Praise Themes

-10/19/07
Open the Eyes of My Heart, Now That You're Near, Here I Am to Worship, Shout to the Lord, Majesty (Here I Am)
The song 'Majesty' talks about how we are humbled by the greatness of God and what His sacrifice through His Son means to us.  What does it mean to you?  -That we are free, loved, forgiven so that we may forgive.
Psalm 145:5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

-10/5/07
Knocking on the Door of Heaven, In My Life, I Lift My Eyes Up (Psalm 121), Eagle's Wings, Your Name
"In my life Lord, be glorified" is a short, simple message from an old song.  Let's sing it as a prayer for our lives, our church, and for our brothers and sisters.  Throughout the praise set, continue to make each song a prayer as the lyrics say - "Lord you're my only prayer, abide in me I pray, in your name we pray fill our hearts".
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

-9/14/07
Blessed Be Your Name, Days of Elijah, Who Am I, Job's Song
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

-7/13/07
Great is the Lord, Jesus You Alone, Love Song for A Savior, My Lord My God, O Lord You're Beautiful
How do we spend our time the rest of the week when we aren't at church?  Where do we invest our time and energy?  Who or what do we spend the day thinking about?  The theme is making Jesus our first love.  As we sing songs praising God for His great love for us, let us be mindful of putting Him first in our lives.
Revelation 2:3-5,7 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

-6/1/07
Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble, Stir in Me, Great is Your Love, Unify Us, Hide Me in the Shelter
John 17 I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

-4/13/07
Not to Us, By Your Side, I Could Sing of Your Love Forever, Mighty to Save
Psalm 103 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,slow to anger, abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
On Easter we remember Christ's death on the cross for our sins.  Thinking of every lie, impure thought, moment of greed, jealousy, pride and how undeserving we are -> that's what grace is, God's undeserving love.  Mighty to save talks of Jesus conquering the grave for us, and also how everyone needs compassion and forgiveness.  Because of His Spirit in us, we should be showing that grace to others.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

-3/9/07
We Want to See Jesus Lifted High, The House of the Lord, Unify Us, One Voice
John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
What does it mean to really love each other?  Not just friends and family but those that are difficult to love.  Those that you'd rather say to them, "I love you but I don't have to like you", those that you have learned to just tolerate.  When we're growing in Christ, it will be evident because we'll be loving others more.
Romans 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
[Attempted to have everyone joined hands during the end of the last song.  Not such a bad turnout.]

-2/16/07
Your Grace is Enough, His Banner Over Me, Grace Like Rain, House of the Lord
By God's grace, He forgives us time and time again if only we will repent and confess of our sins.  He welcomes us with open arms into His house.  As we experience His grace and love more, we begin to understand it more, and it should overflow out of us and into those around us. 
Colossians 4:5-6 - Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Who in your life do you need to show more of God's grace and love to?Whether it be a co-worker, classmate, family member, someone who has left the church, or someone still there, lift them up in prayer.

-2/2/07
Now That You're Near, Trading My Sorrows, Take My Life, Unfailing Love
Luke 22:42 - "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Jesus was about to face the greatest 'cup of suffering' yet still showed His trust in God's will.
First 2 songs talk about things being different.  But how often do we tell God how we want them to be different? God's ways and thoughts are not always the same as ours but they are always greater than ours.  God will answer our prayers to the best way He knows how because of His unfailing love for us.  Let God's will be our will.

-12/08/06
Unchanging, Light the Fire Again, He Knows My Name, Break Our Hearts, After the Music Fades
1 John 3:20 - For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.
God knows everything about us but He still wants to hear us tell Him.  Sometimes we forget or even don't want to tell Him.  We can't hide anything - He knows what we do, where we go, what we think.  And whatever we're feeling, whether it be hurt or anger or joy, God just wants us to be honest with Him.  Tell Him how you feel.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

-11/16/06
Blessed Be Your Name, Trading My Sorrows, You Said, I Offer My Life
The theme is letting go of our struggles to God so He can be glorified through them and so we can receive the joy that only He can give.  We all experience pain, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual and it can really hinder us if we don't give it up to God.

Something I read 3 years ago in Purpose Driven Life:  "Forgiveness must be immediate but trust is rebuilt over time."  Amidst confessions and confrontations, we must remember that this will be a continual process.  But instead of discouragement and judgment it can be a time to help each other and interecede for each other in prayer.

Ecclesiastes 4:10   If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

yawn.  4 hours of sleep after a night of 2 hours of sleep is not advisable.

Currently Reading What's So Amazing About Grace? By Philip Yancey see related

(Recommended by Linda)

Justice vs. Forgiveness

Usually I skim when people post long excerpts but this is too good for me not to post.  How often do we have trouble forgiving each other because "he started it" or "I'm not the one who did anything wrong" or "he's not even sorry" or "he doesn't deserve to be forgiven".  God tells us that none of that matters.  It's a crazy thought as I read about serial killers in the news, whom we think deserve to be punished.  It's a crazy thought as I think about how unreasonable men can be.  haha.  But yes, this would be a big step towards receiving and giving God's grace.

It seems so unfair to forgive injustice...I am caught between forgiveness and justice.

"Why should I make the first move?  I was the one who was wronged."  So I make no move, and cracks in the relationship appear, then widen...I feel sad, but seldom do I accept the blame.  Instead, I justify myself and point out the small gestures I made toward reconciliation.  I keep a mental accounting of those attempts as to defend myself if I am ever blamed for the rift. 
I have often said "I forgive you" but even as I said these words my heart remained angry or resentful.  I still wanted to hear the story that tells me that I was right after all...

But God's love is unconditional; it comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself...it demands of me that I step over that wounded part of my heart that feels hurt and wronged and that wants to stay in control and put a few conditions between me and the one whom I am asked to forgive...

Breaking the cycle of ungrace means taking the initiative.
By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am.  By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out.  I leave in God's hand's the scales that must balance justice and mercy.

~Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace?

Matthew 6:14-15 
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.