the new familiars @ local 506, originally uploaded by minervacat.

At the end of the summer, when I was asking people to pick out photos for me to talk about, my Kat picked this one. It has sat in my “to post” folder every since, waiting for me to figure out what to say about it, which is stupid because it’s one of my favorite photos that I took in 2009.

But I had a terrible time quantifying why I loved it so much.

I can tell you concrete facts about this photo; I can tell you that the photo title on Flickr says the New Familiars but it’s actually a Holy Ghost Tent Revival set list, caught on camera between sets. I can tell you that the set list is damp and destroyed because Patrick knocked a bottle of water into Eric’s pedal board and then stomped all over his own setlist while he was playing. I can tell you that the 506 was barely half-full that night, in contrast to other nights since that we’ve seen Holy Ghost nearly sell the place out. I can tell you that the next night shep. and I drove to Norfolk, VA, 400 miles round trip to see those two bands play together again, on a tiny stage in a venue that ended up being a fairly upscale Italian restaurant.

It was two months before an 18 hour trip to Chattanooga for nothing more than driving for the sake of driving, and six boys from Greensboro, a trip that changed my life in so many ways I can’t even talk about them. These days if we drove to Norfolk for those boys, we’d barge into their corner booth when we got there, make them shove over and share their food and their beer and their laughter. But that night we chatted with them briefly and accepted early, tenative hugs and thanks-for-coming, and then we left them to their dinner.

I look at this photo, and it’s a harbinger of so many things to come, tiny moments in 2009 that would keep me going in that year of awful. Standing on a misty late night street in Chattanooga, asking a simple question and being told yes; sitting on the floor of Trekky House in Carrboro under Christmas lights; leaning against stages in Greensboro and Bristol and Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

This photo means a lot to me. It isn’t technically perfect, and most people would never see in it what I see; most people wouldn’t stop to take it. But that’s why I shoot, for the hidden moments behind the image. This photo holds some of my secrets from 2009, broken hearts and triumphs, and even if no one else knows they’re hidden in it, I do, and I know what they are. And that’s why I love this photo.

Happy New Year!!!

I go back and forth between loving and hating New Year’s as a holiday.  While I enjoy the sentiment of a new beginning, there’s just so much emphasis on a “new start”, most of the time without a matched commitment to change.  I guess this is why I don’t do the New Year’s Resolution thing.  Either that or I’m just a curmudgeon…jury’s still out on that one.

Both the Saturday and Sunday bands rocked this weekend.  It was a lot of fun and there was a sense that everyone at church was into worship…very cool.

Here is the set list from this weekend:

Friend of God – D/E
Let It Rise – E
Be Thou My Vision – E  (with new chorus by Andy Allen, recording not yet available)
The Stand – A
Save Me – E

Cheers -

Andy

My second New Year’s Eve here in Phoenix.  We had a family-style dinner and then a small prayer & worship service to celebrate 2009 and look forward to 2010.

Here is my set list:

Let It Rise – E
Here I Am To Worship – G
Jesus Paid It All – A
You Are Good – A

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Andy

Breathe

Enough

Hosanna

Revelation Song

Holy Holy Holy (In D)

—–

You are my Hiding Place

In Christ Alone

All who are Thirsty

Hosanna

Trading my Sorrows

　—-

I am Free

We decided to change things up a bit for our Saturday service order.  We took some time after the first song and gave people a chance to come up to the front and talk about what God has been doing in their lives.  It was encouraging to hear people give thanks to God because He has touched their lives.  We sang a couple more songs and then had communion together.  After the message, people wrote down prayers and brought them forward.  It was a pretty cool service.

Here are the songs we did Saturday night:

Today Is The Day – D
I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever – G
The Wonderful Cross – D
Here I Am To Worship – G

Sunday was a pretty typical flow in our services, including communion.  Because of the holiday week, it was a little challenging to get a full team together, but we had some folks step up and everything came off well.

Here are the songs we did Sunday morning:

Indescribable – G
Here I Am To Worship – G
Revelation Song – D
The Wonderful Cross – D
I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever – G

Enjoy your New Year’s week!

Andy

12-20-09 Set List
All I Want for Christmas is You – REFUGE: WORSHIP arr.
For Your Name – Hillsong Live
God Who Answers Prayer – Elevation Worship
Jesus Paid it All – Kristian Stanfill arr.
Glory to God, Forever – Fee
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Relient K arr.

With Christmas season in full swing, I’m thankful for everyone on the team who showed up this weekend to serve in our worship ministry.  Some weekends just have a more difficult “feel” than others and this was one of those for me.  I’m not exactly sure why that is, but it happens every now and then.  Sunday morning I broke a string during rehearsal (not terribly unusual), the battery died in my guitar right as second service started (had to make a guitar change mid-song and switch out the battery during a quick break between songs), and then as I reset my mic stand for special music, it toppled as I was walking to the back of the platform.  Nothing that took us out of the flow, but just those little detail things that sometimes are unavoidable in the many hours we spend “live” in services.

Saturday night, David Stockton asked me to sing the Chris Rice song, ‘Welcome To Our World‘.  That was a fun change-up for me singing the tune solo at the piano.  Sunday, Jay Murphy sang ‘Mary Did You Know‘ and did a great job.

Here is the set we did this weekend:

Awesome Is The Lord Most High – G
All Creation Sing (Joy To The World) – D
Hark The Herald Angels Sing – F  (traditional carol)
How Great Is Our God – C
Jesus Messiah – A

Merry Christmas!

Andy

Musicians:
Mick Box: Guitar
Lee Kerslake: Drums
Phil Lanzon: Keyboards
John Lawton: Vocals
Trevor Bolder: Bass

Set list:

1. Devil’s Daughter
2. Stealin’
3. Words in the Distance
4. Rainbow Demon
5. The Wizard
6. July Morning
7. Free Me
8. Gypsy
9. Drum Solo
10. Keyboard Solo
11. Look at Yourself
12. Easy Livin’
13. Encore: Lady in Black

John Lawton was a temporary replacement for Bernie Shaw who had throat problems at the time.

Musicians:
Steve Morse: Guitar
Ian Paice: Drums
Jon Lord: Keyboards
Ian Gillan: Vocals
Roger Glover: Bass

Set List:

1. Highway Star
2. Black Night
3. Woman From Tokyo
4. The Battle Rages On
5. When A Blind Man Cries
6. Perfect Strangers
7. The Purpendicular Waltz
8. Pictures Of Home
9. Keyboard Solo
10. Child In Time
11. Anya
12. Guitar Solo
13. Lazy
14. Drum Solo
15. Speed King

Encores:

16. Fireball
17. Smoke On The Water

Are you anticipating Christmas, the celebration of the first arrival of Christ? Or are you dreading it? If you are dreading it, remember the purpose of the Christmas season.

 The Israelites were (for the most part) anticipating the arrival of their Messiah. The day that Jesus the Messiah was born was the culmination of hundreds upon hundreds of years of waiting.

       “O come, O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.”

The Word was made flesh. Jesus did come; He took our place and made a way for us to be restored to the Creator, our Father.

              “Sing to the King who is coming to Reign, Glory to Jesus the Lamb that was slain”

The Lord initiated this restoration because of His great love for all people.

                     “Your cross has spoken mercy over me, you captured my heart with this love”

There is nothing that we can do to earn this grace and nothing we can give in return that remotely compares to this free gift.

“Let my whole Life be a blazing offering; a life that shouts and sings the greatness of our King”

How can we respond to His love with anything less than our entire life?

                    “For you alone are worthy”

Do you get it? Ask the Lord to give you a fresh revelation of this mighty act of love and the significance of the birth of Jesus.

              “Amazing Grace, Amazing Love”

Rest in the Lord, seek His face, put Him first, dive deep into His Word, fellowship with the Body of Christ. And when you come this Sunday morning, come ready to pour out everything you have to the Lord as an offering of praise in response to His love.

~Andrea

(by the way, the italicized phrases represent our worship set for this Sunday, click on them to get a preview)

• O Little Town Of Bethlehem
• O Come Let Us Adore Him
• Here I Am (Majesty) – Delirious
• Light Of The World – Tim Hughes

O Little Town Of Bethlehem was played to the UK tune which transitions very well into the  chorus “Gloria, in excelsis Deo“.  Next I played O Come Let Us Adore Him which works well any time of the year.  Before finishing with Light Of The World I played the chorus from Majesty a couple of times.

12-13-09 Set List
Go Tell it on the Mountain – NEEDTOBREATHE arr.
Glory to God in the Highest – REFUGE: WORSHIP
O Holy Night/How He Loves – REFUGE: WORSHIP arr.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – REFUGE: WORSHIP arr.

12-06-09 Set List
Silver Bells – Reliant K
God is With Us – Michael Olson
Beautiful – REFUGE: WORSHIP
All Creation Sing (Joy to the World) – Fee

Doug was gone on vacation on the 29th, so Chad Smith of Revolution Church in Greenville, SC came and led worship for REFUGE. We want to thank him again for stepping in and leading our people to the throne in worship. Thank you!

11-29-09 Set List
Our God is Love – Lee McDerment
He Reigns – REFUGE: WORSHIP
Holy – REFUGE: WORSHIP
Faithful – Kristian Stanfill arr.

Worship Team – Scott Hobbs, Helen Havens, Waneta Chaffinch, Barry Chaffinch, Miguel  Aviles, Tent Smith, Rob Westbrook

• Joy to the Wold – by Issac Watts (Chris Tomlin Arrangement)
• Everlasting God – by Brenton Brown
• Hark the Herald Angels Sing – by Charles Wesley
• Jesus Our Emmanuel – by Scott Hobbs
• Alleluia – by Jerry Sinclair (“God is with us” verse added)
• Silent Night (Stille Nacht)- by Franz Xaver Gruber, John Freeman Young, Joseph Mohr
• All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth – by Donald Yetter Gardner

I was watching a TV show this week where everyone was trying to politically correct about the holidays, trying not to offend anybody’s beliefs.  It was brought together in a pretty funny way without being disrespectful.  At one point, one of the guys trying to be festive and not offensive parades into a room and proclaims his greeting, “Merry Happy!”  Funny commentary on our culture, I think.

Our services this weekend are feeling festive because of the decor and the general sense everyone brings with the season this time of year.  My favorite Christmas song is O Come All Ye Faithful and it was great to have it as part of the set.  Our bands and tech teams did a great job in putting on all 3 of our services.  I’m thankful for so many great people committed to this ministry.

Here is the set list from this weekend:

My Savior Lives – A
Jesus Messiah – A
O Come All Ye Faithful – E  (my arrangement of the traditional carol)
Jesus Paid It All – A
How He Loves – A

Merry Happy!

Andy

(okay….Merry Christmas!)

Hail Headbanguers do Metal Militia!

No programa dessa semana o grande destaque vai para a banda de Black Metal Immortal. Rolará o ultimo cd dos caras na integra, são 7 porradas na orelha!

Outro destaque vai para o Nile, que lançou este ano o album Those Whom The Gods Detest que vocês poderão conferir em um mini-especial no próximo “A Hora do Chefe”. Mas como este albúm e bem grande não conseguirei coloca-lo na integra então neste programa teremos como aperitivo a música “Hittite Dung Incantation” que é deste album!

Bom, conforme falei, está ai embaixo o track list do mini-especial dessa semana.

Immortal – All Shall Fall

01. All Shall Fall
02. The Rise of Darkness
03. Hordes of War
04. Norden On Fire
05. Arctic Swarm
06. Mount North
07. Unearthly Kingdom

Chefe

Set List:

Intro: Your Love Never Fails
iTunes Link – http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/your-love-never-fails/id287509600?i=287509721

You Tube –

TWO SONG SPECIAL BY ARE VERY OWN CHILDREN’S CHOIR!!!!
LITTLE DRUMMER BOY & AWAY IN A MANGER

Not To Us – iTunes Link – http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/not-to-us/id122118005?i=122118084 

God With Us – iTunes Link – http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/god-with-us/id267893075?i=267893272

Your Love Oh Lord – iTunes Link – http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/your-love-oh-lord/id258094300?i=258094414

Better is One Day – http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/better-is-one-day/id78411084?i=78411035

This week our very own Eric Chaffin will be speaking about “Love”.  Well, he is the love doctor after all.  Have you ever wondered, If God is love and love is blind, is God Ray Charles?  Okay, maybe not.  We will wait for clarification from the love doctor.  See ya Sunday.

MP

Worship Leaders – Janice Jester, Cat Flaherty, Scott Hobbs

Special Song – Bonny Voshell

• Angels We have Heard on High – Author Unknown – Public Domain (Third Day Arrangement)
• Sing to the King – by Billy James Foote
• O Come All Ye Faithful – by John Francis Wade (Casting Crowns Arrangement)
• I Exalt Thee – by Pete Sanchez (Jesus Culture Arrangement)
• Special Song – But for Your Grace – by Rita Baloche / Amazing Grace – by John Newton

Man, I thought the roof was going to come off during I Exalt Thee.  I could have sung it all day!  Pastor Bill gave a powerful message on Faith!  Check the message out at www.eaglesnest.ch/resources

Hail Headbanguers do Metal Militia!

Nesse final de semana, mais precisamente no dia 12/12 acontecerá aqui em SP um show antológico, o Venom uma das precursoras do metal extremo volta aos solos brasileiros. Um amigo meu me falou que “é o show pra você contar aos seus netos que você foi”.

Bom, sem mais palavras ai vai o provavel set list dos caras:

Venom Set List:

01. Intro
02. Black Metal
03. Welcome To Hell
04. Bloodlust
05 . Antechrist
06. Hell
07. The Seven Gates Of Hell
08. Countess Bathory
09. Buried Alive
10. Straight To Hell
11. Burn In Hell
12. Possessed/Schizo/Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)
13. The Evil One
14. Resurrection
15. At War With Satan
16. Warhead
17. Metal Black
18. In League With Satan
19. Witching Hour

Chefe – Metal Militia

• “Joy to the World” (arr. by Bill Horn)
• “Happy Day” (Tim Hughes)
• “Blessed Be Your Name” (Matt and Beth Redman)
• “You Never Let Go” (Matt Redman)
• “Glory to God Forever” (Steve Fee and Vicki Beeching)
• “Enough” (Chris Tomlin)
• “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (arr. by Bill Horn)

I really enjoyed the combination of “Joy to the World” with “Happy Day.” In a way, they bracket the life of Christ and His redemptive work for us. One takes a perspective from before Christ was born, and the other looks from the present backward to all that He accomplished.

“Blessed Be Your Name” is an older but beloved song for the church, and I love how it expresses such confidence in our God despite the circumstances. “You Never Let Go” shares these sentiments. I don’t think anyone captures these ideas better than Matt and Beth Redman.

“Glory to God Forever” is a simple but excellent expression of eternal concepts. Essentially, this is what we should all be about: the glory of God, expressed in everything we say and do.

“Enough” worked really well as the invitation for Jay’s message this week. God is our supply and He is all that we need. He has been so generous to us with His love and grace and mercy, and we ought to do the same for the people around us.

“”O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is quickly becoming one of my new favorite Christmas tunes. I’m pretty happy with this arrangement of it, and I think it has a really cool vibe as an acoustic song. We’ll be doing this a few more times this Advent season.

This week was spent diving deep into programming and planning for the Christmas season.  Finalizing arrangements and fine-tuning sets…great fun because I love Christmas!

We introduced Chris Tomlin’s ‘Jesus Messiah’ as a special on Sunday.  The song has a seasonal relevance and will be nice to have on our roster in the coming year.  Our platform is decorated for Christmas and there just seems to be a festive expectation when people get together…so it’s a fun time of year in our services.

Here is the set from this weekend:

Today Is The Day – D
Joy To The World – E (my arrangement of the traditional carol)
Wonderful Maker – G
Savior – G
Jesus Messiah – A
You Are My King (Amazing Love) – D

Merry Christmas!

Andy

Happy Day

Lead Me to the Cross

All Consuming Fire

Jesus is the Lord

Revelation Song

You, You are God

Chad will be speaking about worship this week, so worship is actually going to be near the end of service. Monkey listen to sermon. Monkey worship? Something to that effect. Prepare for some intimate worship in God’s throneroom!

–Lorna