Month: September 2009

Posted on

Stand Up Among Us

youtube sessions

Jesus told us that where two or three are gathered in His name He would be there. The problem is, most of the time we make Him sit in the back while we do our thing. This is a prayer that He would “stand up among us.”

That we would sit before Him while He reveals His power, His grace, His love, Himself.

Much thanks to my father-in-law, Keith Curlee, for teaching me this!

Download here.  Play here:[audio:https://benwardmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/Stand-Up-Among-Us.mp3|titles=Stand Up Among Us|artists=Ben Ward]

Stand Up Among Us

We’re dry inside these walls of pride
Without You we’re empty
We’re thirsty from our vain pursuits
We long to drink of You
The weight of our sin presses down upon us
Driving us to our knees
We call out to You our God, Redeemer
Blessed is He who brings us peace

Stand up among us
Make Your presence known
Rise up within us
Set Your people free
In Your presence is where we need to be

To the fatherless be a Father, Lord
Show Your compassion
To the prisoner and the captive
Bring Your release
To those who cry out for Your mercy
That always seems out of reach
Holy Spirit come in power
Ignite our passion to believe

Stand up among us
Make Your presence known
Rise up within us
Set Your people free
In Your presence is where we want to be

The Lord is clothed in beauty and power
No one is like Him, He is great

Stand up among us
Make Your presence known
Rise up within us
Set Your people free
In Your presence is where we’re going to be
In Your presence is where I will be

Posted on

Worship Setlist 9-27-09

FredMckinnon.Com has a great place to recap your Sunday worship set called, appropriately enough, Sunday Setlists.  I was the guest worship leader yesterday at Shelter Rock Church in Syosset, NY so I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring :).

Thanks to the worship team: Beth, David, Sara, Warren, Joe, and Brian…thanks for making me welcome and letting me lead!

Thanks Pastors Steve and Jerry for having me as well.

The Spirit was strong and there’s nothing more wonderful than just basking in the Lord’s presence together.

Setlist:

Your Grace is Enough
Everlasting God
Revelation Song
I Surrender All (Hymn)
Mover of Mountains (Original)[audio:https://benwardmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mover-of-mountains-10-6-08.mp3|titles=Mover of Mountains|artists=Ben Ward]
God of this City

Posted on

Little Bit of Life

I hope everybody’s ready for a great weekend…I am!  This has been a long week…

Just wanted to update everybody on what’s going on these days and ask you for your prayers.

If you follow our journey, you know that I have been seeking a new position as a worship leader at a church.  While I’ve been waiting on the Lord, I’ve had a temp job at the NFL.  It’s been such a blessing and a lot of fun, but it’s coming to an end sometime in November, so I’ve been asking the Lord what’s next.

I’ve interviewed with a church in Long Island and am going to lead worship at one of their campuses this Sunday.  In addition to the possibility of the position, I’m also just excited about leading worship in a corporate setting…it’s been awhile.

There are a couple of other possibilities if it’s not the right place, but I would appreciate your prayers!

Olivia and I are also trying to decide whether to move closer to Midtown.  It’s a long commute to her current job (in which she was just promoted!!) and, if I get the LI position, I would need to be closer to Penn Station for the train.

This obviously involves moving (which is always a big deal) and paying more in rent.  So we’re just laying it all before the Lord.

He knows what we need long before we need it.  He knew about these situations before the foundation of the world.

So, thanks for reading (and listening:) and thank you for praying.

Posted on

God, help us

From President Obama’s speech to the UN earlier today…

(Pursuit of peace) “That effort must begin with an unshakeable determination that the murder of innocent men, women and children will never be tolerated.”

Yet we murder innocent children to the tune of some one million a year in the US alone.  Since 1973, 45 million children have been aborted in our own country (not to mention the numbers around the world).

When will we stand up for their rights?  When will the human rights so many clamor for include the most vulnerable and defenseless?  The blood of the innocent cries out.

God, help us.

Posted on

Hard to Believe

youtube sessions

Happy Autumn!!  It’s my favorite season of the year and it’s in full swing in New York City.  I’ve got a new song for you this week.  I’m always amazed at myself how I wonder if God will come through for me.  He has never let me down.  Ever. Be it finances, where to live, how to get there, what to do, how to do it, who to be with, how to meet them, it has made no difference!  He has always met every need in a way that I couldn’t have imagined before.

But still, I come across a situation from time to time and my flesh says, “No way this is happening.”  That’s such a lie. Lord, help me to trust You…to just believe — all that You require.

Download here.  Play here:[audio:https://benwardmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/Hard-to-Believe.mp3|titles=Hard to Believe|artists=Ben Ward]

Hard to Believe

Why don’t I believe You
Why, You never fail
You always answer
So many stories I could tell
But the train runs Your schedule
Keeping perfect time
That’s what always kills me
I get restless, flying blind

CHORUS
You heal
You provide
You speak
And the fear inside me dies
You rescue
You protect
You orchestrate
And lives intersect
You’re everything I need
So why, every once-in-a-while
Is it so hard to believe?

You tell me, “Keep on asking”
Ask, seek, knock
I know You want to bless me
But my heart is solid rock
Could You plan some excavating
Digging out my doubt
Replacing it with faith
So I can trust my way out

CHORUS

Instead of trusting I keep trying
Run in place, forget the timing
Circumstance and speculation
Keep me in the dark
But Your lamp keeps shining
Illuminating shadows in my heart

CHORUS

Posted on

Rave Recommendations

I had always heard of A.W. Tozer, but hadn’t really read or heard any of his teaching. A few weeks ago someone tweeted a quote of his that floored me:

The church that can’t worship must be entertained. And men who can’t lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment.

So I wanted to see if there was more where that came from…and there most definitely was!

tozer

I first found a series of MP3s from 1960 – ten sermons in a series on the Holy Spirit. I’ve listened to three and they are exceptional.

The next thing I did was to download his book “The Pursuit of God.” I’ve been using the Amazon Kindle App for my iPhone to read books…it’s so easy to just download a book and my phone’s always with me. This book was only 99 cents! But it’s worth far more than that.

I’m only a few chapters in but there are already some amazing truths. Here are a few of my favorites (so far):

The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word.

…but let him come defenseless before the Lord and he will have for his defender no less than God himself.

The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all.

(God said to Levi)…”I am thy part and thine inheritance,” and by those words made him richer than all the brethren, richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world.

God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.

So, I highly recommend the teaching of A.W. Tozer this week. Do you have any recommendations for me??

Proudly powered by WordPress