There are times when I realize just how ‘out of touch’ I am with contemporary worship songs. I’ve just discovered a new artist that I like on YouTube. When I say, ‘new’, I mean new to me, Matt Redman has been around for a number of years by the looks of things. Here he is singing ‘Blessed Be Your Name’.

Blessed be Your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be Your name

Quite often, when I’m whiling away some time and browsing on YouTube, I find myself on the Casting Crowns channel. I really like their music, as well as what they’ve got to say. This video is them singing, “If We’ve Ever Needed You”. It’s a song about repentance: personal repentance and corporate repentance as the church.

All our hearts, all our strength
With all our minds, we’re at Your feet
May Your kingdom come in our hearts and lives
Let Your church arise, let Your church arise

While browsing YouTube recently, I came across this recording of “They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love” by Jars of Clay, and thought it especially appropriate for this Week Of Prayer for Christian Unity. This is another group who I’d never heard of, but do rather like their sound, so will listen to again. I think the person who put the video together has done a good job of selecting images to illustrate the song.

Here are the lyrics:

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they’ll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

I really like this particular version of one of my favourite Christmas Carols. It was recorded live at the Helix Centre in Dublin, Ireland, in a performance of “A Christmas Celebration” by Celtic Woman.

While browsing some of the videos on YouTube, I came across this amazing rendition of one of my favourite hymns. Just As I Am, sung by Brian Doersken — click here to see Brian’s website. That’s Brian in the picture above.

One of my favourite hymns at the moment (it can change very frequently) is Christ Be Our Light! While browsing on YouTube recently, I came across the version posted below. I’ve no idea who is singing, but it’s a great rendition.

I was pointed towards this great hymn by Elizabeth (a fellow Reader), “Oh To See The Dawn (The Power Of The Cross)” written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, when she contacted me through this blog. I knew as soon as I found it on YouTube that I liked it — thanks Elizabeth. This particular version appears to be Stuart Townend singing at a live Worship event.

Am I, by any chance, the last person to discover Sarah McLachlan? It wouldn’t surprise me, she seems to have been around for a while, but slipped by completely unnoticed by me. Here she is singing the rather beautiful “Angel”, from the album “Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan”.

]]> http://www.paulsibley.net/angel/feed/ 0 http://www.paulsibley.net/amazing-love/ http://www.paulsibley.net/amazing-love/#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:00:17 +0000 Paul Sibley http://www.paulsibley.net/?p=4689

In my reflection on the Collect for last Sunday, The Fifth Sunday of Lent, I quoted one of Graham Kendrick’s worship songs. It’s a song I’ve liked for a long time, the words are really poignant. I found a version of it on YouTube.

This is Kim Walker and the Jesus Culture Band singing “How He Loves Us” from their, “We Cry Out” album. Kim has quite a distinctive voice. I came across it on one of my surfing sessions around YouTube. Hope you enjoy it.