"CHANGE ME" - 2015 ICMC EAST THEME SONG

Hey Everyone !!

2015 has gotten off to an incredible start for us here in New Jersey ! I have made a resolution to take my guitar playing higher and so as a result I have been playing more and writing more and just getting inspired in general !!! One thing that has been really exciting is that this Summer from JULY 2ND - 5TH, the NYC Church of Christ is hosting the ICMC EAST !  We are thrilled to host the conference, which was given the theme "CHANGE THE WORLD"

I have to admit, the title has really grown on me.  At first I was not sure how I felt about it.  As Christians, in theory, we all want to see the world changed for Christ ! But honestly for me I can get overwhelmed at the sheer numbers and just trying to imagine what it would take in practice to convert 7 Billion people. Its pretty sobering when we realize what a small percentage there are who are truly holding to Jesus' teachings (John 8:31-32).  On the flip side of things I think it can be easy to cast grandiose visions of "Changing the world for Christ" but fall short in our personal lives.  The truth is, before we can "CHANGE THE WORLD" we have to change ourselves.  This thought led me to this theme song which is titled "CHANGE ME".  It is a vertical worship song asking God to change us from the inside so that we can, together with him, change the outside world - one person at a time !  I have posted the sheet music, lyrics, and a rough demo recording of the song below.  In the verses, I wanted to recount different miracles that Jesus did where he changed one thing into another completely different thing !! 

VERSE 1

Water into wine

Stormy seas made calm

Doubt into belief

Darkness into light

VERSE 2

Empty nets were filled

Blind received their sight

Empty stomachs fed

Dead brought back to life

I have always been amazed by the miracles of Jesus.  The culmination of these miracles was his power over the grave (Dead brought back to life).  Then in the pre-chorus everyone joins in four-part harmony to sing together:

PRECHORUS

You can change the world

Father, we believe !

You're the mighty God

The God of miracles

To me this is a statement about God.  He has the power to change the world.  He is the one who does miracles.  He has already changed the world and he can do it again and again. Then the chorus goes:

CHORUS

Change me

Make me like your Son

Change me

And we'll change the world together

One by one

God has done many miracles in both the OT and the NT.  If God could change blindness to vision, emptiness to fullness, doubt to belief, and death to life, then surely he can change us to be like Jesus !

This thought gives me hope & encouragement. Only when God changes us to be like Jesus can we change the world.  Only when we are working TOGETHER with the Holy Spirit and our brothers & sisters in Christ can we change the world - one person at a time !  We are really looking forward to the International Campus Ministry Conference here in NY & NJ ! Please keep the conference in your prayers !!

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

- 2 Corinthians 3:18

"CHANGE ME" ROUGH DEMO RECORDING

"CHANGE ME" SHEET MUSIC

"REMEMBER HYMN" WORSHIP ALBUM - RELEASING JUNE 1ST, 2014 !!!

It is my pleasure to announce that on SUNDAY, JUNE 1st at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, HOPE worldwide & The NYCCOC Worship Ministry will be releasing our very first WORSHIP ALBUM titled "REMEMBER HYMN". The album features 14 Tracks of Worship Music with some familiar songs such as "MEN WHO DREAM" (Teresa & Mackenzie Brown) & "CANAAN'S LAND" (Seri Murdock) as well as some new songs like "PRAISES HEARD AROUND THE WORLD" and MANY MORE !!! If you have every wished you had a quality, professional recording of the songs we sing at Church in our worship services, now it is finally available !!! AND the most exciting part about it is... ALL THE PROCEEDS GO TO HOPE worldwide !!! CD's are only $10, so buy a few extra for friends and family  Please watch this promo video to get a sneak peek of the album ...

TRACK LISTING:

1) MEN WHO DREAM

2) CANAAN'S LAND

3) INDESTRUCTIBLE

4) MY LORD, MY GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES

5) HEAL MY SOUL

6) MY HEART REJOICES

7) HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

8) TO GOD BE THE GLORY

9) PRAISES HEARD AROUND THE WORLD

10) HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER

11) GLORY GLORY HALLELUJAH

12) WHY DID MY SAVIOR COME TO EARTH? / HOLY FATHER

13) I FEEL THE SPIRIT

14) HOLY PERFECT ALWAYS FOREVER

This album is being released in support of the PERSONAL FITNESS CHALLENGE for HOPE worldwide. For more information about the PERSONAL FITNESS CHALLENGE, please visit their website: www.personalfitnesschallenge.org

Whether you're using this music as motivation during your morning workout or you are just jamming out in the car with friends, my hope and prayer is that this music will INSPIRE you and encourage you to remember God - Who He is, and what He has done, is doing and will do !  Please feel free to pick up multiple copies for friends, family, neighbors as well - anyone who you think would enjoy this album and be inspired to grow closer to God because of it !

***If you don't live in the NYC area and would like to pick up a copy of the album, hard copies & digital copies will be available online in the coming months***

Please join me in praying for this project to raise money for HOPE & to inspire disciples all over the world !!!

Much love,

Ross

LA MONTAÑA

I'm excited to share a new Spanish worship song I taught to the NJ Region of the NYC Church of Christ this morning !! It is called "La Montaña" by Salvador.  Singing this song today was a highlight of the worship service for me, mainly because it was great to finally teach a new spanish song & the whole church really got into it !!  Below is an MP3 of La Montaña from today's service.  To download the MP3, just right click and choose "Save Linked File As..."

La Montaña MP3

La Montaña Sheet Music

The lyrics along with the english translation are below:

Si tuvieras fe, como un grano de mostaza
(If you have faith like a mustard seed)
Eso lo dice el Señor
(This is what the Lord says)
Si tuvieras fe, como un grano de mostaza
(If you have faith like a mustard seed)
Eso lo dice el Señor
(This is what the Lord says)

Tu le dirías a la montaña
(You say to the mountain)
Mueve té! Mueve té!
(Move! Move!)
Tu le dirías a la montaña
(You say to the mountain)
Mueve té! Mueve té!
(Move! Move!)

Esa montaña se moverá
(That mountain will move)
Se moverá, se moverá
(Move, move)
Esa montaña se moverá
(That mountain will move)
Se moverá, se moverá
(Move, move)

This is a great song about faith, and reminds us that with Jesus, anything is possible !!

Matthew 17:14-20

¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
¹⁷ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faithas small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

HALLELUJAH (202) - CHRISTMAS VERSION

HALLELUJAH (CHRISTMAS VERSION) - MP3

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !!!

Every year when the holiday season rolls around, many people throughout the congregation & many of the singers on our worship team request that we do MORE Christmas songs.  So this year, we decided to start threading in Christmas songs ("Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "O Come All Ye Faithful", etc) much earlier in December, and we also sang a couple new versions of songs.

This one in particular really resounded with our church ! J Brian Craig, a Songwriter & Worship Leader in CA arranged this really cool version of "Hallelujah" (a very familiar song for us) but added in the theme from "The Carol of the Bells" and used the verses of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" ... It is so EPIC !!!  Here is the original post on J Brian Craig's website where you can find the Lyrics & Chords as well as a teaching recording that Brian made:

J BRIAN CRAIG.COM - HALLELUJAH (CHRISTMAS VERSION)

I hope you all have a great time with family & that you remember the most precious gift of all - Our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ross

PS - I could't resist posting this.  Below you will find a link to listen to "THERE WAS A LITTLE BABY" as sung by our Kindergarten and 1st Graders for our Christmas service on Sunday !!!

THERE WAS A LITTLE BABY - MP3

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL MP3

VERSE 1

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

CHORUS
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

VERSE 2 ***
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul

VERSE 3
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

VERSE 4 ***
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul

VERSE 5 ***
But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

VERSE 6 
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul

This beautiful hymn is a favorite of our congregation ! The words are especially touching when you know the story behind the song.  Horatio G. Spafford and his wife Anna were Christians, activists in the abolitionist & temperance movements, and residents of Chicago in the mid-1800's.  Scarlet fever claimed the life of one of their 5 children early on (their only son, Horatio), and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 literally burned up much of the families assets.  In 1873, the Spafford's planned a trip to Europe to attend a revival meeting.  Horatio stayed behind for business reasons while Anna and their 4 girls went ahead; they were to meet in England.  Tragically, their ship was struck by another ship and Anna was the lone survivor of the shipwreck.  From England, Anna telegraphed Horatio this message: "Saved alone.  What shall I do...".  As he passed over the shipwreck site on his way to bring Anna home, Horatio wrote the words to this song.  In 1876 Philip P. Bliss set these words to music

In 1880, after re-settling in Chicago & having 3 more children, their second son also died.  In 1881 they decided to leave America and moved to Jerusalem, Israel to serve the poor and provide care for homeless children.

*** We traditionally only sing verses 1, 3 and 6, however I find verses 2, 4, and 5 to be equally beautiful !  Especially the second line of verse 5 "the sky, not the grave, is our goal!"

SOURCE: Horatio G. Spafford: The Story Behind the Hymn "It is Well with My Soul"

HEAL MY SOUL

HEAL MY SOUL MP3

VERSE 1

 E

Jesus you are

C#m

Able to

       A                  F#m      A  B

Bind up the brokenhearted people

CHORUS
A            E

Heal my soul
C#m        B

Make me whole
A         E

Fill my heart

                B        E

With your love again

VERSE 2

Jesus you can

Heal my heart and

Cure every disease and sickness

VERSE 3

Jesus you have

Taken all my

Guilt and sin upon your body

Hey all !

I wrote this song last week and it fit really well with today's sermon "Rx for the Soul" as a part of our SOUL WARS series.  Much of this song was inspired by my personal bible study.  I've been reading through the early part of Jesus' ministry in my chronological bible and it talks a lot about how he went around healing & curing diseases - for example, Matthew 9:35:

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, 

teaching in their synagogues, 

preaching the good news of the kingdom 

and healing every disease and sickness."

I've always loved Jesus' encounter in Matthew 8 with the man with leprosy who says to Jesus, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean" and Jesus' response of "I am willing".  After reading passages like this, I couldn't help but praise God for his power to heal us both on the outside and the inside.  I believe that God wants us to be healed emotionally & spiritually - whether from our past and the sin that we have committed and how it still can hurt us or people who have hurt us - whatever the case may be, I believe God wants us to be healed so that we can move on from the past and be free to enjoy "life to the full" in his loving arms.  The last verse of the song is especially meant to remind us that Jesus is the source of the healing that comes from God.  Only through Christ do we have healing and rehabilitation.  Isaiah 53:4-5 says:

"Surely he took up our infirmities

    and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,    

smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,    

⁵ 

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,    

and by his wounds we are healed."

Its amazing to me how Christ's PHYSICAL wounds have brought us SPIRITUAL healing !!! Only the I AM, the Almighty, the Everlasting God could come up with such an amazing plan of salvation ! Praise Him !

A MIGHTY FORTRESS

A MIGHTY FORTRESS (MP3)

Words & Music by Martin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God

A bulwark never failing

Our helper, He, amid the flood

Of mortal ills prevailing

For still our ancient foe

Doth seek to work us woe

His craft and pow'r are great

And, armed with cruel hate

On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide

Our striving would be losing

Were not the right man on our side

The man of God's own choosing

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is HE !!!

Lord Sabaoth His name

From age to age the same

And He must win the battle

And tho' this world, with demons filled

Should threaten to undo us

We will not fear, for God hat willed

His truth to triumph through us

Let goods and kindred go

This mortal life also

The body they may kill

God's truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever !!!

Hey all !!!

This Sunday's worship service is titled "SOUL WARS" along with the Soul Wars theme that we are doing right now (so this is the "title message" if you will).  I'm really excited about the song lineup, especially this song "A MIGHTY FORTRESS" which was written by Martin Luther in 1529.  I made a recording of it for our worship ministry to listen to to help them get an idea of how this song sounds, but my bass is a little shaky so please give me some GRACE :-) It's just not possible to sing that low. I tried.

Anyways ... I learned some really cool new stuff when reading through and researching the lyrics of this song.  I always thought that the word "BULWARK" was really weird and honestly I didn't know what it meant (It kinda reminded me of the word Narwhal, like from "Elf" so every time I sang this song I thought of a Nordic Whale) ... BUT ... I looked it up and here's the definition:

So ... A bulwark is a WALL !!!  Kind of like a castle wall / wall of protection. I especially like definition #2 that talks about "a protection against external danger".  It's amazing to think and reflect upon how God protects us from SO MUCH external danger and really guards us from so much whether it is sin or the consequences it brings - I love thinking about God as our protector !!! To me, verse 1 really outlines the spiritual battle - that God is our protector and Satan is our enemy. Verse 2 acknowledges that only through Christ can we conquer ! And Verse 3 details the convictions we have as Christians, despite the demons and the forces of evil.  This is especially convicting as I am studying out the works of early Christians right now such as Clement, Mark Felix, and Justin Martyr and this was totally their conviction - They were willing to give up ALL material goods, friends & family, even their life ... for Christ ! Hope this song encourages you !

PS - I also posted the REMIX below :)

A MGHTY FORTRESS REMIX