If you haven’t sung “How Great is Our God” with 5,000+ brothers and sisters in the Christ, full of the Holy Spirit, enraptured by the intrinsic glory and holiness and majesty of God (the one who never sinned), then you are missing out.
Biblically, I don’t think I will be merely singing for eternity after the resurrection.
But if that’s all I was assigned to do, I’d be one happy man.
“Name above all names, worthy of all praise.”
I can guarantee you that no Spirit-filled person is even close to thinking that needs the qualification of,
“Well, for this earth” or
“Well, as far as we are concerned”
If you want to limit God like that, then your God is not great.
But if you want to worship the same God as we do, then please, SING WITH US. We have an awesome God.
WOOHOOOOO!!!
Amen.
If you like this, here is a song/video I collaborated on:
http://www.youtube.com/user/skygazeband#p/a/u/2/Ih5qU_RYJzQ
grindael, loved it!
Thanks Aaron
In my Mormon youth I was always hearing about a God/s that for whatever reason, I didn’t recognize…I was always being drawn away by the God in this song.
I would encourage everyone to take a look @ grindael’s exceptional work on youtube.
Grindael,
I enjoyed your song. I’ve had a rough week as
my dad just passed away. Thanks also to you
Aaron for sharing that awesome song by Chris
Tomlin. All of you brothers and sisiters have
accomplished much in sharing and defending the
faith this past week.
Mike, I’m so sorry for your loss. May God grant you His peace that surpasses all understanding, hold you near, and comfort you with His love. Praying for you…
Ditto to that, Mike. Holding you in prayer…
Mike, grieving in a small measure with you. Sorry brother. Grace and peace in Christ.
Mike R – So sorry to hear about your loss. I will pray for you and your family.
Grindael – loved the song and the imagery you chose, really brought out the themes of the song and points us to Jesus Christ.
Mike
I’m incredibly grateful for the comment & that it gave you some joy in your trying time. Thank You. My Prayers are with you & may the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Shine upon you.
One song on youtube is by a band called leeland, The song is called “Follow you” The Video will just about make you want to cry, but it is one of my favorite songs. Also Brandon Heath is a special guest on the song/video for those know of him.
Rick b
I left the Mormon Church after attending BYU for two years after I returned from a two year mission in 1980. This was in 1983. (I spent a year after my mission working for college funds & I worked in Provo to support myself at BUY).
I was majoring in Religious Studies, wanting to be the next Hugh Nibley in the Church (I had met and spoke with him), studied Greek & was taking French classes to read Dead Sea Scroll translations only available then in French. I met some interesting Mormon Historians & seemed I was well on my way until I really started studying Church History.
I think you all know the rest. I think you all know from my posts my area of expertise. I became an atheist for over 20 years. In 1986 I hooked up with the guy who wrote the song I posted above. He was a Christian lay minister and I helped tear him away from that and we started a rock band. He gave me a copy of 6 of his Christian Songs which I listened to and put aside. (Shine was one of those songs)
We were wild as only Rockers could be. Mark (who wrote Shine) and I were best friends. We were on Long Island, NY & playing gigs all over NY. In 1994 the band broke up and Mark disappeared. I left Long Is. and moved upstate where I got married & left music behind. In 2004 We moved to Fla & by 2006 I was lost to the world, my marraige in shambles. It was then I found that cassette tape. On it there was a song called ‘A Glimpse Of Your Heart’. I played it over and over, as I read the Bible & sought God & found Him.
I was devastated over what happened with Mark, blaming myself for tearing him away from God but I had to put it in HIS hands. I played those songs in Churches and sang them. I searched for Mark on the internet & other places but never found him, but God had revealed to me He had a work for me to do with those songs & I kept them alive.
In Sept of 2009 Mark & I were reunited, (a long story). A year after he left NY he had rededicated his life to God & was remarried & active in his Christian Faith. He had lost everything back then & I had the only copy of those songs. I sent him the cassette in Jan. and he re-did Shine. I made a video of ‘Glimpse’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYpGntOzkTY & joined him on his Sky Gaze project.
This Video ‘Glimpse’ is from the original cassette recording I carried around all those years. We are currently re-doing the Music & putting together an album. His sister who sang back-ups died from cancer a few years ago & is the only recording with her voice on it.
I heard the song Holy & Anointed One in 2006 and it helped change my life. I played ‘Glimpse’ over and over, sometimes overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and shame, but God always calmed my heart.
I did not see God’s wonderful goodness & mercy at work, I could not know, could not fathom HIS plans for me & my friend. I could have thrown out that tape, but something made me hold on to it. I now know why.
Music is truly God’s wonderful gift to help us love and praise HIM. God works in our lives in sometimes unknown and unfathomable ways to work His purposes in our lives & the music that lives in us helps us to do that. Yes, I will SING WITH YOU, in Spirit and in Love of HIM who gives back everything (even my marriage) & multiplies blessings because He loves us.
Thanks Aaron, for the song & words.
Grindael-
Reading your story reminded me of Bart Ehrman’s story. Once a person lets go of the fundamentals in search of the myserious, obscure, or more “intellectual” lines of reasoning, he has placed his soul in jeopardy. Such study is great if a person maintains a constant study and application of those fundamentals.
Elder Ballard said a few years ago (and I paraphrase): it is a good thing to study the historical and controversial areas of the gospel, but remember to give the Lord His fair share in energy and time in your study.
This is why there are both:
a. people who leave the church after studying the “intellectual” issues
b. People who remain in the church, fully believing it all after studying these topics and issues.
I have heard it claimed so many times from critics that “members who discover the truth behind church history etc. leave the church.”
In reality, I would bet that the majority of members who study this stuff stay in the church and that it is the minority who lose faith.
Most of the people who leave with whom I have had contact will admit that they were not reading the BOM and praying regularly when they left.
I am not challenging your honesty or integrity- just offering a little perspective and context for why and how I believe some people leave.
Jim,
Thank you for your words. But that was not the case with me. I prayed and prayed but got no answers, only more feelings of doubt. The attitude of the Church when I presented my ‘facts’ was ugly. I was told to blindly accept them & they did what you are doing (you are not doing it in a bad way though) pointing the finger at me like something was wrong with legitimate concerns over how the Church has lied, covered up and ignored the problems with it’s history.
I was a ‘scripture king’ in the Mormon Church. I had whole chapters of the BOM & D&C memorized. I did not drink, smoke & was active & prayed.
I know it is a mystery to some Mormons that some leave over these issues. But honestly, HONESTLY, how can anyone reconcile the teachings of Brigham Young on such as adam-god, & still believe he was a real prophet who talks to God? Read McConkies letter to Eugene England & you see the dilemma I was in: http://www.mrm.org/bruce-mcconkies-rebuke-of-eugene-england
I would not, could not believe in a system that was so out of touch with itself. The Church STILL hides much of it’s history: read Dale Morgan’s account here: http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/dalemorgan/daletitle.htm
WHY?
Why do such as Thomas Stuart Ferguson leave? Read his story, much the same happened to me. In the face of the overwhelming evidence against the BOM, BOA & the Doctrines of Young and others I am amazed that any Mormon will stay in that Church.