Anointed Song

Matthew West is fast becoming one of my favorite Christian musicians. I really liked his song Next Thing You Know but the best so far is Only Grace. This song is an excellent synopsis of the Gospel in music. My favorite lines are "There is no blame. What happened yesterday has disappeared. The dirt has washed away. And now it's clear, there's only Grace." Watch, listen and enjoy. Only Grace

Coffey Anderson (pronounced cafe) is showing up on GodTube and YouTube with some pretty good videos. Give this guy a camera & a guitar and you've got a worship service. This song does not make my anointed list but is very inspirational. Here's Coffey and All Ye!

If you are a DAD, you MUST watch this video!

Anointed songs (and one rap song)!

Many of the songs we are hearing on Christian radio are making their way into church worship services. I like it because I can be reminded of worship even while driving. Many of these songs really speak to the heart and are especially moving. I've been making a list of songs that I consider anointed songs. I have an actual "anointed song list" paper that write down the titles on as I hear these songs. You know what I'm talking about. These are ones that really move you in such a way that causes you to worship whenever and wherever you hear them. They might also speak to you in a way that even the best sermon can't. I consider them "anointed" since it is easy to see God's hand in the writing and performing of these songs. They are just as anointed as some of the hymns that mean so much to us. It takes more than just a catchy chorus to make the list, too. It has to praise, teach, convict or stir the soul. Here is some of that list along with a rap song. Yes, I said it. Rap! Let me explain.

Lose My Soul by Toby Mac
Let's get this straight; I really don't like ANY rap song. Maybe it's because of my age? I can only make fun of rap music. I don't consider this an anointed song but I really have to give this song kudos for the message. You won't hear this in a worship service (contains the word "pimp") but you can soak in the message and I dare you to listen to it and not hear the chorus in your sleep. My favorite line, "Since I got that call, no more Saul, now I'm Paul". It even contains a prayer about 3 minutes in. Really nice. Listen to it now. Click this link: Lose My Soul. Now on the the real good stuff.

In Christ Alone
I was first introduced to this song in worship by John Cotten at FBC. Right from the start you knew this song was something special. This song is fairly new, written in 2001. It is a capsule of the the entire gospel and when sung in worship, you can't help but get stand-up, hand raising excited about what God did for us. I am especially fond of it because of the reference to Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Take a minute to listen and read the words of this inspiring song. Turn it up. Soak it in. Let everyone around you hear it. Click this link: In Christ Alone. This is a really nice version by Adrienne Liesching of Benjamin's Gate.

East to West by Casting Crowns
It's all about Grace! Amazing Grace is the only other song that comes this close to really explaining the Grace that is our through Jesus Christ. You probably won't be singing this in a worship service, but you can really worship all by yourself with this one. There is one line in the song that speaks to me; "I'm not holding on to you But you're holding on to me." That's a beautiful picture of Salvation. The only problem is this song got so much radio play that it lost it's luster (there is another on the list that got "over played"). Take a minute and listen to East to West like you did the first time. Hey, these guys are from McDonough, Georgia!

Mighty to Save by Hillsong United
I can't think of a better song to be singing in a worship service. I first heard this song at a service at Foothills Community Church in Seneca in 2005. Sue and I were blown away by the excitement it brought to the service. We heard it on the radio on the way home and started singing in the car (I annoy everyone when I do that, I'm sure). Hillsong United has a really nice video of Mighty to Save.

I'll reveal more on the list later. What do you think should be on the list? email me at ranshack@windstream.net

Christmas 2008

What a blessing! We had everybody under one roof for Christmas Day. We played with the babies, played with the Wii, spent quality time together with family and ate entirely too much. It was a dream come true for Sue and me to have both Nicklas and Luke at home and we are appreciative of the efforts of Jonas & Melissa and Robert & Jennifer to make that happen. Melissa's family (Gay, Carly, John & Jason) made the trip over from Duluth to have lunch with us. We really enjoyed sharing Christmas with them. We know it was difficult for them to travel on Christmas day and we appreciate them coming to our home. Heath, McKenzie & Alexis also joined us for lunch. You gotta see McKenzie play the Wii. Paul (Sue's brother) was to be there as well but car trouble meant he had to spend the day at home alone. We really missed having him with us. He and I always catch up on the lastest in the electronics business.

We've had advice from many other grandparents about how great it is to have grandkids. "Great" doesn't describe the blessing of these little ones. I used to "put up" with other grandparents who wanted to show off pictures of their grandkids. I was polite and said things like "How cute!". Now the shoe is on the other foot. I show all my customers this site and the pictures of my grandkids and they say "How cute!". They just don't understand!

With all the babies around on Christmas it made the celebration of Christ's birth just that more meaningful. It gave us a somewhat better idea of the challenges that Jesus' parents faced with having a newborn (but under much more difficult circumstances). Indeed, it would be very difficult to even imagine giving up Nicklas or Luke for the sake of others as God did with his Son.

What a great Christmas Day, 2008!

Grandchildren!

This Christmas is especially meaningful to us as we celebrate the birth of our Lord. We've had two new additions to the family in the last 3 months and the house will be buzzing this Christmas morning like never before. Nicklas and Luke are still too young to understand all that will happen but it will be first of many Christmas celebrations to come. We are so proud of Jen & Robert AND Jonas & Melissa and the enthusiasm they show in their parenting. We are working on our "spoiling" skills and personally I think we will be World Champions. Bring 'em on!

There is no lake!

We came up for the weekend only to find the lake is virtually gone! Hartwell is now over 21ft down from full pool and continues to drop. There is still about 46ft of usuable water in the lake (around the dam) but most the lake is closed to recreation. The is a small creek running where we normally have 8-10 feet of water. The lake passed it's all-time low on October 21st, 2008. Each day sets a new record. It will take years for Lake Hartwell to recover. Click on the pictures to get a better view. The lakebed is cracked and looks stable but don't try to walk on it. It is really about 2-3 feet of soft mud. As it bakes in the sun, it will soon be hard enough to walk on.

Nicklas in action............

Nana got some great video of Nicklas as he begins to learn eye-hand cordination. This will be a critically important step for this future Rock N Roll Hall of Fame drummer!!