Worship Confessional, December 20, 2009

Christmas is slowly winding down. All that's left now is Christmas eve.

I love Christmas--I truly do, but at some point in a Minister of Music's life you have lived with Christmas since June and you get a little tired of it. I'm almost there. It's a shame at the pinnacle of the season I'm ready to move on to something else. I guess that is just the spoils of being a leader. You know what is coming ahead and by the time everyone else experiences it, you are already past that moment. Maybe when I retire I can really really enjoy Christmas, and Easter.. in their seasons.

Set List

In The First Light (Travis Cottrell Arr.) This little three set book from Brentwood Benson has been a challenge. The orchestrations are tough to get a hold of but the choir has handled it well. We've combined the Worship Choir/Sr. Adult Choir for this season. Just Christmas eve left and we'll be back to normal. Good job choir!

The Glorious Impossible (Carl Cartee) Last time for this song. It's been a great song for the season. Just good theology here!

Welcome/Announcements/Offering (our missionaries from Guatemala were home and presented the church with a plaque from the orphanage in Guatemala that they work with)

Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger) Tomlin song which has been our theme for Advent.

O Holy Night (Tomlin arr)--did the Tomlin arrangement. I think it went well. (Kim Bontrager--no legging arrangement here!)

Advent Reading (Candle of Peace)

Winter Snow (Audrey Assad) I've been looking forward to doing this song. Sarah did a great job on this one and I think that it fit with the theme of PEACE

Morning Message--Conclusion of the Christmas Is series. Ed has done a great job with the series explaining the meaning of Christmas, and it's more than just shepherds and wisemen and gifts!

Hark The Herald (Tomlin arr) such a simple way to close the service today

(and at that point my in ear monitors died and I knew we were done)

This post is part of Sunday Set List over on Fred McKinnon's blog

How was your Sunday?

Worship Confessional, December 13, 2009

Another crazy week, and here I am just now posting this confessional. The play is over, so things should slow down around here. No, wait, here comes Christmas! It never stops.

This week was a challenge, but we made it. Several of our regulars were out (sound, instrumental, etc).

Set List:

Hark The Herald (Travis Cottrell) Worship Choir/Sr. Adult Choir

Angels We Have Heard On High (Tomlin)--No tracks this week so we were kinda thin in sound.

The Glorious Impossible (Cartee) I think they like this one

Open The Eyes of My Heart (Baloche) This one just seem to flow out of Glorious Impossible--and in the same key of E!

Welcome/Announcements/ Offering

Missions Video---We support Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and I love to show these videos--but this one seemed a little dry and out of place

Born That We May Have Life-(Tomlin) This one started out rough...my mic died during the video and we had to make a quick adjustment. We had to start over--just have to do that sometimes.

O Come All Ye Faithful

My Soul Magnifies The Lord (Tomlin)---had wanted to introduce this one earlier in the season, but it got cut the previous two weeks. I thought them the chorus first and then we sang

Advent Reading (The Candle of Joy)

Jesus Saves (Cottrell)---did this one a little more subdued and accoustic. I think they like this one too. Worked well since Ed's sermon was basically a salvation message.

Message: Christmas Is... The Suffering Savior

Jesus Paid It All (Hymn)---change up at the last minute--just went back to this old hymn as we closed out because it fit.

It was a good day. One of the cast members from our play made a profession of faith. What a great way to head to the theater for the last performance. That's the whole reason we are over at the theater--to meet and reach people!

How was your Sunday?

This blog is part of Sunday Set Lists over on Fred McKinnon's blog.

Worship Confessional, December 6, 2009

It has been a crazy week with the opening of Christmas Belles at The Ritz, Annual Meeting and other things. I'm just now coming up for air enough to write this post. I had intended to write it early, but a 4 AM wake up on Sunday morning with things to get done for the day kept me from it.

Have you ever had one of those Sundays where you just wanted to skip. The music was going to be a challenge not to mention the schedule of the day (event backed up to event). This was my Sunday. We were doing some pretty challenging stuff Sunday and I knew we were going to have to work at it. We struggled through rehearsal with some issues and I just wanted it to be noon and be done. But something in my soul reminded me that on days like this, this is when the Lord shows off. We concluded the rehearsal with a prayer time submitting all of this to God. It worked.

I've heard from people all week long how the worship service blessed them. I just give the Lord the credit for it all. Just when we think we can't--He can!

Set List:

Ring The Bells (Ronnie Freeman) This one is off of the Travis Cottrell Christmas album last year. David did a killer backing track, we added 4 handbells on the chorus and we were off! Worked well

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Accapella) We did the version from "GLORY IN THE HIGHEST"---again, worked well

Advent Reading--Candle of Love

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (from Ring The Bells Album) This exciting version from Travis Cottrell's Christmas album. We combined the Worship Choir and Sr. Adult Choir for this.

Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy)---Tomlin's song is exciting. We had to lower the key to get in the chorus (and we still might have to lower it again) But it worked well.

Welcome/Announcements

Offering

Video for Lottie Moon (Foreign Missions Offering)

The Glorious Impossible (Carl Cartee)--Second week for this song. People are beginning to like it

Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger)--Tomlin song again this week. Again, I think they're catching on to it.

Emmanuel (Bob Mc Gee)---Threw in the old chorus of EMMANUEL--it just seemed to fit!

Morning Message--Ed Ethridge (Christmas Is....)

Jesus Saves (Travis Cottrell)----This was the odd one for me... it's just a power song, it seemed kind of out of place at the end. We've done it a lot lately so maybe it has lost it's magic for me.

Dismiss

How was your Sunday?

This post is part of Sunday Set List over on Fred McKinnon's blog.