Christmas Service

I hope everyone has had a great Christmas Holiday. River Hills kicked Christmas off with our Christmas service on Sunday night, December 21. God blew me away in every aspect of the service. We had 140+ people which is our highest attendance yet, and 1 person expressed interest in beginning a relationship with Christ. That was definitely the best part.

Here is "We Celebrate You" from the Christmas Service. God always reminds me that He is in control and in charge. In the morning service we were playing this song and right before the end of the song, we tripped a breaker and lost all power. That's the first time that had happened to us. But instead of getting frustrated or mad, you have to smile and give God recognition that He is in control.



****We are still working on some new original material, writing and getting them recorded. So be on the look out for some type of cd coming hopefully by mid-to-late Summer 2009.

"We Celebrate You" Videocast

Yep, I'm a slacker

So, it's been awhile since I've posted...well anything on here. However, there are some cool things in the works right now in the world of Brandt and River Hills. I'm currently working on a new Christmas song(a road I've never traveled before) and also trying to record that. Just the recording part has been a daunting feat in itself. That's a separate post altogether. I plan on attempting to finish up the recording tomorrow, and if I play my cards right, there may be the first video blog for your viewing pleasure.

Again sorry for my slackness, but I think it will be well worth the wait...hopefully.

Set List for 11.16.08

Hey guys here is the set list for this past Sunday. Looking forward to this upcoming Sunday, we'll be partaking in communion, always a great worship experience.

Rejoice - Chris Tomlin
Nothing but the Blood - Brandt Farmer arrangment
Sing to the King - Billy Foote
He is Exalted - Twila Paris
Not to Us - Chris Tomlin

Full Band this coming week...it's going to be good...be there.

Windmill-kick to the face

So, it took a little convincing, but I finally talked Megan(the most amazing Fiance ever) to watch Kung-Fu Panda. I'm kind of a kid at heart, especially with animated movies. Lately, I like to sit and find the humor that completely surpasses the heads of all the little kids who watch them, some movies are worse than others. Just to set it up a little(if you haven't seen it yet, stop reading, go watch it, then continue reading) Po, the panda, is chosen as the Dragon Warrior who will be the savior of the town and/or China. Shifu is assigned to train Po in the art of Kung-Fu. He sends word to a prison to double the guards and protection around the bad guy, Tai Lung. The wise old master, Oogway who happens to be a tortoise, drops a bomb of wisdom on Shifu and the audience.

"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it," says Oogway. Say What?!? I had to stop the movie and rewind it. Here I am looking for adult humor in a childrens' animated movie, and I get windmill kicked in the face with this. Ouch. Maybe it hurt so much, because I've been there, done that kind of thing. Have you ever done something to avoid you're calling or destiny? I'm sure I've tried, but sovereignty always gets the best of me.

I was, however, instantly reminded of a classic bible story about a man that gets eaten by a fish, then vomited out of said fish. You can get the whole story here, but below is a little teaser for now.

Jonah 1:1-3
1)The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2)"Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3)But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

Jonah tried to run/avoid God's will for his life, but it didn't work. He ended up in the belly of a fish, and through that God gave him a second chance to complete the objective. Interesting...I'd love to hear your thoughts.


*I found this picture through Google Images, The artist is Keith Tucker, I don't know anything about him so I don't endorse anything on his site, but this is a very cool painting. Clicking on the picture will take you to his website.

Set List for 11.09.08

Hey guys, sorry it seems like all this blog is is set lists. But here is yet another set list. We started our Change One series this week. We talked about how one way to change lives is to value others. If you want to read some reflections on that click here.

All Things New - Elevation Worship
Salvation is Here - Hillsong United - Look to You
Center - Charlie Hall - Flying into Daybreak
Till I See You - Hillsong United - Look to You
Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin - See the Morning

Here is a little taste of what happened. Everybody except the guy singing are complete studs.

Set List for 11.02.08

So we decided to shake things up a bit this week. I don't know if it made a big difference or not, but it was a cool feeling of unity among the body this week in worship. Next week is full band and I'm always excited about those weeks. I kept the set simple:

Holy is the Lord - Chris Tomlin - Arriving
Made to Worship - Chris Tomlin - See the Morning
Prepare the Way - Charlie Hall - Our Love is Loud
You Alone - David Crowder - Lime EP
Joyful, Joyful(We Adore Thee) - Charlie Hall - Passion: Hymns Ancient & Modern

Set List for 10.26.08

Wow, I can't believe last Sunday was the last Sunday in October. Man, time is flying by. The set this week was simple. I ran into a couple of problems when the batteries in my guitar decided to die right before the first song. So I cut one song that I intended to include in the set. The set was as follows.

Everlasting God - Brenton Brown
Unchanging - Chris Tomlin
Glory to God - Steve Fee(I think this one is fairly new, I heard it for the first time at Catalyst Conference '08, you can find a video of it here.)
There is No One - Jason Morant

*There is No One is probably one of my all time favorite worship songs. It's all about giving all that we have in worship to Jesus. I think that means more than just singing on Sunday mornings, but infiltrates our entire lives. "With all that I am, with all that I have, I will worship You, Jesus, alone" I love it. I'm convicted every time I sing it and lead it, because I never give that much of me to the glory of Jesus Christ. If I did there's no telling what would happen. So as I step up to do this, please join me. We all can use the company on the journey.

Comfortable Food

Chicken Stew
Probably the greatest thing ever invented. I think everyone has that meal/food where if that was the only thing they could eat for the rest of their life, they'd be fine with it. Well, Chicken Stew, is my ultimate comfort food. I could never tire of it's chickeny goodness. This is what I would beg my mom to make. Some kids want pizza, some mac & cheese, but I mostly wanted Chicken Stew. It's awesome when you are or are about to be under the weather. It soothes the soul.

It's not really a traditional stew. When I think of stew I think of beef, carrots, potatoes, and things of that nature. But for the most part, this is just chicken and milk. So simple, yet so delicious.

When I was in school during the winter, I would make this Sunday afternoon when I got home from church. Then I would eat off it for several days. I think it's kind of a normal thing around here in Georgia, especially around the country. I guess in a way it's like a poor man's supper. But since I love this soup so much, I've decided not to be stingy and to share the recipe with the world. So here goes, and don't worry you can't mess it up. I have a set way I make it, but when my grandmother makes it it's different every time.

Chicken Stew:(I'd better get credit if you make this for people.)
1 (9-10 oz.) can of white meat chicken breast
2 (14 oz.) cans of chicken broth
1 (12 oz.) can of evaporated milk
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
About 3/4 of a 1/2 gallon of 2% milk. (no idea how much that really is, I have an art degree)
salt, pepper, paprika, butter

So I start by getting a pot and dumping the chicken in, breaking it up a little. You can use more chicken, like two cans, or a big can and a little can, or what ever floats your boat. Or you can even use fresh chicken and pull it off the bone, it's really up to how much you want to work for this. I pour both cans of broth in, and bring it almost up to a boil. I'm pretty sure my mom said if the soup boils it's going to ruin it. So try not to let that happen. Next just add the evaporated milk, then the whipping cream. I'll add salt, pepper, and paprika(which I think is just for looks, I've added a little and an uber amount, and there's not much difference). Next add about a tablespoon of butter, more or less again your boat. Then I just pour the 2% milk in. It depends on how much you want to make, and how big your pot is. I've kind of learned how much to use by the pot I'm used to using. But you'll use most of a 1/2 gallon of milk. Just let it get hot and enjoy. Mom always dipped it out with a measuring cup, so that's what I do. Ladles are for losers and rich people.

Serve with saltine crackers and your favorite beverage. Coca-Cola is my preference. One more thing, put some ketchup in with the soup and stir before you crumble crackers in it...gives it a little tang. Don't scrunch your nose at me, don't think just do. If you're really brave, use hot sauce...one more time, it's your boat. But for the record, I use ketchup.

Set List for 10.19.08

Sorry for my slackness this week. I've been getting settled into the new place in Bethlehem. I'll try and post some pictures of the new pad soon. But last Sunday was great. We did play the first original song, as soon as I can get a polished version of it recorded I'll post it somewhere, either here or here. I'll put the lyrics under the set list. That's a big vision of mine is to write, record, and incorporate those/theses songs into the worship here at River Hills.



Mighty to Save - Hillsong - Mighty to Save
All We Need - Charlie Hall - Flying into Daybreak
Beautiful Jesus - Kristian Stanfill - Passion: God of this City
My King - Brandt Farmer
I Surrender All - Hymn

My King
Verse 1:
Speak over us, words of truth and love
Breathe life on us, a grace that saved us all

Pre-Chorus/Bridge:
I am found in Your saving grace
Overwhelmed that You took my place

Chorus:
My life, I give to You
My heart sings praises to the King
Jesus, You're my King

Verse 2:
Teach us Your will, we'll follow and obey
Lead us O God, we will walk in love

Set List for 10.12.08

Hey guys here is the set list for last Sunday. I added a new one in, Hosanna, it's a good one. Here we go:

Hosanna - Brenton Brown - Everlasting God
Here is Our King - David Crowder - A Collision
O Praise Him - David Crowder - Illuminate
Before the Throne - Shane & Shane - Pages
How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin - Arriving

Catalyst Confernce

I had the awesome opportunity to spend last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at Catalyst Conference here in Atlanta. It was a great time to be revitalized, and overwhelmed with information at the same time. My mind hasn't stopped spinning since. A lot of great speakers were there, a few of my favorites(in no particular order) were: Steven Furtick, Andy Stanley, Seth Godin, Matt Chandler, Craig Groeschel, and none other than Dave Ramsey. So I tried to narrow that list down, but those were most of the main speakers. Here's a few things I've been mulling over in my mind.

One thing Steven Furtick said that stuck in my mind was "God is preparing you for what He is preparing for you." He was talking about being faithful in the process between the promise God makes us and the payoff of that promise. It seems easy to get discouraged in the ministry of church planting. One week there's a lot of people, the next there is a handful of people. This was very encouraging to me. I found myself becoming discouraged and doubting myself as a leader early last summer.

Dave Ramsey talked about unity. He listed five enemies that keep a staff from building unity. One which I found intriguing is "Sanctioning Incompetency." This is very important as a staff that we hold each other accountable and not put up with incompetent actions/things. I have also been turning this inward on myself. How have I allowed myself to become slack or unproductive in certain areas of my life.

Lastly, a session that I went to on Wednesday night mentioned this. The guy talked about the summit, or penacle of what you are trying to reach, is a state of mind because when you get there, there is always another summit to obtain. It's like dreaming of reaching a certain attendance number on Sunday mornings. When we reach that goal, it will be a bigger dream/goal. His advice was to enjoy the journey.

Lastly, I thought this was random. Friday, I saw a real elephant, Jeff Foxworthy, and Franklin Graham all within like a 4-5 hour window. So random...I'm still not over that.

Set List for 10.05.08

Hey guys here is the set list for this past Sunday. It was a crazy weekend with the golf tournament all day Saturday, we had about an hour in between finishing the tournament then going to set up for Sunday morning. All of the band members played in the tournament, and I couldn't be more appreciative of their commitment to the band and this church. So here's the set:

Salvation is Here - Hillsong United - Look to You
Marvelous Light - Charlie Hall - Flying into Daybreak
How Great Thou Art - Charlie Hall - Passion: Hymns Ancient & Modern
From the Inside Out - Hillsong United - United We Stand
You are God - Charlie Hall - The Bright Sadness

81

Team Awesome scored an 81 last Saturday at the River Hills Golf Tournament. I have to say I'm proud of that score. That's 9 strokes over par. I don't think that's bad for four guys who haven't played in awhile.



However, that was the very last place. It was still loads of fun, and I think we raised a good bit of money for the church's building fund. So now matter what this guy says, or what kind of junk he talks, because I know it's coming, just know I'm dang proud....

Golf Tourney

So for those of you who may not know, there's a River Hills Golf Tournament this Saturday. If you're not involved, you should be. It's going to be a blast. And since it's been...oh, about 2 years since I've touched a golf club, it's my priority to cram as much practice as I possibly can into the next 48 hours. So hopefully by Saturday morning around 11 a.m. I should look something like this:



OK, so that's a little extreme, but anything is possible. I don't really care to win the whole thing. I just want to beat this guy's team, and I will be content. There's still one slot left on Team Awesome(my unofficial team name)...I wonder what Tiger is doing Saturday...I'll have my people look into it.

Moral of this blog...All the cool people will be at the 1st Ever River Hills Church Golf Tournament, go here or email that guy for more info, but hurry, I mean the party goes down Saturday!

Set List for 09.28.08

For those of you who may not know, we have a full band every other week. The off weeks for the band leave just me and my acoustic guitar. Although I try to have set list planned several months in advance I always find myself changing things up at the last minute when I lead worship by myself. Don't ask me why. It's probably divine intervention.

09.28.08
How Can I Keep From Singing - Chris Tomlin - See the Morning
Indescribable - Chris Tomlin - Arriving
Nothing but the Blood *with added Bridge
Desperation - not sure who wrote this one, I picked it up from a friend
Consuming Fire - Tim Hughes

Nothing But The Blood

Set List for 09.21.08

I'm going to start posting our Set Lists here every week. I'm going to include the artist and an album so that if you're interested you can find a version of the song. Please feel free to let me know which ones you like and maybe why you like it or how God spoke to you through it. I think our band is doing a tremendous job. They put a lot of hard work into practicing and setting up.

09.21.08
Walk This World - Charlie Hall - The Bright Sadness
Everlasting God - Brenton Brown
Awesome is the Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin - See the Morning
All Creatures - David Crowder - Passion: Hymns Ancient and Modern
I Stand Amazed(How Marvelous) - Chris Tomlin - Passion: Everything Glorious

5 a.m. already?

So it's been a little while since the last time I seriously wrote a song. Last night I got home from work at the newspaper around 11:30 p.m. or so. A couple of days ago I started working on lyrics for a new song, but I had that feeling that if I waited on it any longer I was going to lose it. So it took probably 30 minutes or so to hunt down my equipment and get everything set up. Seriously, it's been awhile, atleast a year since a solid song was born through my futile attempts.

It's amazing how a song comes together, if you've ever ventured into the songwriting realm you know what I mean. It's a simple song. Super simple, I've already described it as a little cheesy, but I'll take what I can get. The song is called You Are God. Usually when I write a song, it's some revelation I've had, or there's something I want to change about myself (mainly my attitude toward something). This song is all about God being my source of whatever I need at the moment. His ability to be everything to me shows that He is God.

This is kind of funny but I think this spurred on my mindset of being overwhelmed that God is God. This past Sunday at River Hills, I had the privileged of watching the kids during our New Membership Class. Basically, we watched The Prince of Egypt, which made me feel old because none of the kids in that room were alive when it came out (except a couple of youth, and they were like 3). Anyways I digress, I haven't watched that movie probably since it came out. But I was really taken aback by the burning bush scene. It's a cool depiction of God being The Great I Am. He simply is. I get lost in that thought. It's still more than I can comprehend. But cool, and I was able to scrounge up a song out of it. I'll post it on my Facebook page and my Myspace, bare with me it's a little rough around the edges, what would you expect it was 5 a.m.!

Lyrics:
Verse:
You give me hope
beyond all imagination
You give me peace
beyond every situation
You are my strength
Over all of my frustrations
You are my King
Lord, You are everything

Chorus:
We praise the Father and the Son
Holy Spirit, Three in One
Jesus Christ, Beloved Son
Bring Your love, Your kingdom come

Bridge:
You are God