Stories behind the songs Sunday November 11, 2007

"Our Heavenly Father loves us with an extravagant abandon. Passionate, undignified worship is our only reasonable response."

"High and Lifted Up"
The worship choir will start us off with this anointed song by Joe Pace. Joe's intense scriptural understanding and anointing in the area of music ministry, has rendered him a phenomenal teacher and one of the most sought after workshop clinicians and speakers in the country.
Click here to learn more about Joe Pace
www.joepace.org/index_new.html
Click here to get a taste of Joe's music
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZKOQQtmUbQ

"Friend of God"
Israel Houghton serves as one of the worship pastors for Lakewood Church in Houston. Here are some links with information on this popular worship song. Here is a devotional thought on the song www.gospelflava.com/articles/songinword-friendofgod.html
Here is an interview with Israel that gives great insight into Israel’s walk with the Lord. www.cbn.com/700club/guests/interviews/israel_houghton_041205.aspx
Click here to listen to the song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty0SO7IvtXM

"When I get there"
The Crossroads youth will minister this song by Kirk Franklin - great phrase "you will exchange joy for my pain"
Click here to learn more about Kirk Franklin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Franklin
Click here to worship with Kirk Franklin in Houston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXc9l1IVw2w

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


"I Surrender All"
This powerful hymn was written by Judson W. Van DeVenter in 1896. He wrote the following in his journal:
The song was writ­ten while I was con­duct­ing a meet­ing at East Pal­es­tine, Ohio, in the home of George Seb­ring (found­er of the Seb­ring Camp­meet­ing Bi­ble Con­fer­ence in Seb­ring, Ohio, and lat­er de­vel­op­er of the town of Seb­ring, Flor­i­da). For some time, I had strug­gled be­tween de­vel­op­ing my tal­ents in the field of art and go­ing into full-time evan­gel­is­tic work. At last the pi­vot­al hour of my life came, and I sur­ren­dered all. A new day was ushered in­to my life. I became an evang­el­ist and dis­cov­ered down deep in my soul a tal­ent hi­ther­to un­known to me. God had hid­den a song in my heart, and touch­ing a ten­der chord, He caused me to sing "I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all"
Click here to hear Ce Ce Winan sing this hymn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjsz6fRnsDc
Click here to hear the Isaacs sing the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOq7p3RTm5w
Click here to watch a very moving liturgical dance to the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-VnQShgRYs

"Take my Life and Let it Be"
Frances R. Havergal wrote the following about how he wrote the song:
I went for a lit­tle vi­sit of five days (to Are­ley House). There were ten per­sons in the house, some un­con­vert­ed and long prayed for, some con­vert­ed, but not re­joic­ing Christ­ians. He gave me the pra­yer, “Lord, give me all in this house!” And He just did. Be­fore I left the house ev­ery one had got a bless­ing. The last night of my vis­it af­ter I had re­tired, the gov­ern­ess asked me to go to the two daugh­ters. They were cry­ing, then and there both of them trust­ed and re­joiced; it was near­ly mid­night. I was too hap­py to sleep, and passed most of the night in praise and re­new­al of my own con­se­cra­tion; and these lit­tle coup­lets formed them­selves, and chimed in my heart one af­ter ano­ther till they fin­ished with “Ever, On­ly, ALL for Thee!”

click here to hear a newer version of the hymn
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEzbwcMG9Gc