All Towards His Glory

Easter Sunday At Meredith Middle School, April 4th

2010-04-04T13:28:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon, and Happy Easter to all who read this!

For the 2nd year in a row, we held our Easter services in the auditorium at Everett Meredith Middle School. Quite an endeavor from a technological standpoint, and I must commend Ted, Carlton, Carl, Barry, and any others I'm leaving out who took personal time to ready the set and load-out after it was all over.

Easter Morning Services:

Sunday, March 28th...Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T21:43:00.003-04:00

Hosanna, hosanna in the highest! Yep, today was Palm Sunday, celebrating the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. At Connection, we typically cover a broad range of emotions on Palm Sunday, with the view of the cross in sight. The same was true today, with a jubilant start to the services, becoming reflective as the message carries on, up to the dramatic statement of our own steps to self-dying...only to enjoy the fruits of redemption and life with Christ.

Here's the way the service flowed:

Welcome - Devon

Praise Set

Hosanna (Baloche/Brown) - Earl led
Song Of Hope (Seay et. al.) - Earl led
Mighty To Save (Morgan/Fielding) - Devon led

Prayer - Devon

Easter Promo Video - "Peeps Watching Me"

Announcements - Kari

Offering

Message - "Return To Eden: Restoration" - Key Scripture: Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-39; Matthew 16:24- Kari & Alan

Special Music

Restore To Me (Powell/Nasser) - Devon led w/ Erin accompaniment

Prayer - Alan

Closing Song

Lead Me To The Cross (Fraser) - Devon led

Sunday, March 14

2010-03-14T15:39:00.008-04:00

Good afternoon everyone! No Bible study this week, so I get a chance to write this up on a Sunday afternoon.

First off, congrats to Ted (the director of our worship services) and Megan, who welcomed their second child into the world in the middle of our 11 AM service!

Busy day at church today, there was a town hall following the 11 AM service. Discussed plans to begin the designing phase for the property on US 301. Progress!

A little business for this blog: I have gotten little traffic and only one purchase when it comes to MP3's through the Amazon website. I am discontinuing the posting of hyperlinks to Amazon MP3's. I initially thought that congregants may be interested in purchasing songs that we worship with on Sundays, but that doesn't seem to hold true. Your favorite marketplace software (iTunes, Zune) or Amazon should have most tracks available for purchase. I will list artist and song name.

So here goes:

Sunday March 14th

Walk-In Video - Music Video for "Cry Out To Jesus" - Third Day
Welcome - Devon
Praise Set Part A
My Savior Lives (New Life Worship, "My Savior Lives" album, Devon led)
Glorious One (Fee, "We Shine" album, Kyle led)

Announcements - Kari/Carlton - Easter Sunday services at Meredith Middle School, Town Hall mtg reminder, and Network Class on March 20 from 8 AM - 3 PM

Praise Set Part B
Rise And Sing NEW (Fee, "Hope Rising" album, Kyle led)
I Need You (Kristian Stanfill, "Attention" album, Earl led)

Prayer - Earl
Offering Transition - Devon
Offering - I Need You instrumental arrangement
Message - East Of Eden - God Hears Our Cries - Alan & Kari
Closing Song
Mercy (Parachute Band, "Roadmaps And Revelations" album, Devon led)

All in all, thought things sounded awesome. Rise And Sing's gonna be in next week's lineup (and probably Easter!). Glorious One was a bit difficult to keep the tempo down. And Mercy was introduced as a special song a few weeks ago, and will certainly be in our lineups for years to come.

Check out some other church's setlists at The Worship Community (no active link yet, will add later)

Sunday, February 28th

2010-02-28T22:02:00.000-05:00

It's the last day of February. It's also the last day of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The end of the Winter Olympiad always makes me sad, because I know it will be another 4 years until I get to watch some of my favorite winter sports...luge, bobsled, ski jumping, curling...just to name a few.

It's also the 2nd Sunday in the Lenten season. So without further ado, here is the service recap for Connection Community Church from today's service.

Welcome (Stefanie)
Praise Set

Let God Arise (Chris Tomlin/Passion Band) - Led by Kyle
The Symphony Of Our Lord (Sion Alford, purchase site unknown) - Led by Stefanie
Glory To God Forever (Fee) - Led by Earl

Prayer (Earl)
Disciple Member Celebrations @ 8:30 + 9:45 Services (Connection Leadership Team)
ALPHA Video
Announcements (Kari)
Offering - Praise You In This Storm (Casting Crowns) - CD Track
Message - East Of Eden - God I Don't Understand You
Closing Song

Walk By Faith (Jeremy Camp)

February 21st Service

2010-02-22T08:21:00.000-05:00

Took a couple of weeks off from this, but getting restarted. Here's the way the service went yesterday:

Welcome
3 Song Set:

Prayer
Announcements/Offering
Offering Song:

Message - "East Of Eden: God, I Don't Sense You"

Message Part A

Meditational Song A:

Message Part B
Meditational Song B: Never Alone by Barlow Girl (cannot find Amazon MP3 link, check iTunes Store if you'd like to purchase)
Message Part C

Prayer
Closing Song:

Have a great week!

A Different Kinda Weekend Worship Wise

2010-02-01T07:50:00.000-05:00

Well, this is where I usually begin typing a good bit about what happened on Sunday at Connection Community Church in Middletown. And when I get the final copy of the service transitions from yesterday's service, I'll post that, I promise! I was off from playing this weekend, and couple that with a few inches of snow that were dumped from a weekend Nor'easter, and my family kinda "played hooky" from church. *Cue the gasps!* So when I get the information necessary, I'll post that.

So you may ask, "Uh, what's this 'different kinda weekend worship' thing?" Well, my wife and I participate in a worldwide community called the "Walk To Emmaus." It's main focus is to provide leadership training through weekend retreats for believers who are called to serve at high levels in their home churches. For the last 6 months, I've been called to serve as Adoration & Praise Coordinator, which is a fancy way of saying, "the dude who makes sure Praise & Worship occurs at events."

Our community has a songbook, which contains somewhere around 160 songs. Over the last year, an arduous process of prayer, suggestion, and discernment yielded us a group of 34 songs to be added to this songbook. I don't know the exact number, but our community has its share of talented musicians and worship leaders, and so on Saturday, many of us got together to begin the process of learning to lead these songs at events. We met for 3 hours, and even at that we only were able to work through half of the additions. But to be honest, the best part of the session was getting together with other like-minded worship leaders to throw around ideas, play some music, and generally enjoy an afternoon together. And the best part is that we get to do it again in less than two weeks!

To close, I'll say that I'm jumping on the Hillsong United bandwagon a bit late. We have four songs from them in this update, which are Everyday, From The Inside Out, One Way, and Mighty To Save. Out of those four, Mighty To Save is the one I know best, and that's because Laura Story covered the song and had it played on CCM radio for what seemed like a year straight. But the other three...those verses are tough to sing! Joel Houston has a way to write catchy, infectious chorus melodies, but their verses seem to wander like an electron in its atomic orbital. Nonetheless, I know that the youth will particularly love those songs, so no offense intended to any of you Aussie songwriters, I'll just have to open my mind a bit more.

'Til later, have a great day!

Sunday, January 24th Worship Confessional

2010-01-25T07:48:00.000-05:00

After a long afternoon of disappointing football outcomes (my team's not even involved, kinda tells you how much I love the sport), blogging about yesterday's service will lift my spirits...

January 24th - Start of a follow-up to the One Prayer/God Is... series from last summer.

Welcome: Devon
Worship Set:

God Is Great (Hillsong) - Leader: Courtney
Life Of Praise (Casting Crowns) Leader: Devon (Verse), Earl (Chorus)
We Are Hungry (Passion/Steve Fee) - Leader: Earl
Hosanna (Hillsong United) - Leader: Devon

Transitional Prayer: Earl
ALPHA Video
Announcements: Kari (Haiti Relief, Men's Retreat, Personal Finance Bible Study)
Offering:

Your Grace Is Enough (Matt Maher) - Album Cut

"God Is..." Video Transition
Message: Alan & Kari

Topic: God Is...More (Key verse: Philippians 4:13 : "I can do everything through him who gives me strength.")

Closing Song:

No Sweeter Name (Gateway Worship) - Leader: Devon

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Notes:
- Rehearsal Sunday morning went a tad long, trying to hone a few transitional elements between the songs.
- God Is Great - had tons of energy, fun song to dust off once in a while, and Courtney covered it excellently. At Thursday practice we decided that the key to this song needed raising, so we did.
- Life Of Praise - we had trouble keeping the tempo up on this song, but the Spirit helped us to stay together as a group, and I thought it went pretty well.
- We Are Hungry - my first time leading this song, congregation responded well to call to join after first verse. Another older song that the congregation loves to sing.
- Hosanna - this song came together after we decided to start with the delayed electric guitar riff. Our drummer Bob pulled through big time, his development has been awesome to watch...he still thinks he's a basement drummer! Hello!?!
- No Sweeter Name - Devon did a great job singing this. There's a tenderness to this lyric that is so powerful, especially when coupled with a message dealing with shedding one's baggage.

Finally, check out what some other churches are doing on Sunday morning at The Worship Community.

God bless!

January 17, 2010 Recap

2010-01-19T12:05:00.003-05:00

This week, I was able to take the morning off from pickin' and singin'. Things sounded great from the seats...here's how the service went:

Welcome

Praise Set

Let God Arise - From the Passion Movement's "God Of This City" album (song performed by Chris Tomlin)

Enough - From Chris Tomlin's "Not To Us" album

Take Me In - From Kutless' "Strong Tower" album

Prayer

Baptisms

Announcements (including information regarding Haitian disaster relief efforts)

Offering

Temptation Video Segue

Message: Tempted - To Test Our God

Prayer

Closing Song

Your Love Is Deep - Performed by Jami Smith on "Home" Live CD

To check out what other contemporary churches are singing, visit The Worship Community.

'Til Next time!

Sunday January 10, 2010

2010-01-11T22:55:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, the message was entitled, "Tempted: To Compromise Our Principles." Lori Brown preached it, and the main scripture was based from Luke 4: 5-8.

The lineup went as follows:

Opening Video: Chariots Of Fire Clip, Part 1
Welcome (Devon)

Worship Set

Prayer (Earl)
Video about Spiritual Discipline Of The Month (Journaling)
Announcements (Devon)
Offering
Message (Lori)

Closing Song

Sendoff (Lori)

There are so many layers to "Desert Song"'s lyrics. One fits well with the message from Sunday, which is asking for God to pull us through in the greatest times of need (temptation being one). The general theme of the song mirrors another wellknown praise song called "Blessed Be Your Name," which is praising the name of God in the difficult times of life. My favorite part, though, is the final tag that gives us a unique perspective on the mountaintop experiences in our lives. We often get caught up in the highs. A political term thrown around these days is "Fat Cat." That seems to be a good term to describe the complacency that can be derived from the good times, "when favor and providence flows." I'd encourage you to listen and think about those final lyrics, rather than spell it out for you.

The links above will allow you to purchase the song versions that we use as demonstrations in our rehearsal for Sunday morning.

Check out The Worship Community to find songs other churches are using!

The New Year = Return To Blog

2010-01-11T07:40:00.002-05:00

Hi there everyone, happy belated New Year! Yep, it's been months since my last update of this blog. A new year means a new start. Being away the week before caused me to decide to revive this starting with yesterday's service.

Here's the thing...I do plan on doing more posting as well. There may be some short posts, there may be some long posts, but the weekly "what happened at Connection" recaps will return, well, weekly. These other posts will likely encompass the evolving world of Praise and Worship music...it may contain reviews, or suggestions, or maybe even some commentary regarding my side project with the band Face Forward. And if you read this and have a suggestion or two, comment and I'll see if it makes sense!

Blessings to all!

"...Just To Hit The Ball, and Touch 'Em All..."

2009-08-30T13:27:00.002-04:00

The title of this post is excerpted from the lyrics of my favorite baseball-themed song, Centerfield by John Fogarty. It kinda sums up the popular phrase that was examined this morning in the continuation of the "Play Ball" message series, "Swinging For The Fences." No steroids necessary for this lesson in living for Christ, though.

First, I'd like to take a moment to thank the guys (Ted, Bob, Chris, there are probably others too) who spent a lot of time setting up the new version of our stage area. It was a very different perspective this morning, but I loved being closer to what I have affectionately called, "The Balcony."

Anyway, on with the recap:

Opening Video: Scene from The Natural
Welcome
Praise Set:

Prayer
8:30 AM Worship Only - Disciple Member Ceremony
Short Message - The importance of small groups and the upcoming GroupLink event
Video - GroupLink Squirrel
Announcements
Offering
Short Video - The story of Babe Ruth hitting his 60th home run
Message - "Swinging For The Fences" - Highlighted Scripture: Revelation 3:14-16 (NIV)
Prayer
Closing Song:

I chose "Revelation Song" today for two reasons: 1) it hadn't been sung at either campus since Easter Service, and 2) because the featured Scripture was from Revelation (granted, the song is based on the fifth chapter of Revelation not the third, oh well). That being said, here's a line from the song:

"With all creation I sing, 'Praise to the King of Kings,' You are my Everything, and I will adore You!"

Kinda sums up what I think "swinging for the fences" epitomizes. Selling out, giving it all, living and believing God to be your Everything is definitely like taking that home run chop.

I pray that you give that ball a ride this week...and even if you don't, I hope you approach it trying to smash it into eternity!

I'll link to McKinnon once he starts his blogroll post for this week.

August 23rd And The Allegheny Plateau

2009-08-26T11:56:00.009-04:00

Wednesday already! Long weekend will do that to you.

I'll start by listing the songs that Connection worshiped with this weekend (apologies if the order is incorrect). The links will direct you to amazon.com, which gives you the option to purchase these songs for your personal worship time in your home, car, or wherever.

Topic: Stepping Up To The Plate (Scripture Mark 2:1-12)

Let God Arise
Today Is The Day
Unashamed Love
Satisfy (Album Version)
I Can Only Imagine

So, where was I? Well, by clicking here, you'll see where we stayed. We had to battle Little League World Series traffic around South Williamsport on our trip, but it wasn't too congested. My parents live outside of Westfield, PA, although I grew up about 10 miles west in the hamlet of Mills. It's a beautiful area. One interesting tidbit...the Cowanesque River flows through Westfield, and it's origin is only about 10 miles northeast of Pine Creek, a larger stream that flows through the Grand Canyon of PA. But they each take drastically different paths to the same endpoint just north of Sunbury, PA. Check it out sometime! (Additionally, the area where Pine Creek originates is known as the PA Headwaters. Two other major rivers begin in that area as well: The Allegany River and the Genesee River. Depending on which side of a hill a drop of water flows, it could end up in the Gulf Of Mexico, Lake Ontario, or the Chesapeake Bay!)

So Sunday morning, I was given the opportunity to help my friend Rob and his mother lead worship at their home church of Harrison Valley C&MA. Had a great time, we introduced Paul Baloche's Hosannato the congregation. We also sang Blessed Be Your Nameand In Christ Alone. I had never played In Christ Alone prior to Sunday, but enjoyed it plenty. Looking forward to getting back to Connection this Sunday, but felt very much at home with the good folks at HV C&MA.

Have a great week, and hope you enjoyed the geography lesson!

Cleats, No Pepper, and a Texas Leaguer: August 16th Service

2009-08-18T07:08:00.010-04:00

Well, that might have sounded like a random batch of nothin' to you, unless you're a fan of the game of baseball. 8/16 started a four-installment series called "Play Ball!" And you guessed it, baseball analogies are the soup du jour.

So here we go, the ump's pointing at us to throw the first pitch. Here's the recap of August 16th:

Preservice - Instrumental Verse/Chorus of Today Is The Day
Welcome
Praise Set

Prayer
Announcements/Offering - Instrumental: Wrap Me In Your Arms
7th Inning Stretch/Greet Neighbor
Special Music: Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Message: "Spring Training" (Focus Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16 from The Message)
Closing Song:

Dismissal

Well, should be a fun month. If you must ask, cleats are worn on the feet, Pepper is a warmup game that has been banned at most parks, and a Texas Leaguer is one of those pesky bloop singles that drops in the shallow outfield. 'Til next time, stay down on those grounders and don't forget to drop the shades on those pop flies!

Check out Fred McKinnon's Blog for more of what other contemporary churches sang this week...

Midweek Musings

2009-08-13T07:53:00.004-04:00

Good Thursday morning, Connection! Just thought I'd throw a couple of things out there for some midweek perusing.

If you're in town this weekend, don't forget the Middletown Peach Festival on Saturday. Connection CC will be reaching out as usual. One of the coolest opportunities (without the cold ice surface) onsite at Connection is the ice-skating rink supplied by Skate Unlimited for the 2nd year in a row. There'll also be other games and things to do for the kiddies. There's of course the parade, the kiosks, and the FOOD. Lots of fun, check it out.

Also, for Sunday, don't forget your baseball wardrobe! The new message series is called, "Play Ball!" and we'd like to see a room packed with Phill...I mean baseball jerseys, hats, tees, and whatever else you might have. You can even bring your Mets jersey, we promise not to boo (too much)!

Ok, to make this Praise Music related, "on the horizon" is a song by Robbie Seay Band called, "Song Of Hope." This is a song that's been on the CCM stations for over a year, and we've really wanted to get it in the rotation for awhile on Sunday morning. Such is the difficulty with there being so many good songs out there, God's timing always works out best. For me, my favorite line is in the 2nd and Final choruses: "Just to know You have me loved is enough, God of Heaven come down." In my life, realizing that aspect of God was likely the most impactful learning I've ever experienced. No matter where you are in life, there's a God who loves you...He even loved you when you didn't know (or perhaps didn't want to know) Him.

There are other songs on the way, I'll let you know as we get closer.

Hope to see you Saturday at the Peach Festival!

Back To Middletown, 8/9/2009

2009-08-09T15:25:00.004-04:00

What was the Yogi Berra quote? "It's deja vu all over again." Something like that.

John Waller has a song out right now that's called "While I'm Waiting." With the Dover Campus of Connection CC on hiatus, his advice through the song is, "While I'm waiting, I will serve You." So serving is what I'll do, and for the Praise Team that means in Middletown. Grateful for the opportunity to serve our Lord whether it's in Dover, Middletown, or Dogpatch. Bring it on!

Anyway, until I hear somebody complain, I'm going to continue this recap blog for Middletown's services. Since there are three on Sunday morning, there's always a little more to discuss. So here's the first installment.

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Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Final Installment In The Beach Party Series: The Sun

PreService Music (Instrumental):

Video Clip: Seabiscuit
Welcome And Announcements
Praise Set:

Prayer
Intro Video For Next Series
Offering Transition (Hosanna Instrumental Reprise)
Jonah Video Bump
Message: The Sun (Jonah 3 + 4; God's expectation for us to give second chances as He did for us)
Prayer
Closing Song:

Dismissal
PostService: God With Us Reprise

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Some weeks there are songs that pop out as topical, other weeks not so much. This week, the only connection I developed was with Hosanna. During the Bridge, there is a short phrase:

"Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
And show me how to love like You have loved me." (Hosanna, w/m by Brooke Fraser)

The way God loved us was to give His son for us, thus giving us a second chance to live free of guilt and shame for what we've done. Relating it to Jonah's story, the Lord showed Jonah the love He had for the Ninevites through the vine.

There are other parallels to that quote above...Jonah seemed to be ignorant to the source of the vine. It's definitely easy to take for granted that which seems to have come so easily to us. The more we see God's work in our lives, the easier it will become to forgive those who have wronged us...because without having our heart healed to be clean, we'd likely be in that same place, perhaps even worse.

You can check out some other church playlists at Fred McKinnon's website. Maybe you'll find your next personal worship playlist song there. 'Til next time, may God bless you!

Final Sunday In Dover ---- For now...

2009-07-26T16:17:00.004-04:00

This is a difficult blogpost to write, because this marks the end of a chapter in our church's short history. The Dover Campus of Connection Community Church has gone on hiatus with regards to corporate worship as of today. It's not the easiest course-change to make, but while I want to continue serving the Dover community, I also see where our efforts could be more fruitful if our energy could be spent reaching the community outside of Sunday. So I don't think this is the end of the Dover Campus...just a hiatus in worship that will help us regroup and refocus our mission.

Here's today's service order:

Your Grace Is Enough - Matt Maher
Praise Adonai - Paul Baloche
Welcome/Explanation of the changed format
Fields Of Grace - Big Daddy Weave
Unashamed Love - Jason Morant
Fellowship
God Story Sharing
Update from Leadership
Short Video Message from our Pastors
Communion
Rising - Paul Baloche (thought this really summed up nicely where many of us see God leading our campus)

I will be taking a week off from the blog. I will be praying as to where this goes from here...whether God's calling me to continue this for the Middletown campus. Have a blessed week!

Sunday, July 12th

2009-07-16T06:52:00.002-04:00

Wow, it's already Thursday. Here's the recap of what happened last week in Dover:

New message series is called "Three Simple Rules," the topic was "Do No Harm."

This day was a solo acoustic day, which gave a little flexibility to add a couple of extra songs.

Early Welcome
As It Is In Heaven (Matt Maher, modified ending, tagged part of Prechorus to end on the II chord)
Blessed Be Your Name (Matt Redman)
No Sweeter Name (Gateway Worship/Kari Jobe)
2nd Welcome/Announcements
Offering
There Is A River (Jars Of Clay, removed 2nd Chorus and Bridge)
Video Bump
Message
Communion - Restore To Me (Glory Revealed, Powell + Pearson-Shelton)
May The Words Of My Mouth (Tim Hughes)

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A little insight for this week. With a message of "Do No Harm," especially when it comes to speaking words of love and honesty instead of words that tear down and destroy, "May The Words Of My Mouth," is almost the perfect fit lyricwise.

But the insight comes from the two "special musics" this week.

First, the lyrics of, "There Is A River," paint a beautiful scene of cleansing and shedding the past. I had to cut the bridge for time, but here's the bridge section: "I know the world can turn in different ways, most of the time we're simply hanging on, under the signs of how we all behave, we might find a place where we belong." Jars of Clay always digs down to where our purest form can be...this song for me is a "Reset" button, saying, "You don't have to be that person you were yesterday. God loves you and made you who you are, but He wants to see you become more." It's that place of peace within ourselves that allows us to fully serve Him without fear.

"Restore To Me" just really fit our Communion time this week. When it comes to beating spiritual dryness, we need to pray. This song is a prayer. The chorus goes right to the heart of the matter: "Restore to me, the joy of Your salvation. Restore to me, the wonders of Your love." It may take a lot more than singing that line with every ounce of your heart, but He can restore those things if we open ourselves up to His mercy.

Until next time, Earl.

July 5th Service Plus

2009-07-06T11:06:00.003-04:00

Hi there, Connection Church readers (+ anyone else who happens upon this).

Apologies for the lack of a blogpost last week.

I'm not planning to post anymore links to songs. The traffic I've been sending is light...I'll be sure to give you enough info that you should be able to find a song yourself if you so desire.

July 5th - Independence Day Weekend

Started with a quote w/ light music underneath, then straight into praise

Rising - Paul Baloche
I Am Free - Desperation Band

Dave vs. Dave 4th of July skit
Independence Day Welcome

Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing) - Brenton Brown
Let My Words Be Few - Matt Redman

Prayer
Baptism
Offering
Message

Beautiful One - Jeremy Camp (written by Tim Hughes)

'Til next time...

Sunday, June 21st Service

2009-06-23T20:23:00.002-04:00

Wow, I really am behind on last week's service. So here goes.

First of all, we had to cut a song. I had several "special music" songs in mind going into Tuesday practice, and narrowed down to the song "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns. Unfortunately, since the service was running long with plenty of items to cover, we dropped the special music.

So, here's the way it went down:

Welcome - Kyle led off with a call to join us in worship

Prayer
Disciple Member Presentation
Offering
Father's Day Testimony
Message - Craig Groeschel video - God Is.....Love

OK...here are the links to the other songs I had on my mind as specials...all are great songs.

You can find more about what other churches are praising with at Fred McKinnon's blog.

Sunday, June 14th Recap

2009-06-14T16:00:00.003-04:00

Good Sunday afternoon everyone! I'm pretty beat, a rather annoying sunburn and less sleep than I'd like has left me even more drained than usual after Sunday worship. But I'll hang in there while I give the recap.

Sunday June 14th

The cool thing was that Pastors Kari and Alan gave the message live today. After the welcome, we had a three song set:

Pastor Kari came up and gave some announcements. This included two rather difficult situations that directly affect the Connection family. One is that Wyman Rodgers passed away last week (their family has been through so much within the last year). In addition, the wife of the pastor whose church backed our launch needs much prayer due to serious health concerns.

This led up to our "new" song for the week, which turned out (a God thing) to be very fitting following those concerns.

After a prayer and the offering time, Kari and Alan provided the message. They continued "One Prayer" which is a monthlong series that is being conducted by many churches around the country. The theme for us this week was "God is...Out of Control."

We then entered a time of Holy Communion, and finished up with:

All-in-all, things went very well musically. I think we might need to work a bit on continuity with "Jesus Paid It All," but it was still pretty solid.

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OK, I know that "Jesus Paid It All" isn't exactly a new song; the version we used as our example was recorded in January of 2006. The original was written by Elvina Hall and John Grape nearly 150 years ago. While I find the modern praise music speaks more clearly to me at this point, hymns offer a nice contrast, and many people are very familiar with them from their wooden pew days. The verses and chorus are from the original hymn, but the Passion people added a tag chorus to the song: "Oh Praise the One who paid my debt, and raised this life up from the dead!" While sometimes I hear from the Pastors which Scripture verses they'll be highlighted, that wasn't the case today. The message was based on John 11, the story of Lazarus, a man whose life was raised from the dead...how neat is that? It's always sweet to look back and discover just where God had His hand on you in the process of planning etc. I do like to be intentional in selecting themes within the music, (this will hopefully be apparent next week), but in my opinion having these strong-but-unintentional connections confirms God's signature on the worship service.

'Til next week, hope you have a great week, and keep the two families (The Rodgers and Owens families) in your prayers.

June 7th - Graduate Sunday

2009-06-07T13:59:00.005-04:00

It's already June, folks. Summer's here, warmer weather, the Dover Campus Incredible Shrinking Screens™ don't shrink quite as much...the knuckles sure appreciate that!

So we had a little different room setup today in Dover. The seating sections were changed from 4 smaller sections to 2 larger sections, made the room feel a little more condensed. I liked it.

Today was also the first message in a new series called "One Prayer." Here's a link I found after searching Yahoo! for One Prayer. This week Kari and Alan shared on the topic, "God Is Creative." Focus was Genesis 1.

The Service:

Quick Welcome
Praise Set

Prayer
Spiritual Discipline Of The Month Video - This month is "Submission."
Official Welcome/Announcements - Also contained a tribute and prayer for all recent graduates.
Offering
One Prayer Bump
Message - "One Prayer - God Is Creative"
In Video - Prayer
Closing Song

A short story...Last night I talked to Ted, the guy who directors our Worship services, trying to figure out which of these songs to close with. I had already settled on "I Can Only Imagine," just because the flow of the song lends itself to be a closing song. But nothing in the message really pointed to any of the songs, so I stayed w/ my initial leanings. During the message, it came clear to me why we were closing with "I Can Only Imagine"...I think the Creation story is so awesome, and yet so difficult to take on faith. Sometimes I think that we get too caught up in the nitty-gritty details, about how scientific discoveries cause hangups for us when considering Creation. But in "I Can Only Imagine," I think Bart Millard boils it down to one simple thought about God: "I can only imagine, when all I will do, is forever worship You." When we fend off all of the things Satan blares in our ears in order to hinder our relationship with God, what it comes down to is worship. It comes down to that Spiritual Discipline of the Month, "submission." God doesn't expect us to know every answer right now, but what He does expect is that we humble ourselves in front of Him.

So until next time, may God keep you safe and full of His Spirit!

More setlists can be found here.

Setlist for Sunday, May 31

2009-06-02T17:19:00.002-04:00

Good Tuesday to everyone, apologies that this is a little late. Sunday thru today have been hectic to say the least.

Sunday, May 31st - To start, we had a NASCAR Sprint Cup race in town, so traffic was a bit heavier heading to the Sheraton. That being said, we got the sound system set up in plenty of time and even had time to repeat a song during warmups. Service started a little behind, to help anyone caught in the mid-morning raceday mayhem on Rt. 13.

Service start
Video Clip - Bruce Almighty, Jim Carrey realizes he doesn't want to be God anymore.
Welcome - Earl
Upfront Set:

Prayer - Earl
Welcome/Announcements - Big Tom
Offering - iPod
Dave Vs. Dave Video Drama
Message - "Letting Go" - video message
Onscreen Prayer - Alan
Closing Song

Dismissal - Ted

Setlists from other churches around the country and world can be found at Fred McKinnon's blog.

Have a blessed week!

On The Horizon

2009-05-24T16:19:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone's having a reflective, perhaps relaxing Memorial Day. God bless our troops and their families. I was going to hold off 'til midweek to publish this, but I have time now, so here goes.

On The Horizon - I'm going to start a recurring theme in this blog...I'm going to call it "On The Horizon." This will be a song (or songs) that are quickly making their way onto my radar. Don't be surprised if these songs enter our worship set on future Sundays.

So, here's the first installment:

I know I've been on a bit of a Lincoln Brewster kick lately. Well, he's a guitar player, and he's a worship leader...WHAT A COMBO! He has written some great worship music over the years (Love The Lord, Let The Praises Ring, Take Me Higher), and also has a knack for taking praise songs from other leaders into fresh, yet-to-be-explored territory (Everlasting God, Shout To The Lord to name two). And he has the church in mind when he sets out to record...he's a worship leader w/ chops to boot.

His most recent album, called "Today Is The Day," has the makings of a classic, both from a CCM radio standpoint as well as Sunday morning mainstays. Two songs that have made it to radio thus far are the title cut as well as "God You Reign." In fact, most of the album would fit well for corporate worship. I'll focus on these two:

The title track harkens back to the youthful hymn most of us learned as children. Of course, it also has yet another knucklebusting solo...we guitar players try not to let pride enter our worship, but sometimes it heartens the soul to take a crack at emulating a master. Well, back to worship..."God You Reign" is a sublime declaration of just how powerful our God is.

In my mind I can hear our congregation singing both of these songs. Not every great song ends up in our repertoire, but these two are high on my list. If you want an early opportunity to learn these and fill your home with a joyful noise, the links are provided above.

If you're more into buying whole albums, below is a link to the album on Amazon. Lincoln provides a lot of nice variety on the album.

Have a great week!

Memorial Day Weekend Service Log

2009-05-24T15:18:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone, we had a cool service at Connection Dover this morning...we had Kari and Alan LIVE! In addition, the service flow was altered...hopefully the change freshened things up a bit. Here's the lowdown:

Call to worship by Kyle
Early Set:

Welcome + Announcements - A video was shown about GroupLink (a gathering on Wednesday, May 27 to help attendees get connected w/ a small group). Then, we had announcements given, as well as a presentation to two members of the Dover Campus who recently completed Disciple classes.

Worship song:

Prayer
Memorial Day Tribute - Video followed by Pastor Kari paying tribute to active and retired members of our Armed Forces. There's not enough anyone can say to show my gratitude towards the men and women who protect us.
Offering - a very soft instrumental version (Intro/Verse) of the next song

Post Offering Song:

Vid Bump + Message - Filling The Void - Part 2
Prayer

Closing Song:

Check back midweek, I already have a post in the works.

McKinnon's Sunday Setlists.

Sunday, May 17th Set

2009-05-18T06:56:00.004-04:00

Good Monday to everyone!

Here's the recap of yesterday's Dover campus service.

You Are Holy (Prince Of Peace)- MWSmith
Everlasting God- Lincoln Brewster
Rising- Paul Baloche
God With Us- MercyMe
Announcements/Prayer/Offering
Message - "Filling The Void" - Part 1 in a series devoted to the importance of a small group in your life
Take Me Higher- Lincoln Brewster

"Rising" is a new song for the congregation this week. It's a song with great verse lyrics about building a community that lives in Christ. The end of the verses each present two themes, "we sing" and "we live." Both are tied back to this: "People of God, in the power of God, for the kingdom of God." Small groups provide the accountability to keep us walking on the right track...because that 2nd verse is the challenge that each of us face for those 6 and 3/4 days between Sunday worship services: shining Jesus' light in the darkest place.

'Til next time, hope everyone has an awesome week walking w/ God, and think about how a small group might impact your life!

Link: Fred McKinnon's Setlist Carnival

Thursday

2009-05-14T18:17:00.002-04:00

Yep, that's today, Thursday. From the Dover campus standpoint, at least for me it tends to be the trough of the week. With Sunday Praise and Tuesday Practice, we only have two full days off between seeing each other and getting filled. But the Tuesday-to-Sunday haul is difficult. Knowing that the Middletown team is getting together tonight, it definitely causes some yearning to be able to get out there and sing and play.

But, the truth of the matter is, we can worship on our own. That's one of the reasons I'm feeling led to begin this blog, because for both campuses the Sunday-to-Sunday time can be difficult. The "real world" is a tough place to keep alongside Jesus, with all the distractions that we're faced with.

If you feel this way, like you need a boost midweek, get yourself some Praise and Worship music. Find the quietest room in your dwelling. Or plug your iPod into the AUX port in your car on the way to work. Think about the lyrics. Sing to God. Whatever it takes, have some one-on-one time with God. Yes, we're called to worship corporately, and that itself is a powerful experience. But God desires us to know Him in a personal way.

If you don't own any Praise and Worship music, this blog will contain lists of some of the most popular P+W songs out there. Whether you purchase them from via the links, or if you pick a couple of your favorite artists and buy the full albums, my prayer is that you draw closer to the Lord.

As a popular Chris Tomlin song states, "You and I were made to worship..." Until next time, much peace and love be yours.

Sunday, May 10th Lineup

2009-05-11T11:57:00.004-04:00

Ok, yesterday's message was entitled, "Healthy Living - Submitting To One Another." The primary Scripture referenced was Ephesians 5:22-33.

Praise Set:
Let the Praises Ring- Lincoln Brewster
Hosanna- Hillsong United
Glorious - Passion Band (Chris Tomlin/Christy Nockels)

A short tribute and prayer to mothers was presented, and following the offering time a "Hope & Faith" video skit introduced the message. After the message, Holy Communion was served.

Closing Song:
To The Ends Of The Earth- Lisa Gungor, written @ Hillsong

I plan to experiment with hyperlinking to a site that would allow you to purchase and download these songs. I will update with the links this evening if possible. You always have the option to head to your favorite multimedia store (iTunes, Zune Marketplace, Walmart.com for starters) and search on artist or song title.

Also want to point out a blog (fredmckinnon.com) that has what they call their "Sunday Setlists Blog Carnival." I've linked this post over there, and will likely do the same for future posts.

Have a blessed week!

- EDIT - I've added some links to Walmart's MP3 purchase site. On occasion the link will take you to a compilation which includes the song. I hope the links work for everybody.

- EDIT #2 - Incorporated Amazon links to this blog. Their download application should make importing to your MP3 player more smooth. Also, Amazon gives us 10% of each purchase for referring, and all proceeds will be given to Connection CC.

Welcome!

2009-05-11T11:44:00.000-04:00

My name is Earl...and this is a blog that I'm creating to help connect people both in our local church community and beyond to the music that my home church, Connection Community Church Dover Campus, worships with each Sunday. My sincere hope is that the people who visit this blog will be able to get their hands (or iPods, or Zunes, or you get the picture) on the praise music they hear on Sunday mornings. I don't know about you, but it can seem like an eon between Sunday mornings, and there are many times I just need to hear a song or two that recenters my focus on God and His plans for my life.

And as the title says, this is all towards the glory of Jesus Christ. I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to strum a guitar and lead a group of people in worship on Sunday mornings, but none of it's possible without God's mercy, love, and grace.

My prayer is that you find this helpful to your personal worship adventure with the Lord. This should be updated on a weekly basis, and occasionally I might delve into some perspective about a song or two. Feel free to comment with any feedback or ideas!