Bless Your Name

This evening I began thinking about the time that we are given here on this Earth.  More specifically, how much it means to give all that we have in every moment that has been given to us by God.  This week, a general in the kingdom of God went to meet Jesus face to face.  Billy Hornsby, founder of the Association of Related Churches, finished his battle with cancer and took his place among a huge cloud of witnesses in Heaven.  This man's life was an inspiration to thousands worldwide for the cause of Christ.  To me, he was a model of what it means to desperately love the success of the local church, to be passionate about empowering others for the work of the ministry and his life exemplified what a christian legacy could look like for each of us.

Before Billy's influence touched my life, it touched the life of our pastors', Tony and Sheryll Ashmore.  While LifeGate was in it's infancy as a new church plant, I was spending most of my personal time teetering back in forth between whether or not I could be fulfilled in "local-church-ministry".  I thought I was called to "the road".  After all, I played music and that's where musicians belong, right?  What would life be like if I were to lay down all of my pursuits, except those which benefited our local church? Then our pastors took us out to lunch with Billy.  That was the beginning of the end of me.  It was something about the way he spoke and the way he inspired our pastors that afforded me an assurance.  I began to know that the dreams and ideas I held for my life were really worth risking for what God was ready to do at LifeGate.  I had high hopes for our young church plant, but honestly...in the beginning...low expectations.  Billy's partnership with our church afforded me the God-confidence that big things would come out of a small town!!!  In the years that have followed, LifeGate has grown from a 30 person launch group into a 1000+ church!  Who da' thunk it!  Billy would have.

The legacy he left is one to be desired, and yet it continues.

The song I have posted is called "Bless Your Name".  It was written soon after we met Billy.  All that God wanted to do in our church was beginning to shine brightly.  His favor was evident in everything we put our hands to.  It was no longer a question to me of whether or not LifeGate was God's plan for my life.   His question to me was, "Will you celebrate it and embrace it?".  I felt my rightful response was this song.

I hope you enjoy it!
BTW - It is a demo, so please excuse some less than best production:) Hehe! 

Love At Daybreak

This year, many of us at LifeGate Church have been participating in our yearly bible reading called S.O.A.P. What I saw this morning was such an encouragement that I knew I had to share it with all of you.  The passage comes from Psalm 90, verses 14 and 17 (The Message).  God told me to get out of bed this morning before the sun rose.  Had I not obeyed, I probably wouldn't have seen this passage in the same light as I do now:

• "Surprise us with Your love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long." vs. 14
• "And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes!  Affirm the work that we do." vs.19

  Our ability to be surprised by God each day is the key to enjoying every moment of life (all the day long).  Living real life is the bi-product of gaining a fresh perspective of His favor upon us for this day.   Now consider verse 19.  When we let His loveliness cover us and overwhelm us; when we allow His rest to flood our souls, He goes to work establishing and confirming all the work we do.

  I thought is was also worth pointing out, that in 5 days of creation, God Himself, each day, ended it by saying "It is good."  On the sixth day, God made us and said, "It is very good!"  Then He rested.  His work preceded His rest.  Our work does not.  Rest is where our work begins!

If you find that you are having trouble entering his rest today (or this week...or this year), try taking a moment to listen to the "Love Song 2.0 Demo" located on the blog below this one.  This song helps me to fix my soul on what I find most surprising about our God: the way He loves us.

Have a skipping and dancing day! 
Matt 
For more info on S.O.A.P Bible Reading, check our link at www.mylifegatechurch.com

Love Song 2.0 (Demo Version)

This is my newest original called Love Song 2.0.  I wanted to write a song that really captured the musical excitement of an upbeat praise song, while fully embracing the intimacy of a passionate worship song.  I feel confident that this song captures that creative vein.

I have found that it is not hard to be excited about and completely in love with a God who rescued me and who knows my name.  As the lyrics at the end state, "You found me down a dark road and You met me with arms wide open.  My praise is this love song"  This song really puts His awesome accomplishment into perspective for me and I hope it does for you too.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts and to share the link with others if you like.  I can also make a free download available if anyone is interested.  Be blessed!

In the Cause that counts!

Matt

The Crush (Live)

 

I know for some of you, this song is nothing new.  However, I wanted to make sure that others were given the opportunity to share in its blessing.  I also thought I would share with you a story about the moments and heart that went into writing this song:

I began writing this song in the middle of the day about two years ago.  I had just finished making Samantha's lunch (she is my youngest daughter and was 3yrs. old at the time.)  I picked up the acoustic, started strumming a progression, and the first verse came out with a great ease.  The chorus came to me pretty quickly too.  I spent about 20 minutes singing it through, worshiping God and reviewing the content, lyrical flow and such.  I was still unsure of the direction that God was leading me with the song.  I set the acoustic down, went back to the kitchen and noticed that my 3yr. old had already learned the chorus and could sing it through all by herself.  Of course, daddy's heart melted.

It was the first line of confirmation that I needed to know that God was definitely giving me a song and that I needed to continue with it.  My first rule of thumb - when writing - is if the melody sticks with me after I walk away from the session, the song is something God wants me to continue exploring.  Now, if anyone else sings the song, it must be from God!  After all, "Out of the mouths of babes He has perfected praise".

I was really just expressing this one thing I felt inside: the need to remember how He found me.  It's really easy to get good at doing "good stuff" and then forget why you do it.  When we forget the grace by which He saved us, we forfeit the strength to continue in all that is right.  A life lived with the absence of His grace is full of pressure and puts us under THE CRUSH.  Can you imagine living life with a brick strapped to your lungs?  Even our smallest effort would exhaust our ever-limited breath.

He came to free us from THE CRUSH.  He stands ready to breathe upon us, so that we may breathe again.  Take a deep breath, and feel Him now.   

In His grace and grip,
Matt