Beside Still Waters Ministries » Sunday music http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog Find rest for your weary soul. Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:17:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Worship Confessional 8-3-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/08/03/worship-confessional-8-3-08/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/08/03/worship-confessional-8-3-08/#comments Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:51:38 +0000 Christine http://www.beside-still-waters.org/?p=242 Today I played the organ.  For just one hymn, and I didn’t even use the foot pedals (because only the low B and below worked – the rest did not).  What was funny was after the service I got just as many compliments, actually more now that I think about it, about my piano playing this morning as my organ playing.  Curt and I just figured that we’ve had so many new and different things going on the last month that we could show our love and appreciation for the congregation by doing a full-out traditional service this morning, especially since it was also communion Sunday.

This is all the music I played this morning:

Prelude: Classic Praise arrangement by Dino Kartsonakis

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee by Henry van Dyke and Ludwig van Beethoven – this is the one I played on the organ

Amazing Grace by John Newton

Offertory: It Is Well by Horatio Spafford/Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven arrangement by Cindy Berry

Communion: The Lord’s My Shepherd/Largo from Xerxes by Handel arrangement by Cindy Berry
Be Still My Soul arrangement by Chris Rice

Great Is Thy Faithfulness by John Chisholm & William Runyan

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/08/03/worship-confessional-8-3-08/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 7-27-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/27/worship-confessional-7-27-08/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/27/worship-confessional-7-27-08/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:41:07 +0000 Christine http://www.beside-still-waters.org/?p=234 This summer we’ve been having a few “Faith In Action” Sundays, where we shorten the worship service and then have service projects for people to do, with a lunch to have together at the end.  Today for the service projects, we had a group making Prayer Bracelets (I don’t think they made the same bracelet as the link, but it is a cool bracelet to make based on the Lord’s Prayer), instructions on putting together Prayer Quilts and passing out bundles of squares for various people to sew together to start the process, and bicycle tune-ups in anticipation of our beginning Wheelin’ Wednesdays this week.  Wheelin’ Wednesdays is for kids to come and ride around on their bikes on our parking lot, but since I haven’t been to one of these yet I don’t totally know what is involved (food, music, etc).

So, we just sang two songs for the service:

O Worship The King

Made to Worship by Chris Tomlin

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/27/worship-confessional-7-27-08/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 7-20-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/20/worship-confessional-7-20-08/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/20/worship-confessional-7-20-08/#comments Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:57:25 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/?p=225 This last week was Vacation Bible School at our church, so most of the music was from the “Beach Party” VBS CD.  I had fun helping this week, but I am wore out now!  I’ll be so glad to not have to sing “Beach Be-Attitude” or “Shazaam” anymore, but I’m afraid they might be permanently stuck in my head.

We did learn Made to Worship by Chris Tomlin, partially because it was one of the song the kids sang for VBS and because it is a good worship song to remind us who and why we are worshipping.  We sang Lord I Lift Your Name On High to close out the service.

I seriously want to sing Everlasting God by Brenton Brown sometime soon, because it has really meant a lot to me lately and I really think the church would resonate with the lyrics of waiting on the Lord and being renewed by His strength.

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/20/worship-confessional-7-20-08/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 7-13-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/13/worship-confessional-7-13-08/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/13/worship-confessional-7-13-08/#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:43:37 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/?p=222 I had hoped to catch up all of my worship confessionals, but for now I just don’t have the time or energy to do so.  I’ll start again from here forward, and maybe I can find some time to do the past weeks here and there.

O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty with the chorus of How Great is Our God between the verses.  I was really excited that I heard the congregation singing both of these with a fairly equal volume!

As The Deer for the Offertory

Message: Generosity, Blessings & Missions

Freely, Freely by Carol Owens

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/07/13/worship-confessional-7-13-08/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 4-13-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/05/02/worship-confessional-41308/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/05/02/worship-confessional-41308/#comments Sat, 03 May 2008 01:00:22 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/?p=217 Now that we’re a little more confident of running the computer with the new projector, we stretched our wings a bit by doing a new song – “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us” by Stuart Townend. Pastor Curt is finishing up a short series on the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), and this Sunday was about the love of the father. I think the fact that “How Deep” is more like a hymn the congregation actually seemed to like it, and I actually heard them singing (where I am in the front of the sanctuary is a dead spot for hearing the congregation very well).

Opening songs:
Holy, Holy, Holy by Reginald Heber & John B. Dykes
Blessed Assurance by Fanny Crosby
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) – new version with additional chorus by Chris Tomlin & Louie Giglio

Closing song:
How Deep the Father’s Love For Us – Stuart Townend

 

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/05/02/worship-confessional-41308/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 4-6-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/04/06/worship-confessional-4-6-08/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/04/06/worship-confessional-4-6-08/#comments Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:47:38 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/2008/04/06/worship-confessional-4-6-08/ This week went better than last, in part due to Curt’s suggestion that we take a breath and give the congregation a break from new music.  So, it was all hymns done fairly traditionally today.  The real blessing for me was the suggestion by my friend Wendy that I take my keyboard so that I can still play out of the hymnal, but transpose the key down to where I can sing.  I did not have time to put the hymns into Sibelius and transpose the music I play from, so this was the best solution.  

I believe that God is glorified no matter what “style” of music we sing – it is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit breathing life into our worship that makes the difference.  I’ve seen churches that do contemporary music, but are still lifeless and struggling because they aren’t allowing the Holy Spirit to work among them. Anyway, I hope that in my playing and singing old hymns that the Holy Spirit is working through me and within the congregation.

Prelude: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing arranged by Mark Hayes

All Hail The Power of Jesus’ Name (Coronation)
O Worship the King
Be Thou My Vision

Message: Live Love Loud 2: The Elder Son
Offertory: In The Sweet By and By arranged by Dino Kartsonakis
Communion: I Surrender All arranged by Mark Hayes
Be Still And Know/Be Still My Soul arranged by Mark Hayes

Closing Hymn: O How I Love Jesus

What was really impacting to me today was Curt’s message about the older son in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:25-32). I’ve really been having a hard time with still being single and seeing the girl at work who is 8 1/2 months pregnant. She lives with her boyfriend, and I guess I don’t understand why I am still waiting for one of the things I have desired as far back as I can remember – getting married. I can see in myself a lot of the older son – I’m angry at God, the Father, not giving me what I want even though I feel that I’ve been pretty faithful to Him (though I’ve screwed up plenty). I guess I have a hard time seeing those that seem to be more blatantly sinning getting things in life that I want but I’m not getting, and I forget that “you’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours” that the father tells his elder son and the Father is telling me. In the end I need to continue to be faithful, to appreciate what He has given me, and to just trust Him.

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/04/06/worship-confessional-4-6-08/feed/ 1 Worship Confessional 3-30-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/31/worship-confessional-3-30-08/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/31/worship-confessional-3-30-08/#comments Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:55 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/2008/03/31/worship-confessional-3-30-08/ I’ve been having a lot of allergy issues, along with working so much during the week, that I was feeling pretty off today and it really showed. My voice was giving out by the middle of the service, and I just didn’t have much energy. I was disappointed especially with how “Before The Throne of God Above” went, because I really love this song and really wanted to convey what the words mean to me, but the way my voice was going by then it just didn’t come out and basically flopped. Thankfully God is gracious and is still glorified, even when we are not at the top of our game.

Great Is The Lord – Michael W. Smith
Because He Lives – Bill Gaither
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (The Wonderful Cross) – Isaac Watts, with the extra chorus by Chris Tomlin

Offertory: Before the Throne of God Above – music by Vikki Cook, with the extra chorus by Shane & Shane (actually, you can listen to their version on my new TuneFeed there in the right column!)

Message: Live Love Loud 1: The Prodigal Son
Closing Hymn: To God Be the Glory – Fanny Crosby

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/31/worship-confessional-3-30-08/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 3-23-08 Easter http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-23-08-easter/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-23-08-easter/#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:42:27 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-23-08-easter/ I really think that this was my strongest Sunday so far, and I hope that the congregation was able to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.  Being mostly older people, they aren’t very demonstrative and so it is hard to tell.  I was able to modulate up a half step or two on the last verses of some of the hymns, so that was pretty cool because most of the time I can’t do that because either I don’t think of it ahead of time in order to fix the chord chart and practice or because most of the guitarists I’ve played with don’t know enough chords in order to do that, too.

My guitarist didn’t play this Sunday because he was sick part of the week, and the hymns weren’t very conducive to being played on a guitar.  However, I did get to sing “In Christ Alone” as a special music with one lady from my church, and God gave me two great ideas to make it really work well – one was to record the piano part into my keyboard ahead of time so I could play a flute part on it live, and the other was to take my little Behringer mixer and small amp so that I could solve the issue with not having proper monitors from the sound system and therefore not being able to hear the keyboard.  It was SO much better being able to hear the keyboard directly!!!

Easter “Sunrise” 8:15 Service:
Lord I Lift Your Name on High by Rick Founds
I Love You Lord by Laurie Klein
He Is Exalted by Twila Paris
He Lives

Regular 10:30 Service:
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today (Lyra tune)
Shout To The Lord by Darlene Zschech
Awesome God by Rich Mullins 
Special Music: In Christ Alone by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Message: Celebration Faith – Pastor Curt shared his testimony, and the amazement of the resurrection
Crown Him With Many Crowns

The links are either to the songwriter’s website or to an article about the song or hymn (such as at cyberhymnal.org). For now, that is what I decided to do. Perhaps as we do more contemporary music I will link to iTunes or some other type of online music retailer.

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-23-08-easter/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 3-20-08 Maundy-Thursday http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-20-08-maundy-thursday/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-20-08-maundy-thursday/#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:10:48 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-20-08-maundy-thursday/ We kept this service pretty simple, and we didn’t have footwashing (which I personally missed).  Something that was different for me is that they “stripped the sanctuary”, which meant that they took out the Bible, candlesticks, communion elements, whatever else that was on the altar, and the vestments hanging from the front pulpits.  I’ve never been at a church where they did this, and I while I like the idea of it in relation to our pondering the crucifixion, I don’t like it being called “stripping the sanctuary” and I would like to think of a better phrase or word for this act.

What Wondrous Love Is This
Special Music: This Is Love as sung by Scott Underwood
Scripture – John 13:31-35
Message: The Face of Love
Communion
How Great Thou Art

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/25/worship-confessional-3-20-08-maundy-thursday/feed/ 0 Worship Confessional 3-16-08 http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/17/worship-confessional-3-16-08/ http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/17/worship-confessional-3-16-08/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:00:35 +0000 Christine http://beside-still-waters.org/2008/03/17/worship-confessional-3-16-08/ Hopefully now I’ll be back on track with my blogging schedule, though with working during the week at a CPA firm during tax season I may not keep up.  It is getting to crunch time…big time. 

I took my new Yamaha YPG-225 today, to try it out because I already planned to bring it next week for Easter and I wanted to make sure it worked out okay.  It sounded fine before the service, but people in the sanctuary really changes the acoustics. Apparently a tiny adjustment on the sound-system slider for the keyboard’s volume made a big difference, so to keep it from overpowering he had it so low that I couldn’t hardly hear it. We need monitors. Bad. I couldn’t stand it after the 2nd song, and switched over to the acoustic piano where I could at least hear what I was playing. We’ll try again next week with turning down the master volume on the keyboard and seeing if that helps, and I’m going to see if my dad can loan us some speakers and help us get some kind of monitor so we can hear up front.

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Blessed Be The Name of the Lord (Utterbach)
All Glory Laud and Honor

Offertory: How Great Is Our God (since I didn’t get to do it last week) – I also did a risky thing by having the congregation stand and join me singing the last chorus after the bridge and then the chorus of “How Great Thou Art”, and I asked the ushers before the service to come up at that time as well. So I didn’t do the Doxology. And they didn’t hang me afterwards! :-)

Message: Celebration Faith – the disciples on Palm Sunday

Hosanna, Loud Hosanna

The toughest part of this week and next week is that there are certain hymns traditional churches expect to sing on these particular Sundays, and I’m not sure how much I can push the envelope. We have to, though, because we can’t miss the opportunity if there are C ‘n E er’s there that we can reach. We just got all the money and approval to get a projector, but we won’t be able to get it installed in time. Maybe for Pentecost/Mother’s Day we can do something really special.

]]> http://www.beside-still-waters.org/blog/2008/03/17/worship-confessional-3-16-08/feed/ 0