Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Eternal Praise
Here's a new worship tune that I've been working on called "Eternal Praise." It's based off a hymn with some additional lyrics.
From all that dwell below the skies
Let the creators praise arise
Let the redeemers name be sung
Eternal are your mercies Lord
Eternal truth attends your word
Let the redeemers name be sung
Your praise will sound from shore to shore
Till suns shall rise and set no more
Let the redeemers name be sung
Let the redeemers name be sung
From angels in their lofty place
The seraphim that hide their face
Let the redeemers name be sung
From the humble and the broken saints
Around your throne eternal praise
Let the redeemers name be sung
Every nation tribe and tongue
Sing praises to the risen Son
Let the redeemers name be sung
Let the redeemers name be sung
Your name is Jesus, Jesus
Name above all names
Jesus Jesus
Let heaven and earth proclaim
Your praise will sound from shore to shore
Till suns shall rise and set no more
Let the redeemers name be sung
One day every knee will bow
Every voice will sing it loud
Let the redeemers name be sung
Seated in the highest place
around your throne eternal praise
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Severely Interrupted
And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
1 Kings 8:11
They had the countdown video ready to roll. They had the high energy opening song rehearsed. Videos were cued, lyrics were spell checked, sound system was tuned, intelligent lights were on stand by, and the fog machine was adding an ominous mist to the stage. I'm sure the head priest was back in the green room going over his message one last time and making sure he gets the timing on that hilarious anecdote just right. But then, something happened: a cloud - the glory of the Lord filled the temple and everything that was entered in planningcenter.com didn't really matter anymore.
I want just one of those services (but I'd take more than one). Where my best laid plans are severely interrupted by the Holy Spirit and all we can simply do is rest in His presence.
1 Kings 8:11
They had the countdown video ready to roll. They had the high energy opening song rehearsed. Videos were cued, lyrics were spell checked, sound system was tuned, intelligent lights were on stand by, and the fog machine was adding an ominous mist to the stage. I'm sure the head priest was back in the green room going over his message one last time and making sure he gets the timing on that hilarious anecdote just right. But then, something happened: a cloud - the glory of the Lord filled the temple and everything that was entered in planningcenter.com didn't really matter anymore.
I want just one of those services (but I'd take more than one). Where my best laid plans are severely interrupted by the Holy Spirit and all we can simply do is rest in His presence.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
A Worshippers Manifesto - via Spurgeon
"O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation."
We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles, with joy [we] will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which Thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We WILL, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New Jerusalem. We will BE GLAD AND REJOICE: two words with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? We will be glad and rejoice IN THEE. That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text.
What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, ay, and every drop of their fulness in Him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in Thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.
--
I read this from Spurgeon this morning and I know I couldn't say it any better.
We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles, with joy [we] will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which Thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We WILL, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New Jerusalem. We will BE GLAD AND REJOICE: two words with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? We will be glad and rejoice IN THEE. That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text.
What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, ay, and every drop of their fulness in Him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in Thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.
--
I read this from Spurgeon this morning and I know I couldn't say it any better.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
By the numbers
Saturday: 15 hours of driving + 2 hours set up + 5 hours sleep
Sunday: 3 services + 2 fajitas + 810 winning score at five card mahoney (the world's most awesome card game)
Monday: 10 hours sleep + 1 slice of sausage pie + 5 hours driving + 1 great family welcoming us into their home
Tuesday: 7 hours until we play at Normandale Baptist Church + 6 new guitar strings to put on
This has been a great run so far.
www.micahwatsonband.com
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Mission Trip To Mumbai India
Just a quick update on the mission trip to India. We have finally nailed down a date: March 12 - 20.
We've picked these days for a few reasons - hopefully it will be over Spring Break for some of you, it will be considerably cooler than a summer trip (but we'll still have temps in the 80s - 90s), and it will allow us to interact with as many people as possible (more people will be out and about when it's slightly cooler and dry).
Want more info on the trip? Just sign up below - I'll be sending out another email this week with more detailed info.
We've picked these days for a few reasons - hopefully it will be over Spring Break for some of you, it will be considerably cooler than a summer trip (but we'll still have temps in the 80s - 90s), and it will allow us to interact with as many people as possible (more people will be out and about when it's slightly cooler and dry).
Want more info on the trip? Just sign up below - I'll be sending out another email this week with more detailed info.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Confessions of a Christ Follower / Artist Part 2
A few weeks ago, I wrote this blog post - and I promised I'd follow up on it. The blog post said this:
"I am a Christ follower and an artist. And as both, I think it's easy for me to fall into certain traps. I often wonder if other artists feel the same way. I'm not saying that only artist struggle with these things, I don't think it's a unique list that only a certain group of people can relate to. At our core, we all struggle with pride, self worth, and we put on masks at some point or another. Here's a little sampling of what I mean. This list is just the tip of the iceberg, and if you'd like to add your own - feel free to jump in."
Then the first confession I made was this:
"I am harder on myself than I should be - I compare myself to others and find myself lacking. I wish I had a voice like that person, could write songs like some other person, and had the stage presence of somebody else."
I think most artists (and most everyone) struggle with this - it's called comparing and I do it all the time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with admiring, celebrating, and being challenged by the talent or ability of someone else. The problem with comparing is there's always going to be someone that's better than me at something - isn't that a relief?
I don't think comparing is wrong - it's what I compare that can become the issue. It's so easy for me to get caught up in superficial things: talent, ability, gifting. Like I just said - I'm always going to come up short compared to someone - so superficial comparison is always going to leave me frustrated!
So what I've been working on as I fight this battle is this - if I'm going to compare / challenge myself I want to do it in areas that matter. So I look at the lives of people around me and here's what I see: I want a passion for the gospel like my friend Matt Papa, I want a heart for the nations like my friend Ken McLemore, I want to love people like my friend Kevin Bragg, I want to have the integrity of my friend Scott Goodspeed, the honesty of my friend Scott Spruill, and the joy and laughter of my friend Joe Blount. Not to mention the great heroes of the faith like Oswald Chambers, Charles Spurgeon, and C.S. Lewis - their lives are immensely challenging. Musical ability matters some, character matters more.
So if you struggle like I do - let me encourage you to look beyond the superficial and look for people that will challenge you to be more like Christ.
"I am a Christ follower and an artist. And as both, I think it's easy for me to fall into certain traps. I often wonder if other artists feel the same way. I'm not saying that only artist struggle with these things, I don't think it's a unique list that only a certain group of people can relate to. At our core, we all struggle with pride, self worth, and we put on masks at some point or another. Here's a little sampling of what I mean. This list is just the tip of the iceberg, and if you'd like to add your own - feel free to jump in."
Then the first confession I made was this:
"I am harder on myself than I should be - I compare myself to others and find myself lacking. I wish I had a voice like that person, could write songs like some other person, and had the stage presence of somebody else."
I think most artists (and most everyone) struggle with this - it's called comparing and I do it all the time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with admiring, celebrating, and being challenged by the talent or ability of someone else. The problem with comparing is there's always going to be someone that's better than me at something - isn't that a relief?
I don't think comparing is wrong - it's what I compare that can become the issue. It's so easy for me to get caught up in superficial things: talent, ability, gifting. Like I just said - I'm always going to come up short compared to someone - so superficial comparison is always going to leave me frustrated!
So what I've been working on as I fight this battle is this - if I'm going to compare / challenge myself I want to do it in areas that matter. So I look at the lives of people around me and here's what I see: I want a passion for the gospel like my friend Matt Papa, I want a heart for the nations like my friend Ken McLemore, I want to love people like my friend Kevin Bragg, I want to have the integrity of my friend Scott Goodspeed, the honesty of my friend Scott Spruill, and the joy and laughter of my friend Joe Blount. Not to mention the great heroes of the faith like Oswald Chambers, Charles Spurgeon, and C.S. Lewis - their lives are immensely challenging. Musical ability matters some, character matters more.
So if you struggle like I do - let me encourage you to look beyond the superficial and look for people that will challenge you to be more like Christ.
Saturday, September 04, 2010
When Our Singing Is Just Singing
"When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, 'There is the sound of war in the camp.' Moses replied: 'It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.'"
Ex 32:18-19
Exodus 32 is an incredible chapter of the Bible, it's a picture of the Israelites impatience, Aarons lapse in judgement as a leader, Gods righteous anger, and the enormous task that Moses was given. But when I reread it, these specific verses jumped out at me.
God told Moses what was going on in the Israelite camp while he was away. Moses made his way down the mountain and had this exchange with Joshua -
Joshua: it sounds like there's a war going on in the camp
Moses: it's not the sound of victory or defeat. It's just singing. Nothing more, nothing less.
Is that still a possibility for us today? Do we grow impatient waiting on God? Do we set up idols for ourselves? Do we quickly forget Gods faithfulness and provision? I know I do. And when that happens - my songs are just that - only songs.
What's the alternative? When I wait patiently on God, when I worship Him alone, and when I remember His faithfulness my voice becomes a part of something much larger than myself. It becomes a war cry. And it can become the sound of victory or the sound of someone crying out to God for deliverance - but either way, it's more than just singing.
Like this:
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Ezra 3:11-13
www.micahwatsonband.com
Ex 32:18-19
Exodus 32 is an incredible chapter of the Bible, it's a picture of the Israelites impatience, Aarons lapse in judgement as a leader, Gods righteous anger, and the enormous task that Moses was given. But when I reread it, these specific verses jumped out at me.
God told Moses what was going on in the Israelite camp while he was away. Moses made his way down the mountain and had this exchange with Joshua -
Joshua: it sounds like there's a war going on in the camp
Moses: it's not the sound of victory or defeat. It's just singing. Nothing more, nothing less.
Is that still a possibility for us today? Do we grow impatient waiting on God? Do we set up idols for ourselves? Do we quickly forget Gods faithfulness and provision? I know I do. And when that happens - my songs are just that - only songs.
What's the alternative? When I wait patiently on God, when I worship Him alone, and when I remember His faithfulness my voice becomes a part of something much larger than myself. It becomes a war cry. And it can become the sound of victory or the sound of someone crying out to God for deliverance - but either way, it's more than just singing.
Like this:
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Ezra 3:11-13
www.micahwatsonband.com
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