It Is Finished!

And…it’s over.  It’s finally over.  This year’s Passion Play is done.  And I for one am grateful that it’s behind us.  Now, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t good.  In fact, this year’s play was AWESOME!!! Everyone loved it!  It’s been 2 weeks and I’m still receiving cards, emails, and messages from people telling me how much they enjoyed it.  We’ve seen a number of people make decisions for Christ and I believe that almost everyone who either attended or participated in the play would tell you that they experienced the power and the presence of God.

 

But it was hard.  This was the 10th Passion Play that I’ve directed.  They have all been difficult at times, but this one was by far the hardest.  The weather was bad and forced us to cancel and shorten some practices.  Sickness was rampant and we had people out for practice all the time.  Plus, our church members are some of the busiest people on the planet.  So, needless to say, having everyone together for rehearsals was difficult and nearly impossible.  But we also have some of the most talented and dedicated people that a church could ever have.  And so, eventually we got it all worked out.

And as soon as it was done (I mean that very night after the last performance) I started getting the “are we going to do it again” question.  Well, here is my answer:  NO

…well maybe…I don’t know.

 

I can tell you that we will not be doing the play next Easter.  I believe that having last year off from the play really made people appreciate the play that much more this year.  Sometimes you don’t really know how important something is until it’s gone.  And so if we are going to do the play again I believe it needs to be on an every other year basis.  That will keep us from getting burned out and possibly keep me sane (maybe).  I hope that it will also keep people coming back.  After doing the play for 7 straight years, some people had stopped attending because they had “already seen it” or had come the year before. So, hopefully doing it every other year will keep it feeling fresh and new.  Plus, it will give us the opportunity to do/try some other things.  We've got a new worship album in the works (Praise Team/Band/Worship Choir) and I want the Drama Team to do a big Christmas Play next year.  Those things are hard to do with a Passion Play dominating your practice and planning time.

I hope everyone will be okay with this.  I completely understand how important the play is to the church.  Our church members take a great deal of pride in the play (not in a bad way).  And they should, because it is really, really good.  It is a wonderful outreach and a great way to reach people for Christ.  But it is also absolutely exhausting.  The church as a whole is still recovering from the amount of effort it took to put the play on.  I believe we are all dragging a little bit.  A year off will do us some good.  

So, in the words of Jesus-"It is finished!"  And no one is more grateful than me:)

Worship Big!

Brad

I Am Not Alone

Soon we will be learning a new song called "I Am Not Alone" by Kari Jobe.  It's one that I'm pretty excited about for several reasons.  Lately we have learned several songs that are upbeat and a declaration of our faith in Jesus and what He has done.  For example, "He Has Won" is one of my favorite songs that we do. It declares that Jesus has ultimate victory over death, hell and the grave. But, "I Am Not Alone" is a bit different than what we have recently learned.  First of all, it's nice and mellow.  No screaming electric guitars, no house-shaking drums or crazy synthesizer solos.  It's just a nice, piano led arrangement that's intimate and easy to listen to.  Secondly, the words are so important and remind us so well that we have someone who fights for us, who watches over and protects us and who goes before us.  Here is the chorus:

I am not alone, I am not alone

You will go before me, You will never leave me

Simple, right?  But it's so nice to be reminded through song.  Also here is verse 1:

When I walk through deep waters

I know that You will be with me

When I'm standing in the fire I will not be overcome

Through the valley of the shadow I will not fear

Again, it's not extremely deep and we know these things to be true, but they're good to hear.  This particular verse reminds me of Joshua 1:5:  "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will not leave you or forsake you."  What an awesome thought!  The fact that God promises to be with us just as was He was with Moses is amazing!  Moses, who through the power of God parted the waters to deliver the Israelite's from Egypt and who God instructed to set a bronze serpent on a pole so that people might be healed, had God go before him in the very same way that we do.  Talk about a promise!

This song can speak to people in many different ways, but to me, it speaks of God's promise and His faithfulness to us.  To others, this song may come in a time where healing is needed, or a time when a reminder of God's friendship is needed.  I am excited to introduce it to our congregation in May, but until then here is the video to "I Am Not Alone". Enjoy!

Peace!

Justin

Christ Is Risen

“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death.  Come awake.  Come awake!  Come and rise up from the grave”.  These powerful lyrics are from one of my favorite songs by Matt Maher that shares the title of this blog.  Christ is most certainly risen, and that fact is never more apparent than during the Passover and Easter holidays as we celebrate His death and resurrection.  Matt goes onto deliver what I believe to be some of the most empowering words within the Bible as proclaimed in Hosea 13:14 and then reiterated and redefined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55:  

“Oh Death, where is your sting?”

      In Hosea, God’s prophet is delivering His message to Israel and Judah as a warning for the coming judgement and ultimate fall of the Samarian kingdom due to their turning away and worship of pagan gods.  In this case, God is bringing the sting of death as He has removed His compassion from the people of Israel due to their unfaithfulness.  Now you might be wondering how I find this to be an empowering statement, it is empowering in how Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians.  When Paul quotes the passage, he is in the process of defending the resurrection as there were some in the church of Corinth who believed in Christ’s resurrection, but not the resurrection of the believers.  Paul reassures us that not only was Christ’s resurrection valid, but our resurrection, without question, is certain.  The song then proclaims:

“Oh Hell, where is your victory?”

      One day, whether we are raptured or raised from the dead, we will be changed from corruptible mortals and will be clothed with incorruptible immortality.  We will awaken and we will rise up from our graves and obtain the victory that has been promised throughout scripture.  “Oh Church, come stand in the light.  Our God is not dead, He’s alive!  He’s alive!”  Yes, Christ died on the cross.  Yes, Christ was placed in the grave.  Yes, Christ descended into Hell.  However, after 3 days He trampled death and He arose from the grave victoriously, just as He had promised. 

      This Easter, I pray that you will be encouraged by our risen Savior.  And just as the song states, “no burden great can hold you down”.  We have the hope and power of Christ in us to persevere and endure anything that we face in this world.  On top of that, He has taken the sting out of death so that those who believe in Him will be able to claim the same victory.  Also, if you haven’t already heard this song, I urge you to check it out and listen to the lyrics as I am sure that the Spirit will empower you with them.

Scott

The Young Ones

I was trying to figure out how old I was when I joined the praise team the other day and it made me think about how many young people we have leading worship and working in the church in general now! I joined the Wednesday Night praise team when I was twelve and then joined the regular praise team when I was fifteen. At the time, I think there were only one or two more people under the age of twenty in the praise team. We have added on quite a few more young people in the past couple of years and that greatly encourages me... 

As most of you know, music is my thing. Like a sport or dance or even academics may be other people’s things, well, music is mine. I have always loved to sing and play instruments. It’s what I enjoy. I am grateful that we utilize young people in every aspect at our church and especially in the praise team. It has given me an outlet to do what I love (whether it be singing or playing an instrument) every week. That makes our church stick out. It used to shock people when I would tell them that I was in my church praise team. Around here having young people participate in anything church-wise seems a bit odd. I’m glad we chose to branch out. I love to look onstage and back at the sound area and even see the little guys doing the ushering on Sunday mornings. 

Now that I am getting older it does my heart good to see young people having the opportunity to learn and learn from people who love the Lord. It’s a beautiful thing! So thank you for allowing me to take part and not making me sit and watch the adults do everything. I know that sometimes it can be harder to keep things on track with a bunch of young people, (I have been a contributor to that, I’m sure:)) but I can see that it’s paying off by the looks of admiration and inspiration on the faces of the younger kids when they watch the older ones going about their specific jobs. I pray that upcoming generations will be full of young people who started working and participating in their churches at a young age and will continue to do so throughout their lives, teaching their children to do the same. We’ve got a great thing going at MPBC! All the glory to God! 

“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity.” ~1 Timothy 4:12

Kandace 

Even So Come

As I was trying to decide on what I was going to write for the

blog this week, I had the thought: What better subject to write on, than one of the things that has affected me the most in my life, music. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to play music in many places, but most importantly, in church.

When I first began playing in the Praise Team, about a year and a half ago, I was not as close to the Lord. I worried more about whether I was going to mess up, instead of completely focusing on Him. During this past year, I have grown so close to the Lord through music. I learned to feel the music, and to be the song. Once I realized how God was speaking to me through song, my focus quickly faded from the crowd, to my Savior.

One of the songs that affect me the most is, “Even So Come.” The powerful lyrics state:

“Like a bride waiting for her groom, we’ll be a church

Ready for you, every heart longing for our king,

We sing, even so come, Lord Jesus come”

Every time I play/sing this song, new and different emotions flow through me. It has such powerful words, and musicality. The song is a reminder that even through all of our daily hardships/struggles of life, we need to always be ready for Him, and live and worship everyday as if it were our last.

Blessings,

Madison

The Healing Hands of God

I am going to be perfectly honest.  I had absolutely no idea what I was going to write about for this blog. But after much mental deliberation, one topic kept springing back into my head.  I really feel God calling me to share this story:

This past year was not the best.  In fact, it was very difficult.  I went through a trial in my life that made everything hard to bear.  I was perplexed and I searched for answers even though I hadn’t the slightest idea as to how I would find them.  I was very down, and to be honest, I allowed it to take away my joy.  Notice, how I said I was very down.  Yep, I learned how to conquer this issue thru Christ, rather than it being the other way around.  I am so incredibly grateful for people who never fail to extend that extra bit of kindness and for a heavenly Father who is so kind and good!  God used this thing I viewed as a catastrophe to draw me into Him and to make me much stronger, emotionally and spiritually!

Do you want to know how He did it?  He did it through my worship.  Without even knowing it, I was being restored through my worship.  He helped me overcome my burdens with something that was a part of my everyday life. And do you want to know the most wonderful part?  My joy was restored! (I’m proud to say I’ve had it back for a while now;))  Music and worship are the best parts of my life, but now; they are dearer to my heart than ever before!   I remember praying so hard that God would alleviate my burden by sending me something I could use for His glory!  Looking back, what I needed was right there in front of me. (Literally my instruments were right in front of me.)  I look forward to Sundays so much because I can just get lost in the worship.  See, that’s how I found my peace in the midst of mass confusion. When I get lost in worship, I find myself in God’s presence.  If you’ve ever experienced it, you also know that there is no logical way to describe it.  It brings you profound joy, but also peace…It humbles you.

God works so mysteriously, but I couldn’t be more thankful for how He worked in my heart.  I believe that music was meant for worshiping God, and that He can use our worship in ways that specifically blesses us.  I consider the peace found in worship to be a blessing; that is why I love music so much!  If we pour ourselves out in total worship to Him, and we humble ourselves before Him, He can and will heal us!  Think of worship as a way to bless God and find something like “Holy Help.”  1 Chronicles 16:29 says “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!”  When we worship Him wholeheartedly, our focus shifts from ourselves and our circumstances to Jesus!... Just to Jesus!  And that is the type of healing you will not find anywhere else.  God’s own hands can heal our souls, if only we ask. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For, everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”  ~Matt. 7:7-8

Maddie

He Has Won

With this week’s blog post, I want to introduce a new song to everyone that we will be learning at church next month.  It’s called “He Has Won” by Vertical Church Band.  With Easter quickly approaching, I believe it will be a wonderful song of triumph and celebration of Jesus’ victory over death and the grave.  The lyrics of the chorus are:

He has won

Death is swallowed up in victory

Through the Son

The grave has lost its sting and its grip over me

Yes, He has won

Jesus is victorious and because of that, we are victorious as well.  But as I really started learning this song, the words of the 1st verse have come to mean the most to me.

To all who are the tired and the heavy laden

Hope has come

To all who feel the weight of the broken spirit

Hope has come

I don’t know about you, but there have definitely been times recently where I have felt tired, heavy laden, and have had a broken spirit (just ask anyone involved with this year’s Passion Play).  But when I feel that way I just need to go to Jesus and He will give me rest, peace, and hope.  As Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”. 

So, I hope you like the song and I look forward to singing boldly that He (Jesus) has won!

Here’s the video:

Worship Big!

Brad