Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing

I think when it was originally penned, there were some additional lyrics, but this is how it appears in most hymnals today. My third verse is my personal favorite, reminding us all that we can't possibly save ourselves because we owe such a great debt. Our only hope is for God, with His amazing grace, to bind and seal our wandering hearts.

Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
-Robert Robinson (1758)

Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

First time for everything...

So tonight was my first time speaking in front of a youth group. Marc asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to preach one night so I took him up on the offer and spoke on the gospel tonight. I was quite nervous since it was my first time. I mean, I spoke in front of FCA pretty much every week my last two years of high school and led some short devotions, but this was my first time with an entire message. Having such an important message to share, I didn't want to be destracting with my own ill-preparation and I definitely didn't want to say anything false. I really just wanted God to completely take over tonight and that's exactly what happened. As soon as I started talking I knew that the Holy Spirit was definitely working in the room and that God was doing some very big things in the hearts of the youth. Although no public decisions were made tonight, it was obvious that they were turning everything over in their heads as they listened. I pray that the message shared tonight will act as another seed that God uses to bring His people to Him.

New Year's Resolutions

I normally don't have them simply because I don't like disappointing myself. I know, I know, it's a terrible attitude to have and that's why I've decided to make some new year's resolutions. While I realize that I don't need to tell everyone to give them some sort of validity, I do know that I'll feel a greater sense of accountability if I post them on my blog. So, faithful readers, here are my resolutions for 2007.
1) Study the Old Testament- I read the bible this past year but at many times it became more of a chore, just one more little box to check off everyday, and I sped through much of the Old Testament without much thought. I want to read it again, but this time seeing it as one huge story that perfectly sets up the birth of a savior. I especially want to pay attention to each gospel reference as I read.
2) Journal- This is something I've tried a few times, but it's never really stuck. Hopefully I can make a habit of this.
3) Study more- I didn't do too bad last semester, but I really want to study a lot more so I don't have to cram before the tests.
4) Read more books- I got a lot of books for Christmas.
5) Drive more slowly- It was only a matter of time before I got my first speeding ticket and now that I've joined the club, I don't care to get any more.
6) Blog more- I tended to slack off a lot with this blog and then go through a nice blogging spurt, only to slack off a week later. I want to stay more consistent and allow people to get a closer look into my head, no matter how scary it may be.

Sure, there are a lot more areas that I'd love to improve, but these are just a few that I wanted to share with everyone. And, just for the record, I've already started on all of these so I'm off to a good start.

For everything there is a season

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

God, through His divine and soverign will, has had the entire course of history planned out since before the beginning of time. There is a time for every thing to come to an end and there is a time for new things to begin. Over the course of the last few months, God has revealed to both Mary Beth and I that we are supposed to be at Master's Church and that is where He wants us to serve. We don't really know how we are going to be serving, so this is a giant leap of faith for the both of us. God has been gracious enough to give us the strength and courage to step out from our home churches to start a new ministry. I know that we will continue to work with the youth and become more involved in youth sunday school and we will hopefully start serving in the music ministry at Master's. As God leads us on this new journey, we both greatly appreciate all of your prayers and we pray that God will use us in a very big way to impact Master's Church. I am so thankful for my amazing church family at Buck Run and I hope that there are no ill feelings as I depart. I cherish all of our memories of fellowship, prayer, and worship of our almighty savior and I will surely never forget you.

Christmas Program

Do you ever have a huge moment of reassurance that you're doing exactly what God wants you to do? I had one of those tonight while watching Buck Run's Christmas program. As I listened to the songs and monologues, I felt God telling me that I'm doing just what I'm supposed to be doing. Not in ever aspect of my life, but in the path towards music ministry and becoming a music minister. There have been moments of doubt since God first called me to the music ministry, but He has often used moments just like these to pull me out of the valley of doubts and into His assuring hand. I can't wait to see where God is going to take me in these next few years as I strive to follow His plan and listen to His voice.

Summer Plans

I got my official call from Cedarmore today about working as a bible study leader at Crossings this summer. God has been so amazing through my entire application process and has continually opened and closed doors in His perfect will. My original plans were to play in the band at Jonathan Creek but God has pretty much shut that door off and shown me that He wants me to be at Cedarmore leading bible study. Although I don't really know what's going to happen this summer, I know that God's hand is over everything and nothing will happen outside of His master plan. I'm so excited to see how God is going to work next summer and to see how He might use me. That sounds like such an odd statement. God is going to use me- God is using me. While God is so incredibly holy, we are so unworthy to praise Him, to serve Him, to have anything to do with Him. But, He still chooses to use us to do His will.
"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscutable His ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who Has been His counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?' For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36 (ESV)

Awesome Night

Last night was a great night of worship at Master's Church. Marc spoke about God's holiness so I tried to select songs that would really allow us to focus on God's main attribute. Mary Beth came in to sing with me and it was really great to able to sing the split guy/girl chorus on You Are Holy (Prince of Peace). God was really in control the entire night and took us all out of the picture so that we could see His holiness as we've never seen it before. That is especially true in the life of one of the youth. Upon hearing Marc talk about the holiness of God and our unholiness, or more importantly, when the truth was revealed to this young man by the work of the Holy Spirit, God did an amazing work in his heart and made him a new creation. I'm so excited that this youth was saved last night- not simply saved from hell, but saved from his sin. I absolutely love it when God takes us out of the equation and does His work in and around us- all we have to do is sit back and worship Him.
To God be the glory, great things He hath done.

Hymns

God has often used hymns to show me more about His amzing omnipotentence and this is a hymn that's been running through my speakers the past week.
Before the Throne of God Above
by Charitie Bancroft (1863)


Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Worship

This morning I met with Marc (youth minister) and Alex (pastor) of Master's Church- where you can find me Wednesday nights- and talked about some different possibilities for the future about the music ministry there and the Wednesday night youth services. I was planning on driving back to Frankfort after that to get my tire replaced (I ran over a nail the other day and I'm on my spare at the moment) but I ended up just going down the road to the nearest S&S. They kept my tire and said it may be fixable but they aren't sure until they can see how deep the nail goes. (I'll have to check back on Monday.) So, not having to travel to Frankfort really opened up my schedule today and has allowed me to spend more time in prayer, especially in the area of my own personal worship.
God has really been convicting me these past few days of focusing so much on the music and forgetting why I play and sing in the first place. He's showing me that my singing and playing isn't worship at all if it's only an end in itself. If His glory isn't the ultimate goal of my music than it's all in vain. It's become so easy for me to get up on the stage and concentrate so much on sounding good, playing the right chords, and singing the right words (in the right order) and completely forget about the God to whom I'm singing. I can't even count the times that we've finished a concert or a worship service and I've messed up some notes or words and that is the only thing I remember about the night. I was so out of tune with the Holy Spirit working that I completely missed everything important that happened. I'm sure that all worship leaders have gone through this problem and I'm sure this isn't the last time this will ever happen- it will be constant battle that I fight for the rest of my life to forget about everything and focus on God. I pray for your support as I repent.