Preparing for Sunday, 7/31/11 (Morning Corporate Worship & RENEW at Night!)

Hey everyone,
hope you've been studying Scripture this week, and have given some thought to preparing your heart to meet as the Body of Christ this Sunday. If not, I get that - but it's not too late. We're looking at a really fun Sunday coming up, with our morning corporate meeting, and our last night of the RENEW series. Make sure you come out for this last RENEW night - especially if you haven't made all the others. This should be a good one.

MORNING: Pastor John will be continuing our series on prayer, preaching out of Mark 1:35-39 and Luke 5:15,16. He'll be teaching on the priority of prayer, looking at how even the Son of God withdrew from the crowds of people to be with the Father, and to pray. Again, we see examples in Jesus for how to live, that we can't ignore if even the divine Son of God didn't neglect to do these things.

Here are the songs for the morning. Give them a listen and prepare your heart and your vocal cords to sing heartily unto the Lord.
1. Your Grace is Enough
This song is a reminder to us as we sing that God has promised to be gracious to His children, and that His grace that saves us from our sin is infinitely valuable. His grace is enough for us, even though the world and our sin offer so many passing pleasures.

2. Grace Like Rain
We sing songs like this occasionally, because they take very familiar lyrics from favorite hymns, and set them to new, fresh melodies. This one is a re-working of John Newton's "Amazing Grace," and although it will never replace the glory of the original, the creative new arrangement can help us re-focus and meditate on the lyrics, and the depth of what they proclaim.

3. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
There is so much about this hymn that I love. I'd like to just highlight a couple things from the newer 4th verse that we've been singing lately, which was written by Bob Kauflin from Sovereign Grace Music. It's a verse that brings in the theme of the hope of Heaven, saying "O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face/Full-arrayed in blood-washed linen, how I'll sing Thy sovereign grace!" This will continue our theme of God's grace, proclaiming that being born-again in Jesus, we are permanently clothed in Christ's righteousness. And it is God's sovereign grace that has done this.

4. 10,000 Reasons (NEW SONG!)
This is a new song, written by Matt Redman. It's very hymn-like, and Psalm-like especially in its chorus. Give it a listen. Basically, the theme of the song is that there are far more than 10,000 reasons to praise the Name of God, for that He is, and has done, and has promised to do for us. The lyrics are below - check them out! And see if you can catch the little tribute to the lyrics of "Amazing Grace."

Chorus
Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

Verse 1
The sun comes up it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Verse 2
You're rich in love and You're slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Verse 3
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

RENEW: Be at church at 5:00 for a meal (CHILI COOK-OFF YA'LL!) and stick around from 6:00 - 7:15 for a time of music and teaching. It's gonna' be great! Dr. Preston Sprinkle will be teaching, on "Decision-making in Film, Music and the Arts." Definitely a relevant topic for us trying to live like Christ in our culture, where there is so much "art" to navigate and discern through.

We'll sing the following:
1. How Deep the Father's Love for Us
2. 10,000 Reasons
3. Blessed Be Your Name