There are several references to feasts and banquets in Scripture. One of my favorite parties, this side of heaven, is a Worship Party. I've hosted two kinds of worship parties: one where I and friends lead worship and one for guitar students to lead worship.
For the personal parties, we start with a potluck dinner, then end the evening with worship and prayer. I like potlucks because if doesn't matter if 7 people show or 50 people. There's always enough food.
Sometimes I print up some of the words to songs so quests unfamiliar with the lyrics can sing along. Every party is different. Several of us participate in leading worship. We take turns leading songs and sharing original songs too.
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Filed under Friends, Thoughts, Writing Songs by Jean Welles
King Asa started our so well. In 1 Kings 15:11 it says: ‘Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.’ Most of the good Kings in the Old Testament that were good, fell short of King David’s standard.
Scripture then tells us of how King Asa removed false idols and fervently followed the LORD. In 2 Chronicles 14, a vast army came against them. It says in verses 9 – 11:
"Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with a vast army and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.""
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Filed under Thoughts by Jean Welles
Instrument of Praise video
Instrument of Praise by Jean Welles
When this blog was first launched, you guys helped me name this song. It's now one of the songs I'm teaching in Worship Guitar Class DVD 4. Most of the songs in the series are familiar worship songs. In DVD 3, I introduced one of my songs called 'Gentle Rain.' It was so precious when a number of you emailed me that it was your favorite song on the DVD and how much you enjoyed playing it!
DVD 4 has 3 of my songs. It also has 'Open the eyes of my Heart,' "At the Cross,' and 'Shout to the Lord.' All great songs! What a Great God we have! It says in Scripture that there aren't enough books in the world to contain all the works that Jesus did. Well, there aren't enough songs to clearly express how Wonderful and Holy our God is.
I suspect, we will continue to sing new songs in His presence when we are in our Real Home. Meanwhile, we can try to express His Love with the finite minds we have. Hope you are writing new songs too. It's one way we can try to express our gratitude to Him.
This March I’m hosting another Worship Contest. In fact a few songs have already come in. The categories have been expanded to include songs of other languages, if they send us an English translation.
The theme is quite special for this contest. The most important holiday for Christians is in April. Some call it Easter Sunday or other’s prefer to call it Resurrection Sunday. Paul, in Scriptures, said that if Jesus didn’t raise from the dead our faith is useless. Well, the grave was empty and 12 men died unpleasant deaths because they wouldn’t stop proclaiming that they saw Him!
This March, I encourage you and your family and friends to write a worship song on the theme of the cross and/or resurrection of Christ. John has written some articles on this blog, see 'Pages' on the left-hand side, teaching you how to record to a PC and turn that recording into an mp3 file. Several of you have also written comments of other free software to use as well.
All the details for the contest are at worshipguitarclass.com/contest.html
Filed under Thoughts, Worship Contest by Jean Welles
Jeff submitted a song in the worship contest last summer. After his song was chosen for the website, I discovered he was a quadriplegic. He is such an inspiration! Here is what he wrote about his life and song:
"I have a music degree (BME voc/instr) and I played drums, guitar, pno, and bass until a diving accident that left me paralyzed from the shoulders down. Now I create music w/th the computer. The original version of my song was written before my accident. I always liked the melody but felt the lyrics needed help as I matured and became a better lyricist.
I did a lot of writing and recording from the time I began high school. Every year I'd record the songs I wrote that year. I began experimenting with multitrack recording in college but I didn't really come into my own as a serious songwriter until a couple of years after my accident when I met a writer from Nashville that tutored me for a couple of years.
I have music software where I have a blank score and I choose a note value from a selection of notes and drag it over with my mouse and place it on the staff. One by one, eventually I have a music score. I then designate each line or part to an instrument in my selection of sound modules, electric keyboard, drum machine or instruments circling me in my studio. These are all wired together to my computer in a process called MIDI (musical instrument digital interface).
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