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"Lord, You're Holy"
This song is by Karen Wheaton. Born Karen Harris, she grew up in a Pentecostal family, the younger of two daughters, in Hamilton, Alabama where she was active in church music from an early age. In the late 1970s Karen toured with Thurlow Spurr's Festival of Praise, a pioneering Christian touring choir and band. In the early 1980s Karen traveled with her own band, which included her first husband and former Nashville keyboard player, DeWayne Wheaton. Karen and DeWayne later joined Jimmy Swaggart Ministries with Karen as one of the ministry's featured soloists and DeWayne sharing in keyboard responsibilities.
Wheaton has never written music of her own though she often arranges the vocals of her songs and is very involved in the engineering and production of her recordings. Wheaton's voice is a strong, dramatic alto.Wheaton is considered an interesting and important fixture on the contemporary theological scene in the American south as she represents the long-standing Pentecostal tradition of women having strong roles within the clergy and also as she continues the convention of "singing preachers" who incorporate aspects of sermonizing into actual songs. In many ways, Wheaton a rare breed to continue traditions of conventional southern revival-style preaching in her music. Wheaton's live version of "For Every Mountain", from her album Church is a prime example of this genre.Wheaton currently lives in Hamilton, Alabama with her daughters and aside from touring and recording her music, runs The Ramp and its associated youth outreach programs.
Click here for another arrangment of the song:
“Let the Praises Ring”This powerful worship song was written by Lincoln Brewster. Brewster has been musically inclined since his early childhood in Homer, Alaska. At the age of one, his mother, Cheryl, noticed how well he could keep rhythm on a drum set his grandfather had given him. At the age of five, his mother introduced him to the mandolin. Quickly mastering the instrument, he began playing for cruise ship tourists alongside his mother in Homer, Alaska.
By the age of 12, Brewster had a band called Lincoln and the Missing Links, which included his mother on bass and vocals. In his late teens, he moved with his family to California where he joined the high school jazz band (playing guitar and drums) and marching band (playing snare drum).
Due to connections gained in Los Angeles, he had recording contract offers by 19. Feeling an emptiness in his life, Brewster attended church services with his high school sweetheart and Christian, Laura. He recalls feeling God drawing him close after attending a drama ministry performance with Laura. "I was afraid to lay down a lot of things in my life," Lincoln said. "One night, I laid all my cards on the table. I asked the Lord to come into my life, all by myself. It was the best night of sleep I'd ever had. I was very peaceful. I think that was what enabled me to blow off that record deal."
After receiving a call from Steve Perry inviting him to audition as lead guitarist for his next solo project, For the Love of Strange Medicine, Brewster accepted and began songwriting and rehearsals for the album. Brewster's guitar technique, tone, and equipment choices possessed similar qualities and texturing to Journey's Neal Schon, and was touted as a favorable feature in the resulting album. He also toured with Perry for six months from 1994 to early 1995.
At the end of the tour, Brewster and wife Laura moved to Modesto, California where they attended Calvary Temple Church. After working as a sound technician for the church for a while, the senior pastor offered Brewster the position of associate music director and youth worship leader.
In 1997, the Brewsters left California and moved to Nashville to serve as youth pastors and eventually as full-time music ministers at The Oasis Church. It was there that Brewster met with executives from Integrity Incorporated who were there to work on a new Hosanna! Music album. After seeing his talent on the guitar, one executive listened to a demo project Brewster had produced. Already impressed with the production work and artistry, the executive also learned that Brewster had played every instrument and performed all the vocals himself. In 2001, Lincoln moved back to California to become the worship pastor at Bayside Church in Sacramento.
Click here to visit Lincoln’s myspace:
www.myspace.com/lincolnbrewsterClick here to learn more about Lincoln:
www.lincolnbrewster.com/Click here to visit Lincoln’s churches website:
http://www.baysideonline.com/Click here to worship along with Lincoln Brewster:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIg6RIbLz1c "Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King"
This arrangement is by Thomas Miller, Worship Pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. I had the opportunity to visit with Thomas during my sabbatical, he said the added chorus came to him on a Saturday morning watching college football. He was singing through the order for that evenings service and wanted to have some kind of transition to the next song and the following simple chorus came to him.
"Come Thou fount, come Thou King, Come Thou precious Prince of Peace;
Hear Your bride, to you we sing, come Thou fount of our blessing."
The original hymn was composed by the 18th century Methodist pastor and hymnist Robert Robinson. The hymn is set to an American folk tune known as Nettleton, by attribution to the evangelist Asahel Nettleton who composed it early in the nineteenth century. Robinson penned the words at age the of 22 in the year 1757.
Click here for a version of the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_OLyPhHHWk
If you like more of a traditional arrangement check out this choir arrangement here:
“Holy, Holy, Holy”
Holy, Holy, Holy is a hymn written by Reginald Heber (1783-1826). Its lyrics speak specifically on the Trinity as stated in Christian theology. It was written specifically for the use on Trinity Sunday, which occurs eight weeks after Easter The tune used for this hymn, "Nicaea", was named after the Nicaean Council in 325. It was composed by John Bacchus Dykes in 1861 specifically for the lyrics. The composer wrote many tunes to hymns (over 300) and many are still in use today.
Click here to listen to the story behind the song:
Click here to listen to the song:
Click here to read more about the song:
Click here to listen to an organ arrangement:
Click here for an acoustic guitar arrangement:
“At the Cross” Hillsong music ministry
Here’s another worship song written by Darlene Zschech and Reuben Morgan. Here’s a short portion of her testimony and how God delivered her from bulimia.
Darlene's no stranger to troubled teen years. Outwardly her childhood seemed glamorous—she was singing and dancing on a weekly children's television show in Australia, Happy Go 'Round, at the age of 10. But when she was 13, her parents divorced. The pressures of television, combined with the emotional turmoil of her parents' divorce and the custody battle that ensued, took their toll. By age 14, bulimia reared its ugly head. But in 1980, God intervened: Darlene's father rededicated his life to Christ and started taking Darlene to church, where she asked Jesus into her life at 15. While there she also met Mark, her husband of 16 years, with whom she shared faith in Christ. Darlene and Mark dated for a year and a half and married one week after she turned 19.
Click here to learn more about Darlene:
www.darlenezschech.com/Click here to worship along with the Hillsongs music ministry:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRjXBbtbEpMClick here to worship along in Spanish with the Hillsong music ministry:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l8_5WXEpF0Click here to purchase the song:
"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.
“Worthy is the Lamb” Offertory Nancy Hill
Australian Darlene Zschech is acclaimed all over the world as a singer, songwriter worship leader and speaker, most notably for spearheading the music that comes from Hillsong Church. Although she has achieved numerous gold albums and her songs are sung in many nations of the world, her success is not the result of pursuing stardom and fame –it stands as a testimony to her life’s passion to serve God with her musical gift.
Thank you for the cross, Lord.Thank you for the price you paid.
Bearing all my sin and shame, in love you cameAnd gave Amazing Grace.
Thank you for this love, Lord.Thank you for the nail-pierced hands.
Wash me in Your cleansing flow, now all I know…Your forgiveness and embrace.
Worthy is the Lamb seated on the throne.We crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious!High and lifted up Jesus, Son of God.
The darling of Heaven, crucified…Worthy is the Lamb.
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