Worship Pastor / Composer Travis L. Boyd & wife, Cynthia, sharing faith, inspiration, & discipleship resources, plus music & more for worship ministry. * We also provide info about Worship Sounds Music, found at the links to our Publishers & Distributors ~ Choral Anthems * Solos * Orchestrations * Worship Songs * Accompaniment Trax (See blog sidebar)
Click the photo above to go directly to our WorshipSounds Music website!
Travis has added a new orchestration to the WorshipSounds Music website! The Director of a large choral group which is singing Travis’ modern hymn and choral arrangement of “A Prayer for the Saints” in TTBB voicing requested a full orchestration for his group. The new orchestration for “A Prayer for the Saints” was added to our website this morning. Like all of Travis’ orchestrations, it is written to be practical for church orchestras as far as difficulty level and to work well with Church Orchestras with varying instrumentation. Travis is always very careful to make sure that the instrumental parts complement the choral arrangement well without covering up the choir. He has had more than one Director remark about the fact that his Orchestrations are very well written in that they enhance the choral parts without overwhelming them.
The Sons of Jubal in concert at First Baptist Church of Lilburn, Georgia, under the direction of Dr. Jon Duncan
“A Prayer for the Saints” is a through composed modern hymn that voices a prayer of longing to draw near to the Lord. It essentially puts into words the desires of the heart for every Christian who wants to walk more closely with the Lord and live in a way that glorifies Him. The TTBB anthem arrangement was selected by Sons of Jubal Director, Dr. Jon Duncan, as the theme song for this year’s annual Sons of Jubal retreat in January, 2012. “A Prayer for the Saints” is also in the current repertoire of The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, directed by Dr. Randy Lind. On our website, we currently have available the anthem arrangment of this hymn in SATB and TTBB Voicings, the full Orchestration, and a Worship Pak, which includes hymnal or bulletin size reproducible hymn sheets, a Vocal Solo/congregational arrangment with piano accompaniment, and lead sheets for rhythm section.
Look for this identifying thumbnail photo on the website. It will help you locate the song more quickly on the Adult Choir page. Additionally, each of the items associated with this anthem on our shopping cart page have the same identifying photo.
Worship Sounds Music Blog Blessings of Faith. Songs of Worship, Life of Joy!
One of Travis’ best loved choral anthems is “God is Faithful.” This song will always be very special to us as well. “God is Faithful” has been recorded as the title song on CDs by both The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma (then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green) and the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Sons of Jubal (Dr. Jon Duncan, Director). It has also been recorded as a solo on individual CD projects and sung all over the world by church choirs, by the choral groups already mentioned, and also by The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma. In addition, the women’s choirs who sang in Australia while their Singing Churchmen friends and spouses were there for a mission trip in 2003 sang “God is Faithful” in all the churches where they ministered in the Sydney, Newcastle, and Brisbane areas (see a story about “God is Faithful” in Australia near the end of this post). Dozens of individuals have taken the time to express to Travis how much the message of “God is Faithful” has meant in their lives; but before the song was heard by anyone else or was published by Lorenz Music, it was a tender message from our loving God to encourage the hearts of Travis and Cindy Boyd.
Note: Scroll down to the end of this post if you are looking for product information about the Song, Choral Anthem, Accompaniment/Performance Track, or Anthem Orchestration, which are available through the publisher, Lorenz, as well as other music distributors. (Click the distributor links in our blog’s side bar to see what Travis L. Boyd products they offer.)
God’s promise
A lot of things were going on in our family and in our lives at the time that “God is Faithful” was written. God had called us to a new place of service. Our daughter was in high school, and our son was still in pre-school; and yet we left behind all 4 grandparents to move to the Church in Eastern Oklahoma which had just called Travis as their Minister of Worship. We had moved from one side of the state of Oklahoma to the other and three and a half hours away from our parents. It had been difficult to leave the only full-time church Travis had ever served where we were geographically very near our extended family, but that’s not the only reason the move was challenging. We were concerned about how our daughter would adjust to the move, we were leaving behind many very close friends whom we still love and miss, and we were leaving a community that had always been very special to us. It was the town where I grew up from third grade on, the town where I graduated from high school, the community where Travis and I had both gone to college, where we had met and married; and we’d both graduated from the University there. Our roots were deep in the community, and we knew and loved so many people there. We also loved our Church and our church family, and it was the church that Travis had longed to serve for many years before being called as their Minister of Music and Worship. The Pastor of the Church we were leaving had not been there very long, and Travis had enjoyed serving with him and with all of the other staff members and support staff at the Church.
Of course, every time that God has called Travis to a new place of service, we have always felt a mixture of emotions. Facing the task of leaving a Church and people that we loved, moving to a new place, and dealing with the unknown was always challenging, heart-breaking, exciting, both joyful for the new opportunity and sad to be moving on, and even a little scary. Intellectually and spiritually, we’ve always known that God would be with us wherever we were. Hovever, sometimes through the years, we’ve had to remind ourselves of this comforting truth. Following the heart-felt welcomes and the initial settling in process in the new home, community and Church, real life adjustments still need to be made after any move. As I’ve voiced to Travis in such times, it sometimes feels as though “we are so far away from everyone who really loves us”. Again, we do know that God’s presence is with us; but as human beings we still long for the joy of familiarity and the comfort of being known. Newness certainly doesn’t mean that we are loved any less, even by the ‘new’ church family. It sometimes just feels that way because we are human. [May God continually remind us what it feels like to long for home, to deal with uncertainty, and to step out on faith even when it’s heart-breaking or difficult to move on. He longs for us to have compassion for the people all around us, people who struggle with change and difficulty and loneliness. We can express His love and grace through a smile, a kind word, an act of compassion, and a warm welcome.]
In addition to the monumental changes that a major move brings, Travis and I were dealing with other issues that were of great concern around this time period. The house we were leaving behind and trying to sell in western Oklahoma was the third house that Travis and I had owned in our 21 years of marriage. Up to that point, it seemed that the timing had always been wrong for us to come out well on the sale of a home. The first home that we bought was in Texas. At the time when God called us to a new place of service a few years later, our Texas builder was adding an entirely new section of homes to our neighborhood. The new streets had sidewalks. There was a community playground in the new part of the neighborhood. Furthermore, the new homes were selling for about the same price we had hoped to get for our home. Of course, we had to come way down on our price in order to sell, and still the home languished on the market for months as the new homes were marketed and sold by developers. By God’s grace, we did manage to hang on, but we did not come out well on the sale of the home. When Travis was called to a new place of service the next time, we had to sell our second purchased home in central Oklahoma. We hoped to come out better because we had added more livable square footage to the home by completing an unfinished bonus room over the garage. However, just as we were preparing to make the move, the United States Government released their list of military bases that were in danger of being closed. The nearby military base was on the list. Eventually, the government revealed that the local base would not be closed. It was removed from the base closings list and is still a functioning Air Force base today, but its future was in doubt during the entire time that our home was on the market. As a result of the uncertainty and the possibility of losing the base, real estate values plummeted in our community and other nearby suburbs. Again, we were forced to take less that we should have been able to get for our home. A few months later, when the local base was removed from the list of potential closures, real estate values recovered; but the rebound was too late for us.
Now, during the time period surrounding the writing of “God is Faithful”, we needed to sell our third house, in western Oklahoma; and, once again, the circumstances were not great. When we had moved into the community, we had rented a 3 bedroom duplex, where we planned to stay until we sold our central Oklahoma home and found a home we wanted to purchase. A few months later, our landlady contacted us and told us that one of her family members had a life crisis and needed the duplex. She was giving us a month’s notice and wanted us to move out. We began looking at everything that was available. Our central Oklahoma home had sold by then, but the lower price due to the uncertainty of the base closing list had drastically limited our options. In addition, the Western Oklahoma community to which we’d just moved was experiencing a major housing shortage at that time. It was a big enough deal to be featured in articles in the Daily Oklahoman (state newpaper) and even in video on Oklahoma City’s statewide broadcast of the evening news. The Mayor of the community was featured in one report. He had sold his home and could not find another to buy, so he was living in a local hotel. The options were so limited that our family of four was very close to having to move into a hotel as well, with a 13 year old daughter and a 4 month old son. We looked at everything that was available, which wasn’t much.
In the end, the only option we had (other than living in a hotel) was a 3 bedroom home where the single car garage had been turned into a small room (a very poorly done renovation). The only things we liked about the house were that it was a roof over our heads and that our daughter and son each had their own bedroom. Everything else was dismal. We moved in just after Thanksgiving. It was our first Christmas at the new, western Oklahoma Church, we had an event to go to every night from December 1st to December 22nd, and our lives were in total turmoil. We had worked on cleaning the house for a week as we prepared to move in, while my parents took care of our children. The whole house reeked of cat urine. Walls and doors, and even cabinets (inside and out) were splattered with what looked like dried plum jam, but we never did figure out what the splatter really was. We scrubbed and scrubbed. I had to give up nursing our 4 month old son because we were cleaning on the house from morning until bedtime that whole week, and it was too filthy to bring the children into. I scraped the bathroom floors with a razor blade to get all of the crud off, and every surface in the house was just that filthy. We rented a machine and cleaned the carpets…twice. They still reeked. Travis was fixing things that were broken as well as cleaning. It was a mess. After we’d moved in, about 3 days went by before the sinks began to back up and toilets began to overflow. We had plumbers out to the house 6 times the first month and a half that we lived there (all during the Christmas season!). They even brought in “the big machine” to unclog our pipes, but the plumbing problems weren’t completely solved until we finally replaced the toilets in both the full bath and the half bath. In all the 3 years that we lived in that house, we were constantly having to fix and replace things (exterior siding, the furnace and air conditioning units, storm doors, dishwasher, water heater, disposal, etc.). The list went on and on. We had to take a second mortgage to pay for all the needed fix ups; and later on, we had to take out a third loan for the new heat and air units. So, by the time we made this move to Eastern Oklahoma, we had been through the wringer financially. We’d even had to come up with an I.O.U. idea for Christmas for our daughter, which we called a “Santa coupon”, and that’s what she got 3 Christmases out of the 4 that we spent in that home (1993 – ’96). We were now going to have to try to get enough out of that house to pay all 3 loans off; and after several months without a sale, even though the house was described by our realtor as “immaculate”, it was becoming apparent that we were going to take a big hit on this house as well. Travis was really concerned. God had worked a miracle to get us into a brand new home in Eastern Oklahoma, so we did have a wonderful break from the constant home fix ups for a while, but we didn’t know if we could keep handling the payments on the new home if we had to keep paying on loans from our western Oklahoma house even after it sold. The months dragged on, and the house didn’t sell until October after we’d moved in January. At one point, church members from our new Church helped by making part of the payment on the Western Oklahoma house for about 4 months; so we were very thankful that basic needs were met (but still barely surviving). It was during this time period of adjustment, uncertainty, and financial hardship that God gave Travis the message of “God is Faithful”.
“God is Faithful” was one of those songs that just seemed to be born in a moment of inspiration. Travis says that the whole song seemed to come to him at once and calls it “very much a God thing,” meaning that God gave the song. It was a message that we needed desperately at the time that God gave the song through Travis; and it was a message that we would need even more over the next few years, as we dealt with many events such as the loss of both of our fathers and of our own unborn child, some of our daughter’s struggles, and other things. Some of the words would come to life even more vividly as we experienced different circumstances in our lives through the years. In some ways, it has seemed to us that the message of “God is Faithful” has been to us both a message for a particular time and a message for all the times to come. There were things ahead of us that we didn’t know about, but God knew. He was re-assuring us with the message of His faithfulness, even before we knew how much greater our need for that encouragement would become at times. But, even though the song has been very personal for us, it has touched many other lives. Travis feels that he was just the vehicle that God used to share the message of His faithfulness with those who have been blessed by “God is Faithful.”
Dr. Bill Green, who was then the Director of both The Singing Churchmen and The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, was one of the first people to hear “God is Faithful.” Travis played it for him during a summer time meeting in Oklahoma City. Brother Bill wanted to use the anthem with both choral groups, so Travis was asked to create an SSAA arrangement and a TTBB arrangement. He also did an orchestration for the Churchmen’s instrumental ensemble. “God is Faithful” was in the repertoire of both groups for several years. During that time period, Brother Bill also sent the anthem to Mary McDonald at Lorenz Music. Mary loved it, and it became Travis’ 4th choral anthem published by Lorenz (the first of his Lorenz anthems published by their Monarch Division, with others to follow). The SATB anthem is still available through Lorenz (See links below), as is the orchestration and the performance/accompaniment CD. Although many churches probably still have and use the published octavos, there are other churches that use Travis’ self-copyrighted copies from before the anthem was published. So many of the Ministers of Worship in the Churchmen wanted to use “God is Faithful” with their choirs that Travis did quite a bit of self-publishing before the song was accepted for publication.
Whatever methods God has used to expand the reach of “God is Faithful”, Travis and I are just thankful that the message of this song has meant as much to others as it has meant for us. The most important truth to which we can cling in difficult times is that God is faithful! Circumstances don’t always work out as we had hoped, but God’s faithfulness is always there. In fact, we did have to continue to pay on the heating and air conditioner loan for over 2 years after selling our western Oklahoma home. Somehow, God provided. The publication of “God is Faithful” and other songs even became part of that provision for our needs.
In 2012, we still have 6 boys at home, five of whom are currently in Elementary School. As a result of circumstances in the past 4 years, we have started over again as far as acquiring equity in a home. Our most recent home sale, after we’d moved to Georgia, took over a year and was completed in 2009 during the worst recession since the Great Depression. The home in eastern Oklahoma, where we’d lived for 12 years, updating and adding a room addition, sold for far less than it would have before the recession began. We could choose to dwell on the losses that we have sustained, but there is no point in that. We know that in each situation, what appears to be bad timing was really God’s timing. He has called Travis to each new place of service very clearly, and He has been faithful to meet our basic needs in spite of economic conditions and other external factors. God’s faithfulness is not thwarted by the ups and downs of the stock market or housing values. His faithfulness is not limited to the specific circumstances that surrounded the writing of this song or any song. Just as God is eternal, His faithfulness is eternal; and it continues as He continues. God is a keeper of promises, and He is faithful!
So, remember…
“When you find it hard to understand
And you’re just not sure you have the strength
To do all God commands…
When the task seems overwhelming,
You can rest within His hands.
For the One who called you is faithful!
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!
He is always there when human eyes can’t see…
So aware of all your hurts and all your deepest needs!
God is faithful! He will not forget His own.
My 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!”
Lyrics to “God is Faithful” by Travis L. Boyd, SATB Choral anthem and Orchestration, Copyright 2003, Lorenz Publishing Company, a division of the Lorenz Corporation
Self-published copies of the SSAA, TTBB, and SATB octavos and the Orchestration that pre-date the Lorenz publications, Copyright Travis L. Boyd
Here, you will be able to click the listening link (music notes) and then immediately click the sample pages link (Adobe icon) to allow you to listen to the professional studio demo recording of the anthem while you view the music.
To returen to this blog, please use the ‘back’ arrow
“GOD IS FAITHFUL” IN AUSTRALIA!
OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL EVERY DAY AND EVERYWHERE!
Here is a testimony of a specific circumstance in which God used the message of His faithfulness through “God is Faithful” to bless and encourage. In 2003, over 300 people went to Australia for an incredible mission trip. The main performing group was The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma. The group gave concerts in serveral large and well-known venues, such as the Sydney Opera House, and then split into smaller groups to minister in local churches. Over 90 of the people on this trip were the wives of the Churchmen; and for the first time ever on a Churchmen mission trip, there were enough of us to form 2 women’s choirs, which ministered in Churches and even in a pineapple canning factory during our time in Sydney, Newcastle, and Brisbane.
The women’s choir that I was in, directed by Singing Churchmen member Tyrone Smith, sang at Annerley Baptist Church, near Brisbane, on Sunday morning, May 11th, 2003, which was Australia’s Mother’s Day. Although the Singing Churchmen were no longer singing “God is Faithful”, the two womens’ choirs were singing an SSAA arrangement of the song. I had been asked to sing the solo on “God is Faithful,” and I had done so during the Worship Service that day.
Our womens’ choir rehearses at Annerley with director Tyrone Smith prior to the service (minus a few members who were taking pictures of the group)
Later on, during the fellowship meal after the service, a woman approached me. She told me that her name was Noela (pronounced Nola), and that she was not a member of Annerley Baptist Church and did not live in Brisbane. She said that she was only at the church that morning because it was Mother’s Day. She and her husband had driven from their home 2 and a half hours away to be there with his Mother. Noela confessed that she almost did not make the trip to visit her Mother-In-Law. She explained that she had been fighting cancer and that she was feeling discouraged.
A lovely lady with a beautiful smile, Noela spoke with a radiant faith as she said, “I believe that I am here today by Divine appointment.”
However, she did feel an urging from the Spirit of God to come to Brisbane; and, with her husband’s encouragement, she made the trip. She told me that she now felt it was a divine appointment for her to be there. Noela said that the message of God’s faithfulness had come across to her so clearly as she listened to “God is Faithful” that she knew why we were there on that day and why God had prompted her to come. Several of us talked with Noela as long as we could, and it was an amazing conversation. God had so touched her and encouraged her heart through the message of His faithfulness that she seemed radiant with faith in His goodness and faithfulness to her, and Noela in turn became an encouragement to all of us. It was a very brief encounter, but I will never forget it.
I can think of many times when God has also touched my heart with His love and encouragement, just as he touched Noela’s heart. Comfort or encouragement can come through a kind word, a prayer, a song, a note, a sermon, a scripture passage or verse, and certainly through God’s presence within us and as revealed to us through the kindness and compassion of others. God is faithful to Noela, He is faithful to me, and He is faithful to you! Be encouraged today as you thank Him for His faithfulness! Encourage others as well. Never forget that God is faithful!
Pray for the people of Australia and of Annerley Baptist Church. Their Pastor, Brother Jim Johnston, retired at the end of 2012 after 16 and a half years of service there. The people there were so kind, providing corsages for each of the women in our choir, plus a single red rose (mindful of the fact that mothers were being honored and that we had left our families to come). They had prepared a meal for us and were so friendly as we shared time together that day. What a blessing it was to be in the midst of Christian brothers and sisters who live on the other side of the world and to feel so welcome and at home. 🙂
Annerley Baptist Church Pastor, Brother Jim Johnston, and our womens’ choir Director, Tyrone Smith
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/
Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
Here is a Youtube video of singer Debra Eden’s solo version of “God is Faithful,” recorded on Debra’s CD entitled, “It Was Love.” The video was put together with the recording by Debra’s sister. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIdfLJOo3q8
“But I trust in You. O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” Psalm 31:14
At WorshipSounds Music,
we are introducing the powerful new SATB Anthem and Modern Hymn, called “A Prayer for the Saints” !
This incredible message has been brilliantly arranged for your choir. You’ll love the recurring motif in the piano accompaniment and marvel at the smooth harmonic transition in the second modulation. Even more importantly, the lyric content is a profound prayer, expressing the heart cry of every Christian who longs to grow closer to God and to become more like Jesus.
The melody is beautiful and singable, making this modern hymn very appropriate for congregational worship. As a result, “A Prayer for the Saints” is currently available in two formats on our Boydbrain Music website:
** The powerful SATB Anthem PDF is available for $15.00, with permission to make an unlimited number of copies (for your choir and accompanists only).
** A Worship Pak for “A Prayer for the Saints” is available for $10.00. It includes a lead sheet for rhythm section, a reproducible hymn sheet (bulletin or hymnal size), and a Vocal/Piano score.
Subtitled “Your Saving Grace,” “A Prayer for the Saints” is in the current repertoire of The Sons of Jubal, a large mens’ choral group sponsored by the Georgia Baptist Convention and consisting primarily of Ministers of Music and Worship (and others who faithfully participate in local church worship ministry) from all over the state of Georgia. The Sons of Jubal Director, Dr. Jon K. Duncan, chose “A Prayer for the Saints” as the theme for the group’s annual Rehearsal & Renewal Retreat in early January, 2012. The men in this amazing choral group will be sharing this anthem in monthly concerts throughout the year, and the piece will be included in the concert repertoire for a trip to Korea (not South!) in a April. The Sons of Jubal have been invited as a featured group at a large choral festival. Prayers for this endeavor are greatly appreciated!
Ministers of Music and Worship from all over the state of Georgia, who have heard “A Prayer for the Saints” as a result of their involvement in The Sons of Jubal, have ordered this powerful prayer anthem for their choirs. At our home church, Travis introduced it first as a Vocal Solo. Our wonderful Adult Choir has also sung the SATB anthem version of “A Prayer for the Saints,” and our congregation has shared in this message as a worship hymn. In the local church environment, many of our members have commented on the lyrics of this Kingdom message. Our prayer is that this piece could have an impact all over the world, expressing the deepest longings of God’s people everywhere.
Your Choir could begin learning “A Prayer for the Saints” at your next rehearsal. Or, if you do not have a choral group at your church, you can introduce this modern prayer hymn as a Vocal Solo and then use it for congregational worship. Our Worship Pak contains everything that you will need (reproducible hymnal or bulletin size song sheet, reproducible lead sheet, and Vocal/Piano Score).
To see and hear the music, you can view the Video Demo for “A Prayer for the Saints”, go to our WorshipSounds Music website. You’ll find “A Prayer for the Saints” on our “Adult Choir” music page. Here’s the link to the website: http://www.worshipsounds.com
ALTERNATE VOICING AVAILABLE! The TTBB arrangement, as sung by The Sons of Jubal, under the direction of Dr. Jon Duncan, and The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, under the direction of Dr. Randy Lind, is also on our website.
A Full Orchestrationis also available for this anthem!
Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jeusu?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/ Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.
Worship Sounds Music Blog Blessings of Faith. Songs of Worship, Life of Joy!
The Georgia Baptist Convention’s Sons of Jubal are a large Men’s Chorus from all over the State of Georgia, Directed by Dr. Jon Duncan. The Sons of Jubal meet together for a retreat to rehearse, introduce new members, and learn new music in January each year. Then, they present worship concerts in Churches and other venues once a month except in the months of December, June, and July. Many of these men are full-time or bi-vocational Ministers of Music and Worship, and some hold other positions of leadership and service within their home churches and within the Georgia Baptist Convention. Travis has been a member of this group since January of 2009. It has been a joy for him to have the opportunity to meet and serve with these gifted and dedicated men. It has also been a great learning experience for him to travel around the state to present worship concerts in various churches. We are getting to know the state, the communities, the churches, ministers, and ministries, the needs, and the people of Georgia through the experiences and relationships that have come our way because of this group and the women’s choir, The Jubalheirs.
The Sons of Jubal have sung several songs written by Travis. Before we moved to Georgia, they were singing “God is Faithful” and had recorded it as the title song on one of their CDs. They have also sung some of the TTBB arrangements done by Travis for The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma. The Sons of Jubal Ensemble, directed by Steve Brown, is currently singing Travis’ a cappella arrangement of “(I Am a) Friend of God.” The current repertoire of the full choir includes Travis’ song, “A Prayer for the Saints,” which was recently recorded on a new Sons of Jubal CD titled “Washed Away”. We are thankful that the ministry of the Sons of Jubal will allow these songs to touch many hearts.
For us, the song that we will always associate with The Sons of Jubal is “Where You Want Me to Be.” Though the song has also been performed by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma and was part of the Churchmen’s 50th Anniversary Concert repertoire, directed by both Dr. Ken Gabrielse and Dr. Bill Green, “Where You Want Me to Be” was originally arranged in TTBB voicing for The Sons of Jubal and is dedicated to the group and to Dr. Jon Duncan. It has seemed very fitting that the first Sons of Jubal song on which Travis sang a solo was “Where You Want Me to Be.” In this, and in many ways, the Lord has confirmed in our hearts his calling to our current church home and place of service in Georgia after many years of serving in Oklahoma. The true message of the song, “Where You Want Me to Be” goes far beyond geographical location, however. It’s a message for every Christian, one that our Christina brothers and sisters in both Oklahoma and Georgia and all over the world can take to heart. “Where You Want Me to Be” is about surrender. It is only through surrender to God’s sovereignty that we find peace in a broken world. It is through surrender to His call that we find joy in serving. It is through surrender to his Holiness that we are humbled and see ourselves as we are…in need of a Savior, in need of His presence and guidance in our lives, and in need of His mercy. Ultimately, it is in surrender to His plan for our lives that we find our purpose and draw upon His strength to become what He made us to be. It is this unity of purpose in seeking to glorify the Lord in all of life and through the gift of music that has drawn our hearts to the wonderful people that we have met in Georgia, and we look forward to many more years of serving together and bringing praise to our God. As we all choose to surrender ourselves and seek to reflect His light more and more, we are right where He wants us to be.
Look for this identifyling Title / photo thumbnail for “Where You Want Me to Be” on both our Adult Choir Music Page and our Shopping Cart page on the WorshipSounds website.
“Where You Want Me to Be” on our Worship Sounds Music Website http://www.worshipsounds.com“Where You Want Me to Be” is available as an SATB or TTBB Choral Anthem on the ‘Adult Choir’ page on our website.
The PDF Master for this anthem can be purchased and downloaded for $15.00, with no additional per copy cost. You are given permission to print as many copies as needed for your own choir and accompanists. *There is a Vocal Solo version of “Where You Want Me to Be” on our website’s Home Page in the left sidebar. The cost of the Vocal Solo PDF is $5.00, with permission to print copies as needed for your Soloist and Praise Band (chord symbols included on music) or Accompanists. You’ll find the Vocal Solos on our website’s “Vocal Solos” page. *There is a Full Orchestration for “Where You Want Me to Be” that will work with either the Choral Version or the Vocal Solo version of the song. The bundled PDFs for the Orchestration can be purchased for $30.00 and include a Full Score, String Reduction for Keyboard, and reproducible parts for all string, wind, and percussion instruments. * There is an Accompaniment Track for “Where You Want Me to Be”that features the Full Orchestration and works for either the Anthem or the Vocal Solo. The Accompaniment Track is available as an Mp3 download for $10.00.
Here’s our recording of the “Where You Want Me to Be” Accompaniment Track (with Solo demonstration vocal) on Sound Cloud.
(Note: On the website, you can hear this as you view a video demo that also shows the vocal line.
Please remember that this track provides a demo of the Full Orchestration and the track also works with the Choral Anthem.)
PERFORMANCE VIDEO: View The Sons of Jubal worship concert performance video of “Where You Want Me to Be” below. On our website, you can also view the music as you listen and watch a computer demo of either the SATB or TTBB Choral (or the Vocal Solo).
Blessings to you as you surrender to serve right where He wants you to be!
Other songs written by Travis L. Boyd that were mentioned as a part of the recent or current repertoire for the Sons of Jubal are also still available.
* “A Prayer for the Saints” is available on our website, as an SATB anthem and in a worship pack for use in congregational praise.
In addition, The Jubalheirs have sung or are currently singing the following anthems, also available on our website:
* “Much More Than a Song”
* “Greater”
* “For the Glory of God”
Find “A Prayer for the Saints” (A modern hymn available both as an SATB anthem and as a Worship Pak, with Vocal Solo music, lead sheets for rhythm section, and reproducible half page size hymn sheets for insertion in a bulletin or hymnal) on our Worship Sounds Music website @ http://www.worshipsounds.com
Here is a link to a CNN Video about the Sons of Jubal trip to a Choral festival in N. Korea in April of 2012. The video includes an interview with the group’s Director, Dr. Jon Duncan.
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/
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
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/
Worship Sounds Music 