Today we celebrate a very special woman. My mom, my kids granny B, my wife’s mother-in-law and my dad’s wife and best friend. She means so much to us. This morning we decided to give her a lovely happy birthday surprise check it out below:
Keep Moving Forward . . .
Often in life we are faced with a fear that keeps us from taking the next step. In order to keep moving forward we must face fears, trust God and walk in faith. The God who put the gifts and calling in you will see it through. Trust Him enough to take each step.
I’ve been working out at CrossFit Weddington for over 9 months now. I’ve seen great improvements in my speed, stamina and strength. My goal weight is 185lbs. During a workout recently I lifted that weight for 30 reps. At the beginning of this journey I couldn’t lift half that correctly. I had to overcome a lot to get where I am today.
By no means do I claim any victory for my own. Every step of the way God has been my only source of hope and strength. I’ve discovered you can overcome just about anything because God tells us we are overcomer’s. He tells us in Joshua 1:9 that He is with us wherever we go. I have that verse as my lockscreen on my iPhone. It’s the first thing I see when I pick up my phone. The second thing I see reminds me to GO, DO THE WORK . . .
***click on the images above to download and use on your iPhone***
Mark Batterson said it best in his book The Circle Maker, “work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God”. What’s your challenge today, what’s in your way and what are you going to do about it?
NewSpring Worship: No Other Name (Album Review
The Church:
Newspring Church in Anderson, SC is home to several thousand on any given Sunday at their 8+ campuses across South Carolina (Florence, Greeneville, Charleston, Columbia, Spartanburg and recently Myrtle Beach). With such amazing reach you’d expect a lot from a church of this size. With 18 services among their campuses not to mention online, Newspring Church is advancing the kingdom in a powerful way. I was first introduced to them by watching their online services as a newly hired Worship Pastor at my church. I was desperate for ideas and resources concerning planning, song selection and all that stuff we get to do in our race to make Sunday happen.
I got the opportunity to meet Lee McDerment (Worship Pastor) on a trip to visit the Anderson Campus with my creative team in 2007. Besides being impressed with the service, the musicality of the team, the song choice and technical excellence. I was really taken with Lee and his leadership. One memorable moment was standing on the stage in between services looking at an empty auditorium, I asked Lee “what do you do when you’re leading worship and you see the folded arms?”. I’ll never forget what He said, “that’s the exact person we’re here to reach”.
This is the reason I believe Newspring has continued to increase their impact and growth as a church. In addition, they have put their name on the map by releasing incredible songs for their church. I remember the first time I heard “Our God Is Love” from Lee McDerment’s solo record “Matchlight In the Dark”. The heavy, riff rock vibe and the powerful corporate lyrics made it an instant favorite at our church. Since that initial record the worship team at Newspring has continued to show a value in songwriting by releasing a live record and their most recent effort “No Other Name”.
The Record:
Recorded and produced by Justin Land at NewSpring Studio and Whitestone Studio, Greenville, SC, the aptly titled No Other Name exhibits a grand view of God on every track. With songs of devotion, victory, surrender, freedom and some signature instrumental pieces . . . this record stands out as one of my favorites from Newspring. The title “No Other Name” comes from Acts 4:12
“Salvation is found in no one else of there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved”.
The songwriting consistently speaks to the heart of the Gospel and their main focus as a church where change takes place. We believe growing people change, you can’t do life alone, saved people serve people, you can’t outgive God, and found people find people. This team always delivers powerful performances both musically and vocally. It was released to their church at a worship night in January and to the public on January 29, 2012.
One of the things that I was excited to hear is that most of the music was played by members from the huge worship team from Newspring. Knowing this was a group effort cast a large shadow over the quality of the record. Mainly because it showed that when you bring people and their god-given gifts together around a record that speaks the Gospel it’s incredible what the outcome can be. As I stated before Newspring never disappoints, so it should come as no shock that when using their team the result was pure “awesomeness”. Recently the entire worship team gathered to build community, cast vision for what’s ahead and celebrate what God has been doing in their midst. Here is a shot of them at the event:
The Songs:
Several songs stand out, but none are lacking. Some of them include Your’s Is the Victory, Glorious, How Beautiful Your Love, Holy Is Your Name, Sing It Out, and the anthemic title track No Other Namethat closes the record.
- Yours is the Victory comes right at you with the truth that the power of sin and the fear of death are covered up in the love of our Savior Jesus. It boasts that we are made alive in the righteousness of Christ alone. That at the cross where He took our place the victory was claimed by Jesus and Jesus alone. It’s anthemic and the perfect musical skin was picked to communicate these awesome, foundational truths of the Gospel.
- Glorious is sung beautifully by RoseAngela Merrit and is an overwhelming display of the awe we should experience when we enter into His presence. What an amazing thought that we can approach a Holy God . . . by the power of the cross we have overcome and can worship freely the one who gives us life.
- How Beautiful Your Love contains one of the best lines “Search me God cleanse me Purify my heart, I need Your mercy I’m ruined from the start”. Oh to be ruined for nothing more than the love of Jesus.
- Holy Is Your Name . . . what would a Newspring record be without a powerful rock n roll offering. A cry of our hearts as we declare that He has done great things, not for our glory but for His alone. He shines a light that cannot be hidden and empowers us to be the church in sharing His love.
- Sing It Out gives us a reason to do exactly what the title tells us. Declaring that we are no longer bound by shame and that the very Spirit of Christ lives in us. With confidence we can sing “I am yours, and you are mine” . . . so go ahead, sing it out!
- No Other Name is the perfect way to and this offering of songs. When I got to this track it felt like being led in worship, so that’s exacty what I did. I turned up the volume, barrelled down the highway and joined in as the voices of many others sang out these amazing truths . . .
“No other name is our shelter Our helper provider refuge and strength No other name has the power to save Has the power to conquer the grave”
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact them at NewSpring.cc. I promise you for a bunch of guys from so-called “smalltown” South Carolina, you’ll not find anyone with a bigger understanding of generosity and hospitatlity. I hope you enjoy these songs and find a way to use them in your church or in your own personal times of worship. All of Lee McDerment & NewSpring Worship’s music is available online at iTunes, Amazon and on their website, where you can also find Chord Charts.
Check out all of NewSpring Worship’s music:
***This “spotlight” series is a means to introduce the ever-growing worship community to worship music beyond their community. Please feel free to share this review and any others to your own circle of worship leaders, musicians and artists.**
As always #LiftHigh
– KC
(Guest Post) Clint Pugh: The Father is Seeking
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but didn’t really know how or when. But after an intriguing conversation with my guest a couple of weeks ago. I knew that the time to introduce you to more of the Worship Community in Charlotte had come. Clint Pugh, is the Worship Pastor of Freedom House Church, He has a huge heart for God and seeing Him transform lives through the power of worship. He has a keen insight into what it means to be a worshipper and has had a huge impact on me as a leader.
This post is in response to a conversation we had about what it means to worship “in spirit and in truth”. I asked Him to share his thoughts and practical application to this scripture and what I believe is central to any community of worshippers of Jesus Christ. I hope that it challenges you and that you will share it with other leaders, may it spark conversations and inspire a heart of true worship. Join in the conversation and leave a comment below. Please welcome my first Guest Blogger, Clint Pugh:
Hello friends, I would love to share some thoughts on worship that have been rolling around my head & heart for a while. I’ll be talking about this from a few perspectives: as a worshiper, an individual, a worship pastor/leader, and as a church body.
As Christians, we often speak of “seeking God” through prayer, worship, or the Bible. But the truth is, God is seeking us. John 4:23 tells us, “The Father is seeking such people (true worshipers) to worship Him.” I don’t know about you, but I want to meet His criteria. I want my life to be attractive to Him. I want the songs I write, select, and lead to attract Him. I want our Church services to be attractive to our God. We must ask, “What is He looking for? What is He seeking?” In John 4:24, Jesus answers this question: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” But I’ve often wondered, what does this mean exactly? In spirit and truth? To answer that, we need to look at more of John 4.
Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in John 4 has always been a favorite of mine. Jesus comes into a town called Samaria. It’s about noon. He’s very tired, and he’s thirsty. So, he sits by the local well…Jacob’s well, in fact. Along comes a Samaritan woman to get water from this well. And there sits Jesus: the Jewish stranger. He asks her for a drink. It’s important to note 2 cultural factors: Jews & Samaritans didn’t get along and rabbis didn’t speak to women in public. This woman is sincerely & understandably shocked. This is where it starts to get interesting. Jesus and this woman begin to have a conversation about water. Before you know it, Jesus turns the tables. He tells the woman, “If you knew who [I was], you would ask me for a drink. Anyone who drinks this water (from Jacob’s well) will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
One day, I was praying, asking God what “in spirit and truth” meant. It was as I was reading the last verse above that it clicked…He answered my question. In spirit and truth speaks of the source and substance of my life…my worship…my everything. Jesus tells us that He will give us water. He is our source; He is the source of all things. Romans 11:36 says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” Everything I am, everything you are, everything we have is because of Jesus. He is our source. But it doesn’t stop there. We aren’t meant to just receive from the source. Jesus said “the water [He] give[s] will become…a spring of water.” There is meant to be a result: a spring, an outflow of water. This is the substance. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to be the source of eternal life and produce substance in us and through us. John 7:38-39 says, “Whoever believes in me, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive.” In light of this, the substance will often be evident as the fruit of the Spirit and/or the gifts of the Spirit.
Worship Pastors, leaders, and musicians, you and I have a tricky responsibility. Here’s why: we are called to connect people to God’s presence and point people to Jesus…not ourselves. We must recognize that we are filters. As ministers, God has anointed us to administer His word, His love, and His presence. The challenge is that we are flesh & spirit, and we determine which one is the filter. This is why Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Let me illustrate this in 2 ways:
1. PERSONAL
The SOURCE (Jesus) pours His Spirit into
ME *Filter (spirit or flesh) =
SUBSTANCE
*After I receive from Jesus, I have a choice to pour/minister from my flesh or the Spirit. The difference is seen in the substance/result. If I pour out of my flesh, people will be left thirsty like Jesus said in John 4:13. But if I pour out of what He’s given me (Spirit), it will bring His presence, point people to Him, and they will be satisfied as in John 4:14.
(SIDEBAR for worship leaders: style is irrelevant to the substance/result. Style is simply a byproduct of being myself. It’s my filtering and administering His anointing. Musical style does NOT equal presence/substance! LIFE-STYLE matters more than MUSICAL STYLE.)
2. CORPORATE(church body)
A few years back, I had an internal struggle with the idea of 3 church services with specific time restraints for worship. I didn’t tell anyone; I just hashed it out with God. This is how He helped me see it the way He does.
Think of a wind chime hanging out on the porch. It never changes. It just hangs there. But I never seem to get tired of hearing its sound.
Think of your church service and all if its elements as pieces of the wind chime. The songs you lead, the videos played, the message, your life on/off the platform, your faith, your team members’ (band) lifestyle, your expectancy, faith, prayer…ALL these are just a few of the pieces hanging from the wind chime we call a “worship experience”. God showed me that it doesn’t matter the restraints (time or otherwise), all He asks is that we prayerfully, intentionally, and creatively follow His Spirit’s leading in our preparation. Then, we’re asked to just hang the “wind chime” out on the porch and let His wind blow through it. John 3:8 says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
I never look for our 3 weekend services to be the same. The elements may be the same, but His wind is going to move through them differently each time. But I am looking for substance each time: faith, miracles, fruit (love, joy, peace…), life change, attention being put on Jesus, people genuinely worshipping Jesus.
I encourage you to live a life that is attractive to God. Worship him in spirit and in truth. Let Jesus be your source. Live, minister, love, and lead by His Spirit not your flesh. Give people something that will satisfy. As you do, I guarantee that our Father will seek you out, and He will use your life to impact your world in ways you never dreamed possible.
John 4:23 – “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.”
