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THROWBACK TUESDAYS & WORSHIP WEDNESDAYS- FAVOURITE WORSHIP SONGS OF 2006
It’s always good to keep up to date in terms of worship music. Yet in keeping in with the trends of the most popular worship song of today (we all know right now it’s “Good, Good Father”), we can sometimes miss the beauty that it is in listening to good worship music of years gone by. So this post will honour and commemorate worship songs of the past, in particular 2006. It was in 2006 that I started to branch out and listen to a wide variety of Christian music. So what are my favourite worship songs of that year? Read on to find out.
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Message Mondays (Suffering, and What It Really Means to be a Christian):
Top 10 ___: Top 10 CCM Songs Of The Summer 2016
I know, I know, it’s not summer yet, I’m sure you are all thinking… I mean isn’t summer in December, January and February? Well since most CCM albums predominately release first in the U.S., and artists also mostly tour the U.S. before any other country; then I guess for the purposes of this particular top tens post, summer is June, July and August. You could always pretend we are living in the U.S.
Anyway, now that we’ve got that out of the way, on this coming top tens post, we will delve into 15 songs which I reckon will have massive airplay on radio during the upcoming 3 months, as well as also warming our hearts and changing lives during that time also, with their heartfelt lyrics and relatable topic explored. Does that mean that these songs need to be released around that time? Nope, just in my opinion already released (or yet to be released) which will have a big impact in people’s lives during the next few months. Summer, no matter what hemisphere you live in, is a time for just hanging out with your friends, with the windows down and the stereo system blaring out your favourite tunes! So which do I think will I sing off by heart by the end of August? Read on and find out!
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Top 10 ___: Top 10 Anticipated Albums of July-December 2016
The year has gone quite fast, hasn’t it? It’s June already and soon enough, it’ll be the end of the year. And as the weeks roll on, there’s a constant we can count on- new music releasing each Friday. By the time the year ends, heaps of albums would’ve released. So as I look ahead from the period of July-December 2016, and glance at all the prospective albums that are scheduled to release, I have already written a list a mile long of albums I’m looking forward to. Nevertheless, this blog series is a top 10s series, so widdling the long list down to just 10 selections can be tricky, yet here below are 10 albums scheduled to release in the latter half of 2016 that I am excited about.
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Sentimental Saturdays and Message Mondays (Control, and How The Story of Relinquishing Control is the Best One to Ever Tell and Be a Part Of)
Every time when you hit the hay, you think about control. How the next day is going to pan out, how you want it to go, how you want events to proceed. Call it what you want, I see it as trying to control the next day as much as possible, trying to make the day go ‘as according to your plan’ as much as possible. And I don’t think that it is that terrible, I mean, God did make us as wanting to make sure that we’re concerned about our future. Thinking about our future can be beneficial in some senses, as it puts our present life into perspective and makes us realise that our everyday worries shouldn’t be that strenuous. God set on our hearts worries about starting up a family, buying a house, paying a deposit for a car or a business, raising your kids, taking care of your spouse, and looking after your parents during retirement so that we know that present day worries such as whether we receive a distinction, a credit or a pass in a certain subject is immaterial and regardless of whether we are successful in the long run, or whether we are going to be successful at all. Think about it, do you think that the people who live in the largest houses in the richest suburbs are well and truly happy? We’d like to think so, that the more money we have or the more control we have, or the more power we have, or the more friends you have, or the more wealth and degrees you have, the happier and more successful you will become.
Worship Wednesdays (Who Do We Worship?)
Justin, living in Australia wanted to go on a holiday. He booked a holiday for June over the phone for Christchurch New Zealand, but also booked via the internet for Wellington just in case his credit card details weren’t written down word for word by the clerk on the other end of the phone. He then packed his suitcase full of woolly jumpers and jackets as he heard that the weather was cold, snowing and windy but also packed his trunks and swimmers just in case he wanted to swim in the Cook Strait, if the weather was up to it. He installed burglar alarms the month before leaving, just in case the 40 he already had were faulty and he had to buy some more. He also enlisted his friend to take care of the place for him, and bought a black Doberman to guard his house as well, just in case his friend was unreliable. He then packed his laptop as well his i-Pad just in case he wanted to use one more over the other. He also paid for Foxtel in his hotel rooms in New Zealand just in case he wanted to watch the England vs Australia Ashes series on TV. He disconnected his SIM card from his international mobile phone as he didn’t want people to disturb him, but also bought another phone with international roaming just in case he changed his mind. And finally, perturbed by the possibility of another Cyclone Larry, or another Bali Bombing that could occur in NZ, he decided to cancel the much-anticipated holiday, just in case.
Message Mondays, Throwback Tuesdays – How Can I Lose My Follow Through, Between the Altar And The Door?
Losing our follow through between what we say before God at the altar, and when we walk out that door on after listening to the Sunday morning sermon, and into the real world of another working week, can seem very unlikely, yet at times, Christians do just that. Not that I’m calling anyone out on that (I know I can sometimes be guilty of this as well), but let’s just all be honest and frank about this topic- what does it mean for us to lose our follow-through, to promise something and for us to travel a 180° and act completely opposite to what people see us on Sundays? What does it look like, for us and for the people observing our behaviours, to know that our behaviour on our best days isn’t what we portray on an almost daily basis? What does it need to take for God to shake us and wake us, for Him to remind us that we don’t need to place on a brave face, that our follow-through and our word to Him is based on really, whether we believe that God is who He says He is, and whether we believe in His promises or not. Because to put things bluntly- for us to say one thing yet act out another is nothing short of us not really believing in God’s promises in the first place. Because if we’d truly believe what He calls us to be and become, the positive change we’d experience and people would see would be more 24/7 rather than 1 day a week.
Top 10 ___: Top 10 Albums of 2016 Thus Far
The year has gone quite fast, hasn’t it? It’s June already and soon enough, it’ll be the end of the year. And as the weeks roll on, there’s a constant we can count on- new music releasing each Friday. By the time the year ends, heaps of albums would’ve released. So when I look back on the 6 months that have been, I probably have a long an exhaustive list of albums that I’ve listened to an enjoyed throughout these last few months. Nevertheless, this blog series is a top 10s series, so widdling the long list down to just 10 selections can be tricky, yet here below are 10 albums in 2016 that have been standout for me (note- this is in no indication of what will be in my top albums list at the end of the year- albums may move up and down on that list or disappear or reappear all-together).
Message Mondays, Throwback Tuesdays, Worship Wednesdays (Living Life to the Full)
What does it look like to live each day with abandon? To not hold back in every aspect of our lives, regardless how mundane or trivial these tasks we undertake are? What does it really, truly mean for us to place aside every fear, burden, uncertainty and the like, and jump two feet into what we believe God has in store for us both now and into the future, in spite of our very real and present fears that what we undertake may not look like what we imagine or envisage, or worse still, what we hope God will accomplish in our lives as a result of our big decisions, isn’t what God has in store for us at all, but the exact opposite? Hard questions, I know but sometimes it is these questions that need to be said and discussed. To be asked and dialogued well by all involved, knowing full well that as we open up this forum to those close to us, we have to hope and know that what we say won’t be frowned on or judged. If we struggle with hopelessness, uncertainty, trying to determine the will of God in our lives, or even our plans v. His; regardless of what we lay bare on the table, surely we ought to know that those close to us won’t abandon us, no matter what skeletons rear their ugly heads?
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