This Week At Calvary

It has been weeks since I have updated the Worship Arts blog and I am without excuse. So it's time to start rolling with weekly updates once again.

This week at Calvary, Pastor Paul is continuing his series in Genesis, preaching through the second half of chapter 3. Our music will focus on the hope we have in Christ.

Once again we will be led in worship by Kyle Harrington. It is truly a great joy for me to see young men who have grown up at Calvary begin to take roles of leadership. I am privileged to join the band this week on acoustic guitar.

We will open the service singing Forever Reign by Hillsong. The lyrics of this song boldly declare the goodness of our Lord and our dependence upon Him for everything in life.

We will also be singing Jesus Paid It All from the Passion movement. This song talks about the atonement and erupts in doxology with the closing line Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead.

Before the message we will sing the Sovereign Grace song Grace and Peace. The lyrics are filled with awe and wonder that the grace of God would come to me, the vilest of sinners.

After the message we will close the service with the Sovereign Grace song What A Savior which is an arrangement of the Philip Bliss hymn, Hallelujah What A Savior. Again we explore the theme of the atonement and the place that has been made for us in Christ.

I pray that you will find joy and peace in Christ this week and come ready to engage together with God on Sunday with great zeal.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Trent

Feed My Sheep

     As we enter week four of the Second Chances series, Pastor Paul is preparing to preach on the passage from John where Christ asks Peter three times if he loves him. The story of Peter is a clear description of the forgiveness and second chances that we have in Christ.

     To help us to engage with God this Sunday, here are the songs that we will be singing as a congregation:

     10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman

     All I Have Is Christ - Jordan Kauflin

     Completely Done - Ryan and Jonathan Baird, Rich Gunderlock

     Jesus, Lover Of My Soul - Paul Oakley

     Along with our congregational singing, I am very excited to have our Worship Choir singing for us this week. The choir will sing Come People of the Risen King by Keith and Kristen Getty.

     Take some time this week to prepare your heart for corporate worship on Sunday. Perhaps you can use these songs in your devotional life. I trust as we gather on Sunday that you are ready to engage with God and be transformed by spending time together in His presence.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Trent

A Second Chance

This week at Calvary we begin a new series called A Second Chance. This series is about God's grace to us and we will begin exploring God's grace through the life of Jonah. What is God's grace? The part of God’s character through which He shows himself generous, compassionate, loving and kind, shielding us from His wrath, forgiving us, and giving us what we need to live and grow in faith and obedience. You will not want to miss this series.

We are opening our Sunday gathering singing the Robin Mark song Lion Of Judah. We have been singing this song for many years at Calvary and it truly a congregational favorite. The lyrics tell the story of the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the coming reign of Christ.

Lion Of Judah

Next we will introduce a new song by Joel Sczebel of Sovereign Grace Ministries called Grace and Peace. This lyrically rich modern hymn begins with question of how can the most vile and least among us share in the grace of God when we deserve death. The second stanza answers the question by declaring that Christ's death is the atonement for our sin. The last stanza is a call to wonder, praise and adoration at the mystery of Christ.

Grace and Peace

After the offering, we will sing Paul Baloche's All Because of the Cross. This song takes the familiar hymn Nothing But The Blood and weds it to a new chorus. The closing lyrics are very powerful as we sing,

On the cross our sin erased, in Your death our life was raised. I think this will be a very moving song for us.

All Because of the Cross

After the message, we will close the service with a video from The Rend Collective Experiment called Second Chances. This is about God's forgiveness and I think you will enjoy learning it on Sunday. 

Second Chances

I hope to see you Sunday as we seek to draw near to God and to encourage one another in our faith.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Trent

Singing about the Resurrection and our Hope in Christ

This Sunday marks the end of our Journey Through John. Pastor Paul will be finishing the study through John and we will be celebrating the resurrection of Christ as we gather together on Sunday.

We will open the service singing Tim Hughes' Happy Day. This uptempo song is a great celebration of Christ's triumph over the grave. We will continue singing about the risen Christ with the song You Have Been Raised from Sovereign Grace. This song begins with questions about forgiveness and redemption and answers them with the bold assertion that Christ has been raised and that hell and its powers have been defeated.

We turn our focus from the resurrection to Christ Himself with a new song from Sovereign Grace The Gospel Was Promised and Chris Tomlin's Jesus Messiah. These two songs serve to remind that Jesus Christ is our only hope and source of life.

After the message we will close with a song by Keith and Kristen Getty O Church Arise. This song is a call to action for the church. In light of what Christ has done and accomplished for us, we are to serve in boldness and confidence because the outcome of our battle is secure.

I hope you will prepare your heart in private worship so that you will be ready to engage fully as we meet corporately to worship God at Calvary this Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

A Summer To Remember Part 3

     This Sunday we celebrate Labor Day, Pastor Paul preaches the next to last message in the Journey Through John series and our Worship Arts team is bringing back the 80's with the music that we are going to use to help us worship God. We have spent a few Sundays throughout the summer looking back on various eras of worship music and this Sunday we want focus on the praise choruses that were part of a significant shift in church music in the 1980's.

     One of my favorite attributes of praise choruses is the seamless flow of music from one song into another. You will see that Sunday morning as we have a couple medleys that combine some of our favorites from that era.

     Here is the list of songs we will be using along with YouTube links so you can listen ahead of time in case any of the songs are unfamiliar to you.

     What A Mighty God We Serve

     I Will Call Upon The Lord

     We Bring The Sacrifice Of Praise

     He Has Made Me Glad

     All Hail King Jesus

     I Exalt Thee

     Be Exalted O God

     Lamb Of God

     Wonderful, Merciful Savior

     I pray that these songs will encourage worship in our church as we take a walk down memory lane. Over the next few weeks we will be introducing some new songs that will help our congregation worship as Pastor Paul begins his new series Second Chances.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Trent

Songs About The Cross

This week at Calvary we find ourselves approaching the end of our Journey Through John. Pastor Paul will be preaching about the crucifixion of Christ. We will also be observing communion as part of the service.

In choosing songs, there are so many that fit this theme, I had a hard time narrowing down which songs to actually use. I decided to begin with the hymn There Is A Fountain by William Cowper. This classic hymn text helps us celebrate what was accomplished at the cross. Not only does it view Christ's substitutionary atonement, it also has an eye toward eternity and the future glory that awaits the believer.

Two songs we will use after a prayer time are The Power of the Cross by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend and When I Survey arranged by Devon Kauflin. These songs focus on the life changing power of the cross.

During communion we will sing Jesus, Thank You from Sovereign Grace. This song has long been one of my favorites as it talks about Christ enduring the Father's wrath in my place. Our response to that sacrifice is deep gratitude and praise. The idea that we were once the enemy of God and are now seated at His table is simply stunning. The video below is from NEXT 2009 conference with Bob Kauflin and Reilly leading. I trust it will be a blessing to you.

We are also introducing a new song this Sunday called The Gospel Was Promised. This song from Sovereign Grace that was just released a few weeks ago. It is from their newest album Grace Has Come Songs from the Book of Romans. 

I hope you will prepare your heart as we prepare to meet with God corporately and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

O Praise The One Who Paid My Debt

It was a delight to lead worship this past Sunday. Singing songs from the late 1800's and including a few brass and woodwinds was a lot of fun. I am grateful for the many talented and faithful people who serve in Worship Arts at Calvary. 

As I write this blog, I am preparing to leave for a few days to attend the Worship God conference in Louisville. I am really excited to worship God, to fellowship with many other worship leaders, to learn from some very gifted individuals, and to spend time with my oldest son who will be attending with me. I have attached a link above so that you can read about the conference and pray for all those involved.

This Sunday at Calvary, Pastor Paul continues our Journey Through John preaching through the first half of John 18. We will open the service with two worship songs Love The Lord and Made To Worship. Both of these songs remind us of our purpose for existence and the greatest commandment of the Lord. 

Love The Lord

Made To Worship

The next set of songs remind us of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Jesus died in our place, satisfying the wrath of God for our sin. That message is streaming through Glorious Day, Jesus Paid It All, and Behold Our God.

Glorious Day

Jesus Paid It All

Behold Our God

I hope these videos will help you prepare to engage fully in our service this Sunday. I cannot wait to worship our God with you once again.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

Summer to Remember Part Two

This Sunday we are taking a journey back in time once again and singing songs that the church sang in the later 1800's. This was a fascinating time in American history. The nation was recovering and healing from a brutal civil war, westward expansion was driving a growing economy and the church had begun to be very active in publishing and hymn writing.

The Gospel song began to really become a mainstay of American hymnody. While 100 years earlier songs from the Scriptures and songs about theological truths had been the prevailing lyrical expression, this new era saw a significant move to songs of testimony, surrender, and Christian experience.

This new generation of song writers included Philip Bliss, Ira Sankey, George C. Stebbins, William H. Doane, and many others but the most prolific writer and recognizable name from the era is Fanny Crosby. Her life story is well known and her hymns are sung around the world today.

The majority of the songs in our hymnal at Calvary were written during this time frame. Here are the ones we will sing this Sunday:

Praise Him! Praise Him!  - Fanny Crosby/Chester Allen

Blessed Assurance - Fanny Crosby/Phoebe Knapp

I Am Thine O Lord - Fanny Crosby/William H. Doane

I WIll Sing Of My Redeemer - Philip Bliss/James McGranahan

I Need Thee Every Hour - Annie Hawks/Robert Lowry

Jesus Loves Me - Anna Warner/William Bradbury

Jesus Loves The Little Children - C. H. Woolston/George F. Root

Give Me Jesus - Traditional Spiritual

We will be using some of the instruments from our regular Praise Band but this week we will also add a trumpet, clarinet, saxophone and tuba to help us as we sing these songs together.

I am looking forward to worshiping with you!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Getting Ready For VBS

Vacation Bible School is upon us and this Sunday night is the beginning. For years now we have used live music for the kids during VBS and it is always exciting to see the kids (and grownups) engage with great joy singing songs about God.

This year we are introducing a new song called Love You More. Here is a video of the song:

We are also introducing a kid friendly version of the Chris Tomlin song Our God. Our version is a bit livelier than the video but you get the idea.

There are a couple of songs we have done is the past that we are bringing back with new energy and excitement. One of those songs is Jesus Came To Save. I think this is one of the best songs we have ever done with our kids as it not only has a catchy and easy to sing melody, but the text explicitly declares the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a very understandable way.

The other classic song we are doing is Great Big God. Over the past 10 years at Calvary, this song has truly been a favorite of the kids coming to VBS.

Last year we introduced the fun song On A Day Like This. Due to popular demand, we are bringing it back. Finally, our VBS rappers are going to teach a couple of songs AMAZING and Luke 19:10 that should be a lot of fun for the children to sing.

Join me in praying that children throughout Holland will hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our VBS this year.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

A Summer To Remember

If there is one thing that has been constant in Christian worship, it has been change. Hymnwriters and songwriters throughout history have continued to forge fresh new territory in writing songs of praise to God and while we may be tempted to think that change in worship music is simply a phenomenon of last 20 years, the truth is that worship music has always been changing.

A few months ago at a retreat with the men from our Leadership Council, we sang a number of worship songs that we just simply don't use anymore in our services and it was a very refreshing time of worship. That experience birthed an idea what perhaps we could take a stroll down memory lane if you will and explore various eras in church music history.

This week we begin that journey in what we are calling A Summer To Remember. Deciding where to begin and then what to include has been a very difficult task because there is such a wealth of music available to us but I chose to begin with the time frame of the mid to late 1700's. One of the questions that I asked and began to research was what was the church singing in 1770.

This research led me to hymnwriters like Isaac Watts, John and Charles Wesley, Augustus Toplady, John Newton, Edward Perronet and many others. Thousands of hymns were written in this century and music was literally exploding in the church. Often birthed by the Great Awakening and revival movements, these new hymns were sometimes controversial as many in the church were not ready to sing new songs or new types of songs.

Isaac Watts lived from 1674 until 1748. Many of 500 published hymns are still sung today. He wrote new songs based on the experiences, thoughts, feelings and aspirations common to all Christians. The emphasis of Watts' hymns was related to the sermon of the day and not the season of the church calendar. Often they were written during the week in the quiet of his study as part of the sermon for the coming Lord's Day.

This Sunday we are using two of Watts' hymns in our service, they are I Sing The Mighty Power and When I Survey The Wondrous Cross.

John and Charles Wesley lived in the 1700's. These brothers wrote about the Gospel being free to all but they also wrote about the Christian experience on a personal level. While Charles wrote over 6,500 hymn texts, John wrote only 27 as he was more concerned about writing singable tunes.

Congregational singing was still relatively new in the time of John Wesley so he devised a set of rules or instructions for congregational singing that was first published in 1761. I think you will find them interesting.

1. Learn these tunes before you learn any others, afterwards learn as many as you please.

2. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

3. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.

4. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard than when you sung the songs of Satan.

5. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

6. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep up with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

7. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

I think it is fascinating to see what concerned the musicians 250 years ago. This Sunday we will sing And Can It Be? from Charles Wesley.

Other songs that we will sing are Amazing Grace by John Newton, Rock of Ages by Augustus Toplady and All Hail The Power of Jesus' Name by Edward Perronet.

I am praying that these timeless hymns will move hearts to love God more and to love one another as we passionately pursue Christ and lovingly pursue others for Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

Father's Day Worship

This Father's Day will be bittersweet at Calvary as Pastor Ray Bartlett will be preaching his last sermon as he prepares to leave Calvary and serve the Lord in Pennsylvania. It will be a special day to say goodbye to a dear friend, pastor and beloved family. We also have the joy of hearing testimonies from three people who are joining our church and from missionaries Rick and Karyn Visser.

We will open the service singing The Father's Love from Sovereign Grace Music. This song glories in the love of God through Christ. While we were sinners, Christ died for us and that truth is the message of this song. We have sung this song often at Calvary and I hope it will be special for us as we use it to celebrate Father's Day.

We are also singing the hymn Be Thou My Vision. This traditional hymn is full of theological truths formed in poetic language. The phrase that catches my attention is this: Thou my best thought by day or by night. The idea that no thought that I have is better that God is a remarkable notion. I pray that you will be blessed by this song.

Before Pastor Paul leads us in a time of prayer for fathers, we will sing How Deep The Father's Love For Us by Stuart Townend. This song clearly declares the Gospel of Jesus Christ and powerfully proclaims that our only boast is in Christ.

We will close the service singing the Steve Green classic song Find Us Faithful. This song encapsulates our goal as fathers and our prayer for Pastor Ray as he moves on to serve in a new ministry.

I hope you will join us on Sunday as we glory in the love of God.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

This Week At Calvary

This Sunday, Margie and I will be away in Arkansas for a wedding and I am very grateful to Pastor Ray and to our Youth Ministry musicians who will be leading worship at Calvary in my absence.

Here is the list of songs that we will be singing:

Forever Reign - Hillsong

You Never Let Go - Matt Redman

One Thing Remains - Kristian Stanfill

10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman

One Way - Hillsong

Take the opportunity to be familiar with these songs and be ready to join with our youth in worship on Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

June Is Busting Out All Over

So our service on Sunday has nothing to with the title of this post except that this will be the first Sunday in June.

This week at Calvary we are honoring our 2013 High School Graduates as well as celebrating with two young men who are following the Lord in Believers Baptism. Pastor Paul will continue our Journey Through John preaching in John 14:15-31.

Here is the line-up of songs we will be singing:

You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)  - Mark Imboden/Tammi Rhoton

I Am Yours (Take My Life And Let It Be) - Michael Neale

Breathe On Me, Breath Of God  - Traditional/arr. Calvary Praise Band

Spirit Of The Living God  - Traditional

I am excited about using our own arrangement on Breathe On Me, Breath Of God. Our very talented musicians helped to craft a fresh arrangement that should appeal to all ages. As we prepare to gather on  Sunday, prepare your heart by praying that God will give you a passion for Him and a fresh desire for His Word.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Memorial Day at Calvary

This week at Calvary we take time to remember those who paid the ultimate price so that we would be free to gather and worship God without fear of tyranny. We also have a tradition at Calvary that for Memorial Day we invite all of our government officials to join us for the service and we have a special time of prayer for our leaders. Many of our state and local officials will be joining us on this special day and Pastor Paul will continue his message series through John.

The songs we are singing were chosen to remind us of God's sovereignty, His power over sin and the grave, and that one day He is returning. Here is the list of songs we have chosen for this Sunday.

My Savior Lives - New Life Worship

Always - Kristian Stanfill/Passion

Stronger - Hillsong

Come Thou Fount - Traditional

Although we are not using this song Sunday, I thought you might be encouraged with holiday weekend by the song I Salute You from Dennis Jernigan. Dennis' music has blessed me greatly over the years and this song is truly fitting for Memorial Day.

I am looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday as we gather to proclaim the glory of our God.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Installing A Pastor

This week at Calvary, we have the privilege and joy of installing Ed Schoenleber as our new Executive Pastor. After a 28 year career in the business world, Ed is transitioning to full time ministry. We are excited about the gifts that God has given to Ed and the humble, servant-hearted way which Ed goes about using those gifts. Calvary will be greatly blessed with the addition of Ed Schoenleber to our pastoral team.

Much of the service will focus squarely on the installation with a charge from Pastor Paul to Ed as well as a time when the Leadership Council will share Scriptures and lay hands on Ed, affirming his ordination to ministry at Calvary. The songs that we are singing on Sunday are a wide range of worship songs that I trust will encourage us in Christ.

Here is the line up of songs we will use.

     This Is How It Feels To Be Free - Brooklyn Tabernacle

     10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman

     Never Once - Matt Redman

     How Marvelous (I Stand Amazed) - Chris Tomlin

I want to encourage you to follow the links and use these songs in your personal worship times this week and be ready to engage with great zeal when we worship together on Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

Mother's Day At Calvary

Mother's Day at Calvary will be a great time to give thanks to the Lord for the special women in our lives who should not have to wait for one day a year to be appreciated. Pastor Paul will be preaching a special Mother's Day message and we will also have a few of our fourth grade students sharing verses of Scripture about moms. It will really be a special day.

Our songs will focus on the faithfulness of God. I am very excited to introduce the Matt Redman song Never Once. This song is deeply meaningful and it speaks to the enduring nature of God. The powerful chorus sums it up well:

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God You are faithful

The video posted is of Matt Redman and I trust it will encourage you and help prepare your heart for worship.

We will use another Matt Redman song in the service as well. How Great Is Your Faithfulness has been a personal favorite of mine since I first heard it two years ago. The second verse says:

Everything changes, but You stay the same.
Your Word and kingdom endure
We lean on the promise of all that You are
And trust forevermore, we will trust forevermore.

Before the message we will sing the traditional hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness. It is not often that I get specific song requests for a specific day, but I have had four different people suggest that we sing this hymn for Mother's Day and I think it is an excellent idea. Thus it is on the playlist this week. The chorus closes powerfully with these lines:

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness Lord unto me.

We will close the service with the simple worship chorus Give Thanks. As we celebrate God's faithfulness and honor mother's on Sunday, I want our people to leave with a heart of gratitude.

I realize that I haven't talked about the opening of the service yet. We are opening with the Robin Mark song Lion Of Judah to help us get our focus upward on Christ as we worship together.

I hope you will come with anticipation on Sunday of worshiping Christ and declaring together the faithfulness of our God.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

May 5 at Calvary

I am really looking forward to this week as we continue through the Gospel of John with Pastor Paul. The Singing Crusaders from Calvary Schools will be singing for our offertory. This is an auditioned group of 3rd through 6th graders who will be a great blessing to us. We will end the service celebrating the Lord's Table. In between there are some wonderful worship songs that will help us to triumphantly sing the praises of our God.

Here is list of songs we are singing:

Oh What A Day - Sovereign Grace

Give Us Clean Hands - Charlie Hall

The Stand - Hillsong

I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous) - Chris Tomlin

Blessed Assurance - Traditional

Follow the links to listen to the songs and use them in your private worship this week so that you will be ready to sing them together on Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

Global Outreach Emphasis

This week at Calvary we are hosting our Global Outreach Conference. We will have the opportunity to hear what God is doing around the world through a number of our missionaries. Our service will look a bit different this week as we have video presentations and missionary testimonies throughout the worship gathering.

Here are the songs we will be singing:

Friend Of God - Michael Gungor

Awesome Is The Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Hallelujah To The Lamb - Don Moen

We've A Story To Tell To The Nations - Traditional Hymn

Along with our Sunday events, we have a Global Outreach focused Man2Man on Saturday morning and a prayer/dessert fellowship on Saturday night.

Join me in allowing God to stir our hearts for His glory in missions this weekend.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

How Great Thou Art

This has been an eventful week with atrocities in Boston, poison letters in Washington and late yesterday, tragedy in Texas. If you are reading this, I want to encourage you to stop right now and pray that God would have mercy on us and give grace to those deeply impacted by these events.

One event that moved me was the passing of George Beverly Shea. He lived for 104 years on this earth and probably sang for more people that any person in history. Shea was most often heard singing for Billy Graham Crusades. His rich voice won acclaim on its own, but it was the message he sang that was truly important. I doubt that there will be a singer like him ever again. Not only was he the best of his generation, his music transcended his generation. It was Shea who popularized the hymn How Great Thou Art and he also wrote the music to I'd Rather Have Jesus. I am posting a couple of videos of George Beverly Shea, I hope you will join me in thanking God for the life of this humble yet incredibly gifted man who encouraged millions with his music.

How Great Thou Art

I'd Rather Have Jesus

As we prepare for Sunday at Calvary, Pastor Paul is back and will be preaching through John 12. Here are the songs that we will be using to help us corporately worship God.

Come Christians, Join To Sing - Traditional

How Great Thou Art - Traditional

How Great Is Our God - Chris Tomlin

Come Praise And Glorify - Sovereign Grace

I hope you will follow the links and prepare your heart to sing with great joy and gladness as we worship our great God. In case you are wondering, I chose How Great Thou Art before George Beverly Shea had passed away but I do think it is a fitting song to sing in celebration of a life lived for the glory of God alone. I am looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

This Week At Calvary

This week at Calvary we will have an opportunity to hear once again from Mike Fritz and from the 2 teams who gave up their Spring Break vacations to be involved in mission trips for the week. Both the New York team and the Wilderness team will be sharing about their experiences this Sunday.

One exciting detail about the service is that the NYC Youth Missions Team will be leading us in worship. Most of the songs we will be singing are very familiar but there is one new song that they will be teaching us. Be sure to follow the links and listen to the songs so that you are prepared to sing with great zeal on Sunday.

Here are the songs we will be singing:

The Father's Love - Sovereign Grace

Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfill

Revelation Song - Kari Jobe/Gateway

Holy, Holy, Holy - Traditional

One Thing Remains - Kristian Stanfill

Always - Kristian Stanfill

One last thing, remember to take time to encourage our teens. They are working hard to develop their skills as musicians and Pastor Ray along with our youth staff are working hard to help make our teens true followers of Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

The Sunday After Easter

Easter Sunday was amazing at Calvary and I am grateful to all the people who gave so many hours of their time and talents to make it happen. Here is a video of one of the songs we used. It is a little dark at times but you will see Joel Oyarzun speed painting while we are singing. It was an incredible moment.

In some ways it is hard to turn the corner and prepare for the next Sunday, but that is what we must do week after week. This Sunday, Calvary Schools' Spiritual Formation Director Mike Fritz will be preaching through our series in John.

We open the service singing Greater Than We Can Imagine, a song from Sovereign Grace Ministries based on Psalm 145. I love the theme that one generation will declare His marvelous works to another. This song is intended to help us remove the limits or box that we have put around God and to remind us that we cannot even begin to fathom how great He is.

We continue that theme singing Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord). We will never run out of reasons to sing God's praise. Each new day gives us a new reason to sing and even on the last day, we have every reason to sing of His goodness.

We continue to declare His greatness and goodness with the song Forever Reign from Hillsong Music. In this song we declare that He has covered all our sin and therefore death has lost its sting. This song really focuses on Jesus and what He accomplishes in us and for us.

Before the message we will sing Behold Our God from Sovereign Grace. This worship song begins to focus on God as Creator, then on Christ as our risen Savior, and finally on Christ reigning throughout eternity. Come let us adore Him!

After the message, we will close with Chris Tomlin's arrangement of the old hymn I Stand Amazed In The Presence (How Marvelous). This simple arrangements stays very true to the original tune. The text is really timeless and focuses on Christ, His love, His atoning death, and His eternal reign in glory.

I am excited to sing about Christ this weekend and I hope you can join us.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Celebrating The Resurrection At Calvary

This Sunday is the most important Sunday on our calendar as we passionately pursue Christ and lovingly pursue others for Christ at Calvary. As we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, I want to remind you that you are more likely to get someone to respond positively to an invitation to church on this Sunday than any other day of the year. Researchers say that 4 out of 5 people you invite to church for Easter Sunday will attend. So what will they find when they get here?

You already know about our Easter breakfast served from 10-11:00 a.m. But remember that we also have two services on Easter, one at 9:00 a.m. and the other at 10:30 a.m. Please be in prayer for our Worship Arts team and staff who will do double duty this Sunday.

We will open the service singing Oh What A Day.  This song from Sovereign Grace pastor and song writer Mark Altrogge is a joyful, resurrection themed call to worship. Boldly declaring that Christ has conquered death and risen from the grave, this lively anthem is sure to move our hearts to worship.

The story of that first resurrection morning is told from Peter's perspective in the song He's Alive. I am excited to sing this song on Sunday with some special media elements that you will have to wait until Sunday to see. There are two videos of this song that I am posting today. One is from David Phelps and the Gaither Vocal Band.the other is from Dolly Parton. Both arrangements capture the fear, wonder and joy of this wonderful story song.

One of my favorite songs from Sovereign Grace in recent years is You Have Been Raised. The song begins with a series of questions regarding forgiveness, freedom, heaven and redemption. The answer to all these questions is that Christ has been raised which is all the proof that we need. Click on the link to watch the video from Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD on Easter Sunday 2011.

After the message, we will close the service singing My Savior Lives from New Life Worship and the Desperation Band. The chorus proclaims I know that my Redeemer lives and now I stand on what He did. My Savior, my Savior lives. Every day a brand new chance to say, "Jesus You are the only way." My Savior, my Savior lives.

I know that this will be a very special Sunday at Calvary. Join me in praying that God will move in our midst, drawing people to Himself. Pray that Christ will be glorified in all that we do. Pray that people will respond to an invitation to come to church on Easter Sunday. Finally, pray that through our time together this Easter, we will know God, love God, and obey God more.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Palm Sunday At Calvary

This week at Calvary is going to be very exciting as we celebrate with eight people who are coming for Believer's Baptism. We will also be continuing the message series from our Journey Through John. Pastor Paul will be finishing chapter 11 of John and looking at the response to the resurrection of Lazarus. The Worship Choir will be singing By Faith which is a great choral anthem based on Romans 5. I am excited to have our choir singing praises to the Lord on Sunday.

We will open our service with the praise song You're Worthy Of My Praise. This song declares our allegiance to Christ who alone is worthy of our praise. We are also singing Forever Reign on Sunday. We introduced this song last Sunday and the bridge has been running through my head ever since. I can't wait to sing this phrase again My heart will sing, no other name Jesus, Jesus! 

We are also singing the old Morris Chapman chorus, Jesus Your Name. This song declares that power, healing and freedom comes in the name in Christ. It has been many years since we used this chorus at Calvary but it was certainly a blessing to our worship team as we prepared on Wednesday.

We are closing the service with the Brenton Brown song, Lord Reign In Me.  The song calls for radical obedience to Christ in every area of life. I am looking forward to worshiping with you this week and am praying that the Lord will move mightily among us.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

This Week At Calvary

One of my goals this year is to train new worship leaders. To accomplish that goal, I have take a few Sundays where I don't lead and allow others the opportunity. Jeremy Banks will be leading us in worship on Sunday and I am excited to see how God is using him. We are going to begin our service on Sunday with Paul Baloche's Our God Saves. This song is an exuberant celebration of hope, rejoicing in salvation found in Christ. The video includes an interview with Paul Baloche. I think you will find it very interesting.

The next song we will sing is based on a prayer from The Valley of Vision. Let Your Kingdom Come from Sovereign Grace is a missional song that prays for God's power and strength to fulfill the Great Commission. The last line of the second verse sums it up with the phrase by grace we'll preach Your gospel till our dying breath.

Jeremy will be teaching us a song that our Souled Out group has been singing for a few months. Forever Reign is from Hillsong. It makes a series declarations about the character of God and declares our dependence and allegiance to Christ. The video is from a live worship recording.

Finally we will sing Mighty To Save which is another song from Hillsong. It begins with a declaration of our needs and then declares that all we need has been fulfilled in Christ. The second verse is a statement of surrender to Christ and the bridge turns our eyes toward the mission we have been given. Here is a video of Hillsong Chapel.

I am praying that the Lord will bless us richly as we gather on Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Singing Defiantly

This week has been an exciting week not only in preparing for the upcoming Sunday but also in working diligently planning our services for Easter Sunday and preparing to speak at a Church Ministries Conference this weekend. Before we talk about music for this Sunday, I want to share something I read this week in the book Faithmapping by Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper:

We are freed from the guilt and shame of our sins, but not from the presence of sin in our flesh and the daily battle against it. We are already citizens of heaven, but are not yet free from citizenship in whatever political institution holds authority over us. Death has lost its victory, but it still holds a power. Cancer wards remain, as do HIV clinics, mass starvations, famines, plagues, earthquakes, tsunamis, and genocides, but one glorious day all these will end. The hospitals, graves, and prisons will be emptied once and for all. Until then the church watches and waits, crying, "Come, Lord Jesus." And in the midst of its waiting, believers gather, acknowledging in one voice that Jesus is the true King and Lord, that death is defeated, and that one day all this madness will end.

I found this passage to be a deeply moving and glorious thought. A line in the same chapter says We gather and we sing defiantly, refusing to let our hopes be crushed by the darkness around us. I found the phrase sing defiantly particularly inspiring and that is how I want to sing and how I want my congregation to sing.

As I began to plan music for Sunday, I knew that it was going to be set against a message of hope and testimony of praise with a significant portion of our service to include Deanna Howell sharing her testimony. Deanna has been diagnosed with incurable cancer yet God has given her incredible grace in this midst of this trial. The idea of grace through trials very quickly became our theme as I began to put songs together.

We will open the service with the hymn Come Christians Join To Sing. It is a call to worship and wonderful song praising God for His grace and for substitutionary atonement. It ends joyfully with a declaration that the praises of God will never end. We are planning to sing the Kristian Stanfill song Always which defiantly declares that God will come through in every circumstance. This song finds its Scriptural roots in Psalm 121: I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV) This video was recorded at Passion 2011.

The next song we will sing comes straight out of Psalm 23. Matt Redman's You Never Let Go reminds us that we can count of God. Although the lyrics come from Psalm 23, I am reminded of Romans 8: 35-39:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:35-39 ESV)

Here is a video of Matt Redman singing this wonderful song.

Before the testimony and message, we will turn our attention to Christ, the Lamb who is seated on the throne as we sing Revelation Song. As all our hope is in Christ, I felt it important to tie our songs together with a focus on Christ. I know that you will be blessed by this video with Kari Jobe singing.

We will close the service singing the simple hymn It Is Well With My Soul. It is my desire that we will sing defiantly at Calvary even when the darkness seems to close in all around.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Our Advocate In Christ

The Scriptures tell us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We did that very thing this past Sunday at Calvary and God moved mightily in our worship gathering. This week Pastor Paul continues our study in John, examining John 11. We will also have the opportunity to join with three families as they dedicate their children to the Lord.

The songs we have chosen will point us to Christ and help us celebrate the glorious truth of the Resurrection. We open the service singing Matt Redman's Blessed Be Your Name. Over the years this song has become an anthem for us as we deal with the hardships and trials of life. The theme of the song is summed up in the bridge when we sing You give and take away, my heart will choose to say Lord blessed be Your name. The video here is of Matt Redman and the London Community Gospel Choir singing this wonderful anthem.

We will also be singing Vikki Cook's Before The Throne Of God Above. This text was written by Charitie Lees Bancroft a few years after the great Irish revival of 1859. Originally titled The Advocate, this modern hymn declares that although Satan, the accuser of the brothers, will tempt us to despair, will try to squelch our witness by reminding us of our sin, we have an advocate in Jesus Christ who has already accomplished everything we need for forgiveness and restoration. I think it is best stated in this lyric from stanza 2:

     Because the sinless Savior died

     My sinful soul is counted free

     For God the just is satisfied

     To look on Him and pardon me

Another song we will use in our gathering is the Stuart Townend and Keith Getty song In Christ Alone. I believe that this song will endure for generations to come if the Lord tarries. It serves to turn our hearts to the living Christ who has bought us with His precious blood. The closing lyrics reminds us of the truths from Romans 8:35-39:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:35-39 ESV)

The video clip is of Kristen Getty and the Shadow Mountain Church. I hope it blesses you as much as it has me.

We will close the service singing Sovereign Grace's You Have Been Raised. The song begins with a series of questions. How do we know we've been forgiven? How do we know that we have been made clean? How do we know we'll go to heaven? How do we know we've been redeemed? The answers lies in the resurrection of Christ. The powerful chorus gives us hope and assurance in Christ.

     You have been raised, the tomb has been opened

     Nothing can take away our hope in You, You have been raised!

     You have been raised the work is completed

     Hell and its powers have been defeated! You have been raised!

I came across this video from Covenant Life Church of You Have Been Raised from their Easter service a couple of years ago. 

I trust that you will prepare your heart before the Lord in private before we gather to corporately proclaim the glories of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

Overcome

This week at Calvary we continue our Journey Through John as Pastor Paul is preaching from John 10:22-42. One exciting element of our service this week is that 8 people are coming for Believer's Baptism. We will hear wonderful stories of how God transforms a life.

We open the service with Come Praise and Glorify. This song is really a Trinitarian call to worship. In this song are called to praise and glorify the Father who has poured His heavenly blessing upon us, the Son through whom our sins are washed away and the Spirit who guarantees our hope.

After the baptisms, we will sing Overcome from New Life Worship. This song is a Christ-centered worship song that alludes the passage in Revelation 12:11 which says:

      And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives to the death. (ESV)

It is a celebration that the accuser of our brothers is defeated. This video from New Life Worship will be a blessing to you. Watch the second video if you want to know the story behind the song.

Here is the song story video:

We introduced Overcome at Calvary when we were in the middle of our pastoral transition. It was one of those songs that helped us to put our focus on Christ and not on the circumstances that surrounded us.

Before the message we will sing Sovereign Grace's Behold Our God. This truly is one of my favorite worship songs to come along in the last few years. It connects the dialogue between God and Job with the heavenly worship from Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4. It ends in a call to come and adore the risen Christ. The video link is a version that you may not have heard. It is fully orchestrated with a choir and orchestra as the main performance forces.

I know you will be blessed this Sunday as we worship together. I hope these songs help your worship during the week to be meaningful and Christ exalting.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

The Good Shepherd

This week at Calvary, Pastor Paul will pick up in our Journey Through John with John 10:1-21. This is the passage where Jesus declares Himself to be the Good Shepherd. Musically we will focus on goodness of our God.

We open the service with God Is Good All The Time. This song proclaims the goodness of God in every circumstance, whether we understand it or not. Next we will sing the Sovereign Grace song, All I Have Is Christ. We follow that by singing Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord). These two songs help us to understand the faithfulness of our God and give us the words to express our surrender to Him.

It has been a while since we have corporately read the Scriptures together but on Sunday we will read Psalm 23 together. Take some time this week to meditate on this Psalm as you prepare for Sunday.


The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
(Psalm 23 ESV)

We will also be singing The Lord Is from Sovereign Grace. This song is based on Psalm 23 and declares the faithfulness of our God. Be sure to follow the links for each song and watch the YouTube videos. They will help you be ready to worship when we gather on Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Trent

Preparing for Sunday

I was truly moved in worship last Sunday as I considered the overwhelming reasons that we have to worship God. This week Pastor Paul will finish his series on Samson and we have the return of the Calvary Worship Choir. The Choir has been on hiatus for the last 8 months but I am excited to have a great multitude of singers assisting as we lead Calvary in worship.

We will open the service with a newer, rhythmic arrangement of the classic hymn The Solid Rock. This song points to Christ as our unchanging hope in all of life's circumstances. The Worship Choir will sing By Faith, a song which boldly declares that our salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. The congregation will then sing I Will Sing Of My Redeemer (You Set Me Free), His Name Is Jesus, and There Is A Redeemer. All three of these songs proclaim the glory of Christ and His power to set us free.

I trust that you will prepare your heart for our gathering on Sunday and that you will be blessed as we worship together.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Trent

God Is Greater

This Sunday at Calvary, Pastor Paul will continue his series on Samson. We will look at the downward spiral that eventually cost Samson his very life. Our attention in worship will be upon celebrating the greatness of God.

The opening song will be Greater Than We Can imagine. This song is based on Psalm 145. This song of praise by David is rich in its praise of God and the song certainly carries that richness in its text. The video posted here was recorded at WorshipGod11. I think you will find it a great blessing.

The next two songs are declarations of our praise to God. Top Of My Lungs is a wonderful worship songs that speaks to the overflowing nature of our worship. We begin to sing our gratitude to God for all He has done and we never run out of things for which to be thankful. This theme continues through the next song How Can I Keep From Singing. This song boldly declares that even in the storms and trials of life, we are still overwhelmed by the greatness of God and our only right response is worship. The last song before the message will be the classic song How Great Is Our God from Chris Tomlin. This simple worship song places the exclamation point on our doxology on Sunday. His is the name above all names. He is worthy of all praise. My heart will sing, "how great is our God!"

The last song we will sing before the close is Made Me Glad. This song declares in its' chorus that God is my strength, my shield, my portion, deliverer, my shelter, strong tower, my very present help in time of need. This is a wonderful statement of who God is to His children.

I hope you come to church ready to make these declarations together as we worship the God who truly is greater than we can imagine.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Is My Praise Acceptable To God?

Usually when someone else is leading worship at Calvary it means that I am on vacation. But this year one of my goals is to give others the opportunity to lead while I am here in the services and rehearsals so that I can take an active role in mentoring other leaders. It will also give me the opportunity to sit out in the auditorium and hear what sounds we are really producing in our services. This week I have asked Jeremy Banks to lead us in worship on Sunday. Jeremy is a passionate worshiper of Jesus Christ who desires.to lead us in an authentic time of corporate worship. I am excited to work with Jeremy and our Praise Band this week as we prepare for our gathering on Sunday.

The opening song for Sunday is Tommy Walker's That's Why We Praise Him. Over the years this song has sparked more questions from our congregation than any other. Some misinterpret  the lyrics and think that the song communicates that the only reason we would praise Christ is because of what He has done to the neglect of who He is. I understand that perspective but I do not believe that is the meaning or intent at all. We certainly praise Christ first and foremost because of who He is. Yet it is also true that we would not be able to worship Christ if He had not acted on our behalf. So we are able to praise Him because of what He has done. I hope that is helpful as we prepare to sing on Sunday. The video link is from a service with Tommy Walker in Hawaii. I hope you enjoy it.

Then we have a three song set including Kristian Stanfill's Jesus Paid It All, Hillsong United's Stronger, and Matt Redman's Nothing But The Blood. These songs carry a unified message of what Christ's life, death,  and resurrection have accomplished for us.The closing line of Jesus Paid It All sums up the collective truth in these songs: Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow. We gather to worship because of these events in the life of Christ. Our worship is only acceptable to God because of the work of Christ.

As you prepare to worship God at Calvary this week remember that all we do, every song we sing, every prayer we offer, every sacrifice of praise is only made acceptable to God because of the work of Christ. That means no matter how well or even how poorly something may go in the service, it is still acceptable because of Christ. If I play or sing with perfection, it is no more acceptable than if I am sloppy or out of tune. It isn't my sacrifice that makes it good, it is Christ's. Rejoice in that truth Calvary.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Trent

Helpful Band Videos

The following videos are posted on YouTube from Paul Baloche. If you are part of the Praise Band at Calvary, I would like for you to watch each of these that apply to you. If it says "Everyone Watch," go ahead and watch it even if it is not for your instrument. I will be posting more videos like these in the future but these will certainly help us in our pursuit of musical excellence as we lead our congregation in corporate worship. Use the comment section of the blog to discuss what points are most helpful to you.

Worship Band Workshop - Everyone Watch

Worship Band Workshop Preview - Everyone Watch

Lead Guitar

Keyboard - Everyone Watch

Bass - Everyone Watch

Drums - Everyone Watch

Acoustic Guitar