Hey everyone! With Christmas in just a few days, I thought I would do a blog involving Christmas! I love all Christmas music, but I really love Christmas carols. Especially the old ones. Their lyrics are so intricate and meaningful. I was riding in the car with my dad last week and we were talking about what I should blog about. We started talking about Christmas carols/hymns and two specific ones that are my favorites came to mind: O Come, O Come Emmanuel and O Holy Night. O Come, O Come Emmanuel was written in 1861. O Holy Night was written in 1847. Both songs are pretty similar in what they are saying. There is a gloominess in the beginning and then there is rejoicing at the end. Here are the first few lines of both songs. See if you can point out the similarities:
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
I think it is neat how the words to both songs are so alike. Both are talking about how desolate and meaningless the world is without Jesus and how we have no hope in our sin. Then Jesus comes and we see more similarities:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel says:
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Holy Night says:
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
When Jesus appeared everything changed. There was no hope until Jesus came and there is no hope in the human heart without Jesus. We can rejoice and be glad during Christmas and remember that because of Jesus there is hope. Music has a way of touching the heart like nothing else. You might have noticed that both of the songs say "rejoice" at the end and that is what Christmas is all about. We can rejoice that Jesus came to save us and give us life. I hope that you and your families have a wonderful Christmas rejoicing in Jesus' coming and knowing the He will come again! :)
Kandace
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
A Change of Pace
This coming Sunday, the 14th, we will be having what we call our "acoustic Sunday". I especially look forward to these times because it's a nice change of pace for the team and it's something that happens twice per year at the most. A normal Sunday worship set for us includes two electric guitars, piano, bass, keyboard, full drum kit and lots and lots of singers....and a choir. :) Our acoustic Sundays are simplified down from this a great deal. The acoustic sets usually include a couple of acoustic guitars, a djembe and a singer. This particular Sunday, we will have one acoustic, a bass, a djembe and a singer, which is quite possibly the simplest the Praise Team has been in a long time.
For me, there is excitement in the acoustic sets for several reasons. One reason is that I have a great appreciation for acoustic music. Even though I love playing lead electric for the team, acoustic versions of our songs creates a different vibe that's hard to explain, but it's interesting. Even though there's no full drum kit, distorted electric guitars or 60 singers, the music somehow still get's very big and still moves dynamically. It's a great thing to experience.
The second reason I enjoy these sets is because of how tight the groove can be. When there's only one acoustic guitar, one bass and a djembe, the music is much more solid. There's no huge solos to bother with, so you can just focus on having a tight groove.
However, above these things, my absolute favorite thing about acoustic Sunday is the spiritual intimacy. When we set up for acoustic Sunday, we will bring a few stools down the lower level of the stage and play just a few feet in front of the first row of seats. We also don't use in-ear monitors and you can really hear the congregation singing along. It's an entire different vibe when these things come together. It's a different setting and feel for the congregation as well, so their involvement seems to be more energetic. You could almost say that it creates a very laid-back setting, which I have found really allows God to move and work. It's something that I always look forward to just to see how the Lord will work in the lives of the people and I'm honored to be a part of it.
Peace,
Justin
For me, there is excitement in the acoustic sets for several reasons. One reason is that I have a great appreciation for acoustic music. Even though I love playing lead electric for the team, acoustic versions of our songs creates a different vibe that's hard to explain, but it's interesting. Even though there's no full drum kit, distorted electric guitars or 60 singers, the music somehow still get's very big and still moves dynamically. It's a great thing to experience.
The second reason I enjoy these sets is because of how tight the groove can be. When there's only one acoustic guitar, one bass and a djembe, the music is much more solid. There's no huge solos to bother with, so you can just focus on having a tight groove.
However, above these things, my absolute favorite thing about acoustic Sunday is the spiritual intimacy. When we set up for acoustic Sunday, we will bring a few stools down the lower level of the stage and play just a few feet in front of the first row of seats. We also don't use in-ear monitors and you can really hear the congregation singing along. It's an entire different vibe when these things come together. It's a different setting and feel for the congregation as well, so their involvement seems to be more energetic. You could almost say that it creates a very laid-back setting, which I have found really allows God to move and work. It's something that I always look forward to just to see how the Lord will work in the lives of the people and I'm honored to be a part of it.
Peace,
Justin
Monday, December 1, 2014
Prepare
It’s officially here! The “have a holly jolly, rockin’ around, fa-la-la-la-la” time of year. The time of year when we pull out our calendars and begin the tedious task of filling in every possible day with parties, dinners, family gatherings, shopping dates, trips. . . We will prep, wrap, write, clean, fret and stress about all the things that we think are necessary celebrate Christmas. We will get so consumed in preparing for Christmas that the month will pass by and many of us will realize that we never prepared for Christmas. It is the time of year that I realize that I am Martha.
But all He wants is for me to be Mary. He wants me to be less consumed about preparing for the celebration and to be more about preparing for the Celebrated! Mary had her priorities straight. She walked away from her “to do” list to do the one thing that mattered. She sat at the feet of Jesus.
The praise team prepares for worship each week. We prepare our notebooks, listen and practice music at home and then show up for rehearsal each week where we prepare for worship on Sunday morning. I often wonder if I prepare my heart for worship as much as I prepare for worship. Whether you are preparing your homes, the cards, shopping lists, the dinner menu, or the music for Sunday morning, spend time preparing your heart to worship the One who came as a baby in a manger. Be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus.
As we enter into this Holy season, my prayer for each of you (and myself) is that when the month becomes so busy, you will listen for His voice. “… only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:42) Let every heart prepare Him room.
Shelley
But all He wants is for me to be Mary. He wants me to be less consumed about preparing for the celebration and to be more about preparing for the Celebrated! Mary had her priorities straight. She walked away from her “to do” list to do the one thing that mattered. She sat at the feet of Jesus.
The praise team prepares for worship each week. We prepare our notebooks, listen and practice music at home and then show up for rehearsal each week where we prepare for worship on Sunday morning. I often wonder if I prepare my heart for worship as much as I prepare for worship. Whether you are preparing your homes, the cards, shopping lists, the dinner menu, or the music for Sunday morning, spend time preparing your heart to worship the One who came as a baby in a manger. Be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus.
As we enter into this Holy season, my prayer for each of you (and myself) is that when the month becomes so busy, you will listen for His voice. “… only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:42) Let every heart prepare Him room.
Shelley
Monday, November 24, 2014
Get to the Table
With this being
the week of Thanksgiving, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about this
particular holiday. So, in short, my blog will not be about music or worship. So, if
that’s what you are looking for you can stop now. According to Webster’s dictionary,
Thanksgiving Day is “A national holiday set apart for giving thanks to God,
celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, and on the
second Monday of October in Canada”. To
begin with I didn’t even know that Canada celebrated Thanksgiving on a
different day, who knew? O Well I have
learned something for the day.
Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks to God, shouldn’t that be every day? I am so blessed that I don’t know where to
begin, but I often fail to give God the thanks for the things in my life. Every day we wake up we are blessed and we
should thank God for the opportunity to live another day. Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the father through him.” No matter what we do every day it is because
God allows us to do it, so give Him thanks!
What are you
thankful for and do we really realize how much we are blessed by God. As Americans we are spoiled and often confuse
our wants with our needs. The majority
of us have our needs met, we have warm homes, plenty of food and the list goes
on and on. The problem is that society
tells us that we should have what we want. So, now Thanksgiving is becoming a
time not to be with family but yet another day to begin the frenzy of shopping
for Christmas. Can’t we just slow
down! Thinking back on my childhood, the
stores were not even open on Sunday’s much less Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving Day used to be a day where
families gathered together to enjoy each other and reflect on how blessed they
were. I remember my Grandfather “Pop”
loved to eat, not just at Thanksgiving but every day, he really enjoyed good
food and being with family. Anytime my
Grandmother “Grammy” would have a meal ready he would yell out “Get to the
table”, that meant that it was time to eat and he was going to eat with our
without you because he was hungry. Those
are great memories and I love to “Get to the table” myself. Pop also loved the Lord and another great
memory that I have of him is seeing him read the Bible. Reading the Bible was not as easy as eating
for him though, because Pop struggled in his ability to read. But that didn’t
stop him because he was still “hungry” and he was going to fill that desire to
be filled. Pop knew how to slow down and
spend time on the important things.
During this Thanksgiving week ask yourself the question: am I hungry? Not hungry for physical food but for
spiritual food, it’s time that we all “Get to the table”. I hope everyone has a wonderful
Thanksgiving!
Geoff
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Greater Still
A couple of weeks ago, Justin's blog post was about our new
Praise Team CD "Greater Still". Well, I'm happy to say that it is currently off being printed and duplicated and will hopefully be here and available by Sunday, December 14th. I thought with this week's post I would give everyone a little bit of a sneak peak (or listen as it were) to the project. So, the link below is a medley of some of the songs. I hope you like it!
"Greater Still Medley"
Worship Big!
Brad
"Greater Still Medley"
Worship Big!
Brad
Monday, November 10, 2014
Music & Emotions
"Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul, it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us." - Martin Luther
I don't know about you, but music "feeds my soul" quite often. No matter what my emotions are at the time, I can almost guarantee that I can find a song to tell you how I am feeling. When I was in high school, music got me through some tough, dark times. I distinctly remember times that the only way I could make it through was listening to songs from K-love or 106.9. Though I sadly admit during these hard times in my life I should been reading scripture and praying more than I was, music was my outlet. It was my comfort during these times because talking about my problems was not something that I did. Now, I'm obviously not here only because of music, because I eventually got to the point where I thought, "What's the use? No one needs me." God and His perfect placement of music in my life was my saving grace.
By this time, I had already been singing since the 1st grade, where I won the award of "best singer" in my class :) It was a great accomplishment for me at the time. (Don't judge) My experiences in high school only grew my passion for music and even more specifically, singing. During these trying times, I chose to use my gifts for His glory alone; and have been doing so ever since. I say all that to say this: God gives people specific gifts, so don't be afraid to share those gifts with others. God orchestrates and ordains things in our lives that we can't begin to fathom. You never know when your gifts are meant to be a blessing to other people.
Blessings to all,
Kara
I don't know about you, but music "feeds my soul" quite often. No matter what my emotions are at the time, I can almost guarantee that I can find a song to tell you how I am feeling. When I was in high school, music got me through some tough, dark times. I distinctly remember times that the only way I could make it through was listening to songs from K-love or 106.9. Though I sadly admit during these hard times in my life I should been reading scripture and praying more than I was, music was my outlet. It was my comfort during these times because talking about my problems was not something that I did. Now, I'm obviously not here only because of music, because I eventually got to the point where I thought, "What's the use? No one needs me." God and His perfect placement of music in my life was my saving grace.
By this time, I had already been singing since the 1st grade, where I won the award of "best singer" in my class :) It was a great accomplishment for me at the time. (Don't judge) My experiences in high school only grew my passion for music and even more specifically, singing. During these trying times, I chose to use my gifts for His glory alone; and have been doing so ever since. I say all that to say this: God gives people specific gifts, so don't be afraid to share those gifts with others. God orchestrates and ordains things in our lives that we can't begin to fathom. You never know when your gifts are meant to be a blessing to other people.
Blessings to all,
Kara
Monday, November 3, 2014
Never Let Go of Your Talents
I often get asked, “How long have you been playing guitar?” Truth is, I’m not sure exactly. It all started when my sister got the first guitar in the house. It was a junior sized Oscar Schmidt (by Washburn) acoustic guitar. I don’t think I really even wanted to play guitar, I just got curious as to how it worked. Lauren, my sister, showed me the tabs of guitar chords and I just started playing around with it. It wasn’t long before I started learning more chords and I found myself enjoying taking the time to learn new techniques. I was currently playing the trumpet in middle school, so I had a good understanding of time and tempo of music, so I already knew how to keep time. Counting back to sometime around that moment, I believe this to be around 11+ years ago, but I wouldn’t say I’ve been playing that long, since I wasn’t always playing guitar throughout that time period.
After learning that I really enjoyed playing guitar, I got my first guitar, a Fender Squier electric guitar. I started learning songs by ear and picked up some electric guitar techniques. I began playing in our youth band at church and became comfortable with playing rhythm guitar. I grew fond of the Les Paul body style of guitars, so for Christmas one year I received an Epiphone Les Paul. I played with that guitar for a while, until we no longer had the youth band at church, and it wasn’t long until I stopped playing guitar for a good while.
Maybe a year or so later, we began attending Mt. Pleasant. I don’t remember what the occasion was, but my dad began talking with Brad and mentioned that I played guitar, and it wasn’t long before I found myself auditioning to be on the Praise Team. It was at that time I noticed how much of the guitar information I had learned, was lost in all the time I spent not playing. There were many times that I found myself having to re-learn things that I had previously known, even some chords and where they were on the fretboard. When I think about this today, I’m not sure I would even be playing guitar had my dad not said anything.
So, I say all of this to say, never let go of the talents you have. Find something that God will allow you to use those talents for his glory. Don’t let them go to waste, keep them active.
Jordan
After learning that I really enjoyed playing guitar, I got my first guitar, a Fender Squier electric guitar. I started learning songs by ear and picked up some electric guitar techniques. I began playing in our youth band at church and became comfortable with playing rhythm guitar. I grew fond of the Les Paul body style of guitars, so for Christmas one year I received an Epiphone Les Paul. I played with that guitar for a while, until we no longer had the youth band at church, and it wasn’t long until I stopped playing guitar for a good while.
Maybe a year or so later, we began attending Mt. Pleasant. I don’t remember what the occasion was, but my dad began talking with Brad and mentioned that I played guitar, and it wasn’t long before I found myself auditioning to be on the Praise Team. It was at that time I noticed how much of the guitar information I had learned, was lost in all the time I spent not playing. There were many times that I found myself having to re-learn things that I had previously known, even some chords and where they were on the fretboard. When I think about this today, I’m not sure I would even be playing guitar had my dad not said anything.
So, I say all of this to say, never let go of the talents you have. Find something that God will allow you to use those talents for his glory. Don’t let them go to waste, keep them active.
Jordan
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