Behind the Praise - Sunday August 2, 2009

We'll begin our worship with this powerful song of declaration by Israel Houghton.

"Say So"

Another great song by Israel Houghton click here to read about his ministry with "NEW BREED" www.newbreedmusic.com/

Click here to listen to Israel in the studio singing "SAY SO"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayuUrynTMy0

Click here to worship along at a worship event the song "SAY SO"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlVQzUweso&mode=related&search=

Click here to watch more of Israel sharing a new song "If not for Your Grace"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgizH3sIizU&mode=related&search=

"I will Boast"

Read more about Paul Baloches' ministry here
www.leadworship.com/paul/about.html

This song is based on the verse Jeremiah 9:24
"Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
The Apostle Paul, writes this in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written(in Jeremiah 9:24): "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

Click here to worship with the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yiAFexAeqc

"Total Praise"

Click here to learn more about Richard Smallwood:
www.richardsmallwood.com/

Click here to worship along with Richard Smallwood:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=phBXe4RN3t8

"Your Love O Lord"

Johnny Mac Powell (born December 25 1972), originally from Montgomery, Alabama, is an American singer-songwriter and producer who formed the Christian rock band Third Day with guitarist Mark Lee. Powell won the 2001 Gospel Music Association award for "Male Vocalist of the Year". Background After his family moved from Alabama to Georgia, Powell attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he met Lee and became involved in a band known as "Nuclear Hoedown". This experience resulted in further collaboration when he began writing songs about his faith, formed a Christian band, called Third Day, and eventually landed a record deal with Gray Dot Records. Powell lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Aimee and their three children Scout, Cash, and Camie Love.

Click here to visit Third Days' website:
www.thirdday.com/

Click here to visit their myspace:
www.thirdday.com/

Click here to worship along with Third Day:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mP4LhdE4vc

"O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

Charles Wesley was suffering a bout of pleurisy in May, 1738, while he and his brother were studying under the Moravian scholar Peter Böhler in London. At the time, Wesley was plagued by extreme doubts about his faith. Taken to bed with the sickness on May 21 Wesley was attended by a group of Christians who offered him testimony and basic care, and he was deeply affected by this. He read from his Bible and found himself deeply affected by the words, and at peace with God. Shortly his strength began to return. He wrote of this experience in his journal and counted it as a renewal of his faith; when his brother John had a similar experience on the 24th, the two men met and sang a hymn Wesley had written in praise of his renewal.
One year from the experience, Wesley was taken with the urge to write another hymn, this one in commemoration of his renewal of faith. This hymn took the form of an 18-stanza poem, beginning with the opening lines 'Glory to God, and praise, and love,/Be ever, ever given and was published in 1740 and entitled 'For the anniversary day of one's conversion'. The seventh verse, which begins, 'O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing', and which now is invariably the first verse of a shorter hymn recalls the words of Peter Bohler who said, 'Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them all.' The hymn was placed first in John Wesley's A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists published in 1780. It appeared first in every (Wesleyan) Methodist hymnal from that time until the publication of Hymns and Psalms in 1983

Click here to hear an organ arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mHDcIGXBtw

Click here for a contemporary arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1LwDBVpg_E

Click here for an acoustic guitar arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U8AuFL1qN0&feature=related

"The Stand"

The following was written by Michael W. Smith about this worship song.Recently I was struck by the Biblical truth behind the song "The Stand," written by Joel Houston of Hillsong and recorded by Michael W. Smith on his album Stand. This truth is based on Paul's very encouraging words to the Romans in Chapter 5, verses 1-3 which are wonderful words to celebrate and "rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" as we praise our Lord and Savior Jesus for coming to die for our sins as our perfect, blameless substitute for our sinful natures on whose grace we "stand with arms high and hearts abandoned in awe of the one who gave it all".Michael W. Smith says "Stand is a call to stand up for what you believe in." It's a call to stand in awe of the One who gave all and to stand outside of the walls of the church rubbing shoulders with the lost. Together, we stand as followers of Jesus sharing a powerful opportunity: To live as a child of God. We must live as though we believe we are loved," he says. "It's time we take a stand believing we are loved," Smith concludes. "And then, let's go. Let's go change the world."Joel Houston wrote this powerful worship song. Although the church his parents pastor is famous for its music ministry, Joel Houston didn’t intend for its youth group to make records. “The reason we first recorded a United album in 1999 was simply that there was an overflow of songs being written by the youth,” he says. Each week some 3,000 young people participate in United, the youth ministry of Hillsong Church based in Sydney, Australia. And while Houston, 26, provides creative oversight, he says all the youth help produce the live worship projects that are recorded annually during Hillsong’s Encounterfest youth conference. “Our desire is to ... see the younger guys in our team equipped and released into their gifting,” says Houston, son of Hillsong pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston. “We want the younger generation to be taking what we’re doing and make it seem tiny in comparison to what they are achieving for God in the years to come.” Even though the group leads worship in places such as Japan, England and Colombia, United’s priority is Sydney. “All we do is centered on building our local church and reaching the youth in our community,” Houston says. “This has always been our focus. And the incredible thing is, in the midst of this God has opened the door for us to have incredible influence by His grace across the earth.”

Click here to worship along with the Hillsongs worship ministry:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkGLbKV26zo

Click here to listen online:
www.imeem.com/pieerejean/music/ZwSNdWyM/joel-houston-hillsong-publishing-the-stand/