Hey guys - Welcome back. I hope that your holiday celebrations were fruitful and refreshing. It was good to see many of you at the various services we had. How do you like the new blog? I'll be updating it often and welcome any suggestions you might have. This will be the primary point of contact for information regarding the songs that are coming up, who is playing, etc. Entries with dates as titles will be concerning the music coming up for that Sunday. It'll be touch-and-go as we get started but I reckon it'll work pretty smoothly. Thanks to those who suggested this idea and showed me other worship team blogs. Hope you're all quite well - E.T.
Ensemble: FULL
Alex (Voice, E. Guitar)
Alyssa (Voice)
Eric (Voice, Piano)
Jerry (E. Guitar or Bass if Tom is absent)
Kristen (A. Guitar)
Tom (Bass)
Marg (Keyboard)
Missy (Voice)
- - - - - - - -
Gathering Song - "Holy is the Lord" (G)
Opening Songs:
- "Let It Rise" (D)
- "Rock of Ages" (G)
- "Change It Up" (G) - THEME SONG (NEW!)
Offering - "Deep Dreaming" (Instrumental - Eric)
Communion Songs:
- "Jesus, Lamb of God" (D) (Eric)
- "All Who Are Thirsty" (D)
- "We Fall Down" (G)
Closing Songs:
- "Awesome God" (Em)
- "They'll Know We Are Christians..." (Em)
NOTE: Eric will play the "liturgical" songs. Ex: "Song of Praise", "Offertory", "Alleluia Verse". If/when a "setting" is adopted for the Celebration service other instruments will be worked in as they are needed/as it is appropriate.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Welcome!
Folk - Here's our brand new blog. As mentioned above, it's designed to communicate information about things happening within the music ministry at PLC and provide a place for people to come and share thoughts, ideas, and theologies about Christian worship and Christian spirituality. The blog won't "launch" until January of '09, but you're welcome to make use of it anyway. I've already posted a story I wrote for your viewing; something to take up some page space. Here's some of the stuff you can expect in January:
- Set Lists for the Celebration Service (Posted Weekly)
- Ensemble Schedule (Who's playing at what service, etc.)
- General Communication to members of the Worship Ministry
- Links to Worship Resources
- Posting of Articles, Stories, and Original Work for your viewing
- Posting of Pictures, Movies, etc.
Please prepare yourself to check this blog often. I will endeavor to keep it updated. So long as it remains an effective tool it will be updated at least once a week when I put up the coming week's music selections. I will no longer send out mass e-mails to everyone on the team about what's coming up, etc. That is, I won't do it for normal and scheduled things like worship on Sunday. This will be the primary point of contact.
I hope you're able to make good use of this resource. I'm excited to share with you through the use of it. Be well - E.T.
- Set Lists for the Celebration Service (Posted Weekly)
- Ensemble Schedule (Who's playing at what service, etc.)
- General Communication to members of the Worship Ministry
- Links to Worship Resources
- Posting of Articles, Stories, and Original Work for your viewing
- Posting of Pictures, Movies, etc.
Please prepare yourself to check this blog often. I will endeavor to keep it updated. So long as it remains an effective tool it will be updated at least once a week when I put up the coming week's music selections. I will no longer send out mass e-mails to everyone on the team about what's coming up, etc. That is, I won't do it for normal and scheduled things like worship on Sunday. This will be the primary point of contact.
I hope you're able to make good use of this resource. I'm excited to share with you through the use of it. Be well - E.T.
The Parable of Two Trees
The Parable of Two Trees
- A Lesson in Contentment and Trust -
On the top of a hill deep in the forest lived two trees. They were both beautiful and strong and could see the entire valley below them. One day the valley began to tremble with the rumble of trucks and the sky was filled with the sound of saws and the stench of smoke. The trees watched as the borders of the forest slowly gave way to the lumberjacks and their work which continued both day and night. In the early hours of an exceptionally noisy morning one of the trees leaned toward the other and asked,
“Where do you think they take all of our brother and sister trees once they are cut down?” The other tree responded, “I do not know where they go, but I know that they become many things for the use of those who walk upright upon the Earth.”
“What types of things?” asked the curious tree, for he was not very knowledgeable in the ways of human living. “Anything that can be made from the wood within us, of course. Some are made into beams of lumber which are used to build houses. Others become furniture to go into homes. The rarest and most beautiful trees of the forest may even be expertly carved to become musical instruments. The possibilities are without end, my friend.” What excitement this brought to the mind of the curious tree. He began to envision himself living on in the form of a beautiful table at which families would eat and laugh for generations. Or to become an instrument placed in the hands of a master musician! Indeed, his desires and dreams became so strong that each day he stretched himself higher and higher into the sky, digging his roots deeper and deeper into the Earth that the quality and value of his body may increase. Eventually he grew so high that he towered over the tree beside him, and he loved it. He could see so much more of the world. He did not understand, however, that much more of the world could see him as well.
The harvesting of trees in the valley was complete and a surveyor walked up a steep path to the top of a beautiful hill overlooking the barren valley below. He came into a clearing where there stood two magnificent cedar trees. One was perfect for harvesting and the other was a sight the surveyor had never seen. It was so tall and wide he knew it would have enough wood within its trunk to produce a volume of lumber never before harvested from a single tree. In his excitement he called a team of lumberjacks to the hill and they began cutting at once. They cut down the shorter of the two trees first and marveled at what they found. The wood within its trunk was exquisite and beautiful. It showed signs of perfect aging and health. There was not an imperfection to be found. The surveyor ordered that it be put on a truck and sent away at once for custom cutting. The crew stood around the second tree and sharpened the teeth upon their heavy saws. The tree shook with delight for its hour had arrived! As the first saw bit into its base it trembled but held fast. Two more saws cut into it and before long the great cedar began its slow topple toward the Earth. But the weight of the tree was too great, it’s falling speed too fast, and when it hit the ground it broke into five splintered and fragmented logs. The crew gathered around the wreckage and found that the core of the tree was hollow, rotted out by insects that had crawled into cracks in the trunk caused by accelerated growth. The tree was of no use and was sent away in a dump truck to be turned into mulch.
It was not long after that a young man sat on his front porch and plucked the strings of a prize acoustic guitar made from elite cuts of cedar harvested in a forest not far from where he lived. The rumble of a truck coming down the road caused the young man to stand up, lean his guitar carefully against the side of a bench, and walk out into his driveway where he met a dump truck making a delivery from a local gardening supply store. A great pile of fresh mulch was dumped into the middle of the man’s driveway and immediately sprayed with pesticide for it was thought to contain bugs due to rot in the wood. The young man went inside and as he was away a broken voice came from the pile of cedar mulch. “My friend, you have become what I have always dreamed of being. Now I am nothing, and will be spread out upon the Earth to dry up and die. How did I ever become so foolish?” A sweet and resolute voice came forth from the guitar. “You had no patience. You rushed so far ahead and lost everything that made you special. I am not sorry that you’ve become mulch for this man, for you still have your use. I am sorry, however, that you were simply not content being a tree on the top of a hill overlooking a beautiful forest.”
E.D. Thompson
October 5, 2008
“Where do you think they take all of our brother and sister trees once they are cut down?” The other tree responded, “I do not know where they go, but I know that they become many things for the use of those who walk upright upon the Earth.”
“What types of things?” asked the curious tree, for he was not very knowledgeable in the ways of human living. “Anything that can be made from the wood within us, of course. Some are made into beams of lumber which are used to build houses. Others become furniture to go into homes. The rarest and most beautiful trees of the forest may even be expertly carved to become musical instruments. The possibilities are without end, my friend.” What excitement this brought to the mind of the curious tree. He began to envision himself living on in the form of a beautiful table at which families would eat and laugh for generations. Or to become an instrument placed in the hands of a master musician! Indeed, his desires and dreams became so strong that each day he stretched himself higher and higher into the sky, digging his roots deeper and deeper into the Earth that the quality and value of his body may increase. Eventually he grew so high that he towered over the tree beside him, and he loved it. He could see so much more of the world. He did not understand, however, that much more of the world could see him as well.
The harvesting of trees in the valley was complete and a surveyor walked up a steep path to the top of a beautiful hill overlooking the barren valley below. He came into a clearing where there stood two magnificent cedar trees. One was perfect for harvesting and the other was a sight the surveyor had never seen. It was so tall and wide he knew it would have enough wood within its trunk to produce a volume of lumber never before harvested from a single tree. In his excitement he called a team of lumberjacks to the hill and they began cutting at once. They cut down the shorter of the two trees first and marveled at what they found. The wood within its trunk was exquisite and beautiful. It showed signs of perfect aging and health. There was not an imperfection to be found. The surveyor ordered that it be put on a truck and sent away at once for custom cutting. The crew stood around the second tree and sharpened the teeth upon their heavy saws. The tree shook with delight for its hour had arrived! As the first saw bit into its base it trembled but held fast. Two more saws cut into it and before long the great cedar began its slow topple toward the Earth. But the weight of the tree was too great, it’s falling speed too fast, and when it hit the ground it broke into five splintered and fragmented logs. The crew gathered around the wreckage and found that the core of the tree was hollow, rotted out by insects that had crawled into cracks in the trunk caused by accelerated growth. The tree was of no use and was sent away in a dump truck to be turned into mulch.
It was not long after that a young man sat on his front porch and plucked the strings of a prize acoustic guitar made from elite cuts of cedar harvested in a forest not far from where he lived. The rumble of a truck coming down the road caused the young man to stand up, lean his guitar carefully against the side of a bench, and walk out into his driveway where he met a dump truck making a delivery from a local gardening supply store. A great pile of fresh mulch was dumped into the middle of the man’s driveway and immediately sprayed with pesticide for it was thought to contain bugs due to rot in the wood. The young man went inside and as he was away a broken voice came from the pile of cedar mulch. “My friend, you have become what I have always dreamed of being. Now I am nothing, and will be spread out upon the Earth to dry up and die. How did I ever become so foolish?” A sweet and resolute voice came forth from the guitar. “You had no patience. You rushed so far ahead and lost everything that made you special. I am not sorry that you’ve become mulch for this man, for you still have your use. I am sorry, however, that you were simply not content being a tree on the top of a hill overlooking a beautiful forest.”
E.D. Thompson
October 5, 2008
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