The prayer of st. gregory

I heard this song today and it struck me with it's beauty. This is the best version I could find on Youtube. It's best just to turn the monitor off or close your eyes. A great song for meditation and prayer.

Danny Oertli comes back to St. Augustine

Danny will be at ABC this Sunday at 9:30am. We welcome him back as he shares his heart and music.

Danny's bio is below.

Danny Oertli is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and author, encouraging audiences worldwide with enriching stories of God’s enduring faithfulness. The creator of four independent albums, his most recent is Everything In Between, featuring the stirring track “Mommy Paints the Sky.” The song also titles Danny’s current NavPress book, which recounts a love story torn apart by grief and restored in hope. Danny has performed throughout the world and has worked with many ministries including Billy Graham, Focus on the Family, and FamilyLife. For the past seven years, Danny has served as the worship leader for the Dare 2 Share conferences and as a Compassion International spokesperson. He currently lives in Parker, CO with his wife Rayna and their three children.

Passion Atlanta 08

Well the word from those who went to Passion Atlanta was that it was awesome (as usual).
Apparently Chris Tomlin continues to crank out more annointed worship songs.

I found this opening from Atlanta that is amazing for its orchestra and screen wizardry.
They do this very well. Feel free to post thoughts.

Worship, Simon & the heart of it all

If Simon is infiltrating the church, worship could be in trouble. The core of worship is the heart. Even the scripture tells us to make a joyful 'noise.' Yet, we also have a mandate to play skillfully and unto the Lord with all excellence. I have found myself over the years criticizing songs and services in attempts to help people and situations. It's a difficult endeavor. Simon tries to help but comes across as arrogant and uncaring. Paula loves everybody but sometimes has trouble saying what everyone is thinking.

One thing I know is that people have opinions about the quality of music in church. If things are not going right, somebody will say something. Sometimes it's not what we say but how we say it. Sometimes, we don't even realize how things come across.
I wonder what God feels when we are in our criticizing worship modes during services. It becomes clear that our heart is not set on him but on putting ourselves up as superior to what's being expressed.

My daughter was singing a worship song last night while unbeknown to her I was listening in . It wasn't quite on pitch but it was from a pure place. My heart melted as she sang. I think of what God must feel when we worship him and how frustrated he must be when we start acting like Simon.

Jon Egan

I love the desperation guys and their music. They have endured much over the last few years but sometimes adversity can bring great things.
The following comes from Jon Egan of New Life.....

Revelations 12:11 says, "They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

There is great strength when we combine the power of the cross with the power of our story. Your story may be big or small. It doesn't matter. Your story can be the difference for someone in need. Your story could be the very thing someone needed to hear to determine the path of his or her life. We live in a broken world with broken values. It is inevitable that storms of life will come. If we apply the word of God to our lives we will be the house that is built on a rock. The rock is truth. The rock is Christ. The storms may come and go but we will be standing at the end. We will be standing with a story. The stories need to be told; The stories of healing and freedom, the stories of hardship and difficulties, the stories of authority and victory. We are over comers. The death and resurrection of Jesus tells us that. The miracle of Christ in us gives us each something to say. Say it... and watch yourself overcome!

I used to be paralyzed by fear and anxiety but now I walk in victory and boldness. For those of you who can relate, you can overcome. What is it that God helped you break free from? The world needs to hear it. It's your story and nothing and no one can deny it. The cross is truth and nothing and no one can deny it. Together, we can let the 2 greatest stories ever told overcome evil. We will overcome.

Read the stories of others and be encouraged. Be healed. Be set free.

Tell us your story and allow it to be the change in this world.

Changing the world is possible. All we have to do is speak up.

Jon Egan