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New Worship Albums

I thought it might be a good time to make some music recommendations.  There’s been a lot of good worship music released this last year, and here are some of the current highlights that I’ve been enjoying.

centerDesperation Band, The Center of It All
This album really has impacted me.  Somehow they were able to distill a lot of passion and energy into the recording process.  What I like about this album is the focus on group singing.  It’s like you can hear the congregation singing along.   As I’ve been listening to this album I’ve found myself overwhelmed and immersed in a good way.  We’ve been singing the song My God off of this album in church lately.

herenow

Northpoint, Here + Now
This album is very well produced from start to finish.  You may have heard some of these songs before, but they are all presented in fresh creative ways.  There is no bad song on this album.  I love the title track and its focus on mercy and justice.  It really speaks to where we are as a church.  Other great songs are When the Waters Rise, and Almighty God.

casey

Casey Corum, This is Your Kingdom Come
This one is a little off the beaten path.  I tend to like that.  It has a very gritty, gospel type feel.  Casey Corum is the one who oversees Vineyard Worship and he’s always been a strong song writer.  I particularly like the use of scripture.  Psalm 92 is presented and it’s great to get scripture into your heart in this way.  Very real, authentic, and organic.  Love it.

burning

Chris Tomlin, Burning Lights
One thing you can say for Chris Tomlin is that he is consistent.  I haven’t had the album very long abut already I find myself singing these songs as I go about the day.  There are a lot of strong songs, and some creative tangents that work really well.  Awake My Soul touches on the imagery of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel in a very powerful way.  I’m also really enjoying the song Jesus, Son of God.

Scripture challenges us to sing to the Lord a new song.  We can never grow tired of exploring God’s infinite character.  New songs writers present us with new opportunities to wonder and worship a God that our words can never fully explain.  Grab a new CD and worship along.

Worship Nights

This New Year we want to spend some more time in focused worship, seeking the heart of God and experiencing His presence in community.  To do that there are going to be three special Sunday worship event nights with the goal of going deeper in worship and teaching.  Start time is 7pm, and the night will included an extended time of connecting with God in music.  Lead Pastor Russ Wilson will be expanding on three key Salvation topics that we’ve been talking about in our Sunday morning worship times.  We will also end each night with Communion.  Here are the dates and the topics:
March 10th – We Are Saved, Justified
April 14th – We Are Being Saved, Sanctified
May  26th – We Will Be Saved, Glorified
God is good and we want to look to Him for vision.  As we experience His presence in worship together, we will let our hearts be renewed, and from there become a people who will be the change in our world.