Bucket Full of Grace

Is He Worthy? [Amazon Music Link] Is He Worthy? There aren't that many worship songs based on Revelations 5:8-14 even though that scripture describes "ten thousand times ten thousand" angels, living creatures, and elders praising God in unison.  The song centers around the concept that in that day, there will be a scroll that can only be opened by Jesus, since He is the only one that is worthy.  This song is beautiful poetry just to read through the lyrics and the call and response using rhetorical questions puts it in a league of its own artistically.   Biblical Background Revelations 5:8-14 8  Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  9  And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us ...

Your Love Oh Lord [Amazon Music Link] A Great Song for Hikers I have found myself meditating on this song when I'm hiking, especially in the mountains.  There is something about the sky when sitting atop a mountain that brings out my praise, specifically with this song, quoting Psalm 36.  When we spend out days inside our focus turns inward more and more.  Take some time to go outside and look up at the sky.  Hike to the top of a mountain while meditating on this song if possible.  You won't regret it.  I never do. Psalm 36 1 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. 4 Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. 5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the...

The lyrics to the worship song, Never Lost [Amazon Music Link] can be confusing if you don't know the biblical background of the story of Lazarus and how it applies to the rest of the bible. The Story of Lazarus John 11:1-44 records the sequence of events that led to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus was told that his friend Lazarus was very sick and was in need of healing.  Jesus expressed that God would be Glorified more by waiting to go see him.  Two days later, Jesus makes the journey and finds that Lazarus has died and Martha says to Him, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." And, Jesus replied, "Your brother will rise again.  I am the resurrection and the life, the one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." Then, the shortest verse in the bible:  John 11:35 Jesus wept.    Then, Jesus goes to the tomb and has the stone rolled away and declares, "Lazar...

I've done it again.  I made the mistake of reading the comment section on a site talking about  worship song, This is Amazing Grace, by Phil Whickam .  As you hopefully have seen in my other writings, I really strive to have grace for people, that's why the name of this site is Bucket Full of Grace.  For this reason, an overly critical spirit in people really rubs me the wrong way and I need to just stay out of comment sections where people seem to congregate just to argue.  However, this was a group of people arguing over the song that I was about to share about in my post, so I fell into the trap of reading the back-and-forth.  After I got over the disappointment in myself for getting sucked into the argument I realized the issues they were discussing might be ones you have with this or other songs, so these would be good for me to address.  The Argument Went Like This: Critic 1: "The line that you would bear my cross is not biblical.  The bibl...

Praises to Your Name [Amazon Music Link] What Does "Praises to Your Name" Actually Mean? A long time ago, when a king would send a messenger, they would come "in the King's name." This means the messenger should be given the respect and honor that the King deserves even thought they are not the King themselves. In this way, Paul explains in Colossians 1:   15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things...

  The Hairbrush Song [Amazon Music Link] My last fourteen posts have been specifically about worship songs and the deeper meaning within them.  The goal has been to encourage you and help you focus on what the words mean and where they come from in order to connect with worship in a more significant way.   Today we are going to look at a silly VeggieTales song in a similar way.  There is meaning behind this "silly song." The Hairbrush Song Has Deep Meaning First, let's look at the lyrics in case you haven't sung along with Silly Songs with Larry lately: [NARRATOR, spoken] And now it's time for Silly Songs with Larry, the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a silly song. Our curtain opens as Larry, having just finished his morning bath, is searching for his hairbrush. Having no success, Larry cries out... [LARRY] Oh, where is my hairbrush? Oh, where is my hairbrush? Oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, wher...

As the Deer [Amazon Music Link] The Bible passage that this song comes from is Psalm 42 : "1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?"  This psalm and this song shows the emotional and passionate side of faith, longing to worship God.  If you are an analytical type like me and find this hard to wrap your head around then here's something you can think about in this song to help you deepen your connection.  This Psalm is attributed to the Sons of Korah and understanding who they were can give you a lot to think about within this song. The Sons of Korah In 2 Chronicles 20:19 we find that the sons of Korah were Levites, from the family of Kohath.  When David was writing the Psalms, they served as musicians in the temple.  So, being named as the sons of Korah, means that their lineage was very important to understandi...