Can you imagine… A dirty river in the desert and Jesus, God comes towards you. Immediately, all the preparation, the way, the path you have been preparing is, well it is here. ‘This is the ONE we have been waiting for’. It is so perfect so pure.

I am sitting in the hall reading to my kids in between their rooms and they bring me their great illustrated children bible books with pictures (sometimes wish my adult Bible had pictures to really help me see IT). And beautifully displayed is the this wild man in the water. John the baptist, and while my kids are still hung up on the locust and honey diet I am dropped to my emotional knees by ‘this is the One we have been waiting for’. the place must just been on fire. The people, This is the one? The curius not even sure why they are there… some in eager anticipation and some dumbfounded… I am not even talking about the Spirit descending I am just talking about the moment that completes everything that has been read from their torah, the prophets and history. As Jesus nears him, he immediately knows. ‘you are the One I have been waiting for…’

Jesus humbles himself to present himself to John. baptize with water. and then confirmation from heaven on how deeply meaningful Jesus is to the Father. and so to us…

This is the One I am waiting for. He has met me in the still waters and I can’t wait to meet him face to face. I will know him. I will recognize him.

Ponder with me as you listen to Chris Tomlin sing ‘This is our God’ (preferably the live version in Austin). Just let the words pour over you. Put yourself at the River.

This is our God…

Shelter from the storm
Return your wasted years
Call upon his name he is mighty to save.
Healer to the broken
Peace to our madness
comfort in our sadness
This is our God…
You are Jesus HOLY ONE. Lord and Saviour

Album: This is Our God

Verse 1

Your grace is enough, more than I need
At Your word I will believe
I wait for You, draw near again
Let Your Spirit make me new

Pre-Chorus

I will fall at Your feet
I will fall at Your feet
And I will worship You here

Verse 2

Your presence in me, Jesus light the way
By the power of Your word
I am restored, I am redeemed
By Your Spirit I am free

Chorus
Freely You gave it all for us
Surrendered Your life upon the cross
Great is the love, poured out for all
This is our God
Lifted on high from death to life
Forever our God is glorified
Servant and King, Rescued the world
This is our God

Download Chords (Key E)

So, I will start by apologizing for the long silence I took, and for never finishing the Africa updates but most of you have heard them out of my own mouth by now!

Here  I am on a lovely Wednesday evening, the household asleep, and me doing what I love most about night..me and God time with a mug of coffee! This is probably going to be the most up front and honest post I have ever done but it will show a little more into the real me!

The song This is Our God by Chris Tomlin is playing right now and in the song, Tomlin sings, “this is the One we have waited for”….. Is He the One I have been waiting for? Have I been letting Him be a Lover for the lonely?  The past couple of weeks I think I have allowed my focus to come off of Him and onto myself. My mind has been occupied with guys. I have been waiting on the right guy, and in getting wrapped up in that, I have not been occupied with waiting on God! The past few months I have watched many friends walk down the aisle to be married, I have received countless telephone calls, emails, and facebook messages of the news of engagement, and I still other friends just simply having that significant other to enjoy. In a way, I guess I long for that, as I guess most girls do. I am still young and yes, I realize that I still have lots of time and there is no real rush, but as I look to Burkina Faso I sure feel rushed! It unsettles me to think that God could put me on the mission field and I never marry or have children. I so strongly desire to have a family, I pray constantly that God allows that to be in His plan for me! In all honesty though, it is Africa that has my mind fretting about finding “him”, the very thing that I should not be doing because my attention should be on my call there, I am doing. But seriously, good gosh, its hard enough to find a guy, let alone find a guy that is called to the mission field. This truly is a God-sized task, as much as I hate to use that term! It is out of my control I suppose, all I can really do is rest easy and wait on God! Why it has taken me this long to realize that, I am unsure.  I have always known this, hence why I have really not dated, but even knowing this I still search….does not make much sense I guess. It is time for me to wait on God!

Besides that whole ordeal above, I have grown in big ways over the past couple of months.  God has been so good to me and those that I love. There have been difficult and trying times but He has remained faithful through them all. I a called beautiful in His eyes! He love me! My creator loves me!! What breathtaking truth that is! I cannot help but respond to that love in undignified worship! That kind of love is contagious! I am His and He is mine! I finally grasp what is looks like to love Him and not because I am supposed to. I have fallen in love! When we truly fall in love with God, we cannot help but be on fire for His kingdom! Lukewarm Christians, I have a hard time saying that these exists! If you know God, you love God, and if you love God, you will live a changed radical life of love! No ifs, ands, or buts. We are loved and will love in return! I refuse to sit back and watch this broken world and just say what a pity…..its time for change. We are His hands and feet, and must take action on that! It is time for people to have to stop denying Christians and instead only have room to accept or deny Christ.  We should not leave any room for doubt of who we are; the self-serving Christian has to become no more. To carry the name Christian we need truly be as those in the early church, in doing so, people will see and hear and feel the love of God and not deny that we follow Christ but can only make that decision to accept or deny Him.  We have to stop being the stumbling block for those that need to experience Christ! I am not perfect and will not be until I stand before God but until I get to that place, I will strive daily to live perfectly, to live a holy life. I just want to love Him more. I want to be zealously in love!

As a closer….I just realized I have not posted the BIG NEWS on here yet!!!

Burkina Faso, Africa…..the name of my future home. Yes. It is true. I have given my life to God as a career missionary to Burkina!  I am in the beginning stages of getting everything going with that, such as raising support, both in prayer and in finances! I have started a group on facebook (Brittany is Burkina Bound) to keep people updated and give a broad overview of what God is leading me to. Check it out! There is also a yard sale in a few weeks to help raise support. God has already been so faithful with all of this coming together! Please join God and myself on this mission to Burkina Faso in support both prayerfully and financially!

Let people know about whats going on with Burkina Faso and my move there! This is going to take a lot of people so get the word out! I love you all so very much and cannot wait to share with you more stories of God’s moving in my life!

Walking to the MRT Station I felt an unexplainable joy. The sudden-adrenaline-rush-and-I-keep-smiling-and-I-really-want-to-shout-for-joy-but-I-must-contain-it-because-I’d-look-like-an-idiot, I-know-no-one’s-noticing-but-I-will-just-contain-it-anyway kind of joy. And all the way to the MRT Station three words played over and over again in my head; My Redeemer Lives!

Heh it was stuck in my head since I heard the worship team jam it; I really like the part when it’s solo drums and all. Oh I like another drumming effect, kinda military-like, deep and hollow, not snare-ish rhythm. Forgot the rhythm heh oops.

And worship was great today I really felt that all glory should go to Him.

You are the peace that guards my heart, my help in times of need;
You are the hope that leads me on, and brings me to my knees.
For there I find you waiting, and there I find relief;
So with all my heart I’ll worship, and unto you I’ll sing;

For You alone deserve all glory, for You alone deserve all praise;
Father we worship and adore You, Father we long to see Your face;
Father we love You, and we worship You this day.

Sermon was really good too. I was guilty of a few things Samuel had spoken about; stuff like leaving church early just because there’re exams the next day… Stuff like going to church and yet answering back at my parents and arguing with them. Sermon just spoke to me, I felt.

Hung around after fellowship for a bit.

Haha okay now to the start of my day!

Woke up at 850 or so; was supposed to meet Deborah at 945 at the station but we both decided we’d be late. I was burning the disc and went to bathe while it burned but to my furstration there was an error, and so I decided to leave home anyway because I was running late. Deborah was later hahaha, we really take turnsssss.

We reached Newton pretty late! Haha this woman lah, kept saying she doesn’t like waffles (we told her we’re going to Waffletown) and kept saying she won’t go when I asked her a few days ago! But anywayyy haha hope you were surprised Dee, happy birthday! ZhenPing and Annabelle were hanging around in some corner outside the MRT Station and I called ZhenPing when we were reaching so they could light the candle hahaha. Yay.

We decided to head to City Hall for lunch, and then decided it was too early so walked around and all first Bought stuff from The Face Shop, and we camwhored quite a bit. Lunch @ Sakae Sushi! Yum. Yum. And then walked around some more; thank you Deborah/Annabelle/ZhenPing for the day! ( Met Janice at church office and we began to print the magazine! Heh the printer was unusually fast today hahah. Pages turned out quite alright

Tonight is another Photoshop night hehheh.

Hillsong: This Is Our God

VERSE 1:
Your grace is enough
More than I need
At Your word I will believe
I wait for You
Draw near again
Let Your Spirit make me new

CHORUS:
I will fall at Your feet
I will fall at Your feet
And I will worship You here

VERSE 2:
Your presence in me
Jesus light the way
By the power of Your word
I am restored
I am redeemed
By Your Spirit I am free

BRIDGE:
Freely You gave it all for us
Surrendered Your life upon that cross
Great is the love
Poured out for all
This is our God
Lifted on high from death to life
Forever our God is glorified
Servant and King
Rescued the world
This is our God

Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen

Break down our pride
And all the walls we’ve built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet

Let hope rise And darkness tremble
In Your holy light That every eye will see
Jesus our God Great and mighty to be praised

God of all days
Glorious in all of Your ways
Oh the majesty the wonder and grace
In the light of Your Name

With everything With everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything With everything
We will shout forth Your praise

Our hearts they cry
Be glorified
Be lifted high above all names
For You our King
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise

Dear visitors,

I have set up a testimonies page so that you can share your experience about the good news of Christ with the hundreds of people who visit this site. Please share with us! Thanks!!

The testimonies page can be accessed here http://josephprince.wordpress.com/testimonies/

there are lines of some songs that just pop out at us and capture *something* about Who God Is towards us. “Great is His Love – Poured Out For All” is a line in the song “This is our God” byHillsong – we sung it at our church on sunday morning for the first time. The bridge is just awesome – and this line “Great is His Love – Poured Out For All” just makes my heart sing with worship and thankfulness! Great is God’s love for us, great is his love for those who are lost, great is his love for those who are alone and hurting, who need forgiveness, who need love. Great is his love and compassion.

This is our God.

Our God is a God who gives new starts – who has done all needed to make us pure and right with himself.

1 John 4:9-10 (Contemporary English Version)

God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.

Hebrews 10:19-20 (Contemporary English Version)

My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself.

This is our God. That gave His only Son that we might be redeemed and know Him. Great is His love.

Freely You gave it all for us
Surrendered Your life upon that cross
Great is the love
Poured out for all
This is our God
Lifted on high from death to life
Forever our God is glorified
Servant and King
Rescued the world
This is our God

Hey – this is the first of what I hope to be many different click tracks you can use in your church or band. Hope this helps some of you guys out there.

Tracks that are on here are:

Organ
Strings
Piano
Slight floor tom to really give your live sound depth

Click is set to the left chanel – Front of House mix on the right.

Download Here

Greater is HE that lives in us that he that is in teh world. Greater is God in us than anything in the world.

Greater is God in me and my life than any enemy, any power, any principality, any sickness, any financial crisis, any relationship issue, any bad hair day.

God is with us in the flood and in the fire and promises that we will not be drowned or scorched.

He loves us with an everlasting love.

His grace is also called his wonderful kindness.

Nothing is impossible for God. Nothing. Nothing.

All things are possible with God and for God.

Greater is He that lives in me than he that is in the world.

the same power of God that raised Jesus from death lives in me.

new worship is so great – it freshens up our personal times with God and draws us in anew to worship him!  when we worship we see God as he is and our faith grows and our vision is widened and expanded…. its like we get more of a glimpse of who he really is….

so yesterday i got two new cds…

This is our God by Hillsong

Hold Nothing Back by Tim Hughes

i love hillsong, their later material has been really wonderful – great musicality and great lyrics.   this would have to be one of my fav albumns of theirs with several really really great songs!

esp love This is Our God, He is Lord, Stronger, Healer (despite the drama), Sing to the Lord, the Desert Song…

Tim Huges album is great too, it was on sale and our church sings a few of his songs so was more an impulse buy….  is very good though…  this is everything – from the album

Wow, it’s probably Wednesday by the time you’re reading this! Is it even relevant any longer? Well this post is easier to formulate than my thoughts for Watchmen so here you go:

Sunday was magnificent! Probably one of if not THE best at River for me since I stopped leading worship. They did:

• Responsive Reading Call to Worship
• Announcements
• O Worship the King – Tomlin revamp – C
• Lord Most High – C
• Bless the Lord – Laura Story – E
• This is Our God – Tomlin – A
• Offering – We are Hungry – You know which one
• Communion – The River – Tomlin
• Closing – I’ve Got a River of Life Flowin’ Out of Me

This was a very Tomliny weekend, which was good because we haven’t had a heavy Passion weekend yet and that’s much more my style. Also we had 3 guitarists! YUM!! There is nothing like having 3 guitar players! It was tremendous. It sounded real full, especially because the 2 electrics are quite different! We even had a guitar solo this week which caught me off guard because I’ve just come to expect to not have one and this week was real fluid and moving with lil riffs here and bigness there and even a solo! There’s nothing like enhancing the swell of a song like 3 guitars!

Contrasting that bigness was the sweet and subtle communion song: The River. A truly old school Tomlin tune but one of my favorites. What was so intriguing is that they brought it waaaaay down and it was so beautiful. It would have been insanely beautiful but our bass player doesn’t get how to play quietly and beautifully with long sustained notes and swells. He’s one of the most talented bass players I know but can be busy and does not get the feel of a slow meandering worship tune too well.

As if those were contrasting enough, they closed with a show ’nuff hoe down there at the end! It was tremendously fun and topical and worked well enough. Here’s where all my technical babbling comes in to play. In order for a song to be conducive for clapping in a church setting where people can’t seem to clap and stand at the same time, the drums have to be loud enough to hear over the clapping. They weren’t So as we progressed through the verse we got further and further off the beat. Musically, they did a real cool thing and went into this half time feel for the choruses…however, you can’t clap in half time. There’s no beat. It was a good song nonetheless though and we haven’t ended that way in quite some time!

AND announcements were at the beginning of the service! WOOHOO!

How was your weekend? All a part (if not a late part) of Fred’s Sunday Setlists! I’m sure you’ve already piped in but join with your debrief if you haven’t already!

I cannot listen to this song enough.  Another song from Hillsong’s latest CD, “This Is Our God”, the song With Everything is extremely powerful.  The song begins with a prayer that we would seek God’s heart, and then breaks into proclamation of God’s victory and holiness.  The only response we can have to God’s holiness is complete surrender to Him.

I have said before that I think Hillsong does a great job in leading worship because the songs are based on Biblical truths and the worship leaders are using their incredible God-given talents to praise Him.  This song is no exception.

With Everything

Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen

Break down our pride
And all the walls we’ve built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet

Let hope rise
And darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see
Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised

howdy friends,

my extreme forgiveness for being so completely delinquent in posting anything at all for so so long.  my life has been the picture of busyness.

anyway, here is an instructional video for the title song off of hillsong’s “this is our god” album.  which means that the song is called ”this is our god.”

hope you enjoy…more to come!!

thanks for checkin in!

until next time, the tournament is coming be ready. practice making a bracket. you’ll love yourself for it.

“Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”

- Hosea 6:3 (NIV)

God’s presence with us is as certain as His Word, and as dependable as the sunrise!  You’ll Come by Hillsong praises God for His love and promises.  It is a cry for Him to “flood our hearts” and transform us into beings that live for His glory.  It should never be a small thing to us that we can always know that God is with us.

You’ll Come

I have decided, I have resolved
To wait upon you Lord
My rock and redeemer, shield, and reward
I’ll wait upon you Lord

As surely as the sun will rise,
You’ll come to us
As certain as the dawn appears

You’ll come, let your glory fall
As you respond to us
Spirit reign, flood into our thirsty hearts again,
You’ll come

We are not shaken, we are not moved
We wait upon you Lord
Mighty deliverer, triumph and truth
We wait upon you Lord

As surely as the sun will rise, you’ll come to us
Certain as your word endures

You’ll come, let your glory fall
As you respond to us
Spirit reign, flood into our thirsty hearts again,
You’ll come

Chains be broken
Lives be healed
Eyes be opened
Christ is revealed

I woke up the other morning and my heart was filled with thoughts of how full of grace God is.  Grace is unmerited favour and undeserved love.  It is the gift of God given to us.  We are saved by grace.  We know God through grace.  Everything begins with grace and is sustained by grace.  Grace filled my day.  All day long I thought about the grace of God towards me.  His grace takes my breath away and leaves me so thankful and in awe. 

My favourite song “See His Love” (by Jesus Culture and Kim Walker) begins with these lines…

“See His love nailed onto a cross
Perfect and blameless life given as sacrifice
See Him there all in the name of love
Broken yet glorious, all for the sake of us.

This is Jesus in His glory
King of Heaven dying for me
It is finished, He has done it.”

As the children of God this love is lavished upon us.  So great and everlasting is the love of God towards us that he poured it out upon the cross as the greatest sacrifice of all to win us to himself.  Our freedom and our eternity and our forgiveness and our relationship and our future has been paid for by grace.  Undeserved love.    God chooses to lavish his love upon us.  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)   

Let us live as loved people.   Let us live as the children of God.  Let the love of God that we know and experience as reality overflow and transform our lives.  

And lets not live this love and grace in silence.  Love like this is not meant to be kept secret but is by its very greatness for sharing.  We sing “Great is his love poured out for all” (This Is Our God, Hillsong) on Sunday mornings – note the “for all.”  God has called us to be his messengers of good news, that there is true love available to each one of us, that redemption has being won and that forgiveness is real.  

our God is mighty and loving and compassionate and real and near and personal.

great is his love poured out for us.  he is not indifferent or uncaring.  he is not far away but is near and loves us with an everlasting love.

he knows our name.  he knows how many hairs on our head, and how many hairs on our toes.

he reached down to rescue us by becoming a man and living on earth with us and then dying on the cross to redeem us.

he brought us near to himself, doing all that needed to be done.

this is our God.

personal.

we are blessed to have an awesome good God.  he is great and wonderful and powerful and loving and the awesome amazing thing is that he isnt far off or indifferent but so personal and near.  do you know this about God?

this is our God, great is his love for us, poured out upon the cross for our salvation and our redemption.

personal God.

personal love.

do you know him???

Recently, my Neue ministry kit came in and in it was the new Hillsong CD, This is our God. I have heard several Hillsong, and Hillsong United  songs before and most of what I have heard has been good. They have a special talent for writing beautiful worship songs. Until now I have never owned a Hillsong album before. As I listened through it I only noticed one song (Healer). One of the songs really got my mind thinking. You are here(The same power). This song is very simple, but very powerful. The lyrics go like this:

Same power that conquered the grave lives in me, lives in me. Your love that rescued the earth lives in me, lives in me.

Very simple. Very insightful. 

For believers(in Christ) who have the Holy Spirit have that kind of power living in them. The same power, Christ power, lives. As a believer I am one who is doubtful of the power I have to overcome my own battles. But this song was very encouraging to me because its true. 

Here is the YouTube video below.