A Dixieland Christmas

Two helpful articles and a Dixieland Christmas VIDEO from Denver & the Mile High Orchestra

A Joyful Cog in His Giant Plan

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Christmas Music! from Sovereign Grace

Check out this great Christmas music from Sovereign Grace.

Click/tap here for the website -- scroll down to watch four videos of them singing the songs.  Listen to the other songs and purchase.

Check out out this lyric video of Joy to the World (Our God Reigns) -- listen to the whole thing.

New Christmas Music from This Hope

This Hope, a great singing group hosted by CBC a number of times.

Check out their latest music video and head to their website to listen/purchase their new Christmas EP and their other Christmas albums.

Christmas Song Videos

Christmas is coming.  Enjoy Thanksgiving and take a few moments to plan your December. Don't let it get so busy that you cannot truly enjoy worshiping our Savior and spending time with friends and family.  Parties and everything else is great, but don't be controlled by the season. Relax. It's OK to say no to a few invitations, in order to be wise and honor the Lord.

Check out our website for details on the Children's Choir Christmas musical, the Adult/Crossroads Choirs musical and the Parris Island Marine Band concert.     

communitybiblechurch.us

And check out these videos.  We'll sing "Joy Has Dawned" and "The Unbelievable."  We'll also sing "Go Tell It on the Mountain" but maybe not quite like the Gettys!

Sunday Morning begins Saturday Night

I have believed this and taught it for quite some time now: Sunday morning begins Saturday night.

If you wait until Sunday morning to get ready, you will miss out. It's the most important day of the week, the greatest time of spiritual nourishment, and the best thing you can do with your family. 

So, make some lists, start even before Saturday supper. Lay out the clothes, find the shoes. Find the Bibles, too! Get good sleep. Be disciplined. Your favorite athletes are disciplined in their fields. Why shouldn't we make the same kinds of decisions to be ready?

We get to work on time. We get to school on time. We get to our games on time. Why not be even more for prepared church? And then let this pattern set the tone for the whole week.

Check out these helpful tips from the Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood.

Immanuel

Stuart Townend wrote "Immanuel" in 1999 about our Savior, Jesus the Christ.

We'll sing it on Sunday, November 15. Below is the song video with lyrics.

Here's Stuart on the song:

This is a narrative song about Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection and impending return. People often find ‘story songs’ easy to understand and relate to, and this one in particular focuses on Hi s humanity, His compassion, His empathy, His own betrayal and suffering, yet his determination to win through for the sake of the human race.

The song starts with the Christmas story – probably the most familiar of the Christian narratives in our culture. Yet its retelling often becomes so softened and sanitised (often, ironically, by the carols we sing) that its true significance is greatly reduced.

In the first verse of this song I wanted to recapture some of the shocking reality of the birth of the Song on God – the scandal of an unmarried mother giving birth in a squalid, cold stable – and that God should choose for Himself such a humble path.

The final verse, about Jesus’ return, is in some ways uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of our understanding of ‘the end of the story’, and the vital importance of receiving God’s saving grace in Christ.

He Who Is Mighty

This Sunday, November 1st is Friend Day at CBC.  The Crossroads Choir will join the Adult Choir and sing "He Who is Mighty."  Check it out. From Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 1.

New Song! "Come Praise and Glorify"

Learn this great new song that we'll do at CBC on Oct. 25th.

You Are Changing the World

I shared another mom video just a few weeks ago, but we can't encourage our moms and wives enough, so here's another.

"One Little Heartbeat at a Time" by Steven Curtis Chapman

Cherish every moment.  They go by so quickly.

You are changing the world, one little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
You may not see it now but I believe that time will tell how
You are changing the world, one little heartbeat at a time

When We All Get to Heaven

"But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation..."    2 Peter 3:13-15a

While we are here on earth, may our eyes be fixed on Jesus Christ and the hope (certainty) we have of eternity with Him! May all that we do lead people to see their need for a Savior.  
All this hard work will be worth it as we gather in heaven with family and friends.

When we all get to heaven, 
what a day of rejoicing that will be!!
When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!!

Enjoy Casting Crowns singing this great song.

Songs That Jesus Said (for Kids!)

Children's Music from Keith & Kristyn Getty

Click/tap here for the Gettys' website to purchase this great CD of 20 children's songs straight from Scripture.  We have used someof these songs with our Children's Choirs here at CBC.  Available at Amazon, too.

The Mom Song

THE MOM SONG by Go Fish Guys

Fathers have great responsibility for the overall leadership of the family, but who would deny that a mother's job is, by far, the most challenging endeavor on this planet?  If I could fill up the Grand Canyon with thank-you notes to my wife, Abby, for her work at home with my children, it wouldn't even come close to being enough.

May the Lord grant us the strength and opportunity and privilege to build godly character into the lives of these precious little ones.

Great Kids' Music!!

Check out this great music for children from Sovereign Grace Music.  Purchase at the links below on their website or go to iTunes.  While you're there, check out their other albums. We have been singing a lot of their music lately.

TO BE LIKE JESUS    Based on the Fruit of the Spirit

WALKING WITH THE WISE Based on Proverbs

Making the Most of Your Time

Making the Most of Your Time

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil."  Ephesians 5:15-16

Time is precious. It's often worth more than our money.  So, we must be wise with every moment and how our time might best please the Lord. It's not even our time; it's His.

Here are some ideas for worshiping musicians -- not just worship teams and choirs -- for Band & Orchestra members and leaders, too.  And good tips for life in general.

Tips for Choir Members

Tips for Worship Team Singers

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery

New Song for Sunday, August 23:

Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery

Sing Loudly in Church! by Keith Getty

We have MORE THAN 10,000 reasons to sing and worship and praise our amazing God.  Just start counting your blessings.  

When you don't feel like singing, sing. 
When you don't feel like praying, pray.  
When you don't feel like reading your Bible, read it.

Trust me, it works. In an instant? Probably not.  But I don't think God prefers to work in an instant.  We may be blessed to have the speed of the internet at our fingertips, but our ways are not God's ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts.

Read this article by Keith Getty "Why You Need to Sing Loudly in Church"

Check out other helpful posts on WorshipLife.com

New Song for Sunday

We'll sing a new congregational song at CBC this Sunday.

"My Heart Is Filled with Thanksgiving" by the Gettys

"My Ransom" by Doxology

"My Ransom" -- a song by Doxology, the a cappella vocal ensemble of the Department of Biblical Worship at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

Forevermore (Psalm 145)

"Forevermore," a song based on Psalm 145, sung here by the group Veritas.  The CBC Choir also did this song just a few months ago.

Psalm 145 NIV

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
    I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
    and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
    he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
    your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
    and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
    and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
    and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
    and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
    he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
    Let every creature praise his holy name
    for ever and ever.

VBS Songs!

Looking for great music for your children and grandchildren?  Check out recent VBS songs based on and taken straight from Scripture!  You'll find other great songs and plenty of excellent resources from Answers in Genesis. I suggest their Answers for Kids series.

Purchase MP3s of last year's VBS Songs! International Spy Academy

Purchase MP3s of this year's VBS Songs! Camp Kilimanjaro

Every Praise

The CBC Choir sang "Every Praise" a few weeks ago.  Enjoy this song of worship to our Lord.

Psalm 33:3 "Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy."  and verse 12a says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"

God Is Faithful. Serve Him Faithfully.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."   Colossians 3:23-24

Martha Becker, pictured above, lived to age 102 and met Jesus face to face just last year.  She attended Moody Bible Institute and graduated in 1941.  She served as a missionary in Ecuador for nearly 30 years.  She remained diligent in honoring the Lord, including teaching Sunday School, well into her 90s.  

She recalls the following from her time at Moody, "For chapel time, the faculty had the tradition of sitting in front on the stage in one long row. We saw those men of God who were devoted to the Lord. A thousand or more students singing our school song, 'God Bless the School that D.L.Moody Founded,' was enough to make anybody resolve to be loyal to that school.  But when we sang, 'Great Is Thy Faithfulness' and saw the writer of that music, Mr. William Runyan, an old man by then, smile with satisfaction, we sang all the harder, and the building couldn't have contained a greater song and its singers than that."

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, 
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see.  
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided.  Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Press On!

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Phil. 3:14

Read a great article about being diligent for the Lord in His work.  What a privilege it is to honor God by serving people.

What Can I Do

What Can I Do by Paul Baloche

A new song we've been learning at Community Bible Church.  Yes, it's the Christmas version.  The Crossroads Choir learned it at Christmastime, and so, we kept this version for the congregation.

He's Always Been Faithful to Me

He's Always Been Faithful to Me by Sara Groves

"The LORD's lovingkindness indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy Faithfulness."  Lamentations 3:22-23

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960) was a businessman and a Methodist minister. In 1923, he sent several poems to Rev. William Runyan, a musician associated with Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  Runyan writes, "This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry over is message in a worthy way, and the subsequent history of its use indicates that God answered prayer."

This hymn was the favorite of Dr. Will Houghton, a former president of Moody.  It has since been a favorite with students at Moody and is said to have been introduced at the Founder's Week Bible conference. It is believed to have been included at every Founder's Week since.

In 1941, Chisholm wrote, "My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now.  Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."

Click/Tap here for a great article about how the content of our songs matters.  We are to be intentional about what our children learn and sing.  If not, they will be conformed to this world rather than transformed by God's Word.  (Romans 12:2) There is only so much time in life and there is only so much room in our minds.  So listen to and sing the very best. 

Man of Sorrows

New Congregational Song for Sunday, April 12

Man of Sorrows (we'll be in the Key of C)

Christ Is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

Enjoy a great song for Easter Sunday by the Gettys. We have been singing it at CBC, and I have posted it before but it's worth singing again!

Go to their website for the words and for more Resurrection Songs

Arise My Love by NewSong

Enjoy this classic song on the Resurrection, "Arise My Love" by the group NewSong.

This Hope -- Lyric Video for "City Light"

Check out this lyric video for a new song from This Hope, a group we've had before in concert here at CBC.  These guys love the Lord God and His Word.  Check out their website and purchase their music at iTunes.

Worship & Serve Our God

Worship & Serve Our God

Romans 11:33-36; 12:1-2

"Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Our God is completely worthy of all worship.  So present yourself to Him while you live in this world.  Do not be like this world.  Do not love what this world loves.  Rather, be transformed and renewed by saturating your life with the Word of God.  Love Scripture. Obey it and hate evil.  Worship and serve our God.

Groovy -- children's album -- Denver & the Mile High Orchestra

Check out Denver & the Mile High Orchestra.  Great songs for all ages, but check out these songs especially for children.

Purchase on Amazon or iTunes

Click here for more videos!

Song of Moses

A new favorite congregational song at Community Bible Church from Exodus chapter 15.

5 Most Treasured Worship Songs (and Why)

This article is from WorshipLife.com -- a blog from LifeWay Worship

by Kirk Kirkland

When I was given the IMPOSSIBLE task of naming the five most treasured worship songs, I said, “Sure!” without really thinking about how difficult that would be. I have a book on my desk at church entitled, Hymns that Endure. Wow. Boldly prophetic title! When I saw it in our church library, I immediately grabbed it up and looked at the copyright date: 1942! I felt like I had found a treasure; a window to the past to see which worship songs they were certain we would sing forever, and whether they were right!

Well, they were right…and wrong. But let’s be fair. How could they know? The church music / congregational music landscape has changed a lot since 1942. But it raises an important question for us as well. How do WE know? The music landscape is shifting today too. At a much more rapid pace than 73 years ago. How could I possibly say which are the most important congregational songs of the moment?  The Bible instructs us to sing a new song, so we must. But it isn’t fair to compare these new songs to the old “standards” that we still sing. We still sing them because they have been tested for generations. We don’t sing them because they’re old. (There are plenty of old songs that we don’t sing anymore.) We sing them because they are true. They resonate across the ages with eternal truth that continues to draw us to worship in response to their revelation.

So, at significant risk of leaving out someone’s personal favorite, including my own, I will list five of the most well-loved and oft-used worship songs in corporate worship today. And I will also list the reasons I believe these songs have stood, or will stand, the test of time.

How Great Thou Art (Carl Gustav Boberg, 1885) TRANSCENDENCE – I’ve been told by my missionary friends that this is the worship song sung most world-wide. No surprise, I guess. It transcends cultures because it is God-centered, not man-centered. It helps us worship our God who transcends cultures, epochs, and indeed creation. Songs have staying power when they raise our collective conscious from the shifting sands of this world’s ways to the eternal nature of Creator God.

Amazing Grace (John Newton, 1779; current tune, 1835) TESTIMONY – Ranked first on a list of the favorite hymns of all time in a survey by Today’s Christian magazine in 2001. The focus of this great hymn is clearly the all-sufficient grace of God, demonstrated in Christ. But what has secured this song’s place in history is the way it was written as a personal testimony. Newton’s conversion was emotional and transformational, and whenever we sing it, we find ourselves contemplating God’s grace through the lens of our own testimony.

It is Well With My Soul (Horatio Spafford, 1873; Phillip Bliss, 1876) TRAGEDY – Another powerful personal testimony song, this timeless tune gives flight to our faith. I’ve heard it said that we are either coming out of a storm, in the middle of one, or headed into one. It is the nature of our existence. In the hardships of this life, we need songs like this to remind us that God is an unchanging and sure foundation.  And our unflinching trust in His sovereignty brings peace to our souls.

10,000 Reasons (Jonas Myrin & Matt Redman, 2010) THANKFULNESS – My pastor, when I was growing up, used to say that thankfulness is the least practiced spiritual discipline. Yet, we are commanded many times in scripture to be thankful, particularly related to our worship practice. Psalm 100 says we should enter His gates with thanksgiving. Colossians 3 says we should sing our psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to one another with thanksgiving. I believe this song has captured the attention of the Church, at least in part, because it gives voice to our need to thank the Lord for all His goodness in any season of life. This is the newest song on my short list, but I suspect we will be singing this one for quite a while.

In Christ Alone (Keith Getty & Stuart Townend, 2001) TRUTH – Another relative newcomer to our Christian songbook, this tune has already proven itself stalwart. I believe the staying power of this song is two-fold. First, these Irish tunes are very “catchy” and singable. Though the vocal range of this melody is relatively challenging by today’s standards (an octave and a half), the melody is inviting nevertheless. But more importantly, this song preaches the entire gospel. The church has always loved singing the old, old story of Jesus and His love. The church should always sing the gospel, and therefore, the church’s songwriters have an obligation to continue to craft songs that help us do that. Our culture is desperate for answers to our deepest questions. That’s why I believe songs that are profoundly true will remain.

Obviously, there are other songs that “deserve” to be on this list. My favorite hymn (Great is Thy Faithfulness) didn’t even make it. But, I think the lesson I’ve learned in researching for this article is that the five reasons these songs have lasted is more important than the five titles included. We are blessed to have a wealth of songs that take us to the transcendence of God, our testimonies of faith, even in tragedy, and our thankfulness for the truth of the gospel. For the sake of future generations of worshipers, let’s keep singing these songs, old and new!

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Kirk Kirkland is a pastor, worship leader and LifeWay Worship songwriter. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife and three children and serves the people of Judson Baptist Church as the Minister of Music & Worship and the Pastoral Counselor. For a sample of his music at lifewayworship.com, click here.