Notes From My Church-Offering The Sacrifice of Praise
PLACE:Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, May 5, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC:
The front worship team consisted of Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Da’dra Greathouse, and Steve Crawford. Worship started with Martha Munizzi’s “Glorious”, Hillsong’s “The Freedom We Know”, and Israel’s “Everywhere That I Go”. A bit later in the service, “Say So” from Israel’s new CD was performed. The new CD is out now and it is a must have! All of Israel’s songs are audience favorites! Every one! I really like “Favor” from the Live in South Africa” CD.
Also sung was ” Come Now is the Time”, “Here I Am to Worship”, I Worship You Almighty God”, and “Mighty To Save”. I love all the songs that are sung by the worship team, but I feel that they really shine on songs such as these. These songs usher participants into the presence of God and allow you to praise God for who He is. Not to “ask for stuff”, but to just rest in His presence and reflect on His awesomeness.
As Cindy talked about in the lead in to “Here I Am To Worship”, when Jesus died on the cross all barriers were broken. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we have access to God’s presence. We can go to Him at any time and He will receive and honor our sacrifices of praise. What an awesome and precious gift!
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer
to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips
that confess his name.-Hebrews 13:15
The last song of the night was “My Help” by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. It was led by the talented Aimee Beard. You can see perfomances of “My Help” and “Here I Am To Worship” at Faith Based Blog.
THE MESSAGE:
Scripture Reference: Isaiah 43:19, Romans 3:3, Judges 5:7
Subject: Living a Life Worth Remembering
Sermon Synopsis:
Pastor Joel spoke on living a life worth remembering. He said that we often think that we can’t make a difference in the world because we feel we’re just a business person, stay-at-home mom, or an office worker. He said we all have something to offer the world and we should ask ourselves, will it have made a difference 100 years from now that we lived. We should have the attitude that we are going to leave the world better off than what it was and have big dreams and goals for our lives.
Pastor Joel said we should get rid of limited thinking. He said that we draw in what we constantly think about, and that God is always trying to plant new seeds in us and have us dream big dreams. We should get an understanding deep down inside who we really are-a child of the Most High God with His favor surrounding us like a shield. He said most people don’t reach their full potential because they don’t have a vision for their lives. Read more
Gospel Music News!
1. Visit Afro Bella for a wonderful tribute to the great Mahalia Jackson. Mahalia overcame great odds to achieve her childhood dream of becoming a gospel singer. Her perserverance and faith in God allowed her to live her dreams and to pave the way for so many others. Loved the last youtube video! Her wig had a mind of its own.
2. Robert Bradley, one of the most important figures in gospel music, has died at the age of 87.
3. Famed Gospel music singer, Dottie Peoples, is bringing her spirit and fashion sense to Ocala for a special Mother’s Day concert.
4. Having a hard time finding sheet music for Gospel music? It’s God’s Choice Christian Bookstore has hundreds of titles to choose from.
5. David and Tamela Mann, the couple known and loved by millions as Cora and Mr. Brown in Tyler Perry’s “Meet the Browns”, “Madea’s Class Reunion” and “Madea’s Family Reunion”, have come out with new CD’s. I absolutely love David Mann as Mr. Brown in Tyler’s plays!
Learn Over 87 Urban Gospel Chords in Less Than 6 Hours!
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HearandPlay.com has just released their latest GospelKeys Urban Pro 600 DVD course! Visit the website to see video clips and audio samples of what the course will teach you. With this new “Urban Gospel” course you’ll be able to…
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It is hard to find valuable resources for gospel musicians! If you’re truly serious about learning the urban style of gospel music, this could very well be what you’ve been looking for! Visit Hear and Play today to take your skills to another level!
Notes From My Church-Blessed To Be A Blessing
PLACE:Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, April 28, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC:
The worship team consisted of Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Da’dra Greathouse and Steve Crawford. Worship started with “Forever God is Faithful”, “Salvation is Here”, and “My Savior Lives” . “Sing Over Me”, from Lakewood’s Cover The Earth CD was next. I love the lyrics of this song. I haven’t heard the song in a while so it was great to hear again. I love the part of the song that says: “In a moment I am in Your presence/everything is clear/as I hear heaven’s melody.”
Up next was “Made Me Glad”, Hillsong’s “God He Reigns” and Israel’s “Favor”. Steve did an awesome job on lead for “Favor”. The song is already popular and he added even more pizazz to it. I think the entire worship team does an awesome job in preparing the hearts of the congregation to hear the word of God. Their heart for worship and love for God overflows and touches the hearts of all present.
THE MESSAGE:
Scripture Reference: Galations 6:10, Proverbs 19:17
Subject: Be Somebody’s Miracle
Sermon Synopsis: Today Pastor Joel spoke on ways we all can be someone else’s miracle. He said we should always be on the lookout for someone to bless. We should make it our goal to do one good thing for someone. It could be a kind word, a smile or a listening ear. Make it a point to live to give, and not just to get.
Pastor Joel said that the key to true fulfillment is giving to others. When we are good to others, God will be good to us. The key to receiving blessings in your own life is to be a blessing to others. Be on the lookout for opportunities to do good. When you give, it will be given back to you. When you are able to be a blessing to someone, don’t pass it up. Don’t second-guess yourself. When you see someone at the office having a bad day, don’t just pass them by. Take the time to stop and encourage them. Sometimes all people want is for someone to listen to them. Read more
