Sunday Morning Music: Rend Collective Experiment "Build Your Kingdom Here"

"we are your church, we are your hope on earth"

Rend Collective Experiment - Build Your Kingdom Here

Come set Your rule and reign

In our hearts again

Increase in us we pray

Unveil why we're made

Come set our hearts ablaze with hope

Like wildfire in our very souls

Holy Spirit come invade us now

We are Your Church

We need Your power

In us

We seek Your kingdom first

We hunger and we thirst

Refuse to waste our lives

For You're our joy and prize

To see the captive hearts released

The hurt; the sick; the poor at peace

We lay down our lives for Heaven's cause

We are Your church

We pray revive

This Earth

Build Your kingdom here

Let the darkness fear

Show Your mighty hand

Heal our streets and land

Set Your church on fire

Win this nation back

Change the atmosphere

Build Your kingdom here

We pray

Unleash Your kingdom's power

Reaching the near and far

No force of hell can stop

Your beauty changing hearts

You made us for much more than this

Awake the kingdom seed in us

Fill us with the strength and love of Christ

We are Your church

We are the hope 

On Earth

"7" - Jen Hatmaker

So what is my small group getting ourselves into? Sounds a bit crazy. A bit dangerous. A bit ambitious. Sounds habit and possibly life changing. See for yourself. Or better yet, read the book.

Little Bitty Frog

I have great memories of my time in our youth group at the Zelienople Church of Christ. Many of these memories involve Reid Moon, our youth minister/pulpit minister/bus driver for our school district/handyman. He has a heart of gold and apparently he also has the ability to teach us silly songs. This was recorded tonight before bedtime. My kids love this song. They beg for it. And of course, I cave in most nights and sing it. Thanks Reid for reminding us that God loves us no matter what we look like. BTW, Grady is a little bitty frog, Macy is a medium sized frog and I am a big bullfrog.

Songs of the Church

Growing up in a small conservative Church of Christ in the NE, there was only one song book around: Songs of the Church published by everyone's favorite - Howard Publishers out of West Monroe, LA. We didn't have a projection screen. No worship team or band or even a microphone. We didn't need it. We sang a cappella, as is tradition even to this day in Churches of Christ. We won't get into the instrumental v. a cappella debate, but I will tell you that I still love it today. Part nostalgia and part preference. Don't get me wrong. I love Chris Tomlin, Fee, David Crowder and other worship artists. I just happen to attend a church where we sing a cappella.

Anyways, in this Songs of the Church song book, there are some songs that bring back great memories. Songs like 'A Mighty Fortress', 'Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed?', 'All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name', 'All to Jesus I Surrender', 'To God Be the Glory', 'Anywhere with Jesus', 'Blessed Assurance', 'Encamped Along the Hills of Light', 'Fairest Lord Jesus', and 'Our God, He is Alive.' But one of my favorites always was 'How Great Thou Art.' I know it's been years since I've sung this in church but it's such a beautiful song.

Well, when I saw this version of 'How Great Thou Art' I had to share it. I'm sure you've already seen it or had it sent your way and you passed. You have to check this out. For my money, no one has the vocals like Carrie Underwood. She's just a very gifted singer and she is accompanied by one of the most loved Country singer's/guitarists of the last 25 years, Vince Gill.

Visitors

Does anyone else still think we should have visitors to our churches wear that visitor name tag? I'll gladly wear the member name tag if that will help.
In fact, when you are a part of a large church and you have a poor memory, maybe having the members wear them would be more beneficial and not have the visitors wear one. I am just tired of being embarrassed on Sunday mornings when I shake hands and say my name to a new person or someone I should know their name but I don't know their name or they've been attending the church for 5 years.

That's why I think being a part of a small group or Sunday school class is so important. Connecting with members of the church can be impossible if the only time you have a conversation is the 2 minutes after the greeting and before the next song in worship.
Making connections takes time and effort. Making connections means you are spending time outside of worship with others. Bringing up prayer requests for your hurts or joys in life. Having folks over to your house for a meal or fellowship. Opening up the Scriptures with one another and having a real conversation about it.
That's a community that I want to be a part of.

But it takes effort on my part. Let's be honest, if I want to exclude myself in a large church I can. The job of the leadership in a church, I believe, is to give opportunities for people to lead and meet and worship.

As a coach and teacher, I don't really have any power. It's up to the individuals on my team or in my classroom as to whether real change or learning is taking place. It's not me, it has to come from them. Same goes for the church.