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Welcome to the 16th Family Worship Newsletter, 30 April 2000
http://www.familyworship.org.uk
Previous newsletters are available on the website archives at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/newslett.htm#archive
Contents
========
With relentless "Humour spots" in-between every item...
FW Site stats
Recent site additions
Coming soon
Story behind the song - Whiter than the snow
Worship and chips
Songwriters' encouragement
Check out...
Newsletter information
FW Site Stats
-------------
Subscribers are now over 1,300 - welcome to new subscribers.
Visitors to the site have averaged over 500 a day through April. We were
especially pleased to be the number 1 site during April in Premier Radio's top
ten Webway directory (Premier is the UK's only terrestrial christian radio
station, broadcasting to the London area, and soon to the whole of the UK via
satellite, and you can check it out online at
http://www.premier.org.uk)
Recent site additions
---------------------
NEW SONG
"Whiter than the snow" is a new song from Family Worship on the theme
of forgiveness, and is a tender worship song, ideal for use during Communion
(see "Story behind the song" below).
RealAudio and MP3 (streaming and download) and free sheet music available at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/new_songs.htm
SHOWCASE
The Songwriters' Showcase features a number of new writers this month, including
from the UK, Graham O'Leary, Michael Lehr (of the Christian Songwriter's email
discussion group fame!) and a wonderful children's songwriter from Argentia,
Adriana Figueroa. Check them out, and around 30 other grass roots songwriters
from all over the world at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/showcase.htm
LULLABIES
Most of the Family Worship songs are aimed to be accessible for all ages, but we
often get requests for songs for very small children. With this in mind, we have
added two brand new lullabies to the site. In fact, the tunes are two of the
best-known melodies in the world, but the words are new, and make the songs
perfect for the under-fives.
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/kidszone/lullabies.htm
Humour spot
===========
A visiting preacher arrived one day at a small country church to find that the
only person who had turned up was an old farmer. The preacher asked the farmer
if he wanted to hear the sermon, or should they perhaps cancel it for the day?
The farmer thought for a moment, and replied, "If I was carrying a bucket
of feed down to the hens and found when I got there that only one of my hens had
turned up, I'd still feed her."
Thus encouraged, the preacher, not long out of college, launched into a
well-prepared sermon that rambled on for almost an hour. At the conclusion of
the service, when they were shaking hands, the preacher enquired of the farmer
what he thought about his sermon?
The old farmer pondered for a moment, and replied, "Well, if I was carrying
a bucket of feed down to the hens and found when I got there that only one of my
hens had turned up, I'd still feed her...but I'd be blowed if I'd give her the
whole bucket full!"
Coming soon
-----------
Backing tracks for all of the FW songs have always been available, but only on
cassette, as previously, the economics of manufacture made it too costly for
smaller volumes. As the cost of manufacturing CD's has fallen in recent years,
we will shortly be offering CD backing tracks, which will be playable not only
as regular CD's, but will also contain MP3 versions of the tracks, and lyric
files with guitar chords, making them a complete resource. The CD's should be
ready to order by the end of May.
Also available soon: "Teach us to pray" on CD, including backing
tracks.
Humour spot
===========
Those of you who have been following the Microsoft anti-trust trial may
appreciate this translation of Judge Jackson's 43-page opinion into normal
Microsoft language:
"You have performed an illegal operation and will be shut down"
Story behind the song...
------------------------
This month, "Whiter than the snow" - a new Family Worship song
recently included in The Source New Songs compilation, recorded by Alliance
Music in Nashville.
Whiter than the snow
Purer than the clearest stream
Wash me and I'll be bathed in purity
I long to feel clean
A robe of righteousness
A robe that I could not afford
My Lord you paid the price
Your perfect sacrifice has covered up my shame
And so I thank you, Jesus
For the sweet forgiveness of the cross
It's a mystery to amaze even angels
That when Father looks into my heart
He sees me now as whiter than the snow
Mike Burn
Copyright 1999 Daybreak Music
I had been wanting to write a song on the subject of forgiveness and holiness
for some time, and had parts of the song written, but had been unable to
complete it for several months - a classic case of writer's block. The
inspiration came when a friend from church returned from a visit Pensacola - a
city on the East coast of the USA, where an amazing number of people have been
saved and touched by God over the past few years.
He was talking at a prayer meeting about the extraordinary sense of the presence
of God there, and how many people spoke of the desire for holiness that it
inspired, and they would also speak of being afraid to sin.
The nature of holiness has always intrigued me, and the fact that the colour
white is symbolic of holiness is particularly interesting. White, as any child
studying physics can tell you, contains every colour of the rainbow, and an
object looks the colour that it is because it mainly reflects the light rays of
that colour and absorbs the others. Black, on the other hand, is a complete
absence of colour.
Holiness, as represented by white, therefore contains the fullness and beauty of
every colour of the rainbow - it is a complete thing to be holy, rather than an
empty or shallow thing.
The song is a simple expression of thankfulness and wonder that we can be seen
as pure and holy when, following the act of repentance and acceptance of what
Jesus accomplished on the cross, God no longer sees the black, corrupt
hollowness of our hearts but instead sees us as forgiven, cleansed, and holy:
truly whiter than snow.
You can listen to this song and download free sheet music at
http://www.familyworship.org.uk/new_songs.htm
The Source New Songs is available from Alliance Music
http://www.alliancemusic.co.uk
and in the USA & Canada from
http://www.riveroflifecbs.com
Humour spot
===========
Two couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the
other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?"
"Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest
psychological techniques: visualisation, association, etc. It was great"
"Wow! And what was the name of the clinic?"
Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember. Then a smile
broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the
long stem and thorns?"
"You mean a rose?" His friend replied.
"Yes, that's it!" said Fred, turning to his wife, "Rose, what was
the name of that memory clinic?"
Worship and chips
-----------------
It's been said that the UK's only significant contribution to world cuisine has
been fish and chips. (I should explain that in the UK, chips are what most of
the rest of the world calls fries, and what the USA would call chips, we call
crisps. OK?!) As well as with fish, many people like to eat chips with pretty
much everything - in school canteens, it is by far and away the most popular
lunchtime order.
The church that I belong to, Ichthus Christian Fellowship, has always had a
strong emphasis on worship, and someone once observed that worship was to our
meetings what chips was to the UK's diet - we have it with everything! Whether
it's a service, a prayer meeting, a planning meeting, a coffee morning or a
housegroup, worship will always be an important part of the occasion.
I think that it's also healthy principle for individuals that worship should be
an integral part of everything that we do. Of course, our whole lifestyle should
be that of worship, but some of the activities that we do as part of a corporate
act of worship - singing, praying, meditating - could and should find place in
our daily routine.
One reason that worship is so crucial is that it has a beneficial effect on all
the other activities that we should engage in as christians: the more you
worship, the more you will want to pray and read the Bible; the more you
worship, the easier it will become to resist temptation; the more you worship,
the more you will want to evangelise, and so on.
The saying that if you feel you're too busy to pray, then in fact you're too
busy not to pray could equally be applied to worship. Even if it's as simple as
playing a worship tape in the car or in the walkman on the way to college or
work, or playing one as you do the housework, then it can make a tremendous
difference in helping your heart and mind to focus on God, and to meet with him
through the day.
Early morning is a great time of course to worship and pray, but personally, I'm
not a "morning person". Fortunately, there's a christian bookshop just
round the corner from where I work, and at lunchtime I will often pop in there
for 20 minutes or so, browse through some books, and soak up the music that
they're playing (very occasionally I might even buy something, but they're used
to me!). Or, if the weather is good then I'll walk up to the local park and sit
by the lake and quietly worship, pray and give thanks to God.
On days when I don't find the time to pray and worship then I know that I am
much the poorer for it, and more importantly, I know that as well as saddening
God, it has a knock on effect on other people that I come into contact with: I'm
far more likely to be short or ungracious with them, and will miss opportunities
to bless and show kindness.
So, as you go through the day and engage in various activities, imagine asking
yourself a variation on the question that an assistant in a burger restaurant
would ask: "Would you like worship with that?"
Humour spot
===========
Tom had proposed to Maureen and was being interviewed by his prospective
father-in-law. "Do you think you are earning enough to support a
family?" the older man asked the suitor.
"Yes, sir", replied Tom, "I'm sure I am."
"Think carefully now," said Maureen's father "There are five of
us"
Songwriter's encouragement
--------------------------
Last month's article on using existing tunes and putting new lyrics to them
provoked an interesting response. Opinion seems to be divided on the
question of whether or not secular songs can be used in the context of worship,
whether or not they have different lyrics. Can any song be "redeemed"?
I have heard of songs like the Beatles "I want to hold your hand" and
"She loves you" (changed to "He loves you") being used, and
a re-worked version of the Lambada - "Oh Lord I wanna sing your praises" has been popular recently in the UK.
Debate often rages too about the suggestion that William Booth, founder of the
Salvation Army, took bar tunes of the day and put christian lyrics to them. Some
people suggest that it justifies using current popular music and doing the same
thing; others argue that it was a myth, or exaggerated, that Booth ever did
this, and that it is impossible to take a tune that was originally written to
glorify the writer, or to make money, and to then use it to glorify God.
What about classical music? Not all the great composers in history were
professing christians, although many were, but for many people, classical music
is considered "OK", whereas rock or pop is considered dangerous,
whether or not the writers and musicians are christians.
Wherever you sit in the spectrum of opinion on this (and I value retaining
newsletter subscribers far too highly to do anything other than sit on the fence
for now!), it is always worth examining your own attitude to music, and to ask
whether what you listen to, sing or write can be considered as bringing glory to
God.
It has been said that music, in our "post modern" society (whatever
that means) is a massive social, emotional and economic force. How we handle
music is vital to our personal and corporate well-being. A useful scripture in
this context is Colossians 3:17: "And whatever you do, whether in word or
deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him"
It's my firm belief that christian music should be at the forefront of
creativity and excellence: we should seek to innovate not imitate. If you're a
songwriter, then I encourage you to keep writing as much as you can, to refine
and polish the gift that God has given you. It's been suggested that writing is
10% inspiration and 90% perspiration, and that is just as true of christian
music as secular.
In the same way that a great preacher may initially be inspired by a word from
God, but will then take hours to study and put context and detail around the
word so as to deliver an effective sermon, so a songwriter should take the
initial inspiration and then work hard on creating the song to crystallise and
present that inspiration in the best possible way.
Humour spot
===========
A young man, hired by a supermarket, reported for his first day of work. The
manager greeted him with a warm handshake and a smile, gave him a broom and
said, "Your first job will be to sweep out the store"
"But I'm a college graduate." the young man replied indignantly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that," said the manager. "Here,
give me the broom, I'll show you how..."
Check out...
------------
The Millennium Chorus from Graham Kendrick, featuring singers including Michael
W. Smith, Bob Carlisle, Jennifer Holliday and Michael Crawford, is now available
in the UK, USA and globally. Check it out at
http://www.grahamkendrick.co.uk
and http://www.millenniumchorus.com
For UK christians, a new site is gearing up to offer free Internet access, with
a proportion of revenue going to support churches and charities. The site will
also feature a comprehensive directory to all that's best on the Internet,
christian and secular. Should be a good alternative to Freeserve and the other
free providers, and you can register for details at
http://www.solidrock.uk.net
A new site with a wealth of information and resources relating to world mission
is at
http://www.oscar.org.uk
If you have a website that you would like us to cover in future newsletters,
please email
newsletter@familyworship.org.uk
River of Life Discount Christian Bookstore, US distributors for the Family
Worship resources are online with a great site featuring an ever-increasing
range of worship recordings, songbooks, etc. (including soon, for the first time
in the USA, Brown Bear Music) Check it out at
http://www.riveroflifecbs.com
Don't forget that Family Worship, as well as loads of other "grass roots
level" ministries are featured in the christian sections of mp3.com
http://www.mp3.com/familyworship
Newsletter information
----------------------
This newsletter is written by Mike Burn and is published by Family Worship
Resources, part of Ichthus Christian Fellowship, London, UK Copyright 2000, Mike
Burn. Inclusion of links and quotations does not imply full endorsement of
the contents. The newsletter may be forwarded or reproduced in full or in part
providing that the source is acknowledged.
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Send comments or queries, or suggested articles or links for
inclusion in future newsletters to
MikeBurn@familyworship.org.uk
Thanks for reading, and if you've made it this far, or even if you just skipped
to the end before hitting delete, blessings to you in Jesus' name
Mike