Tag: Singing

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Singing a Medley

A medley is a collection of songs that are typically in the same key signature, with special attention given to the words.  The stronger, more consistent the message the more inspirational and encouraging the medley.  When a singing group presents a medley of songs the audience, the listeners, are usually inspired by the message of the songs.  But should we (can we) sing a medley of songs during our worship services?  For years I can remember our song service when the song leader (at times that was me) would stand in front of the congregation and announce the song number.  After allowing plenty of time to ‘turn in your song book’… we sang!  After the song was over, the second song number was announced and the process continued.  Nothing wrong with this, but as I stated previously, we must be sure we sing with understanding.  So how would I, should I, lead the congregation in a medley?

Let me give you an example of an medley we have sung in our home congregation on a Sunday morning.  As services began we started with an opening prayer.  Following the prayer, we sang “What a Mighty God We Serve” followed with “O Worship the King” and ending with “Doxology”.  To assist in the flow of the medley, and to avoid interrupting the thought process, I recommend having the congregation turn to the songs BEFORE you start the medley.  If your congregation uses a projector with a screen, you can project the songs (verses) and simply have the congregation follow your lead.  With the above medley, notice how these words flow to develop the thoughts of praise…

“What a mighty God we serve!  What a mighty God we serve!  Angels bow before Him, heaven and earth adore Him, what a mighty God we serve!”  “O worship the King all glorious above, and gratefully sing His wonderful love.  Our shield and defender the ancient of days.  Pavilion and splendor and girded with praise.”  “Praise God from Whom all blessing flow.  Praise Him all creatures here below.  Praise Him above ye heavenly host.  Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”

Whether you lead a song, announce a number, and lead a song…or if your congregation is receptive and able to follow the thoughts from a medley, as children of God, we must be more diligent in giving God our best when it comes to the songs we sing.  It takes some time and you’ll need to work on what songs support the message, but with some time and determination you can bring the congregation to a closer understanding as we ‘sing with the Spirit’.  Let me encourage you to spend time singing and thinking about the message in the songs.  You will be amazed how medleys will begin to form in your mind as you sing with your heart.

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Study to Show Yourselves Approved

How much work goes into an individual’s personal study time?  Each of us know the importance of working toward a task.  It takes time, work and practice if we hope to achieve any element of success.  The student may find himself up late at night studying and preparing himself for a final exam.  At the same time, teachers and professors spend an untold amount of time not only preparing that exam, but grading it over the weekend.  A policeman who has never prepared himself to ‘serve and protect’ would fail miserably when facing a crime scene.  Any ‘professional’ knows the importance of preparation, studying.

In the Lord’s church any preacher who is worth his salt, will spend years training, days preparing and hours studying to present a lesson that will inspire and motivate the congregation of God’s people.  The uninformed might say, ‘All he does is preach a Sunday morning sermon; no big deal.’  But the minister of God’s Word knows differently.  There is a burden on his back to ‘study to show himself approved unto God…rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV)

If each of these ‘professions’ dedicate themselves to the task at hand, including the preacher of the Gospel of Christ, would it be any different for the song leader?  Perhaps the song leader could be more diligent when it comes to his ‘job’ as well.  How often do we see song leaders flipping through their song books minutes before the service starts?  More than once, in a small congregation, have I been asked, ‘can you lead the singing for us this morning?’  Never mind preparing yourself for the job; besides, all you have to do is just sing, right?  The seminar, Singing with the Spirit, identifies this topic of preparing to leading singing as well as various areas of preparing for ‘The Song Leader’s Job’.

Consider this quote from Darryl Tippens’ book, “That’s Why We Sing”, page 24.

“Elders, ministers, youth ministers have all sorts of meetings, conferences and associations, yet today few churches invest in programs that really teach everyone to sing.  Where are the regional and national meetings devoted to enhancing congregational singing?  How many Bible lectureships give special attention to teaching new hymns (or the translation of some of our older, traditional hymns)?  Where is the Christian university willing to establish a Center for A Cappella Worship?  Where do worship leaders meet to share their knowledge of hymns, their methods of  teaching new songs and old?  Who is helping to revitalize the singing in old churches, small churches?  It has been said, ‘The Christian church was born in song.’ (Ralph Martin, Worship in the Early Church)  Perhaps the church in our day will be reborn through songs as well.”

We can teach and we should learn, but we must come to realize that singing in the Lord’s church is not an obligation or burden.  We have a direct command and a beautiful opportunity to sing to the glory of God.  Let’s unite in this effort of teaching, learning and singing from our hearts, with the voice and the spirit to praise the King of Kings.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts for training, teaching and learning more ways to grow in our congregational singing.  If you’re interested, we can discuss the possibility of scheduling a seminar for 2013.

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Worship…in Song

I love to sing songs of praise to God.  There are some songs that I consider to be my favorites, and I’m sure you have your favorites as well.  Going back, I can’t remember a time when singing hymns weren’t a part of my life.  “The Old Rugged Cross“, “We Praise Thee, O God“, “He is My Everything” have been songs I remember singing from an early age.   When Vicki and I were married (22 years ago), we had “God Be With You Til We Meet Again” as our recessional.  For years we would sing “I Come to the Garden Alone” to our children as they were going to sleep (a practice my grandmother did for me), because there is no better way to close your day then to put into your heart and mind ‘…the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding…’ (Philippians 4:7).

Hymns and spiritual songs are intended to give praise to God.  We should sing in hopes of teaching valuable lessons and stirring the hearts of those who hear.  Singing involves at least three basic elements of our bodies; our hearts, our minds and our voices (lips).  Would that we use all three to bring glory to Him and edification to His people.

Let’s take a look at the blessings we find in singing songs of praise. Since the Lord seeks those who will worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), it is important that we ask ourselves one basic question; “What is God’s will for us as we worship Him in song?”

To learn the truth about Christian worship in song, we must go to the New Testament.  (A study of the Old Testament will show you what God expect under the old law).  Ephesians 5:17-21 states, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (moral looseness); but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in fear of God.”  In Romans 15:5-9, Paul speaks of the Gentiles glorifying God, and emphasizes how a congregation, together, should be glorifying God.  Notice Paul’s words from this passage in Romans; “…so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…I will give praise to Thee among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Thy name.”

In short, the following are New Testament passages that reference singing praises to God:

Matthew 26:30…Jesus and His disciples after the Lord’s supper

Acts 16:25…Paul and Silas at midnight, in jail with their feet in stocks

Romans 15…Noted above

I Corinthians 14:15 & 26…”I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also…” “What is the outcome then, brethren?  When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation.  Let all things be done for edification.”

Ephesians 5:18, 19…Noted above

Colossians 3:16…an emphasis on singing songs that teach and admonish

Hebrews 2:12 & 13:15…quoting Psalm 22 (‘…in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.‘) and ‘…let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.‘

James 5:13…a clear call to sing, ‘…Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.”

Each example listed from the New Testament describes worship for the Christian as one that emphasizes verbal communication: singing, speaking, teaching, admonishing, making melody with your hearts, confessing, giving thanks, proclaiming, and the fruit of lips.  Is it just me or do you see a clear call for your heart, mind and voice (fruit of lips) to be the instruments of choice from God.  When we worship, know for certain, your body should be giving God all the praise and all your worship.

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The Fount of Blessing…

How often do we sing songs yet not give the words much thought?  We sing the words, maybe we even have them memorized, but we don’t really think about what we are saying.  Perhaps that happens all too often.  Start considering what you are singing.  Not just in the ‘songs, hymns and spiritual songs’, but in the secular as well.  We are not offering up an acceptable sacrifice of praise (in my opinion) if we don’t know what we are offering up.  If you don’t understand a song or the wording behind it…ask someone.  Begin to search and look more closely at what you’re singing.  Question with boldness, as Thomas Jefferson once said, and find out why you are doing what you’re doing; or what you’re singing and why you are singing it.

Have you ever walked up to an old, dirty water fountain and thought, ‘I’m not going to drink out of this!’  Even if you’re are ‘dying of thirst’, you’re going to avoid a broken, dirty water fountain.  In Jeremiah chapter 3, God is speaking through His prophet Jeremiah and He says to the Israelites; “For My people have…forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters…” (read this whole chapter and see the basis of God’s charge against His people.)  The Israelites (God’s people today) have turned away from the ‘fountain of blessing’ and turned toward their own broken cistern (a cistern is a vessel).  Their cistern is not only broken, it can’t even hold water.  Why would they, we, give up something so good and useful for something that is cheap and ineffective?  How could they be so ignorant?  But then again, are we guilt of doing the same?

Not only does this world ignore and disregard God, many of His people struggle with His commands.  We must remember that; God is our fountain and Christ is the Living Water.  Take time to think about what you are singing, and consider which fountain from which you are drinking.

“O Thou Fountain of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy praise…”

“God is the Fountain  whence, 10,000 blessing flow…”

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Here I am to Worship…Really?

Before we announce that we are coming to worship, perhaps we should first ask ourselves, “What is worship?”  By definition, worship is a mental or spiritual act, a sense of awe and reverence in the presence of the divine.  It is NOT an experience we have in the presence of God, but the act of offering God our best when we are IN His presence.

If we were to look closely at the Greek word for worship, we would find the word proskuneo.  It’s direct meaning is very clear as to what worship is…”throwing oneself on the ground to show respect and awe.”  On Sunday morning, when you meet with the saints and, ‘come to worship’, does it include respect, reverence and awe?  I’m afraid too often we cheapen  our understanding of that simple word ‘awe’ and fail to realize it’s a descriptive term that tells us about our creator.  Rather than holding that term solely for His description, we tell our friends that the movie we saw on Saturday night was ‘awesome’.  How can I compare the Maker of Heaven and earth to a 90 minute, Hollywood production.  Sing “Our God is an Awesome God” and find another description for that movie.

As you consider your personal worship time on Sunday morning or Sunday night…what is your mind thinking about?  How have you prepared yourself for this time in the presence of God.  I have heard many say that they ‘worship’ all the time.  The idea has been adopted to say we should consider our whole lives a worship to God.  Without a doubt, we need to humble ourselves every day and bow before Him with respect and awe.  But we need to understand that worship is an intentional action.  We must prepare ourselves for worship or we run the risk of just ‘going through the motions’.  Are we to ALWAYS have Christ in our lives?  Absolutely!  Paul admonishes us to ‘pray without ceasing’ (I Thessalonians 5:17), but does that mean we are praying all the time?  Of course there are times when we pray and times when our minds are not focused in prayer; but we must always have a prayerful heart.  In the same way, as we live our life in reverence to God, we also work within this worldly realm.  In the world, but not of the world.  Our lives reflect submission to 24/7 though we may not be ‘bowing in worship’.

Let me encourage you to consider this idea of worship by pointing out FOUR basic tenants of our worship.  Number One; worship is internal, it comes from the heart.  Can I worship externally?  Yes, but you cannot properly worship God externally without first worshiping Him internally.  Number Two; worship is intentional.  We can’t come to God and worship Him accidentally.  Remember God’s warning in Matthew 15, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”  What are you thinking about when you come to worship?  Number Three; worship is vertical.  Certainly, during our worship, we encourage the church family around us.  But our giving of praise to God can not be mistaken as self-satisfying.  “I Need Thee Every Hour” is a song that can only be sung to Him!  Number Four; (as noted earlier) worship is momentary.  Our lives are spent in momentary acts, and sense our worship is intentional, we must choose to spend time in worship.

Next time you ‘come to worship’, remember we are to worship in spirit and in truth.  Come before Him and worship in reverence and in awe.

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A Song from Sadness

Horatio Spafford was a very successful business man.  His understanding and expertise in real estate and law had set him high above most men in his day.  That was until October, 1871.  On Sunday, October 8th, in the early morning hours, the city of Chicago, Illinois began to burn.  When the flames were finally dosed and the embers began to cool; Horatio Spafford had lost almost all of this wealth.  What made his loss even more difficult was that he had just previously lost his only son at the age of four.  His physician and friend encourage him to get away with his family and spend some days in Europe.  He agreed, but before he could leave, he was called away for some last minute re-zoning issues caused by the Chicago fire.

Horatio sent his wife and four daughters ahead and assured them he would follow shortly.  However, after a week sailing the Atlantic, their vessel, the SS Ville de Havre, struck another ship and sank in just a short time.  Over 200 of her passengers perished in the accident, only 60 had survived.  Once the survivors arrived in Wales, Anna Spafford (Horatio’s wife) sent him this cable; “Saved alone…what shall I do?”  All four of his daughters were lost to the icy Atlantic.  As he rushed to his wife’s side, the ship he sailed on passed near the site of the earlier collision, and Spafford wrote the following words;

“When peace like a river attendth my way, when sorrows like sea billows role.  Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say…’It is well with my soul.’ “

You have most likely sang three of the verses to this song which was originally named, ‘Ville de Havre’ after the doomed vessel.  But Horatio Spafford eventually wrote 5 more verses.  Remembering this terrific lose, you can see his exceptional faith in the words of this hymn written in 1873.  Notice these words and see the faith and trust in this man;

“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.”

“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

“For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.”

“But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, the sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.”

In difficult times we reach out for comfort.  Thanks to this man of old for encouraging us to stay close and hold fast to the faith we have in our God.  The closing verse and chorus I’m sure you well know…

“And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.  It is well, with my soul…it is well, it is well with my soul!”

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Whose Side Are You On?

choosing sidesDo you remember, as a kid, being on the playground or in the park with your friends and choosing up sides?  I  remember my friends and I on the baseball diamond, putting together our teams.  The ‘captain’ (often self-appointed) would stepped in front of the line of eager athletes and begin his draft.  Each of us would eagerly wait for our names to be called to see whose team you would be on.  Without question, we all wanted to be on the winning side.  A captain who knew what to do would chose the fastest, strongest, and smartest players to be ‘on his side’.  I can even recall after a win saying, “If we didn’t have ____________ on our side, we would have lost.”  It’s important to put strong people around you, but how much more important is it to have the right captain?  Someone who knows how and what to do to win…

King David understood this principle and wrote about it in the 124th Psalm; “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side…”  The next eight verses need to be remembered, reread and reviewed again and again in our lives.

vs 1-5 “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side, Let Israel now say,
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul;
Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”

vs 6-8“Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; the snare is broken and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

Debbie Dorman took this Psalm in 1998, added a musical score and, with the beauty of a melody, reminds us that God is our salvation.

“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side, had it not been the Lord who was on our side, the anger of the enemy would have swallowed us alive, Had it not been the Lord who was on our side.  Blessed be the Lord who would not give us up; Blessed be the Lord for His unfailing love; the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, blessed be the Lord.”

I want to be on God’s side, but that means I need to stay on His side.  We have a choice to either be with God or not.  He doesn’t make us stay, it’s our decision.  But remember, He is our captain and, if we obey and follow His Word, we win.  The enemy can’t destroy us or take us down.  Today you need to ask yourself, ‘Whose side am I on?”
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Peace…Be Still!

The storm was relentless in it’s attack upon the small boat, and the sailors fought desperately to keep her afloat. As the waves beat upon the vessel and the sea began to pour over the side some of the men began to fear for their lives. All seemed to be lost as the storm and the night began to swallow their hope. In final despair they turned to the only passenger who seemed unaware of the impending doom. As He slept in the stern of the boat on a small pillow, they called out, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

You most likely recognize this account from Luke 8 and Mark 5. The disciples of Christ feared for their lives as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. In 1874, Mary Baker captured this Biblical account in her hymn, “Master the Tempest is Raging”. Read Luke 8:22-25 and compare the text with this old song…

“Master the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! The sky is o’er shadowed with blackness, no shelter or help is nigh. ‘Carest Thou not that we perish?’ How canst Thou lie asleep, when each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep?”

We can see the parallel in the hymn with the text, but look at verse 2 and 3…peace be still
“Master with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today; the depths of my sad heart are troubled; O waken and save, I pray! Torrents of sin and of anguish sweep o’er my sinking soul; and I perish! I perish dear Master, O hasten, and take control.” The comparison of a life sinking without Christ is seen in similar despair as the 12 disciples fighting the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Now take a look at the transition into verse 3…when Christ calms our storms.

“Master, the terror is over, the elements sweetly rest; Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored and heaven’s within my breast. Linger, O blessed Redeemer, leave me alone no more; and with joy I shall make the blest harbor and rest on the blissful shore.”

This hymn is a great encouragement to me, but without the chorus, we fail to see the application from the storm that rages, to the peace that Christ brings. Notice the chorus and see if you can see the same security I have seen with Christ in control.

“The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will; ‘Peace, be still!  Peace, be still!’ Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea, or demons, or men, or whatever it be. No water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey Thy will; ‘Peace, be still! Peace, be still!’ They all shall sweetly obey Thy will; ‘Peace, Peace, be still!’

In case you missed it…regardless of the storms; whether they be physical, spiritual, emotional, WHATEVER. None of these problems can take you down (sink your ship) as long as Christ is in you! There may be times you’re wondering if He cares; does He realize what I’m going through? This storm is rough. Rest assured, He knows and He cares. But if I’m not faithful to Him, He asks the same question he asked some 2000 years ago, “Where is your faith?” I guess the question we have to ask ourselves; is the Master of ocean and earth and skies inside my ship? If He is then take courage, be faithful to Him and realize He can calm the storm. Peace, Be Still!

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Biblical Songs

What makes one of the songs we sing on Sunday morning characterized as a Biblical song as opposed to one that would be considered un-Biblical (or as some have defined, a problem song)?  Is there some criteria or some sort of a ‘scale’ that we can use to determine our song choice?  Whether we like it or not, we need to be more diligent in sincerely thinking about what we’re singing and why we’re singing it.  Without debate a Biblical song/hymn would be one that can be found and supported through God’s word.  Let’s consider two songs that come almost entirely from scripture:

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing, I will sing.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.
And with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness.
And with my mouth will I make know Thy faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalms 89:1 reads: “I will sing of the lovingness of the Lord forever, To all generations I will make know Your faithfulness with my mouth.” (NAS)

This song was written by James Filmore at the turn of the century, but it didn’t find it’s popularity in church music until the 1960’s.  In 1983, the chorus became a regular addition in some of our hymnals.  Scripture based hymns can be found in surplus in many of the traditional and contemporary hymns. One of our long time favorites is, again, almost a direct quote, from the book of Psalms.

Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah
“Hallelujah, praise Jehovah! From the heavens praise His name; Praise Jehovah in the highest; all His angels praise proclaim. All His host together praise Him, sun and moon and stars on high; Praise Him, O ye heavens of heavens, and ye floods above the sky.”

“Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord from the heavens, Praise Him in the heights!  Praise Him all His angels; Praise Him, all His host!  Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, heights heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens!” Psalm 148:1-4

This is only the first verse of a popular hymn written in 1893 by William J. Kirkpatrick. But as you investigate the Biblical accuracy of the hymn, you’ll find the 2nd and 3rd verses hold true to the words of Psalm 148: 5-12 with vs. 13 reserved for the chorus. “Let them praise the name of Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.” My hope and prayer is that you will continue to search out songs that are Biblical and sound when it comes to singing songs to God our Father. A song that is accurately supported through God’s word will draw us closer to Him as we give to Him our praise!

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Rock of Ages…

Have you ever sung a song and wondered what it was exactly did I just sing?  What does it mean when I sing, “…when life’s stormy billows roll…”?  I’m afraid to many of us sing without putting much thought into the words of the songs we’re singing.  Let’s consider a few words (and the meaning) of an old favorite hymn.  In 1776 Augustus Montague Toplady, an Anglican cleric and hymn writer, penned the words to one of our most remembered hymns.  He served for 14 years as a curator and priest within the Calvinist movement, during which time he authored several works of poetry that made their way into some Methodist and Calvinist hymnals.  Look at this old hymn, and investigate the words we’ve sung for years.

“Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;” From the scripture, it’s interesting to note the importance Moses placed on God has his Rock (Deuteronomy 32: 15, 18, 30-31) as did the Psalmist (Psalm 18:2 and 19:14).  Isaiah too (Isaiah 26:4) speaks toward God as our ‘everlasting Rock.’  Whether Toplady actually took shelter in a rock cave during a storm and from that brought us the “Rock of Ages”, or if he was referencing the text…he obviously knew (and today we sing) that God is our shelter in which we can hide and find strength.

“Let the water and the blood, from Thy riven side which flowed, be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power.”  But what about the ‘water and the blood’, ‘the double cure’?  John 19:34… “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”  Because of our Lord and Savior’s death on the cross, you and I have a chance for forgiveness from our sins.  The double cure is salvation from sin and the power sin can have over our lives.  Christ gave His live (shed His blood to take away our sins, to ‘cure us’ from the guilt and power of sin.

“Not the labor of my hands can fulfill the law’s demands;”  Toplady is reminding you and me that we can never do enough to make ourselves right with God.  It is through His grace and mercy that we come into His salvation.  Ephesians 2:8, 9 “For by grace you have been saved…not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

“Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, all for sin can not atone, Thou must save and Thou alone.”  What is zeal, for that matter, what is respite?  Toplady is tell the reader that you can’t be saved by your enthusiasm for God.  Your zeal is your excitement, energy and enthusiasm.  Respite means rest…if my excited never rested; or if my lamenting (sorrow) and my tears never stopped flowing, still that isn’t going to save me.  As a matter of fact, Toplady reminds us that work, excitement and emotion won’t save us…Christ (the Rock of our Salvation) alone is my only hope for heaven.

This hymn can be found in the Faith & Praise song book (page 454)