Worship Songs
July 5, 2009
"He Keeps Me Singing"
A Methodist preacher by the name of Luther Bridges, born in 1884, married Sarah Veatch – three lovely sons were born of their union. Pastor Bridges accepted an invitation to minister at a conference in Kentucky in the year 1910, so he left his family in the care of his father-in-law and made the trip to Kentucky. There, two wonderful weeks of ministry resulted. The last service closed with great joy and he was excited to be called to the telephone. He couldn't wait to tell his wife about all the blessings. But it wasn't her voice on that long distance line. He listened in silence to the news that a fire had burned down the house of his father-in-law and his wife and all three of his sons had died in the blaze. That distraught father leaned heavily on His Savior and expressed his faith in God during a tearful moment by penning these words:
There's within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
In all of life’s ebb and flow.
Click here to listen to a quartet arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNQ4RbfF4jM
Click here for a recording of the song:
http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis/hekeepsmesinging.mid
Click here for a ragtime piano version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiJrzRg17l4
Click here to purchase the Cathedrals’ version of “He Keeps Me Singing”:
“Sweeter”
Israel Houghton serves as one of the worship pastors for Lakewood Church in Houston. Here is a portion of his amazing story.
I really should have been one of those abortion statistics you read about. My mother became pregnant with me when she was 17. My mother's white and my biological father's black. Her family wasn't supportive of their relationship and gave her the choice to have a back-alley abortion or to be disowned. I'm here because of the decision she made – and because of her conversion shortly after that. So when I lead worship, I'm crazy. I realize how fortunate I am to be called by God and to be protected, to be covered by Him. I'm incredibly grateful.
Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOrG-P9jnfE
Click here to purchase the Lakewood version of “Sweeter”
“I Have A River”
I have a river, a river of life,
Flowing in side of me, and it never runs dry.
I have a treasure, a glorious prize,
The Spirit of God in me, in abundant supply.
Verse 1
Jesus, You are my living water,
And I’ll never need what this world offers.
So I will rejoice,
For You have made me glad.
I want this world to want what I have.
Verse 2
Spirit of God, my source of power.
You’ve given more, than I could ask for.
So I will rejoice,
For You have made me glad.
I want this world to want what I have.
Click here to listen to the song:
www.emusic.com/album/I-Have-a-River-MP3-Download/10941126.html
Billy Foote has been a worship leader for 16 years. He travels with his band and his wife, Cindy, is the vocal lead. Together they lead worship at college, youth, mission and church-wide events. Billy is also a prolific worship songwriter. He’s written many widely known songs such as “You Are My King (Amazing Love),” “Sing to the King,” “You Are God Alone (NOT A god),” “I Have a River” and “Break Our Hearts.” Billy and Cindy desire to teach that worship is more than a song or something to do at an event. It’s a lifestyle.
Billy and Cindy adopted their daughter Libby and you can follow their family story at www.followthefeet.blogspot.com. Currently Billy and Cindy are also adopting from Ethiopia. You can follow this adoption journey at: www.adoptingaria.blogspot.com. They make their home in San Antonio, Texas.
You may also visit www.myspace.com/billyfooteband
Click here to learn more about Billy’s ministry:
www.billyfoote.com/
Click here to purchase “I Have A River”
"America The Beautiful"
Pike's Peak is an American beauty spot, about 10 miles west of Colorado Springs, in the state of Colorado. It is actually a 14,000 ft mountain, with a road up to the summit, although many people choose to climb to the top and look out across the "spacious skies", and "purple mountain majesties".
Katherine Lee Bates did just that back in 1893, and the view she saw inspired her to write the words to “America The Beautiful”.
She was born in 1859, the daughter of a Pastor, and she graduated from Wellesley College, in Massachusetts. Later she returned to teach at the college, and became head of the English department.
By 1893 she had written a number of books, including her research into the history of American literature. But the work that she is best known for is the poem that became the country's second most popular patriotic song.
She had been on an extended holiday in 1893 when she visited Pike's Peak, in Colorado. After she returned to her room that night, she remarked to friends that countries such as England had failed because, while they may have been "great", they had not been "good" ... she went on "unless we are willing to crown our greatness with goodness, and our bounty with brotherhood, our beloved America may go the same way."
The poem itself remained unpublished until it appeared two years later in the Congregationalist Newspaper, and after that it went through a number of revisions before eventually being published by the Boston Evening Transcript in 1904.
It was originally never intended to be sung, but its meter fitted a number of tunes around at the time. The one that it is most closely associated with is a tune called MATERNA, written by Samuel Augustus Ward in 1882, originally for a hymn, “O Mother Dear, Jerusalem”.
Click here for the various arrangements of the song:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=american+the+beautiful+&search_type=&aq=f
Click here to purchase the Ray Charles’ version of “America The Beautiful”
“Because Of The Brave”
Click here to listen to this powerful tribute to those who’ve paid the price for freedom:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPN8H_B3674
Click here to purchase “Because of the Brave”
“Marvelous Light”
This song was written by Charlie Hall. Charlie Hall has been traveling for almost 15 years, from OKC to Kuala Lumpur, enthralling friends and strangers with his goatee and his songs. With a musical journey that has crisscrossed all kinds of rock music, folk music, and electronic music, he carries a songwriting sense that aims to capture dense images of life with God, in compositions that can be carried with the listener.
He aims to tell the old story of the Gospel in an ever-shifting world, without resorting to easy truisms, or lazy language. His new collection of songs, The Bright Sadness, echoes a journey pressed to the chest of God, joyful and sorrowful at once, with God's heart clear and pulsing in each note and word. It wraps liturgy with the unexpected, and daily mundanity with daily surprise.
Click here to learn more about Charlie Hall:
www.charliehall.com/
Click here to visit Charlie’s myspace:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=60771694
Click here to worship along with Charlie Hall:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTkB6cBJGZg
Click here for a slower arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbEEeB0Dyew
Click here to purchase Charlie’s version of “Marvelous Light”
“Love the Lord”
This powerful worship song was written by Lincoln Brewster while his church was going through the study “40 days of purpose”. He was asked to write some songs based upon the scriptures that coincide with each study. The first passage Mark 12:28-30 dealt with worship.
(NIV, Mark 12:28-30)
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
Click here to worship along with Lincoln Brewster
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV7qTD_X0Rk&feature=related
Click here to listen to Lincoln share about how the song came about:
www.theheartofworship.org/stories/Story-358-LovetheLord-Brewster.mp3
Click here to sing through the lyrics
www.christian-lyrics.net/artist/lincoln-brewster/track/love-the-lord-lyrics.html
Click here to read more about Lincoln’s ministry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Brewster
Click here to purchase Lincoln’s version of “Love the Lord”
"From The Inside Out"
This powerful worship song is by Joel Houston. Joel Timothy Houston (born September 19, 1979) is a song writer and worship leader at the Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. He is employed as the producer of Hillsong's youth band, Hillsong United. He is the oldest son of Hillsong Church's pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston and grandson of Frank Houston. He has two siblings, a brother Benjamin and a sister, Laura.
Click here to worship along:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv0qZl_Qu84
Click here to listen online:
www.last.fm/music/Hillsong+United
Click here to purchase “From The Inside Out”
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