God has blessed MacArthur Blvd with some talented musicians and songwriters. They have written some songs for the church and we already enjoy singing them on Sunday mornings. Earlier this year, the worship team met at the church to record these songs to share with you.
This is the official release of the “MacArthur Blvd Sessions” music videos and below Brandon Ramey, Music Minister explains the context and inspiration for the writing of these songs…
“Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” – Psalm 96:1-3
Our aim is to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. The Bible also commands us to sing a new song to the Lord. There are always fresh expressions of eternal truth. We hope that you use these videos to become familiar with the songs and also to use them as a resource during your family worship at home.
“Guiding Me Still”
This song was written soon after our church entered into a time of transition when our former Lead Pastor accepted a new assignment.
I was in the sanctuary singing the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” and the Lord just began to help me write the chorus of this song: “When the path is unclear I will wait for you here…”. I knew then that God had given us this song for this time of transition. Not knowing what the future holds, we still trust that God is moving and that during this time He will continue to reveal His glory to us and to remind us that He is Sovereign Lord. So we put our confidence totally in Him as we live by hope!
“Come Into His Courts with Praise”
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” – Psalm 100
God is worthy and deserves nothing less than our wholehearted praise and worship, not just in song but with our lives. As Christians, our lives should always be marked with the joy of the Lord. Not joy that points to us but joy that points to God. Because of Him, we can be a joyful people filled with hope that is only found in Him. No matter what comes we can rejoice in the Lord!
“Nothing Better Than You”
God gave us this song during the Philippians Sermon Series “Together For The Gospel.”
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:6-9
When we were writing this song, we began to try to list out things that were just, lovely, honorable, excellent, etc. As we were making this “list”, we stopped and said none of this compares to Jesus. Nothing is better than Him. In a world where things and people are constantly fighting for our attention, we declare the truth of His word and this song that there is nothing better than Jesus Christ. He alone deserves our adoration and devotion. There will also be times where we find ourselves filled with worry and anxiety. God uses Paul to remind us in Philippians 4:8-9 to think about higher things and the God of peace will be with us. When you find yourself feeling anxious, focus on Christ. Think of His love, presence, truth, kindness. If we do that, because His word is true, He will give us peace. So as we are together for the Gospel, our focus always has to be on Jesus. As we face life struggles, we find rest in knowing Him.
“There Are None”
“There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.” – Jeremiah 10:6-7
In a world where there are many false gods (especially in our community), we declare the truth of the God’s word, that there is none like Him. He created all things and in Him, all things exist. Our prayer is that this song will help us have a right view of God and declare to a dying world who is the one true God.
