Blessings through choosing to praise God

**THE  JUBALHEIRS**

It’s easy to rejoice in the Lord when all is well, but the choice to praise Him in times of adversity comes with maturity in our faith.   As we trust the Lord more and more in our walk with Him, we learn to lean upon His promises when we go through times of darkness.  In times of trial and grief, He promises to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the heaviness of sorrow.  (Isaiah 61:3)  The promises of God in this verse also apply to the fruit that our choice to praise Him in trials will bring.  The same scripture verse tells us that the fulfillment of these precious promises will be “that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.”   No one who leads worship can escape a deep awareness that there are always people in any service of worship who have come with heavy hearts.  The most comforting truth that we can cling to in such times is that God knows all about our pain and our sorrow.  He is right there with us in the midst of the storm, even when we are not aware of His presence.   As we learn to trust His heart, His love for us, and His nearness, we can make the choice to praise God and allow Him to work on healing our hearts.

Cindy and I are still in the process of getting to know our sisters in the Lord who are members of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Jubalheirs, directed by Dr. Jon Duncan.  Several of these talented ladies are members of our home church whom we know quite well, but we are so new to Georgia that we are still becoming acquainted with the wider membership of the Jubalheirs and their Ministers of Worship and home churches.  However, it’s been evident to us, even in a relatively short time period, that the Jubalheirs are women who love to praise the Lord.  Their radiant faces and beautiful voices testify of their love for God and longing to be more like Christ.  Many of the songs in their repertoire have very profound messages of deep faith, so it was an honor when Dr. Duncan selected my anthem, “Much More Than a Song”  for the Jubalheirs’ repertoire not long before our move to Georgia.  “Much More Than a Song”  is a reflective ballad with a message about choosing to praise God in times of trial.  The Jubalheirs have also recorded this song on their CD entitled “New Every Morning.”   When Cindy and I came to Georgia to meet with the Music and Worship Search Committee in 2008, I’d been asked to sing for them.  We sang some worship songs together, and then I sang a solo, choosing “Much More Than a Song.”  I didn’t know that 3 of the women on the search committee were members of the Jubalheirs and had already sung this song until after I finished singing.  It was a fairly new song at the time and was only in it’s second year of inclusion in the repertoire of The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma.  It never occurred to me that some of the committee members would have not only heard the song but also had sung it in concert.  It’s amazing how God puts things togethers sometimes, and that will always be a special memory for me.   We look forward to many other special times of worship in our home church and around the state of Georgia with our sisters in Christ in the Jubalheirs and our brothers in the Sons of Jubal.

This year, the Jubalheirs are singing one of my newest choral anthems, “Greater.”   They recorded it in September, 2011, for their newest CD project, which has not yet been releasesd.   “Greater”  is also a song about praising God in every circustance.  In the lyrics of  “Greater,” the listener is reminded that our God is greater than any challenge we may face.   And, just like my good friend David Neely (and his wife, Phyllis), who is mentioned on the title page of “Greater,”  I am confident that the women of the Jubalheirs will trust in our great God no matter what life brings.   “Greater” was written for the glory of God and to encourage my friend and all of God’s people.  What a blessing it is to know that the women of the Jubalheirs will share this message with passion and with integrity, choosing to praise the Lord in all of life.

“His name is higher!
His love is deeper!
He reigns forever and ever more!
Alpha, Omega, Master, and Savior…
Far above anything, of His praises we’ll sing
And at His feet we’ll fall.
For our God, yes, our God is greater than all!”

Lyrics from “Greater”
Copyright Travis L. Boyd, WorshipSounds Music

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“Much More Than a Song”  and  “Greater”
and many other songs
are available on our WorshipSounds Music website

Worshipful and affordable music for your Choirs, Ensembles, Soloists, Orchestra, and Congregation

http://www.worshipsounds.com

Click photo above to go to our WorshipSounds website

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Do you know Jesus? 

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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Blessings through God’s Faithfulness

**THE  SINGING  CHURCHMEN  OF  OKLAHOMA**

The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma will always be such a special group of brothers for me.   As a member of the Churchmen for over 18 years, I have very close friendships with so many of the fine Ministers of Music and Worship in this group.  We’ve travelled around the world together, sharing the good news of Christ though music, testimony, and every other way imaginable.  I’ve been to Russia, Estonia, Latvia, China, Hong Kong, and Australia with this group.  It has been a joy and a blessing to know these men, worship together with them during rehearsal times and concert performances, and then serve with them in other mission opportunities.  One of the things that is most special about this talented group is their love for the Lord and for each other.   These brothers pray for one another and are willing to help any of the group that may have a major need.  We’ve seen God answer so many prayers.  We’ve prayed for healing for each other, for those who were seeking a place of service, for family situations, and for God to use our efforts to glorify Himself.  We’ve also prayed for doors to open in the countries to which we’ve travelled.  There were often large stumbling blocks that could have been a real problem for our group and our ministry; but time after time, we saw God answer the prayers for open doors in really miraculous ways.  For example, our group made the trip to Russia, Estonia, and Latvia just after the fall of Communism, in Spring of 1993.  We were even able to minister and share the gospel in public schools, which was really amazing.

In our ministry as a group and in our individual lives, all of the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma could testify to the faithfulness of our God.  I was inspired to write a song about God’s faithfulness in my life, and I shared it with Dr. Bill Green, who was then the Director of both The Singing Churchmen and The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma.  Brother Bill loved “God is Faithful” and made it part of our concert repertoire for several years.  The next time the Churchmen recorded a CD, “God is Faithful” became the title song.  The song was eventually published by the Monarch division of Lorenz music, and I have no idea at this point how many churches are still singing it.  I do hear from people regularly about how this song has touched their lives.   That’s the biggest blessing of all.  It’s a wonderful privelege to be able to share this message of God’s faithfulness with my brothers in Christ in both Oklahoma and Georgia.  The Sons of Jubal also have sung “God is Faithful,”  and it became the title song of one of their CD’s (recorded in a different year & with different repertoire from the Churchmen CD).  In addition, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma have sung  “God is Faithful”  in many church concerts.  It was also sung in Australia during our Singing Churchmen mission trip, but not by the men.   The wives who went along on the mission trip to Australia in 2003 had their own choir, with over 80 of the women choosing to participate.  They divided into 2 choirs for some events and sang together for others.   These women gave concerts in churches all over the Sydney area (even in nearby seaside communities such as Cronulla) and then all over the Brisbane area, even singing at a pineapple canning factory.  They were the groups that were singing  “God is Faithful”  in Australia, though everyone who went on that trip could testify to God’s faithfulness in so many ways.

Many times, the message of  “God is Faithful”  has ministered to Cindy and I as we have faced trials.  She has said that in the messages God inspires me to write, He knows the message that we will need to hear at some point in our future.   If the song  “God is Faithful”  has been a blessing to you, remember that it is not the song itself that is the source of blessing.  It’s the TRUTH of the message of this song that makes it so meaningful to those of us who are walking with the Lord.   What a blessing it is to know that our God is faithful in all things, and that he is ever-present in our lives!

“God IS faithful.   He will not forget His own.  God is faithful…He’ll never leave you all alone!   He’s right beside you, waiting to guide you; for the One who called you is faithful.  God is faithful…when the valley is so low.  God is faithful…whereever He leads you to go!  Cast your cares on Him, and rest within His loving arms.  For the One who called you is faithful.  God IS faithful ! ”   (Lyrics to the chorus from “God is Faithful”)

Copyright Travis L. Boyd, Boydbrain Music

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Here is the audio from my Sound Cloud of the recording of “God is Faithful” made by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma as the title song of one of their CDs.

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HERE  IS  THE  LINK  for the original studio demo of   “God is Faithful.”
http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Sample/10_2978M.mp3
You can  VIEW   THE  MUSIC  AS  YOU  LISTEN  to the demo by going to the publisher’s product page for  “God is Faithful”  at the link below.
Click the listening icon, immediately minimize the media player, and click the Adobe sample page link to see and hear the music simultaneously.
http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=10_2978M

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Many more songs written by Travis L. Boyd can be found
on our WorshipSounds Music website.

Worshipful and affordable music for your Choirs, Orchestra, Ensembles, and Soloists
http://www.worshipsounds.com

Click photo above to go to our WorshipSounds website

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Do you know Jesus? 

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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