Behind the Praise - Sunday June 7, 2009

"Thankful for the Change"

This worship song was written by Michael Popham, Lanny Gardner & Michael Chadwick. These composers serve the Christ Church in Nashville, Tn.

Click here to sing through the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YrhLeCuwFA

"Freedom"


Darrell Evans is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ first, a devoted husband, and loving father. Darrell has three beautiful young children. Daughter Leah, and two sons Connor and Zachary. “They are my heart and world. My kids have changed my life for the better. I want to be the Godly father and leader that they need.” Darrell and his wife, Charity, plan on having more children in the near future and would also love to adopt.
Best known as the writer of songs like “Trading my Sorrows”, “Let the River Flow”, “Your Love is Extravagant”, and “Freedom”, he is considered by many to be a pioneer in the modern worship music movement.
Darrell’s ministry started as a teenager in Olympia, WA: leading many of his fellow classmates to Jesus through personal testimony and nights of praise and worship in his parent’s home. He has served as a worship pastor for churches in Washington, California, Oklahoma and Texas.
For the past 12 years Darrell has traveled the world alone and with the band ministering the gospel through worship, preaching, and prayer. His authenticity, genuine spirit and passion have connected with many as he ministers worship to the Lord. Darrell has seen numerous people come to know Christ and has encouraged many others to a deeper walk with God. People are healed, refreshed and renewed through Darrell’s ministry.
Darrell’s projects “Let the River Flow” and “Freedom” both garnered Dove award nominations and influenced a new wave of congregational worship. His newest project, “Nothing Less Than Everything”, wraps his joy, passion and experience in a fresh and powerful sound. In Darrell’s words, “It’s my prayer that the Lord will use these songs to help people connect with Jesus in a life-changing way”.

Click here to learn more about Darrell:
http://darrellevans.com/

Click here to worship along with Darrell Evans:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4PsGEFrXC0

"God of My Days"

Zach Neese's perspective:

"God of My Days" took me two years to write, because I was concerned about the hearts of the people that it would minister to. The lyrics had to be true in the mouths of both mourners and people who were rejoicing. It had to ring true as a sacrifice of praise and as a statement of faith. I began writing out of a holy discontent. I was frustrated by the Church's tendency to paint a happy face over the reality of people's suffering. Sometimes Christians come across as uncompassionate because we deny or fail to address people's pain. Our churches are full of people who are hurting, and many times we make them feel guilty about it.God isn't afraid to talk about pain. He never denies it. He guarantees it (John 16:33). He also guarantees that He will never leave us to face it alone (Hebrews 13:5) and that He is bigger than whatever we're facing.He is the God of every season and situation of our lives.Recently, my wife Jen and I had a baby girl, and God was right there rejoicing with us. A few years ago, we lost a baby boy. God was there for that too, wrapping us in His powerful, comforting arms and helping us mourn. In both situations, He was God. In both, He was worthy of praise, and from both, He will bring something miraculous.Maybe I don't understand. But I believe. He is God of my days, King of my nights, Lord of my laughter and Sovereign in sorrow. He is the Prince of my praise and the Love of my life. He never leaves me, and He is always faithful. He is the God of my days.

Click here to visit Zach's myspace - you can play the song from here. www.myspace.com/zachneese

Click here to worship along with the gateway worship team:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHGaXj-gdEc

Click here for another arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBAExdZPad8

"Your Unfailing Love"

When the darkness fills my senseswhen my blindness keeps me from your touch,
Jesus comeverse

When my burden keeps me doubtingwhen my memories take the place of you
Jesus come

And I'll follow you thereto the place where we meet
and I'll lay down my pride as you search me again

Your unfailing love, your unfailing love,your unfailing love over me again

Click here to read Morgans' bio:
www.reubenmorgan.com/downloads/reuben_morgan_bio.pdf

Click here to learn more about Reuben Morgan:
www.myspace.com/reubenmorgan

Click here to worship through the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUhIdQfo34

Click here to listen online:
www.imeem.com/donkor/music/xQ42saKz/hillsong-your-unfailing-love/

"Amazing Grace" (My Chains Are Gone)

This song was co-authored by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. Chris was touched by the story of John Newton and his testimony of God’s grace. In researching the song Chris discovered that the traditional final verse “When we’ve been there ten thousand years” was actually added a hundred years later. Chris and Louie added this verse back in along with the new bridge-chorus.

Here is the original last verse:
“The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbid (forget) (forbear) to shine
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine”

Click here to hear Chris Tomlin share about how he wrote the alternate chorus:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU_4lIik9D8

Here is more information on how the song came about.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IliVc9JqW0I

Click here to watch the music video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXV6HJxUebg&mode=related&search=

“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”

This modern hymn was writtne by Stuart Townend. Townend is a British Christian worship leader and writer of hymns and contemporary worship music. His songs include "In Christ Alone" (2002, cowritten with Keith Getty, "How Deep The Father's Love For Us", "Beautiful Saviour" and "The King Of Love”.
As of 2008, CCLI lists the popular In Christ Alone in its Top 25 CCLI Songs list. In 2005, Cross Rhythms magazine described Townend as "one of the most significant songwriters in the whole international Christian music field. The Christian website Crosswalk.com commented that, "the uniqueness of Townend’s writing lies partly in its lyrical content. There is both a theological depth and poetic expression that some say is rare in today’s worship writing.Townend, son of a Church of England vicar in Halifax, West Yorkshire, was the youngest of four children. He studied literature at the University of Sussex. Townend started learning to play the piano at age 7. At the age of 13, he made a Christian commitment, and began songwriting at age 22.

Townend shared the following on how he wrote this song. Writing this song was an unusual experience for me. I'd already written quite a few songs for worship, but all in a more contemporary worship style, drawing from my own musical background. But I distinctly remember getting this feeling one day that I was going to write a hymn! Now, like most people, I am familiar with hymns - they form part of my church background, and I love the truth contained in many of them. But I don't go home at the end of a busy day and put on a hymns album! So I don't think of hymns as where I'm at musically at all!Nevertheless, I'd been meditating on the cross, and in particular what it cost the Father to give up his beloved Son to a torturous death on a cross. And what was my part in it? Not only was it my sin that put him there, but if I'd lived at that time, it would probably have been me in that crowd, shouting with everyone else 'crucify him'. It just makes his sacrifice all the more personal, all the more amazing, and all the more humbling.As I was thinking through this, I just began to sing the melody, and it flowed in the sort of way that makes you think you've pinched it from somewhere! So the melody was pretty instant, but the words took quite a bit of time, reworking things, trying to make every line as strong as I could.

After it was finished, I remember playing it to Dave Fellingham a few minutes before a time of worship. I was worried it was perhaps too twee, too predictable. Dave, in his typical demonstrative and over-enthusiastic way, shrugged his shoulders and said, "yeah, it's good", and that was that. It was only when I began to use it in worship, and all sorts of people of different ages and backgrounds responded to it so positively, that I thought that it might be a useful resource to the church at large.

Click here to learn more about Stuart Townend:
http://stuarttownend.typepad.com/

Click here to read more about the writing of the song:
http://stuarttownend.typepad.com/stuart_townend/2006/05/how_deep_the_fa.html

Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3em-0J1ePYU

Click here for another version of the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjD0lv8hx5o&feature=related

"I'd Rather Have Jesus" David Walden will share this song.

At the age of 23 George Beverly Shea (1909 - ) had a hard decision to make. He could accept a job offer in a secular singing position in New York City with a great salary and wide respect; or he could continue singing in churches and for Christian radio programs. While sitting at the family piano, he started to prepare a special hymn for the Sunday service. On the piano he found a poem by Mr. Rhea F. Miller. He immediately began to compose the music for the poem and used the song that same morning in his father's church service. He also used those words to direct his life and has shared his song, "I'd Rather Have Jesus" with audiences around the world.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land;
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand:

Than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway!
I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than world-wide fame;
I'd rather be true to His holy name

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He's sweeter than honey from out the comb
He's all that my hungering spirit needs
I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead

Here is a great clip of the Crabb family singing this great song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT4DkKjfJGE

Here is a clip from one of the Gaither Videos
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y34lUGEmv10