Keith,

Thanks so much for bringing your student choir to Colorado. We have hosted more than ten mission teams, but your group was by far the most prepared and effective. I am extremely grateful for all of the hard work you put into our community. We are continuing to see new people attned our church and commit their lives to Christ, Last week our 100th person committed their life to Christ. I know that God has used the seeds you sowed to help us evangelize our city.

Please tell all of your sponsors and students "Thank You!" from The Edge Church. They are incredibly hard-woking and had a great attitude the entire week. I know you are blessed to have such a great team around you. God's hand is on the ministry of Living Proof, and I am so glad we had a chance to work together this summer.

Blessings,

Ryan

I couldn't agree more! I praise and thank God for all the answered prayers, and the JOY of serving together. I could sure use some Colorado weather right now - even an afternoon rainstorm!

CHRISTMAS 2010.pdf

Matthew 16:26-27
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Looking forward to worship on Sunday as we express our love for Jesus!

Hebrews 13:15, The New King James Version

I have always been intrigued by the phrase,  "a sacrifice of praise." The writer of Hebrews defines it here as "the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." Of course, this has profound implications for those of us who lead worship, as that is what we are called to do on a regular basis.

I have often thought that there are periods in our lives when leading, singing or playing worship songs are more of a sacrifice than at other times. It is EASY to sing with a joyful heart and expressive demeanor when we get good news, when all is well. But it's much more challenging in the face of true difficulty, pain, or sorrow. I think it then becomes a real act of faith and obedience - and a very real "sacrifice of praise." One of the joys of leading worship in the same church over a period of years is that you have the unique experience of seeing people worship THROUGH some of the most difficult challenges anyone can face - serious illness, family crises, job loss and financial reversal, the death of a spouse, even the loss of children - I have seen all of these over the years in the people I've had the privilege to lead. And - it is an amazing testimony to see those individuals walking through it, seeking to maintain a spirit of worship. We send a powerful and eloquent message of praise when we can give thanks "in all circumnstances," as the Scripture teaches. THAT is a true SACRIFICE of praise.

Another thought that crosses my mind is that in our busy culture, fewer and fewer people are willing to make the personal sacrifice that leading worship with excellence requires. Fewer and fewer people are willing to commit to a weekly rehearsal slot - or to be consistent in attendance to worship services - because they simply aren't willing to sacrifice that much of their time to meet that commitment. Evangelical churches all over America are phasing out choirs and orchestras. A main reason for that is that musical styles in evangelical worship have become so contemporary. BUT - I'm convinced another reason is that it is simply too much work. As fewer and fewer people are willing to make the weekly commitment that choir and orchestra ministries require - especially among the younger generations - church leaders are throwing up their up their hands and asking, "Why bother if so few are willing to pay the price?" I am afraid that someday we may look back and wonder what happened to all the great music ministries we once had  and may realize that we did ourselves in because we were no longer willing to make a "sacrifice of praise." . . . I pray not!

On Sunday, Pastor Brent will be preaching about the purpose of pain and suffering in our lives . . . why does God allow us to go through these painful, difficult things? As worship  leaders, we will be called upon to lead through times and circumstances we do not understand. Choir and orchestra members, you will be called upon to make a sacrifice of praise to sing or play through your personal pain, or to make a decision to make it to rehearsal or worship when you just don't feel like it . . . count it all joy! I believe God will reward our faithfulness to do so. When you read the Psalms of David, it is so clear to see his struggle as he works through his pain and his questions, resulting in a richer and deeper sacrifice of praise. May it be so in our hearts and lives as well!

FURTHER STUDY:

Worship Leader Magazine has an entire issue this month entitled, THE DESERT PLACE - Praising When There Is Pain, featuring an extended article with Steven Curtis Chapman that discusses how his own music ministry changed following the tragic death of his little girl - whose own brother ran over her in their driveway. Whoa.

You have to subscribe to get the articles, but in a few weeks the latest issue becomes available online. Check out this great resouce at www.worshipleader.com

That is certainly the case. Think about it - chapionship teams or chamionship athletes have to "win" on the practice field before they win in the stadium. Virtuoso soloists - be they singers or instrumentalists - have to achieve excellence in the practice room before they can do so in the concert hall. The examples are everywhere. And - in personal issues as well. Want to drop fifty pounds and six pant sizes?. . . it doesn't happen in the public spotlight, but in the daily, personal, private grind of good diet and exercise. People only start to notice AFTER the private victories have been won. School is ending soon. Exams are coming. Want to ace the test? You first have to "ace it" in the privacy of the library, office, or at the kitchen table - just you and the material.

The same truth applies in our role as worship leaders. Before we can sing and play to lead others in worship - we must be private worshipers throughout the week, lifting our hearts to the Lord in thanksgiving and praise, so that when we lead, we are leading out of the overflow of our hearts. I have had the HONOR of leading worship publicly for twenty-five years now. It is hard to believe! And, trust me . . . along the way there have been times when I had to lead when I was not prepared spiritually. My spiritual tank was empty. Those were NOT good experiences for me, and, sadly - probably not for the people I was seeking to lead.

The BEST Sunday worship we will EVER have begins WAY before Sunday. It begins as we read the Word of God and listen for His voice, as we pour our hearts out before Him in prayer, and as we WORSHIP Him in our daily lives, lifting and offering thanksgiving, praise, and adoration for His BOUNDLESS love, grace and goodness. Our Wednesday rehearsals are a critical part of that process as well, as we come together not only to practice, but to unite our spirits and hearts as one before the Sunday experience. The Scriptures instruct us to sing with the Spirit AND with understanding. That's what Wednesday rehearsal times help us to accomplish, as we come together to learn what we are singing about, and as we pray for one another and for the Body of Christ that we serve.

As we look toward this Sunday - and all the Sundays to come - let us remember that authentic public worship is IMPOSSIBLE without authentic private worship. We know it's true, and we know what to do . . . so let's do it!

This Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection. Many visitors will be in our services for the first time. Please pray that they will experience an authentic spirit of worship as we present the music - that our countenance and spirit would demonstrate a love for Christ and our belief that He is alive!

In order to prepare for Easter Sunday, below you will find a link to an excellent chart on the events of Holy Week in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). I encourage all of us to take a daily journey this week, using this chart, through the Scriptures to be reminded of what Jesus said and what He experienced as He walked the road to the Cross, His sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection. By doing this, when we lead worship on Sunday, we will come with a fresh appreciation and understanding of what we proclaim.

I'm reminded of the old hymn -
I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

Let's tell it Sunday with full hearts from a week of preparation. Here is the link to the chart for the readings:
http://www.esvstudybible.org/sb/objects/chart-40-04.html

Driven by Your love,
To live for You alone.
By Your Spirit, Lord,
Break through these hearts of stone.

Since the beginning of 2010, our Pastor has been challenging us to be DRIVEN to pray for and seek spiritual breakthroughs in our personal lives and in the life of our church. The challenge Brent has presented has been Biblical, passionate, focused and . . . needed! I have been blessed by this emphasis and continue to be week by week.

As worship leaders, and choir and orchestra members ARE front-line worship leaders, the responsibility for us to respond to this call is great. We have an opportunity to express a true heart of worship every week through our singing, playing and most of all - our attitude and expression. In other words, if Spiritual Breakthrough is going to come to FBCC - it will have to come to the Choir & Orchestra first! We set the temperature - we are the thermostat for the worship experience week by week.

This is consistent with Scripture. The Levites were the tribe, set apart by God, to oversee the musical worship expression of the Jewish nation. There is a compelling story in 2 Chronicles 20 concerning certain Levites who began to sing and shout their praises to the Lord, leading to victory in battle. I believe that we are engaged in a great spiritual battle to move the church forward to reach the world, and that Satan is constantly working against our unity, our strength, and our will to win. As worship leaders, we must be "on guard" and giving OUR BEST to the ministry of worship to strengthen and encourage the church.

Spiritual breakthrough will have different meanings for different people, based on where they are spiritually and in their personal circumstance. For some, breakthrough will come when they commit to a consistent devotional life and walk with Christ through prayer and Bible reading. For others, it may be as simple as commiting to be faithful to use their gifts again - to get off the sidelines and get involved once again. For still others, a breathrough will only come through confession of specific sin and repentance before the Lord, or the restoration of a relationship that needs to be made right in God's eyes.

My earnest prayer this year is that revival - breakthrough - may come in an undeniable way to our church. And - that the movement would begin with committed Levites - choir and orchestra members - who set aside all issues except being obedient to love and serve God fully and completely.

We can learn lots of great new songs, memorize the music, rehearse to near-perfection . . . but if our hearts are cold, unconcerened, or distracted . . . then we will fail to lead in the way God desires. My heart's desire is to lead us to have excellence in spirit and in skill - to give our very best from a heart that overflows with thanksgiving, praise and worship for our great God. When we are faithful to that task - Breakthrough WILL come!

TONIGHT . . . work that began in June becomes comes to fruition. I remember driving to Alabama with Mitchell late one night in June and hearing "Tonight" for the first time on a choral preview CD and thinking, "Yes!"

TONIGHT . . . the thousands of lights that Jesse, Rod, and several others spent HOURS assembling will shine for the public to help tell the story of Christmas.

TONIGHT . . . the hours of rehearsal spent together and on our own will result in an evening of worship, drama, storytelling, and beauty.

TONIGHT . . . people who have been invited to hear and see the Tree, as well as people who saw an ad or the billboard or a flyer will have a chance to discover the true message of Christmas - the birth of the prophesied Messiah who came to save us from our sins.

TONIGHT . . . we have the opportunity to work together to accomplish something that we could never accomplish on our own - and that's a huge part of what it means to be the church - the Body of Christ.

TONIGHT . . . I pray for God to do a work IN US, as well as in the lives of those who attend the Tree.

Join with me in praying for us to sense God's presence from the moment we begin, as well as to pray for the Pastor as he shares at the close of the evening.

See you . . . TONIGHT!

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
Isaiah 11:1-6

One of the key songs in the Biblical portion of the Tree is the song made popular by Faith Hill last year, A Baby Changes Everything. The song has a well-crafted and clever (in the most positive sense) lyric, as it expresses the Mary & Joseph story at the beginning and sounds as if the song could be about anyone, but then moves to "shepherds all gather round," and we know where we are and who we are singing about.

We all know that it is true - a baby does change everything in life - just ask any parent! But the meaning of the song we are singing goes much deeper. The birth of Jesus Christ changed literally EVERYTHING for EVERYONE. At the exact point in time that God ordained, Jesus came into a sinful and fallen world to be Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. His birth was the fulfillment of the prophecies spoken above in Isaiah. Jesus came to become the perfect sacrifice for sin, meaning that the High Priest would no longer have to offer animal sacrifices yearly on behalf of the Jewish nation. Jesus came to conquer death and the grave, so that when we lose beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have done this week, we have the assurance and confidence that they are alive in Christ, with Him. Yes - this baby changes everything!

And, of course, Christ not only changes everything in eternity, but moment by moment here in this life, He has the power to transform and change everything. How many broken lives and broken homes have been restored by the presence of Christ as people learn to trust Him and give Him their lives? Consider for a moment how desperate and lost you would be without the ability to call on the name of Jesus in prayer and in worship. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to guide, comfort, convict, and encourage is only there because Christ came to us in Bethlehem. He became God with us in the flesh, Emmanuel . . . and He remains God with us through His indwelling Spirit. We are not alone - He changes everything! This is the Christ we present this weekend and the message we want to share - that Jesus Christ can change your life and your eternity. Pray that people will hear, understand, and respond.

The last line of the verses above says, "and a little child will lead them." Leslie Keithly, alto in the choir, was talking with me a couple of weeks ago about how she appreciated having the drama on the rehearsal CD. She pointed something out to me that I had missed, or didn't ever really think about. In our story, each one of the adults who come to Christ at the manger, are led to that moment from the beginning by a child. Scripture says that we must have "the faith of a child" to enter the Kingdom. I am really enjoying the contribution the children are making to our presentation. Such talent! And - in keeping with Leslie's observation - their innocence and simple faith are important reminders in the story of how we come to Christ - in humble, simple faith . . . believing!

I am looking forward to the last rehearsal and the weekend!

Oh to grace, how great a debtor! "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."
All the saints who shout together. "I know that Jesus saves."
Rising us so vast and strong lifting up salvation's song,
The redeemed will sing forever, "Jesus saves."

I received the news early this morning that our long-time friend and Worship Choir member, Julie Fry, died overnight. Matt and Julie have been in our lives since 1991 when we began serving our first full-time church, Memorial Baptist, in Grapevine. We've served together in three churches now as the Lord has kept us, in one way or another, tethered together in ministry the past 18 years. It hardly seems that long. Time does fly when you are having fun - even with the bumps and bruises you get along the way.

Julie has been a bright testimony for Christ as she fought leukemia over the years and her spiritual growth and journey have been an inspiration to so many. Join with me in praying for Matt and their children, William and Juliana, and granddaughter Abigail. They have one grandchild on the way as well. Our grief for their loss is great.

And yet - we "do not grieve as those who have no hope." Why? Because - Jesus Saves!

I have known that there was a likelihood that Julie would die as we were in the final preparations for the Tree this week. I have been thinking about the fact that our purpose in the Tree event is to give people the same strong faith and hope that Julie had as she faced death. She was confident of her eternal destiny with Christ and her heavenly home. In fact, toward the end, she was anxious to rest in her Savior's arms.

In just a few hours, thousands of people from all over our community will pass through our doors to witness the spectacle of lights and pageantry and drama about the joys and meaning of Christmas. And, unless the Lord returns soon, all of those same people, and, all of us, are going to face the inevitable fact of death. My hope and prayer is that as they hear the story of lives transformed by the presence of the Christ child, as they see the life of Christ reviewed in the video for Jesus Saves, and as the Pastor shares the gospel with them . . . many hopeless souls will place their faith in the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ so that they can face anything - even death - with the assurance that Julie had - the assurance that Jesus Saves. Let us remember in these two final rehearsals that our task this weekend has ETERNAL ramifications.

For Julie, the following lyrics have never had more tangible reality:

Freedom's calling, chains are falling, hope is dawning bright and true.
Day is breaking, night is quaking, God is making all things new.

Merry Christmas in Glory, Julie!

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:8-14

I began this blog a few weeks back by saying that we could be "Christmas Angels," like our opening song, and share the message of a Savior with the world around us. I hope we are all focused on that this week - sharing the message. As the busy final preparations are made, I'm trying to remember that this is all for the purpose of proclaiming the good news to the lost.

When we recall the angel's announcement to the shepherds - as we share so dramatically in the Tree with "Gloria In Excelsis Deo," we need to keep in mind what we are saying - the truth that we are communicating.

It begins with a statement of praise and worship - Glory to God in the highest! In our lives and service as Christians - I believe it all begins with worship. Our involvement in ministry at the church, or outside the church, should all flow out of worshipful hearts seeking to honor and exalt Jesus Christ. I hope that our choir and orchestra members will have moments of authentic worship as we play and sing for the next several days. Even when we're uncomfortable, tired, hot . . . all the ways we will certainly feel up in the Tree and on the platform . . . that we will have the spiritual maturity to understand that our service is an act of worship - we are seeking to bring "Glory to God in the Highest."

Secondly, not only do we need to remember that our service begins with worship, we must also be focused on that fact that we have a message of truth to share. "And on earth - peace, good will to men . . ." The message of peace and good will is not merely a warm, fuzzy emotional message, but it is a transforming truth revealed in a Savior - the person of Jesus Christ. We are telling the story that a Savior has been born. The truth is, many people in contemporary society have never confronted the fact that they need a Savior . . . that they are sinful. And, in the politically correct culture we live in, the idea of Christ as Lord over all is offensive to some. But that cannot change our message, or the boldness we have in declaring that Christ is Lord and King - God in the flesh - and the only TRUE way of salvation.

It is my prayer that as the story unfolds of the three seekers who witness the events in Bethlehem, as we sing the message of the songs, and as the Pastor shares the Gospel, the Holy Spirit will move in the hearts of people to convict and convince them of their need to turn in faith and repentance to Jesus Christ - the Savior who was born - and died - and rose again - for them.

Take time today to contact people and invite them to the Tree. Take time today to pray for them. Take time to pray for the final details coming together in our rehearsals so that the message of a Savior is powerful and crystal clear. Come to rehearsal ready to worship and to proclaim Christ as Lord!

Today's entry will be brief as I find myself a bit overwhelmed by things! It's not only the Tree - but all of the December schedule . . .

On Sunday, the Pastor will begin a brief Christmas sermon series focused on Emmanuel - God WIth Us. There is SO much that could be said on this, and the series will reveal a lot to us, I believe. But, for today - I just want us to remember that we are not alone - God, through the gift of Jesus, is now with us. He is with us as we struggle with decisions. He is with us as we laugh and as we grieve. He is with us in the boardroom and the hospital room. He is with us on the Tree, in the orchestra, backstage and in the audience as well. The whole reason for the Singing Christmas Tree is to let people know that God is with us - Jesus has come as Savior and Lord.

The fact that God is with us should give us hope, confidence and peace. Anxiety is human, but it can be a tool Satan uses to keep us from exercising our faith in Emmanuel - the God who is always with us. The fact that God is with us should dictate our attitude, words and actions. Nothing we do or say escapes the notice of God. He is with us. May His presence guide us moment by moment as we move through all the remaining rehearsals and performances.

Take time today to go before God and breathe a prayer of worship, thanksgiving and praise to Jesus for being Emmanuel in your life - for being with you . . . and let's bring that spirit of worship with us tonight as we rehearse and prepare.

Just a note - earlier in this blog I posted a link where you can download the flyer for the SCT. It's a quick and handy way to print or email the information to people you want to invite.

Blessings for a great Wednesday . . .
Keith