Worship Recap 8/26/2012

Today was a great day at PCC's Powhatan Campus! We're at the tail end of our IMPRINT series. The topic today centered on Genesis 50.20: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good." John Tiller was the speaker, and his son Eli sang both the set-up and the closer for the message. More on that later.

I loved the band. I brought the band leader home with me, he was so good.

I'm married to him, so that's okay.

Tony led and did a good job orchestrating things. Kevin and Brenda led on vocals and did a fabulous job. Nathan was solid on drums, Dale kept it all together on bass and Mike played excellent lead guitar, in spite of smashing his fingers in a work-related accident earlier in the week.

We also had an incredible tech team today. Andy ran sound for the second week in a row and did an outstanding job. Dustin Wilson came in to lend a hand with a little "re-tweaking" of the sound system; we welcome his help. Dustin knows what he's doing; last week he ran sound for the Train show at Innsbruck and will be the technical director for the Creed show this week. It's a major blessing to have him add his talents at PCC! Our video team did a great job, with Eric, Hank, Josh and Randy on cameras. Ginger ran graphics, Steve was on lights and Tom kept the whole show going as the producer.

We often try to connect the worship music with the theme of the message, and today was no exception. Here's the lineup; I've linked each song title to iTunes in case you'd like to purchase it.

Today Is The Day This great song by Lincoln Brewster is tons of fun. The guitar solo in the bridge is one of my favorite spots in any praise song; the lyric after the solo brought home an important theme for the day (I will stand upon your truth / All my days I'll live for you )

Your Love Never Fails I will confess that I was VERY happy to have my number pulled to sing this song! We wrestle over this at times; the original version was sung by a guy, and when a female leads, we have to change the key. Sometimes that hurts the way a song "feels", and occasionally it's a real dilemma for the guitarists. I've grown to love this song in the female key, and I really love singing it. The lyric really resonates with my life, and it's a powerful message. Great song by an incredible band - if you haven't checked out more of Jesus Culture's stuff, you should. And by the way - we prefer the original Jesus Culture version, not the Newsboys.

Hosanna A standard for PCC, this is a Hillsong tune that we've sung for several years. It's designed for a female lead, and most every woman who sings at our church has wrapped her heart around this song in a definitive way. Most powerful today was the bridge line: "Break my heart for what breaks yours / everything I am for your kingdom's cause", which always catches in my throat as a risky but powerful prayer.

Your Great Name We introduced this Natalie Grant song at a Core meeting sometime last year, and then used it in services at Westchester and Powhatan. It rocked. We put it at the end of the worship set today to give us a chance to settle into the worshipful vibe created by the first three songs. Tony played acoustic, I played light keys and Brenda and Kevin sang beautifully together. I'd like to use this song even more in worship; while on the Puerto Rico mission trip earlier this summer, I was captivated by the power of a humid room full of hot, sweaty, tired laborers singing along with simple guitar accompaniment. We sang loudly: Jesus, worthy is the lamb that was slain for us / son of God and man / you are high and lifted up / and all the world will praise your great name.

We Belong In Heaven This is one of Eli Tiller's original songs. Co-written by Laura Krzyston, Eli sang this as a preface to his dad's message. I cried. My friend Bob was there, in the room. I know it sounds crazy, but as I told Eli's dad after the service, I remain convinced that the veil between heaven and earth is much thinner than we realize. If there's anyone who understood Eli's message, it would have been Bob. I felt him, filling the room, cheering on Eli as he led us all in worship.

John told me that Bob used to shout, "There's my boy!" when he saw Eli.

That's what I felt, as I listened to him sing. I felt our friend Bob, beaming. I felt him shouting, "There's my boy!"

I did not know that he used to say this.


But I know it now.

After John's message, Eli sang Nothing Is Impossible. It's the truth, and he shared his version of it with simplicity and great power.

It was a most excellent and fulfilling day.

What did YOU think? Your feedback helps; what songs help you connect with God?

Eli has recorded a three-song EP with both of these songs included. Please make your way to iTunes and download a copy. It will be the best $3.96 you'll spend. Find it here.

And this is interesting; for those reading who don't know my friend Bob, I wanted to link to a post I wrote about him about 18 months ago. I looked in my archives to find it, and realize how incredibly connected it is to today's service. Uncanny, really. Very connected. 

I felt him today. I know I did. 

You can read that older post here.

Bob