Worship Hero

Many may have seen the 'Worship Team Hero' - joke group on facebook - a humourous take on the 'Guitar Hero' games....

...well the real thing is coming out soon!

GUITAR PRAISE 

"We are REALLY excited about Guitar Praise. My kids have begged me to get them Guitar Hero and I just couldn't bare the thought of some of the lyrics they would be embedding into their minds. Guitar Praise has music that they are familiar with and love already, as well as lyrics that they can memorize and think on that are full of truth! I am pre-buying and putting this back for Christmas, but I don't know if I can wait that long to give it to them!!! I have never been more excited and felt so good about a gift purchase for my kids!!! Thank you for making it easier for parents to say 'no' to wordly games by offering a great alternative!!!"

I couldn't make this stuff up.

I think the phrase is 'Jesus Wept'

dg

Obama

Jed Bartlett + David Palmer = Barack Obama 

Get Your Free Music Here Now Today!

The sheet music for a load of my songs from the past couple of years is now up and free for you to download from the Trinity Publishing part of the Trinity site. These songs are the ones we've done most at church: 

Bones

I Kiss the Son

Let the Hallelujahs Rise

The One I Adore

The Way That You Father Me

There is a Name I Love to Hear

This is Why We Wait

Wake Up Each Heart

take them, use them, shape them, break them

dg

Date Night

Something's Gotta Give

When an irresistible force such as you
Meets an old immovable object like me
You can bet just as sure as you live
Somethin's gotta give
Somethin's gotta give
Somethin's gotta give

The Modern Worship Creed

I realised that this was on the old blog - which is dead - and think it belongs in a place where it can be seen, scorned and criticised....

I believe in Sung Worship, the Songs Almighty,
the Hymns of heaven and earth,
and in Singing, its only form, our platform:

It was conceived of the Psalms,
born of John Wesley,
suffered under Noel Richards,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

It descended into hell

In the early 90's it arose again from the dead.

It ascended into industry
and is sung at the ice hockey stadiums around America
whence it shall stay to bore the living and the dead.

I believe in the Stage, 

the holy Christian bookshop,
the albums of compilation,
the supremecy of events,
the globalisation of the church,
and repeating choruses ad infinitum.

Amen.

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

A quick thought on the "Healer" debacle

Yes, the song is still true

But the original testimony behind it gave it power and integrity beyond its melody and words...
...and now that we know that testimony was a big pile of baloney the life has been well and truly sucked out of it....

...and it's not like we are short of mid-tempo worship ballads, now is it?

Treasure

We have been given jewels for His bride.
Pearls and gold and silver,
Bright diamonds and sapphires
Crowns, pendants, bracelets and rings.

What are we to do with them?
Take them from town to town...
City to city...
Cross the seas and hold them up high....
That all could see what and to whom the Groom has entrusted....?

And how the people sigh and swoon
“What you have been given is so very beautiful”
“Awesome, incredible, anointed”
“Such treasure, such gifts”

Our posters and websites confirming our place
Extolling the virtues of the treasure we hold
Making aware our privileged role
As the keepers of the jewels

We polish and clean
Making them shine and watching them gleam
So many will marvel at the riches He gave
As we delight in the beauty of silver and gold

Yet woe to us who hold on to those gifts
Who parade them as if they meant for ourselves
Who hawk them around like they’re cheap plastic junk
And bask in their shining, reflective glow

Yet they are not ours and never were
We were only given a single task
To adorn His bride with diamonds and pearls
Letting her shine, watching Him smile

Rainbow Worrier

33.3% Jesus?

Over the last couple of years I've been part of many conversations, and witnessed many more online, regarding the Trinity in worship.....

The general gist of the discussion is that we* are very good at singing songs about Jesus, but not so good at singing songs about the Father and are very poor indeed about singing songs about the Spirit.

Many have contributed to the discussion without really explaining why the current situation is unacceptable. Obviously we believe in the Three in One and that needs to be fully expressed in our songs. Now the big fear of diligent worship leaders, pressured song writers and hoighty theologians is that we will end up worshipping God inadequately.

Although I see the nobility of these intentions - i think there is something a little misguided here. The Father, Son and Spirit are distinct but they are not separate. When Jesus is worshipped the Father is worshipped. We see can see that here or even here.

Lets get this straight - if we only sang songs about Jesus, the Father would still be pleased with our worship. What do we think the Father is doing whilst we are praising Jesus?: Sitting in the corner of heaven in a sulk? Amassing His anger and wrath because we left Him out? Playing on His X-box 360 because it bores him? 

No, No and No.

He delights when The Son is praised and He receives that worship as well. You can't worship Jesus without worshipping the Father. They are not separate. When glory goes to God, glory goes to God. We need to praise all of the Trinity for our sake not His. We don't want a diluted view of God - in fact we would be foolish and blind not to sing about the Father and the Spirit.

So I've spoken to many worship leaders who because of these discussions they are now paranoid that they must limit songs about Jesus to only a third of our worship. 

Just 33.3%. 

I think that is missing the point. God is God. We respond to what is revealed. That is the only way. You simply cannot worship Jesus "too much".

dg

* we = it is usually meant as "the whole world wide church" when in reality it is a small, though well publicised, evangelical sub-culture.

Hidden Message

On Culture's Pulse

Environmental Concern

Nude

Don't get any big ideas
They're not gonna happen
You paint yourself white
And fill it with noise
But there'll be something missing

Now that you've found it - it's gone
Now that you feel it - you don't
You've gone off the rails

So don't get any big ideas
They're not going to happen
You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking

Todd Bentley, Sin and Grace

So Todd Bentley screwed it up.

I am not surprised... it was, on some level, inevitable. Those who had faith and hope and wonder in heralding this exciting new prophet and apostle were always going to get disappointed. Hopefully those whose attention has been turned to the awesome power of God and His urgent coming Kingdom will be secure, in spite of human failure. The thing I take most from all of this is just how much God wants to heal, free and restore people. That cannot be taken from us.

There are 5 things that have been impressed on me:

1. That the right action is prayer. For his own personal correction, for his wife and especially for his children. Let's remember that a leader mucking up is deeply sad, but a family breaking up is a tragedy. We need the right perspective here.

2. God's work through Todd has not been emptied of significance, truth or power because it was always God's work in the first place. But it has been undermined and drained of resolute integrity. It has also distracted from all God has done. For that alone we can be sorrowful. 

3. Yes, the enemy got him, but the enemy does not make us sin. He lies, steals, cheats and deceives. But our sin is our sin. Our mistakes are our mistakes. We always have the ability to choose the right path. This deceit is what we expect from our foul enemy, but we are right not expect it from our apostles and saints. Even with God's incredible grace there is consequence for disobedience.

4. Pride comes before a fall

5. All of this is easy for me to say as my sin has not been exposed to the watching Church. 

We need Jesus. We need His grace. We need it today.

dg

Saturday Night

I watched Saturday night TV for the first time in ages this week.

I remembered why I hadn't.

I've Seen it All

I've seen it all, I have seen the trees,
I've seen the willow leaves dancing in the breeze
I've seen a man killed by his best friend,
And lives that were over before they were spent.
I've seen what I was - I know what I'll be
I've seen it all - there is no more to see!

You haven't seen elephants, kings or Peru!
I'm happy to say I had better to do
What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great, if the roof doesn't fall!

And the man you will marry?
The home you will share?
To be honest, I really don't care...

You've never been to Niagara Falls?
I have seen water, its water, that's all...
The Eiffel Tower, the Empire State?
My pulse was as high on my very first date!
Your grandson's hand as he plays with your hair?
To be honest, I really don't care...

I've seen it all, I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness in one little spark.
I've seen what I chose and I've seen what I need,
And that is enough, to want more would be greed.
I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be
I've seen it all - there is no more to see!

You've seen it all and all you have seen
You can always review on your own little screen
The light and the dark, the big and the small
Just keep in mind - you need no more at all
You've seen what you were and know what you'll be
You've seen it all - there is no more to see!

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Link Expansion

I have added a new link section - which you can see further down the right hand side of this page - highlighting my burgeoning fascination comic books, graphic novels and their complex mythologies - i've also included the link to the new LOST website and ARG - www.dharmawantsyou.com - which looks like fun........

dg

Time is the Essence

My Body is a Cage

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

I'm standing on a stage
Of fear and self-doubt
It's a hollow play
But they'll clap anyway

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

You're standing next to me
My mind holds the key

I'm living in an age
That calls darkness light
Though my language is dead
Still the shapes fill my head

I'm living in an age
Whose name I don't know
Though the fear keeps me moving
Still my heart beats so slow

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

You're standing next to me
My mind holds the key
My body is a

My body is a cage
We take what we're given
Just because you've forgotten
That don't mean you're forgiven

I'm living in an age
That screams my name at night
But when I get to the doorway
There's no one in sight

My body is a cage that keeps me
From dancing with the one I love
But my mind holds the key

You're standing next to me
My mind holds the key

Set my spirit free
Set my spirit free
Set my body free

Carolina

You absolutely, unequivocally, definitely, essentially must must must buy this album.

Or I will hurt you.

good day

dg

How Soon is Now

I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way ?
I am Human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does

I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Oh, of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way ?
I am Human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does

There's a club, if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go, and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home, and you cry
And you want to die

When you say it's gonna happen "now"
Well, when exactly do you mean ?
See I've already waited too long
And all my hope is gone

You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way ?
I am Human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does

Dungeons and Dragons

...this is a great little post from Tim Hughes blog what I like and that, so I do.

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