in his head turned and finally said, "Jonah ran from God."

At that moment we beamed and after we came down from our self-given title of "World's Greatest Parent" (Bible Edition), We said "Yes, Jonah did run from God." It is amazing how God gives us opportunities to talk with our kids about spiritual things. So my wife asked if he had ever run from God. He said, "no." Then he asked us if we had ever run from God. That must have been God's way of humbling me for the "World's Greatest Parent" thoughts. We said yes, and then then told Joseph that some day he might run from God, but if he did he should always remember that God loves you, and that you can always come back to God.

I then began to think about what had taken place, and what is it in our human frailty that causes us to run from God. It's not as if if was a surprise to God, for seemingly man has been running since the beginning, and we have never ceased to stop striding for a perceived freedom that some how always alludes us. Think about it, Adam and Eve ran from God in the garden, Jacob ran from Esau, Moses ran from the Egyptians, the people of Israel ran so many times you can't count it on your fingers, Elijah ran from Ahab and Jezebel, David ran from Saul, Peter ran from a young girl! In fact it seems like it might second nature to run, to flee, to take matters into our own hands instead of trusting the sovereign hands of our loving, Creator, God. In fact if I think about it to much it might get depressing, knowing that if they set up a Hall of Fame for the Bible, gave out "goat skin" sports coats (because we all know that Biblical character wore goat skin), had induction speeches with busts of the all time greats of the Bible these guys would all have been in on the first ballot. So what hope do I have, I've never done a miracle, been a king, or walked on water. The hope that we do have is found in a loving, heavenly father who runs faster than we do. We have an eternal God, the God who created all we see, who chases after us. He pursues us with a holy passion. He sees us sailing in the wrong direction, away from our Nineveh's, the mission fields of our life and loves us enough to send a storm into our lives so that He can get our attention, and but He doesn't leave us in the storm, He sends us a whale as a miraculous vehicle of restoration and redirection that brings us to a place of humility, and back to the place God intended for us to be, to serve, and to dwell. And where is that you ask. In the center of His amazing will.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkynTSM1jFw

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever

2007-08-16T12:05:00.000-05:00

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever is taken from Psalm 89, where the writer Ethan the Ezrahite declares " I will sing of the Lord's great love forever. It was written by Martin Smith of the English band "Delirious". Martin describes the writing of the song. "It must have been 1994. We were on holiday as a family. We were in Devon, staying in an old farmhouse. It overlooked the sea and the hills and the mountains. It really was amazing,to sit on the edge of a hill, pre-kids, being able to dream a bit more, so I grabbed an acoustic guitar and I was sitting outside thinking this is beautiful! The mountains, the seas, this is amazing! That song just wrote itself in about five minutes. The same chords the whole way through the song. I did it at church, and it was good but I don't think it really blew anybody away. It wasn't like, 'Oh Martin's written the most amazing song!' I still don't really think it is. But yes, that song, that moment changed our lives really. It's been one of the most sung songs in America and around the world. Martin sums up his feelings about the song by saying "When your writing your just thinking I want to create something that actually makes God smile".
Download the file below to hear Martin and part of the song, or check out the video below. If you play guitar be sure to check out the end of the video where Martin shows you how to play this song on the guitar.

http://www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-338-ICouldSing-Delirious.mp3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDt65Kq-J5s

A Mighty Fortress Is our God

2007-08-15T13:09:00.000-05:00

This great hymn of the faith was written by the reformer Martin Luther sometime between 1527 and 1529. It is often referred to as the "Battle Hymn" of the Reformation, because of the effect that it had increasing the "Reformer's" cause.
The words parapharsed from the 46th Psalm, has had 80 translations, in 53 languages making it one of the most known hymns of all time. The 46th psalm was written in response to God’s delivering His people from severe calamity and trial. Psalm 46 begins with “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.” It then describes a event in which the city of Jerusalem was under siege by enemy armies, using pictures of the earth shaking and mountains falling and waters flooding to express how dire the situation was. Then the psalmist describes how, though the Israelites could do nothing in their own power, God was with His people and He could not be shaken nor moved and He won the victory. The final stanza of the psalm looks ahead to the future when God shall defeat all armies and establish his eternal reign. It presents God as the conqueror who is the one and only victorious and sovereign God. Therefore He tells us: “be still and know that I am God”. Martin Luther used Psalm 46 as the inspiration for “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Luther’s four stanzas interpret this psalm from his own experience during the troubled times of the Reformation. He interpreted the psalm to be not merely expressing God’s protection and strength for God’s people of Jerusalem, but for God’s people of all times. And he understood the battle described in the psalm to be more than an earthly battle but a spiritual battle. So Luther saw in Psalm 46 a great encouragement for himself and the Reformers that God would be a strong refuge and strengh for them in their current time of trouble—a battle against not merely fleshly armies but in the realm of spiritual warfare as they defended the Gospel itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DlNzrvrugM

Holy Is the Lord

2007-08-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

The song "Holy is the Lord" is based on the sixth chapter of Isaiah, and the verses come from Nehemiah 8 where the people lifted their hands and responded "Amen and Amena" after the word of God was read. Below is a link to site were you can actually here the writer, Chris Tomlin talking about how God inspired him to write this song, and how God has used it in his minstry.

http://www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-303-HolyistheLord-Tomlin.mp3

Chris Tomlin is a Christian worship leader and songwriter from Grand Saline, Texas, United States. He is a staff member at Austin Stone Community Church and is signed to EMI's sixstepsrecords. Tomlin also leads worship at many Passion events. Some of his most well known songs are "How Great Is Our God", "Famous One", and "Holy Is The Lord", and "Forever". According to the Christian Copyright Licensing International, Tomlin is the most sung Christian artist in the United States. Even as a small town Texan boy pounding out new tunes with his rag-tag garage band, Chris Tomlin had been blessed with a passion for purpose. He wanted to be more than just another guy with a song. As he grew, he became even more aware of the fact that everything-what we do, who we are-exists only for God's glory. "God is a mystery beyond our comprehension," says Tomlin. "We can't figure God out. He won't be boxed in. He's bigger than all our questions and bigger than our answers. And when our lives become aligned with Him, we see life in a different light, hearts are restored and people are healed." People are not meant to be worshiped because we're always going to mess up," he says. "Our culture longs to ascribe value to so many things that aren't of God, so anytime we can focus on God, and through that help people do the same, we're doing what we were put here for. And that's a powerful thing."

http://www.christomlin.com

Here I Am To Worship

2007-07-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

Tim Hughes is a Christian worship leader and songwriter with Survivor Records, who is currently Director of Worship at Holy Trinity Brompton, a vibrant Anglican church in central London and heads up Worship Central, a new worship training resource. The son of an Anglican vicar, Hughes grew up in Birmingham and studied History at Sheffield University. Prior to his current post, Hughes worked at Soul Survivor Watford Church, where he was Worship Pastor. Tim Hughes has recorded and released three albums: Here I Am to Worship in 2001, When Silence Falls in 2004 and Holding Nothing Back in 2007. His Dove Award-winning song "Here I Am to Worship" has become a world-renowned worship song for the church. Other well known tracks of his include "Beautiful One"; "Jesus, You Alone"; "Consuming Fire"; and "Whole World in His Hands". Holding Nothing Back, his third album, was released on April 3rd, 2007, and includes songs like "The Highest and the Greatest", "God of Justice", and "Everything".
I recently had the opportunity to spend about 3 hours listening to Tim at a worship conference I attended in Grapevine, TX during the July 4th week. Tim spoke on worship, and about song writing. He has such a humble heart, and is truly seeking to help others worship God. He said that when he was about 15 God put it in his heart to write songs, and lead worship. So for three or four years he wrote, and sang songs in church, but none of his music ever recieved very well. So at the age of 18 he had decided to give up the guitar, and song writing. He said that he was sitting in a conference that had nothing to do with worship, and one of the speakers came up and told him that God was going to use him to write great songs. He said that this inspired him to continue writing, even though he did not want to. It was a few years later that he penned the words to "Here I Am to Worship". Thank God for the encouragement of that conference speaker. Can you imagine if Tim had given up, and given in to the lie of the enemy. We would have never heard what I would consider to be one of the greatest worship songs of the last 10 years.
http://www.timhughesmusic.com/

Freedom

2007-06-28T12:52:00.000-05:00

Darrell Evans is the writer of many of the songs we sing in worship. Songs like Trading My Sorrows, Freedom, Let the River Flow, and Your Love is Extravagant. Darrell began his ministry training at L.I.F.E. Bible College in Los Angeles, California. Darrell led worship at Tulsa Vineyard Church while he was a student at Oral Roberts University and he served as worship pastor at Open Bible Fellowship Church in Jenks, Oklahoma which opened the door to his first of the Integrity albums.
However, for Darrell, all this information doesn’t really describe who he is. They’re just facts and don’t really give you a clear sense of the person inside.
“I want people to know who I am. I want them to know the challenges that I have experienced and overcome because there may be something in my journey that they can connect with. In sharing my walk with the Lord, they can see that it isn’t always easy and maybe they will be able to identify with me and say…Hey, someone else experienced what I am going through.”
With the busyness of travel and full-time ministry, Darrell Evans slowly began to let his relationship with the Lord take a backseat. As that continued to happen, Darrell began to experience frustration in his personal life. His relationship with his wife began to suffer and he began to struggle with an addiction to gambling.
“I had stopped cultivating my secret place with the Lord and because of it, everything else was unraveling. Gambling became my escape and it ended up affecting every area of my life and I hurt a lot of people. The vacuum from my lack of spending time with the Lord was swallowing everything in my life.”The gambling problem spiraled and eventually his marriage ended in a divorce as a result. For Darrell, that seemed like the end for him. Desperately looking for answers, he took 6 months off to re-evaluate his life. Numerous counseling sessions and advice from friends and family brought him some peace; but he needed more.
Darrell finally found freedom at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was traveling back to Tulsa from Washington State with a friend. Everything he owned was in the back of the fifteen passenger van that they were driving. Darrell was introduced to Ross Parsley(worship pastor) and this godly men helped him get back on his feet. “My connection and friendship with Ross and his willingness to be there for me regardless of what I had done was the basis for my freedom. It was their devotion to loving me no matter what, that truly reflected God’s love into my heart and I experienced, for the first time, who I am in Christ.” After that, everything began to change for him. Today, Darrell is once again traveling and ministering all over the country. Before, I would sing about freedom and my heart would be truly crying out for it but now I am walking in that freedom.

http://www.darrellevans.com/

Freedom Celebration Sunday, July 1 2007

2007-06-28T10:16:00.001-05:00

Sunday, July 1 2007
10:30 A.M at Southern Hills Baptist Church
5:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M Jenks Riverwalk Amphitheatre

Ordination Sermon

2007-06-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity last Sunday to take part in an ordination service at the church where I began my ministry, 10 years ago. I was sixteen at the time and God had just called me into ministry, and then opened the door to go to Meadowbrook. I had been back once or twice since I left about 5 years ago. I love the people there with all my heart. Many of the people are the same, although many great saints have gone on to be with the Lord. It was interesting because, I thought that I was coming to take part in the service, but somehow the church thought I was coming to bring the key note message. Whoops! All I can say is that miscommunication happens. I once read that 80 percent of all conflict comes from miscommunication. The other 20 percent of conflict just comes from mean people. Now obviously the situation that I have described did not create conflict, but it could have if the people involved had not been submitted to God, and to each other. Ultimately I found out in enough time to look over some key scripture passages, and all went well. To protect the unity of the church, as believers we must be intentional about the way that we communicate, and as a listener we must be committed to seeking out the true intentions of a statement, so as to avoid miscommunication and the conflict that sometimes rises out of miscommunication.