Song Set for April 17, 2011

Our God is Mercy // Brenton Brown // Our God is Near
Hosanna // Paul Baloche // Experience His Presence
Hosanna // Hillsong United // All of the Above
Surrender // Vineyard UK // Surrender

Song Set for April 10, 2011

Awakening // Hillsong United // Aftermath

Glorious // Paul Baloche // Glorious

Come Thou Fount Come Thou King // Gateway Worship // Living For You

As White As The Snow // Jonathan Lee // Let Them Hear

Song Set for April 3, 2011

God is Great // Hillsong United // United Live - King of Majesty
For All You've Done // Hillsong Live // For All  You've Done
Your Grace is Enough // Matt Maher // Awake To Grace
Christ is Risen // Matt Maher // Christ is Risen
Open Hands // Matt Papa // Your Kingdom Come

Song Set for March 27, 2011

Awakening // Hillsong United // Aftermath
Our God // Chris Tomlin // And If Our God Is For Us
Salvation is Here // Hillsong Chapel // Yahweh
I Will Lift My Eyes // Bebo Norman // Between the Dreaming and the Coming True
Everlasting God // Glenn Packiam // The Kingdom Comes
Evermore // Hillsong United (Live) // More Than Life (Live)

Song Set for March 20, 2011

Open My Eyes // Hillsong // A Beautiful Exchange
Your Love Never Fails // Jesus Culture // Consumed
You Never Let Go // Matt Redman // Passion: Everything Glorious
You Are Faithful // Jesus Culture // Consumed
Lead Me to the Cross // Hillsong United // All of the Above

Song Set for March 13, 2011

Song Set for March 13, 2011

Holy is the Lord // Chris Tomlin // Album: Arriving
Cannons // Phil Wickham // Album: Cannons
Desert Song // Hillsong United // Album: A_CROSS // The_EARTH: Tear Down the Walls
Beautiful Things // Gungor // Album: Beautiful Things
The Lord's Prayer // Cherie Ketchum // Album: Prodigal Child
Our God Saves // Paul Baloche // Album: Our God Saves

Song Set for March 6, 2011

Blessed Be Your Name // Author: Matt Redman // Album: Blessed Be Your Name
Hosanna // Author: Paul Baloche // Album: A Greater Song
Always // Author: Jason Ingram, Kristian Stanfill // Album: Mountains Move
Before the Throne of God Above // Author: Charitie Bancroft // Album: Pages by Shane and Shane
We Come to You // Author: Derek Webb // Album: I See Things Upside Down

Song Set for February 27, 2011

Glorious // Author: Paul Baloche // Album: Glorious
Glory in the Highest // Author: Chris Tomlin // Album: Glory in the Highest (Christmas Songs of Worship)
Glory to God Forever // Band: Fee // Album: Hope Rising
Your Love // Band: Bluetree // Album: God of this City

Song Set for February 20, 2011

The Earth is Yours // Band: Gungor // Album: Beautiful Things
Holy Holy Holy // Our own arrangement of the classic hymn by Reginald Heber
Forever Reign // Band: Hillsong // Album: A Beautiful Exchange
River // Band: Bluetree // Album: God of This City
Hungry // Author: Kathryn Scott // Arrangement: Trevor Lubiens (We put a little Coldplay spin on this)

Song Set for February 20, 2011

The Earth is Yours // Artist: Gungor // Album: Beautiful Things
Holy Holy Holy // Writer: Reginald Heber // Arrangement: Trevor Lubiens
Forever Reign // Artist: Hillsong // Album: A Beautiful Exchange
River // Artist: Bluetree // Album: God of This City
Hungry // Kathryn Scott // Arrangement: Trevor Lubiens

Song Set for February 13, 2011

TCC 

The Courts Gathering

2/13/2011

Our God // Artist: Chris Tomlin // Album: And If Our God is For Us

No Sweeter Name // Artist: Kari Jobe // Album: Kari Jobe

How Can I Keep From Singing // Artist: Chris Tomlin // Album: See the Morning

Hosanna // Artist: Hillsong United // Album: All of the Above

People of God // Artist: Gungor // Album: Beautiful Things

This is a sneak peak because I'm writing this on Saturday night!!! Oh man!! I think it's going to be fine because there are only two people following this blog right now. Sigh! Thanks Bethany and Katie. 

Well, tomorrow Pastor is talking about service/serving so we're not pulling any punches. If you know me you know I have a hard time doing Chris Tomlin songs. Not because I don't like him but more because I tend to shy away from things that are popular. I would say he is popular. But I do like that he is writing with Matt Redman now. I feel like Matt put his musical stamp on "Our God" especially in the bridge. So we are starting off with that song and I'm hoping this will bring tons of energy into the service right off the bat. 

I was reading Philippians 2 after last week's sermon on submission where Paul reminds us that Jesus, God with us in the flesh, didn't even consider being above everyone else but yet humbled himself to the point of the cross. AMAZING! Then I kept reading and was reminded of the power of His name, Jesus. 

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place 
   and gave him the name that is above every name, 

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
   to the glory of God the Father."

After reading that I knew I wanted to sing "No Sweeter Name" and that lead me to another song (by that dang Tomlin again) "How Can I Keep From Singing". I love the line in the chorus that asks "how can I keep from shouting your name?" and pairing these two songs together.

Then we get down to business with the "service/serving" issue. Hillsong really cuts right to the issue in "Hosanna" during the bridge. 

"Heal my heart and make me clean

    Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like You have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

    Everything I am for your kingdom's cause

As I walk from earth into eternity"

This is such a beautiful prayer and something I hope will really help us focus on Pastor's message.

During our response time we are playing a version of Gungor's "People of God" which simply states God is love and we need to be like God and we are the light of the world. It is basically our benediction. Thank you Michael!

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. I am so thankful for this community of believers I have the privilege of calling my church family. See you tomorrow. Except you Katie Henbest. You're in Idaho. You and D should come visit Nashvegas. Just sayin'.

Song Set for February 6

Trevecca Community Church
The Courts Gathering
Feb 6, 2011

"Jesus Messiah" // Artist: Chris Tomlin // Album: Hello Tomlin
"Always" // Artist: Jason Ingram & Kristian Stanfill // Album: Fellowship Bible EP or Mountains Move
"Take My Life" // Artist: Chris Tomlin // Album: Passion: Hymns Ancient & Modern
"Take all of Me" // Artist: Hillsong United // Album: More Than Life (Live)

We are still in the sermon series "26.2 Next Steps, Spiritual Disciplines." Sunday's spiritual discipline was on submission. Submission is a tough subject for a worship service but one that I feel is extremely important and one that is undoubtedly Christlike. If you want a follow up to the message I would suggest reading and studying Philippians 2.

I hope and pray that everyone has a great week and if you find yourself in disagreement with someone else that you would be able to submit to them out of love. God gave us all the same freedoms, the freedom to have opinions and beliefs, even the freedom to act on those beliefs. Submission is not natural. By nature we want our own way so I pray that we could all be unnaturally Christlike (I'm serious when I say read Philippians 2).

Have a great week.

Song Set for Janurary 30th, 2011

Hey. How's it going? That's good to hear. Oh me? I'm doing fine...thanks for asking.

So, some of you know that Trevecca Community Church has recently changed our Sunday morning schedule. We used to have two identical services but now we have a sanctuary gathering at 9am followed by Sunday school at 10:30 and then our courts gathering (the "courts" is the name or our gym/sanctinasium) and that happens at 11:30.

I am the worship leader for the courts gathering. I tend to call it the 2nd service and basically we are trying to offer a different worship experience while keeping the DNA or the essence of a TCC worship service. I would hate to use the term "contemporary" to describe this service. That word just doesn't make sense to me when talking about an entire service. It may describe some of the songs but music is only one of many elements involved in a worship service. I will say that we are definitely introducing quite a few new songs early on.

That is why I want to start posting song lists for the previous Sunday. That way if you liked something you will know the title and the album.

Here is the song list for January 30th, 2011.
"Open My Eyes"// Artist: Hillsong // Album: A Beautiful Exchange
"Salvation is Here"//Artist: Hillsong Chapel // Album: Yahweh
"Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus"// Words: Louisa M. R. Stead // Arrangement: Tretrev/TCC
"Giving it All to You"// Artist: The Michael Gungor Band // Album: Ancient Skies
"Surrender" // Artist: Marc James // Album: Surrender


I hope you find this helpful. 

Prayer. I'm learning.

I am unbelievably blessed with the most loving family anyone could ask for. I have even felt guilty after some conversations I have had with other people regarding their families. What did I do to deserve this?

Well, that is not really the point of this entry. It does have a lot to do with it but still not the main point. Let's get going here.

I moved to Nashville, TN in March of 2005. I thought it was just going to be for a short time while I worked on my music career. I think my family knew better. It was a bittersweet moment the night I headed out to Music City. I still remember all of the family going out to the driveway in front of my "stuffed to the rafters" Mitsubishi Galant and gathering around to pray with me. We cried. I mean cried. However, my family was also very excited for me to venture out of this athletic world in which I had lived in for so long and into this new music world which I've had a passion for since I wore diapers and danced in the closet where we kept our record player. This was the first time I had lived more than 30 minutes away from any family member. Nashville is 35 minutes away from Nampa, Idaho. Wait.  Did I say 35 minutes? I meant 2000 miles.

It's not that I couldn't live on my own, it's that I had to live on my own. No calling mom and dad for some extra money. No more taco Tuesdays. No more carpools to work which was only 5 minutes away in Idaho. I had to grow up (Jamie just said a very quiet "amen").

My dad would call to see how things were going. My mom would call every once in a while to see if I knew where the closest hospital was. My sister would call to see if I found a church yet. My brother would call my sister and Dad :)(I know you love me Torrey). They kept in touch.

When I called it was, "Hey dad, how do you fix this," or "mom, what does it mean if this hurts and I can't taste anything", or "hey dad...help." My calls were out of desperation or need or if I was lonely.

Six years later it is a different story. My dad and I talk all the time. I will call him on my drive home or on a lunch break or if I am home on Saturday while Jamie is at class (getting her masters in teaching...go Jamie!!!). Don't get me wrong, I still call him for advice all the time but now we just talk about life.  And now it's a two-way conversation. Lately I find myself making similar jokes or using the same analogies. The more we talk the more I understand life from his perspective. And the older I get the more I realize how much I do not know and how much he does know. He has just had so much more life experience and I trust him. We still debate certain issues like blended worship services vs two separate worship services, ya know...weird stuff that worship pastors talk about. It has gotten to a point now where sometimes I don't have to call my dad to ask him advice, I know what he would do because I know him, because I talk to him so much.

If only I was like that with my heavenly Father. I do go to Him in prayer a lot. It used to just be out of necessity or desperation. Now I try to talk with Him all the time but it is still typically from a selfish standpoint. I am getting to the point where I make decisions He would make because I just know Him. God has transforming power and He has been changing me, making me new. I used to only know about Him and I would do things because that is what I felt He wanted me to do. I am slowly understanding that the more I know Him, the more I become like Him. The more I become Christlike, the easier it is to make decisions and treat people the way Jesus would because I am like Him, because I am talking to Him more.

My sister used to tell me, "You are turning into dad!" and I would cringe. Now when she says it I smile and I think of my dad and the amazing man of God he is.

"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:4

Integrity

I googled a definition for the word "integrity" (because that's what you do to find a definition these days) and came across three different definitions. The first is "an adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty." The second, "a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition." The third definition, and my favorite is "the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished."

This month in our Sunday services we are talking about spiritual disciplines. The sermon series is entitled "26.2 Next Steps." This is in reference to the length of and the training for a full marathon. While preparing the music and other elements for our worship gatherings I have been including songs and passages of scripture on running and discipline. As the worship leader, my desire is not only to help facilitate an atmosphere of genuine community worship to God, but to support the theme of pastor's message. My hope is that our doors would be filled with people leaving our worship services (at the conclusion of the service of course:)) feeling encouraged, enlightened, and challenged. Well...it worked. I have been challenged.


I have never liked the stage. In fact, I might say I hate to be on stage. When I was little I used to participate (I was forced) in talent competitions. Who would force an innocent little huge boy onto a stage in front of a million people at our mid sized church in Moscow Idaho to sing "Our God is an Awesome God" and play his trumpet on the 2nd verse and bridge??? Surely my loving parents would never do something like that! It was probably my great Aunt, you know, the one with the huge glasses that always pinches your cheeks way too hard and makes you give her "SUGAR"?!? Ya, it had to be her. Anyway, I really hate to be on stage. When I have to be on stage in a competitive setting my knees knock and I get dry in the mouth and my hands get cold and clammy. When I am on a stage leading in worship my entire countenance changes. I feel as though I am in a state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.


So, how were you challenged Trevor?


Fantastic question. I'm so glad you asked. Well, pastor has been talking about spiritual disciplines and one of the analogies is training for a marathon. I don't think anyone would argue with me if I said it is impossible to run a full marathon under 3 and 1/2 hours without some intensive training. You may not run 26.2 miles every weekend but you certainly can't get away with 5 minutes on a treadmill two times a month and expect to make it very far.


How can I think I am spiritually disciplined just because I go to church Sunday morning, I do some service planning throughout the week, I maybe read an occasional excerpt from a devotional, and I pray before meals? When I am on stage leading in the music portion of our worship services I am honestly and completely genuine. But that is only one aspect of my life. The title of my entire blog is "Life=Worship" and I truly believe that. Worship is giving something worth and whether or not we choose to realize this fact, we are, every moment of every day, giving worth to something or someone. This sermon series is making me ask some tough questions.

Is playing angry birds on my iphone helping me become more like Christ?
Is watching 7 episodes of Man vs. Wild strengthening my relationship with God?
Will I gain deep wisdom and knowledge about the life of Jesus by beating 007 Goldeneye for wii in expert mode?

I think we all know the answers to those questions. I'm not going to say that all of those things are evil. I'll let my wife do that. What I am saying is that I make time for those things and sometimes those things are ok. If I have a free second of the day I can't wait to try and get three stars on level 12-1 in angry birds. What we would it be like if I couldn't wait to finish 2nd John because of the amazing insight I am receiving? What if the guys got together and instead of talking about who is going to win the super bowl we discussed how to be better husbands and what the bible has to say about that? Instead of giving worth to trivial pursuits, what if I forced myself to be spiritually disciplined?  I'll bet that discipline would turn into a passion.

The third of the ten commandments says, "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Deuteronomy 5:11. Many people understand that passage as referring to speech. When I was younger I used to think that. It didn't matter if you were a Christian or not, if you said "gosh dangit"but in the rated R form that meant you just took the Lord's name in vain. Through reading and conversations with my dad I have come to a different understanding. This commandment really has to do with integrity and honesty. Be who you say you are. If you proclaim to be a Christian then you are taking on the name of Christ. If you don't strive to live like Christ then you are taking His name in vain. Websters defines vain as having no meaning or likelihood of fulfillment. How can I be Christlike if I do not know about Christ and more importantly if I DO NOT KNOW HIM?


Now that I think about it, it was my parents who pushed me to do those competitions, to play the piano and the trumpet, and to sing in front of people even though it was out of my comfort zone. I'm so glad they did because now that the competitive setting has changed to one of worship, that discipline has become a passion for me. My challenge is to bring that passion into every aspect of my life.

Well, at least one person is getting something from those Sunday morning services:)