Mixed Tape Vol. I Track 1

Everything and Nothing Less

Alright, let's get down to business...track one of my worship mix has got to be Everything and Nothing Less, by Chris McClarney.

I spent so much of my life in the world living for myself. Let's be real. Even growing up in the church didn’t really make a difference. I mean, I wasn’t heavily into drugs, I didn’t physically hurt people, and I wasn’t a violent person. Yet I did hurt people, I broke people’s hearts, I took advantage of people, I manipulated people.

I was a mess, but God had a plan for me!

In 2005, I started to realize what God had done for me, and my heart was opened. I realized there was so much more that God wanted to show me, and I longed to grow in my relationship with Him! Simply longing for a relationship with God wasn’t enough though. I really struggled with who I was in the Lord and what I needed to do to live for Him. For the next few years, I lived a life in and out of the church, a life of mediocrity, a life of words saying, “Yes, I’m a Christian and I love God,” but actions saying, "I have no confidence in Christ." I knew I was saved, but really had a hard time walking in it.

And then…in 2013, I was unlocked!

We came to C4 after moving to Colorado, and this fellowship welcomed us in with open arms and showed us the love that God intended for His people. Through all of this, I finally knew what God wanted. He wanted all of me! Romans 12 says:

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

I finally realized that God wanted my heart, my mind, my soul, my body, my life, my family, my work. He wanted to be in and of everything!

He wanted me to surrender everything over to Him and let Him guide me. Giving God everything was a reasonable service to Him, because He gave everything for me through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Last year (I don’t remember exactly when), I was at my desk at work, listening to music and knocking out some work when this song started playing over my headphones. I literally stopped what I was doing, hung my head and worshiped, right there at my desk.

It was the first time I had heard this song, and it literally brought me to tears-- yup, right there at my desk! The song is all about coming humbly before God and giving Him everything, exactly what God wants from us.

When we humble ourselves to the point where we truly give God everything, when we fork it over and put it in His hands, when we say, “This is for You, God-- my life, the way I treat my friends, the way I treat my family, the way that I conduct myself at work, the way that I carry on my life, the way that I encourage people, the way that I do anything that I’m doing.” -- When we can honestly say, “This is for you God,” and when we have given Him everything…not most things…not some things…but truly everything and nothing less, then our lives will be unlocked for the Lord!

I have a ton of work to do in this part of my life, I am NOWHERE near perfect, but God is!  And I've come to realize that as long as I place my life in His hands, I will be able to surge forward with Him, and you will too! So here it is, the first song on my mix tape, hit "Play"...and scream it out (Don't mind the people next to you).

Mixed Tape Vol. I

It’s all about the mixtape!

That’s right, you know what I’m talking about. That wonderful combination of plastic and magnetic tape capturing every song that "identified" who you were as a teen…or maybe as an adult (if that’s the case…just keep that to yourself).

There’s a good chance if you were born after 1990 that you may not know what I’m talking about. So by today’s standard, you’d call this your playlist, your Spotify list, or your  Pandora station, so don’t tune out yet, young people!

Whatever your generation, I’m talking about that mix of songs that will likely get you stared at in your car as you scream sing your way to work...you know who you are...

You see, music just has a way of reaching deep into our hearts, building us up, comforting us, relieving anxiety, and of course, bringing us into the throne room of God.

If you know me, you know that I have music pumping through my veins, I have theme songs constantly playing in the background (uuhh, who doesn’t?!), and my wife doesn’t hear snoring…she hears my sweet melodic symphony…ok, maybe not. Seriously though, I absolutely love music, so when it comes to glorifying God, I can think of no better way to lift Him up than through music!

1 Chronicles 16 says:

23  Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!
    Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

 

29  Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor.

See, We were made to worship God, and music is a natural avenue for our worship!

I must tell you, I absolutely LOVE the heart for worship in our Church. Matt Wallenburg has done a wonderful job following the Lord and submitting his ministry wholeheartedly over to God. I’ll be honest, growing up in "church," I was familiar with places that sing the same songs every week…over and over and over...and over again, so when I first experienced worship at C4, I was a little bit caught off guard.

I mean, how are you supposed to learn the songs when they don’t repeat week after week!? I know you’ve asked that question too… ;)

Yet when I learned the heart of worship that emanates from our fellowship, it all made absolute sense!

You see, the heart of worship at C4 is to be a ministry that is raw, unedited, pure, and 100%, wholly devoted to, and led by the Spirit.

Don't get me Wrong, we do strive to be excellent in ministry…raw and unedited does not equal sloppy and unprepared.

Every worship set is personal and prepared specifically for that service. The songs are prayed over and chosen with the leading of the Spirit. We do not coordinate with the messages being taught, and we do not choose songs by the popularity of the artist, song, or theme. This ministry is truly organic, focused 100% on God and led by the Holy Spirit.

Once I came to realize this, my perspective changed and my heart welled up for Matt Wallenburg and the work he was doing here. God has put a great calling on his life, and he has answered that call faithfully. I’m blessed to be involved in ministry with Matt and am excited about what God is doing in the Worship Ministry here at C4.

What does all this have to do with a mixed tape? Well, I want you to join me for my next 6 posts, where we’ll take a look at my worship mixtape! These are songs you will hear while attending C4, songs that are focused on the Lord and lead us to a closer relationship with Him. These are some of my favorite worship tunes, and yes, you could catch me scream singing these all the way down Arapahoe...

Which songs are on the top of my list? What do they have to do with scripture, and why are they significant to our fellowship? I’ll be sharing all of this and more, so come on back...subscribe...like...share...bookmark...whatever it is you do, and check it out next time!