Rehearsal Notes

We had another good rehearsal last night.  Thanks for your work and service.  Sunday promises to be a great day.

To confirm, here is the set list for Sunday.
A New Hallelujah
Because of Your Love
Glory to God Forever
From the Inside Out
Be Thou My Vision

I encourage your to read reflectively though the lyrics to our songs between now and Sunday.  There is so much truth and comfort in them.  I know you'll find strength and encouragement.

I'll look forward to seeing you at 7:15 AM in Pod I.

Our Hope is in You

Prayer Requests – Week of September 29, 2010
Kristin S (S): 1) Continue to pray for her boyfriend, Philip. 2) Continue to pray about her fibro pain 3) Please pray for her and her whole family regarding wounds that are still felt 29 years after the loss of her brother. ‘Little Kurt’ died only 2 days short of his first birthday. The anniversary of his death (October 2) is always difficult for them.
Phyllis S (A): her sister, Rose, is currently in the hospital following an attempted suicide. Phyllis plans to travel soon to visit her. Please lift this situation up in prayer.
Priscilla H (A): Please pray for her cousins and family in Boston, MA. One of their cousins passed away yesterday afternoon (9/28).
Shannon B (S): Their daughter needs lots of prayers. She and her husband have just recently separated and she and Shannon’s two grandsons are living away from their home.
Allison R (A): Allison had a “bad call” at work (spending 47 minutes talking someone out of suicide). Allison has felt very depressed since the call and dreads each time the phone rings. Please pray for the caller and that Allison will get through this period of burnout soon.

Thanks again to Allen White for bringing such a great message to the choir on not worrying. I have to agree with Joe… Allen’s daily devotions are really amazing. He has such great insight and a wonderful sense of humor.

Here again are verses that he referenced… (I love this version from The Message).

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Phillipians 4:6-7

Mercy Me at the Peace Center

Prayer Request

Nancy M (S): Please continue to pray for Nancy’s neighbor’s niece, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a teenager we have been praying for who has cancer. The experimental medicine, that was a last resort for this young girl, is not working. Nancy’s neighbor wants to thank everyone for our prayers and ask us to continue to pray for them as they cope with the enormity of this.

As we spend time in prayer this week, remember… “Our God is Healer… Awesome in Power”.

Dave Williamson

Dave Williamson will be working with us when we have our first ever Brookwood Praise Choir Retreat on October 22 and 23; and he will also be directing us as we lead worship on Sunday, October 24!  Please make your plans to enjoy this great weekend together.  In the coming days, I will give you more information on the schedule.  But for now, here is more information about Dave.

Since 1969, Dave Williamson has been worship pastor in churches small, medium, and large. A licensed minister, his career path has taken him to churches of several denominations. His choirs and singing groups have been featured on dozens of recordings. He has produced and/or arranged for Christian musicians such as Natalie Grant, FFH, Larnelle Harris, Ron Kenoly, Babbie Mason, The Martins, Point of Grace, Alvin Slaughter, Sandi Patty, Truth and scores more—over 500 major recording projects since 1970. He has been nominated for numerous Dove awards, winning multiple Doves for “Musical of the Year.” Dave has produced and arranged 3 gold records, denoting sales of over 500,000. Dave has written or arranged anthems, orchestrations, musicals and collections for virtually every major contemporary Christian music publisher.

The passion of Dave’s heart is to be part of seeing the choir in the church around the world rediscover God’s original plan for it—becoming worship leaders in the truest sense. He has dedicated his life to that objective, and since 2000, Dave has written and recorded The Worship Leading Choir journal, read and heard by thousands of church music and worship leaders. Dave also spends much time “on location” with choirs in churches, and with music leaders in workshops, teaching on this timely concern. This is turn has led to the writing and publishing of God's Singers, a 100,000 word book which is a guidebook for the Worship Leading Choir in the 21st Century, published by in:ciite media.

Dave lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, with his lyricist/poet/journalist/photographer wife of 40 years, Jan, and near their three married children and 8 grandchildren. Dave and Jan currently have one pet, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Crumpet. All the rest of their pets, including mostly foofy felines and saltwater fish, have gone to their reward, some in highly entertaining ways, says Dave.

Sunday is up on BrookwoodChurch.org

You can watch last Sunday's entire service at http://www.brookwoodchurch.org/mediaplayer.  Enjoy!

Rise and Sing - practice trax

Please note that the new versions of the Rise and Sing practice trax are posted in the Current Trax section of this blog.

Continue to Pray and Praise

Thanks, Carol, for sharing with us tonight from “31 Days of Praise”. That was such great information and we just love your plain spoken way of communicating and your humor.

As we spend focused time with God this week, let’s remember to lift up these prayer requests:
Bobby H (T): needs a job badly.
Gladys D (S): Please pray for Shay, Sean and Kelsie.
Courtney H (S): Sold their home but can’t close on new one for another month. They have 2 small children.
Graham B (B): Please pray for his friend’s son (age 31). His heart was damaged by an infection and he has been diagnosed with MS.
Priscilla H (A): Please pray for her daughter, Ashley and grandson, Timothy. They will be moving out into their own place. Pray that Ashley will have strength and guidance in her every day walk with God and that they will be safe.

LORD, use all the challenges and victories of our lives to draw us into a sweeter and more intimate relationship with You.

Prayers for a couple of new members

Hi gang. I have a couple of things I want to mention about 2 members who are fairly new to our choir family.

Gina M (A): her oldest son, Brandon, broke his hand. He’s in pain and down in the dumps because he can’t play basketball and won’t be able to participate in taekwondo testing this weekend. Please pray for him.

Courtney P (A): Courtney is getting married this Saturday!! Blessings to you and your fiancé!!

Prayer Request

Please pray for our sweet sister, Beth L (S) and her family. Beth’s mother died unexpectedly yesterday morning.

Prayer Request from Larry C

Please pray for Larry C's brother, Arnold. This Wednesday (9/22), Larry will be taking him to the VA Hospital in Columbia. Arnold is having a liver biopsy. He is a Vietnam veteran who lives alone. He has post traumatic stress syndrome and is also an agent orange patient.
Larry, we will miss you at practice this evening, but our prayers will go with you and your brother.

Tuesday Email from Joe

Sunday was a great day in the life of the Brookwood Praise Choir. Thank you for your selfless service. As usual, I was blessed by the way that you gave of yourself without asking anything in return, and how you worshipped with such authentic passion. In addition, I was moved by your willingness to move beyond your comfort zones and lead with sign language. You made it look easy so many in our congregation do not know how hard it was to do. But God does ... and I know that it blessed Him!

We have only two rehearsals to prepare for our next Praise Date. Please, download your charts, lyric sheets, and mp3s from the blog (www.praisechoir.com) and be prepared for a full rehearsal tomorrow night. We will focus on Be Thou My Vision, A New Hallelujah, and Because of Your Love. We need to get ready to record Be Thou My Vision in our next rehearsal. So this is the week to master it and put the polishing touches on it. Please, give it some extra attention as you prepare for tomorrow.

Great Sunday

We had a great Sunday today!  Thanks for serving with such passion and transparency.  It is such a joy to stand in front of you, hear your praise, and feel the energy of your love for God.

Thanks also for exercising the faith that it took to do the sign language.  You did so well!  It was a blessing to the sign language ministry, and of course, to our congregation.

This time we have only two rehearsals before we lead worship again.  You'll see the charts and practice trax are posted here on the blog.  Please download what you need and be prepared for rehearsal on Wednesday.

I'll see you at rehearsal.  Have a great week.

Rehearsal Notes

Thanks for your work last night.  Rehearsal felt a little "off balance" this time.  I think it was because of a couple of things: (a) a bunch of people were either delayed or prevented from attending by the traffic jam on the interstate, and (b) we are still not feeling confident about the sign language.  But all in all it was a very good rehearsal.  We accomplished my primary objectives.

Even if you didn't make it to rehearsal, please be sure be prepared and to sing with us on Sunday.  In a group like this, we all depend on each other.  When you aren't with us, we are all effected by your absence.  We need each other; so we need you.

Prayer Requests – Week of Sept 15, 2010

CLICK HERE to link to a very good blog post about an effective way to manage prayer requests. Our sweet friend, Larri M (who is on hiatus from choir for a while), shared this with me. Thanks, girl… we miss you!

Please pray for the following requests:
Kandy K (S): Her brother-in-law’s brother, Pete, passed away Monday evening from lung/brain cancer. The funeral is today (9/16). Keep their family in your prayers, please.
Also Kandy’s husband, Dennis, is having some minor shoulder surgery this morning (9/16). Pray that the doctors will have a steady hand and find no other issues.
And please pray for Kandy’s daughter, Kimberly. She is going through some life changes and is struggling. Pray that the Lord will keep his hand on her and give her peace and direction.
Larry C (T): 1) His friend Steve’s brother needs a job. 2) Also pray for his oldest grandson to excel in school work.
Kristin H (A): Her parents will be attending Brookwood this Sunday. Please pray their hearts will be open and touched by God.
Nathan (B) and Lisa A): Lisa is in Tennessee with her mom who had emergency surgery on Sunday for a blood clot. (She is doing well.) Please pray for her recovery and for Lisa’s family and safe return. Her mom is also recovering from an eye surgery (2 months ago). Pray that the treatment for this problem will not affect her recovery from eye surgery.
Kristin S (S): Her boyfriend, Philip, still suffering depression…needing discernment and guidance. Also Kristin has fibromyalgia pain which has flared up especially on choir Sundays. Pray that she will be pain free this Sunday.
Scott S (B): His brother-in-law had a heart attack last week. Please pray for his continued recovery.
Please continue to pray for Julie C (A) and her husband, Ken. He is at home now after heart surgery and is recovery slowly. Julie wanted to thank the choir for keeping them in your prayers. It is much appreciated.
Kathy C (S): Would like to lift up prayer for our choir…that God will use us this Sunday. Also, pray that we can relax about signing and singing and genuinely and freely worship Him!!
Let’s also pray that God will deepen and enrich our spiritual lives through increasing intimacy with Him.

Sign Language Practice

For those who want some extra practice, we will meet in the GREEN ROOM HALLWAY at 5:30 PM today.  See you then!

Tuesday Email from Joe

Is your September flying by as quickly as mine?  It is difficult to believe that our September 19 Praise Date is this Sunday.  Before we turn around, it will be Christmas! Tomorrow's rehearsal will be important.  Please be on time.  In addition to our top to bottom run through of the entire set, we need to record choir vocals for "Holy, Holy, Holy", master the sign language on "Pray to Your Name", and be sure we are all doing the same thing on the bridge of "Jesus Messiah".  Needless to say, we will have a full and busy rehearsal.

NEW Sign Language Video

This one has ONLY the potions of the song that we'll be signing ...  Hope it helps.

Sign Language Practice

So, how is your work with the sign language on Pray to Your Name coming?  I hope you are able to use the video that we posted on the blog this week.

I was wondering this morning if anyone would like some extra practice ...  If you would like extra work we can meet at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, before Praise Choir rehearsal and spend about 20 minutes of dedicated practice.

If you would like to do this, just leave a comment on this post.  If we get much response, I'll go ahead and schedule a room for us to use.

I pray you will have a great week!

QUICK NOTE

Please note that guide vocal trax are available for your part for Pray To Your Name.   Just check the Current Trax section of the blog.  Thanks.  Practice this with your signs, please.

Praise and Prayer Requests (9-8-10)

Bobby H (T): Needs a job
Jack S (T): Pray for his son, John, and his 3 children who are now feeling the early effects of a divorce.
Scott S (B): Please pray for his friend, Paul – whose father passed away last Sunday.
Betty W (S): PRAISE – her daughter’s father-in-law received good test results - no more cancer in brain, shrinking in other places! 
Kristin H (A): Pray for her daughter, Ashley, who is very homesick and struggling to manage schoolwork, volleyball, work and rest.
Nikki R (A): Eddie M – had 2nd open heart surgery on Tues (9/7/10). He’s recovering well so far. His son, Ward, home from Germany (stationed there) is suffering from exhaustion/anxiety.

QUICK NOTE

Please notice that the Holy, Holy, Holy guide vocal trax for each section are posted on this blog in the CURRENT TRAX section on the left.

Pray To Your Name - Sign Language

When Good Things Become Bad

Here is a great post from Allen White.  We are blessed to have him at Brookwood.  Check out his devotional blog at http://galatians419.blogspot.com/. When Good Things Become Bad Things Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:00 AM PDT Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Galatians 3:11-12 Most of my own efforts at spiritual growth have been rather pathetic. For many Januarys I have been inspired to read the Bible through in a year only to find myself stuck in the middle of Leviticus in the middle of February. End of story. I can follow the rules for a while, and then I just run out of steam. Whether we’ve tried to break a bad habit or start a new one, most of us are only self-disciplined to a point. People celebrate our self-discipline. We might even impress ourselves: “I’m on the fast track to spiritual gianthood now.” But, if our self-discipline only produces pride in our ability to follow rules, then how much spiritual growth has actually taken place?

Inspirational Thought

I saw this on Twitter and thought it worth sharing ...

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. - George Muller

Last Sunday's Service

The video of last Sunday's service is now up on the Brookwood Church website.

http://www.brookwoodchurch.org/mediaplayer

Check it out ...

Prayer Request for someone in prison

Nikki R (alto) has a good friend named Andrea, who lives in Columbia. Andrea’s brother, Ryan, and the whole family need our prayers. This is their situation:

Ryan had battled a drug addiction for years and this past December, he was involved in a horrible crime. During a drug deal, he and two other men began an argument that resulted in Ryan shooting both men to death. He is in prison now, serving what may likely be a life sentence.

New Baby

You will remember when we did the HisRadio event at Chik-Fil-A this summer that Meredith Andrews was very close to delivering her new baby.  I thought you would enjoy seeing this photo that she posted on Twitter ...  

If you would like to follow her on Twitter, her handle is @MereMusic.

Prayer Requests - Sept 1, 2010

1) One of our brand new members, Courtney W has asked that we pray for her grandpa who is in a hospital in WV due to a heart attack on Monday. He is dealing with several issues right now including a fall while he was in the hospital in which he may have broken some ribs. Please pray for encouraging news and that he’ll be able to go home soon.
Courtney… welcome! We’re so glad you have joined our music ministry family.

2) Please pray for James S’s grandson, Adam. He appeared to be doing well, but after being checked by a different surgeon this afternoon, some things were detected in his spine that were cause for great concern. Emergency surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow morning (Sept 3).

3) Kristin H. has asked us to pray for her daughter, Ashley… for strength and guidance in managing school work along with hours of volleyball training.
Also for Kristin’s parents, who are beginning the divorce process. Pray for her dad’s salvation and for God’s love and comfort for her mom.

Sign Language

Here is the video for Rise and Sing.  When you practice the signs, remember the following:

1.  Be sure you mirror this image.  If the lady doing the demonstration is using her right hand, be sure you are doing the same ...
2.  Remember, we will sign ONLY on the Chorus, the Bridge, and the ending.

Please have this MEMORIZED by rehearsal next week.  We will learn Pray to Your Name next week.

Update on Julie's husband

Hi Gang. I wanted to give you an update on Julie’s husband. Ken’s heart surgery was about 5 ½ hours, but it went well. Julie wanted to say, “thank you all for all your prayers. God bless you.”

Lets continue to pray for a quick recovery.

Urgent prayer request from Nancy M (s)

Please pray for a young woman named Paige who lives in Aiken. She was hit by a delivery truck's side mirror while jogging and all bones in her face are broken. The doctor's are concerned she will not survive and have stated that tomorrow (Sept 1)is a critical day for her.
Thank you!

Nancy