Sunday Setlist - 11.28.10

Week #123 of Sunday Setlists. Here is our setlist for Sunday, November 28th.

- Glory to God Forever by Steve Fee
- Word of God Speak by MercyMe
- Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King by Gateway Worship
- Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin
- My Savior's Love by Charles H. Gabriel
- Christ is Risen by Matt Maher
- Revelation Song by Jennie Lee Riddle

Wow, what a service this morning! We did something way different than anything we've ever done before since I've been at the church; we pretty much read God's Word the whole entire service. A friend from school put together a reading of "God's Story." It is God's story from Genesis and Creation to the end of Revelation. He put together this script with only scripture. The cool thing is he didn't use only Genesis passages for creation. He used scripture from throughout the Word to make up that section. There were many sections and he did the same for each. In between some of the sections I mixed in the above songs and also the Advent reading fit in perfectly as well. It was such a great morning. It's hard to write about it. I'm hoping to get the video of it up on YouTube shortly and then include them to this post, but you can also download a PDF of the script from the sermon page on our church's webpage on Tuesday, November 30th, once it's posted.

To check out what others are doing in their services and learn more about what Sunday Setlists is all about, check out TheWorshipCommunity.com at http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-123/

Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias

Wow, what a book! Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias was amazing. It was definitely a hard and challenging book to read, but I am very glad that I kept to it. I have heard him speak before and am very familiar with his ministry and what he does, but this is the first book of his that I've read. It was hard and challenging because there was a lot of information, concepts, and ideas. It was also challenging because it's convicting. Ravi and a host of others challenge us to pursue evangelism. They provide a lot of useful information regarding the mindset of other world religions and how best to reach them. Ravi set up this book into three sections; part one is Giving an Answer, part two is Internalizing the Questions and Answers, and part three is Living Out the Answers. The first section provides a wealth of knowledge on the major world religions. The second section is where the knowledge starts to become personal as we begin to consider our part as Christians in bringing the message of the gospel to the world. The third section is where we're challenged to live out what has become personal and internal. What is written in the pages of this book is essential to the life we're called to as Christians. This is a book that I plan on coming back to; one, because I need to continue to learn what is present in part one, and two, because it's a challenge that I need to remember. I end with a quote that strikes at the heart of the matter and one that should cause every Christian to think hard about the life we are living and Who we are living for.

"I have little doubt that the single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been its inability to provide answers, but the failure on our part to live it out."

Special thanks to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

Sunday Setlist - 11.21.10

Week #122 of Sunday Setlists. Here is our setlist for Sunday, November 21st.

- O Worship the King by Chris Tomlin
- Holy, Holy, Holy by Reginald Heber
- Glorified by Jared Anderson
- New Doxology by Gateway Worship
- You Are God Alone by Phillips, Craig & Dean

Another great morning at Bethel. I pray that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

"Shout joyfully to the Lord , all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100

To check out what others are doing in their services and learn more about what Sunday Setlists is all about, check out TheWorshipCommunity.com at http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-122/

Jesus Culture | Come Away

Come Away by Jesus Culture is my first real exposure to them and it is a fantastic recording. I first heard of them when I came across a video of How He Loves (John Mark McMillan) done by Kim Walker-Smith. I love their sound and their style of worship. It reminds me a lot of Hillsong and Gateway. I'm always on the lookout for new music and I'm glad I came across this CD. I'm very much interested in their music and would love to get more of it. I love that this album is a live recording. Studio albums are great, but when it comes to a time of worship, you still get the sense of God moving mightily coming through the recording. Even just listening to this recording, I'm drawn into worship. The band is amazing and the vocals are equally as great, just soaring over everything. I love the space they leave and just hearing the congregation lifting up shouts of praise. The majority of these songs are vertical in nature. They're singing to God, not just about Him.

You Are My Passion: I believe this will be a great song for the church to grab a hold of. It is well suited for congregational use. I could see my church using it. The lyrics are wonderful, singing straight to God and ascribing His attributes. We are called to give Him praise and that's exactly what this song is doing. I'm alive to bring glory to You, King. God of glory, You are my passion. My strength in life is I am Yours. My soul delights because I am Yours.

Let It Rain: I'm always captivated by a song with these simple lyrics, yet such a deep and intimate meaning. Let it rain, let it rain, open the floodgates of heaven. A song of calling out to God to let His love pour forth. Not just in a trickle, but a flood. This song may not work for every church, but I think in the right context and at the right moment, it could have a tremendous impact.

One Thing Remains: I believe this is a song the current times we're in. We are living in a world that isn't stable. A lot of people are hurting; physically, financially, spiritually, etc. Here we have a song that's crying out no matter what else happens in this life, there is one thing that remains, the love of a Holy God. For it overwhelms and satisfies my soul. And I never ever have to be afraid. 'Cause one thing remains. Your love never fails, it never gives it, it never runs out on me.

You can purchase the CD here on amazon.com when it releases on November 23rd.

Sunday Setlist - 11.14.10

Week #121 of Sunday Setlists. Here is our setlist for Sunday, November 14th.

- Hosanna by Paul Baloche
- I Am Yours (Take My Life) by Michael Neale
- Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin
- Your Grace is Enough by Chris Tomlin

Another great morning of worship at Bethel. We had a lot going on this morning. The time of singing was sweet. The worship team was right on this morning and I could tell the congregation was really connecting! We had a time of prayer as we dedicated around 20 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We also honored our veterans and those currently serving in our armed forces. We had a lot going on last Sunday, so we chose to do it this morning. Here is a video we showed; A Veterans Day Tribute.



This morning the message was brought by David Yetter. He is the Executive minister for CONVERGE PacWest which is our region under our larger gathering of churches called CONVERGE Worldwide. He brought a message from Luke, the story of the prodigal son; Luke 15.11-32. His message was titled A Heart Like His. He had three parts to his message; the younger son, the older brother, and the father. The focus was on the father and how he approached the situation with love and compassion and we need to have that kind of heart.

To check out what others are doing in their services and learn more about what Sunday Setlists is all about, check out TheWorshipCommunity.com at http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-121/

Surprised by Worship by Travis Cottrell

Surprised by Worship by Travis Cottrell is an absolutely amazing book. I've known of Travis, his music, and his ministry for quite a while. I use a lot of his songs and arrangements of hymns in my own church. When I heard he was writing a book, I could not wait to read it. After reading this book I was drawn to the subtitle, Discovering the Presence of God Where You Least Expect It. I've read books for information or because I'm interested in the target, and while that's true with this book, there came something else. I was drawn into worship while reading this book, I was surprised by worship. Yes, this is a book about worship and he uses plenty of scripture with examples of where the people of God were surprised by worship. But this book is so much more. This is a book that is also the outpouring of the heart of a worshipper. Travis opens his heart and shares his own story of how God led him in his journey of worship, personally and with his family. I love hearing his story of how God brought him to Englewood Baptist Church. Reading it in this book was not the first time I've heard it, but it still speaks to me. The book culminates in the last chapter, surrender, to cease resisting another power; to yield to a different influence. He begins the chapter this way,

"As I sit on the other side of the worship adventures I have recounted in this book, I recall those man-made boundaries I once placed around worship. Then I reflect on the surprises that have forced me to rethink the meaning of worship and how I can adjust my thoughts, practices, and conclusions accordingly. Obviously, the old definitions I once held were entirely too narrow. To think that worship entails only the hour spent in a church sanctuary each week is like thinking Sunday lunch is the only meal I need to nourish me for the week."

He also says this in that same chapter, "To worship God is to offer Him what He is worthy of receiving; adoration, love, and devotion." And this, "Worship doesn't depend on easy tasks, ideal circumstances, or perfect lives, but on a surrendered heart." Reading that last chapter was very encouraging and convicting for me, but it was exactly a chapter that I needed to read.

from the inside cover, "Join worship leader and recording artist Travis Cottrell for a personal and uplifting look at one of God's greatest gifts. And don't be surprised if you get caught up in a new experience of worship."

I was and I'm sure you will be too. To God be the glory!

Special thanks to Zondervan for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick

I didn't hear about Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick until a couple weeks before the book actually released. I had heard about Steven and Elevation Church before so I knew what a dynamic man of God he is and the passion he has for ministry. So when I heard he was coming out with the book, I was very excited about reading it. I was curious as to what the title meant, but I was also interested in it because of the subtitle, What Happens When You Dare to Ask God For the Impossible. The book is taken from Steven's journey as a young christian to where he is now. He felt a strong calling from God on his life to pastor a church. I'm sure at the time for him and in the time when he moved to Charlotte, that that felt like an impossible task. It also stems for the story of Joshua in the Bible. In Joshua chapter 10 he is heavily engaged in a battle when the sun begins to set. Joshua believed that God had given the Amorites into his hand and wanted to finish the battle. However that wouldn't happen if the sun went down. So Joshua pray this seemingly impossible prayer. He asks God to make the sun stand still. God answers that prayer and Joshua wins the battle.

The story of Joshua and the content of this book is all about faith, audacious faith. Steven says this as a preview to one of the chapters,

"Audacious faith is not built on the fault line of feelings or the flood plain of your performance. You're building your faith on solid ground. Higher ground. You're building on the faithfulness of God."

Are we willing to strive towards a faith that is built solidly on God. Are we willing to ask Him through prayer for what may seem impossible. We have the ability to and God has the power to act on it. As Steven says though, "If you're going to pray for God to make the sun stand still, you'd better be ready to march all night."

Special thanks to Multnomah Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review. You can purchase the book here on amazon.com.

Sunday Setlist - 11.7.10

Week #120 of Sunday Setlists. Here is our setlist for Sunday, November 7th.

- Open the Eyes of My Heart by Paul Baloche
- Praise to the Lord, the Almighty by Travis Cottrell
- A Mighty Fortress by Christy Nockels
- Beautiful the Blood by Steve Fee

It was a great morning at Bethel. Worship through song was amazing and we had a lot of other great stuff going on. We had a baptism and took communion. Our pastor finished Hebrews 12 this morning. As I was reading over the passage last week, I got to the last verse and the verses leading up to it, and it's talking about the unshakable kingdom of God and that He is a consuming fire. My mind automatically went to the song A Mighty Fortress by Christy Nockels. It's a song that we've never done before, but I brought it to my team at our rehearsal, and they picked it right up. We did as a special music number and it went great.

This past week I was reading Facedown by Matt Redman. A lot of great stuff in that book, but I ran across one section that resonated with our opening song, so I shared it with the congregation as we began our service. I want to share it with all of you now, as I believe it should be the focus of our worship, especially as worship leaders. We primarily lead worship through song, but the songs are just a tool. True worship begins in the heart.

"Each time we gather together as a worshipping community, we must find ways to reflect these aspects of the nature and character of God. The songs are one thing. But it goes way beyond the music. It's our whole approach. Are we preparing our heart for a divine encounter?"
Matt Redman | Facedown

To check out what others are doing in their services and learn more about what Sunday Setlists is all about, check out TheWorshipCommunity.com at http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-120/