Worship - The Wonderful Cross

The Wonderful Cross by daphadillz

Recorded from MCBCSL Praise Night: Daphne C (lead vocals) / Matthew T (piano, vocals) / David C (acoustic) / Caleb L (electric) / Karwai K (electric) / Ernest N (bass) / Jeff P (drums, vocals)

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died

My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride

See from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down

Did ever such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Oh the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross

Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live

Oh the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross

All who gather here by grace draw near and bless Your name

Were the whole realm of nature mine that were an offering far too small

Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul, my life, my all

Oh the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross

Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live

Oh the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross

All who gather here by grace draw near and bless Your name

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died

My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride

Making a Big Salad

This year at Teen's Conference 2011, I found myself doing a lot of little jobs all week, despite having one main assigned job to do. My tasks ranged from finding massive amounts of duct tape, finding wandering teenagers, and hosting pictionary sessions.


On one particular occasion, I found myself making a run to the local Metro with Kevin from the REC crew. Our task was very simple... It was sandwich day... the signature Teen's Conference sandwiches have become a staple of what it means to eat lunch during March break. The first lunch had just been served, and I was told we needed 12 heads of lettuce and 24 cucumbers, STAT. So off Kevin and I went, down the block in a mad rush to buy produce for hundreds of starving kids. We got to the store, grabbed a cart and starting piling on the lettuce and cucumbers. Within minutes our cart was FULL of green vegetables. We briskly walked over to the cashier and began loading up all of our goodies.

Our cashier was a younger blonde girl... and she immediately gave us weird looks... two asian kids in identical T shirts buying 24 cucumber and 12 heads of lettuce. She didn't say much except for when she made a smug face and said, "...You guys makin' a big salad?"



Okay so I admit I was kind of laughing inside when she said it, but I remember just saying "Yep, huge."

So how is this relevant to anything? For the past two and a half years it seems like I've been going through some really rough times... and it seems like whenever I start feeling better, something bad will happen again to make me question what the hell is going on. Even just last night I got news of something that brought down several months of work trying to build myself back up again... But I've realized that trusting in God sometimes means not understanding what you see in front of you... like 24 cucumbers and 12 heads of lettuce that leave you thinking "WTH"... but there's a reason and a purpose behind it if you care to be patient enough to have it be revealed to you. I'm not yet at this stage yet... I'm learning, and trying to hear what God's trying to say... and trust that even IF God really is just making a big salad, it's going to be a really good one.



Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

The challenge: Are you at a point in your life where you feel like God has abandoned you? Do you question why or how He could put you in this situation? Ask God for patience so that you may learn to trust Him more.

When You Believe

On November 2, 1998, two of the great divas in the music industry released a duet performance of a song that would go on to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. "When You Believe" was recorded for the animated film, "The Prince of Egypt," and was sung by these two, the most famous divas at the time, at the awards themselves. The performance was epic and is still mentioned today as one of the greatest musical collaborations of all time. The song not only was vocally challenging, but was quoted by Mariah Carey as having "a profound message of hope."


Matthew 21:21-22 (NLT)
Then Jesus told them, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. [22] You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."

In the Christian volleyball league that I play in, one of the leaders from an opposing team shared the following story: It was time to plan a fundraising softball tournament. Up until the day of the tournament, all reliable sources had forecasted oceans upon oceans of rain. Nevertheless, this leader was adamant that the tournament would go ahead as scheduled. When asked why she was so persistent given the outlook, her response was, "because I prayed about it."



It is my strong belief that this type of faith, a faith that truly believes what is being asked for will come to fruition, is lost amongst nearly all adults. A comment that this leader later stated was, "if you ask for something from God but don't really believe He can deliver, then don't expect for it to happen to you." After all, there can be miracles when you believe:

Luke 7:2,6-10 (NLT)
At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. [6] So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, "Lord, don't trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. [7] I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. [8] I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, 'Go,' and they go, or 'Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, 'Do this,' they do it." [9] When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!" [10] And when the officer's friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

For the record, it DID in fact rain that morning... The leader fervently prayed through the rain, asking God out loud to cease the rain so that she could raise the money to benefit His kingdom. The rain stopped. The sun came out. The tournament went on. No lie.

The challenge: What are you praying for right now? When you do so, do you REALLY believe God's going to deliver? Do you blame him when it then doesn't work out just how you wanted it?

Worship - Heart of Worship

Heart of Worship by daphadillz

Recorded from MCBC Good Friday 2011 Service: Daphne C (lead vocals) / Rebecca L (piano, vocals) / Karwai K (acoustic) / Beverley C (cello) / Jeff P (drums, vocals)

When the music fades and all is stripped away and I simply come
Longing just to bring something that's of worth that will bless Your heart

I'll bring You more than a song for a song in itself is not what you have required
You search much deeper within, through the way thing appear - You're looking to my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship - it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it - it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus

King of endless worth, no one could express how much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor, all I have is Yours - every single breath

I'll bring You more than a song for a song in itself is not what you have required
You search much deeper within, through the way thing appear - You're looking to my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship - it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it - it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus

Words Speak Louder than Actions...

Remember this rhyme from when we were kids? (Okay, I'm still a kid.) "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." I have to say that it really is an ingenious little poem that teaches kids to ignore what people say... however... we all know that names can hurt like hell. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure with enough kinetic force behind them, sticks and stones can hurt very much, but really, I'd choose them over harsh words that have little to no physical momentum. (Nerd.)


When I was in middle school, I was the only gifted kid (see above re: nerd) to make it on the basketball team. I had no friends on the team, and was seen as the weird outcast girl. I wasn't cool, and I wasn't popular, so I got picked on every practice, by this one girl in particular. I'll blog about her again one day, cause it's a good story, but the short of it is that she would pick on me. At first it was little things, like she would whip the ball at me... Dude, we're on the same team. So my mom said that I should ignore it and maybe it was just her actions... But she didn't actually feel that way... Then she started cussing at me, and made fun of my late puberty-ness. Yea, not fun changing after practice. Then it was incredibly clear, that not only did her actions hurt my body, but her words crushed my spirit. Mean girl.


In some way, words speak much louder than actions. In the book of Matthew, Jesus was questioned as to what kind of foods people should eat or not eat. His response:

Matthew 15:10-11,15-20 (NLT)
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "Listen," he said, "and try to understand. [11] It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth." [15] Then Peter said to Jesus, "Explain to us the parable that says people aren't defiled by what they eat." [16] "Don't you understand yet?" Jesus asked. [17] "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. [18] But the words you speak come from the heart-that's what defiles you. [19] For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. [20] These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you."


A few of the kids that I had to mentor in the past asked me a question about drinking. Newly heading into university, I was nervous for them, and wanted to be able to tell them the right answers. To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing in the bible that says Christians should not drink. (I'm not a pastor or seminary student, but I don't think I'm wrong.) It doesn't say that you shouldn't swear either. However, it does say that from a good well, good water flows, and from a bad well, bad water flows. So. If Christ really is within your heart and this is something that you proclaim, then theoretically, certain behaviors should not come naturally. Those who cuss left, right and center ought to question if their behavior is indicative of the incredible changing power Christ has caused in our lives.

In the same way, faith brings about good deeds and good fruit. If we live double lives that ever leave those around us in doubt as to whether or not we have been changed, then really the answer is that we have not.

The challenge: Is it incredibly evident by how you live your life, by how you respond to situations, by your habits and your reputation, by your casual behaviours, by what you say and do, that you are a follower of Christ?

Worship - Mashup: Cannons / Glory to God

Cannons Glory to God by daphadillz

Recorded from MCBC Sunday Service: Daphne C (lead vocals) / Ernest N (acoustic, vocals) / Karwai K (electric) / Jared T (bass) / Jeff P (drums)

It's falling from the clouds, a strange and lovely sound

I hear it in the thunder and the rain

It's ringing in the skies like cannons in the night

as the music of the universe plays

We're singing You are holy, so great and mighty

The moon and the stars declare who You are

I'm so unworthy, but still You love me

Forever my heart will sing of how great You are

Beautiful and free, the song of galaxies

Reaching far beyond the milky way

Let's join in with the sound, Come on, let's sing it out

As the music of the universe plays

We're singing You are holy, so great and mighty

The moon and the stars declare who You are

I'm so unworthy, but still You love me

Forever my heart will sing of how great You are

Glory to God, Glory to God

Glory to God forever

All glory, honour, power is Yours, amen

All glory, honour, power is Yours, amen

All glory, honour, power is Yours, forever amen

We're singing You are holy, so great and mighty

The moon and the stars declare who You are

I'm so unworthy, but still You love me

Forever my heart will sing of how great You are

Harmonious Change

I remember it clearly. I had just got home from an 8 hour long night shift, and was crawling into bed utterly exhausted. At 7:30 AM in the morning on a cold fall morning, the rest of the world was just beginning to wake up. The fumes from cars warming up was beginning to float over dew-covered driveways, and the birds sung their last few songs before they would depart for the winter. I slowly made my way into my bed, prepared for a long day of catching on lost sleep... when all of sudden, I heard...



BRAAAAAAAANNNGGGG, BRRAAAAAANNNNGGG, BRRRAAANGG... If there was ever a time where I cussed out loud and actually meant it, that was it. Not only was I incredibly exhausted, but the sound of the alarm blaring RIGHT ABOVE my bed made me want to throw concentrated acid on my ears just to stop hearing it.



When I relayed this story to a friend of mine later that day, I briefly mentioned something about wishing that they would play a song like "Staying Alive," instead. (BTW, for you CPR savvy people who want to remember what the tempo is for 100 BPM to do CPR to, apparently Staying Alive is the tune that best fits... and pun intended.) Said friend looked at me and asked, "Are you sure a super loud song would be better?" UH YES.

What makes music is the change in pitch. A single note held over a long period of time not only is NOT music, but is rather annoying and is just NOISE. It's that change that we're looking for, that makes real music.

Much like how a faith without change in a person is meaningless. It's just words or actions, or worse yet, RELIGION. Just like change in pitch can make all the difference between noise and music, so does change in a life make the difference between religion and real faith.

Matthew 18:1-3 (NIV)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" [2] He called a little child and had him stand among them. [3] And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Romans 2:28-29 (NLT)
For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. [29] No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Take it one step further. When we allow God to lead the way in our lives, he writes a melody to match our notes and makes harmony. There is a difference between singing your own melody and expecting God to do harmony over your notes... and allowing God to pick the leading line.



The challenge: Are you trying to be the writer of the music, instead of following the Composer's lead? Is it leading to meaningless sound, or harmonious music? Is it evident by the change in your life that that your eyes are the Conductor?