BST's Blog

This morning as I work on some things for this weekend and for the upcoming ZOE conference, I am listening to a cassette tape. Yes, friends, a cassette tape. Cassettes are soon to be the 8 track tapes of my childhood (extinct). It's Passion Live from probably around 1997 or so. Songs like "We Fall Down", "You Are My King", "You Alone", "In the Secret" (before Sonic Flood!) with the crowd singing loudly, "I WANT TO KNOW YOU..."etc. I can remember when I first heard some of those songs. I was so moved. Christy Nockels' voice is so pure, so haunting. It was what first introduced me to many of those songs.

I was taken back to simpler days sitting in an office in a 50 year old building (the old Otter Creek). I remember playing through the chord charts thinking that we should really be singing these great songs. I was in the beginning of a ministry at Otter Creek. Most people were either really excited about the future or really afraid. Few were ambivalent. ZOE was just beginning. We were meeting each Saturday morning to pray about what the Lord would have us do. We were considering holding a conference on worship in Nashville that fall.

Ten years later I sit in an office in a much larger building planning worship for a growing church, and working on one of our regional conferences on worship coming in 2 weeks in TX. We've been talking through plans for our 11th Nashville Worship Conference coming next fall. Looking back over 10+ years of ZOE, we've been talking about how things have changed and in some ways we'll be going back to our roots next fall. I was just struck this morning at the goodness of God over the last decade.

The song playing right now is "Show Your Power". It simply says, "Show Your power, O Lord our God! " We prayed that prayer then and we've really seen His power. I'm grateful for those songs that helped shape me. I'm grateful for songs that have come along since. Songs like "Blessed Be Your Name" and "Still" that have given voice to emotions and struggles along the journey.

Some days I wake up and fight doubts and cynicism. Some days I feel overcome by the faithfulness of God that surrounds me. I was convicted today that a life of faith is full of seasons. They are woven together to make a beautiful tapestry that displays the fullness of God's character in our lives...roads marked with suffering AND streams of abundance.

I'll leave you with these words we sang on the ZOE project called "Ancient Future" back in 2004.

Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God's hand in mine.
Season by season I watch Him amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways.
All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me.

I can't remember a joy or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain.
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only and trusting His hand.
All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me.

This is my anthem, this is my song,
The theme of the stories I've heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again.
His loving compassion, it knows NO END!
All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me.
words and music by Sara Groves