Archive for October, 2011


Oct 18

“Cause for Praise,” this Friday

2011 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Events

A few weeks ago we published a blog announcing and introducing this year’s Cause for Praise concert. Ahead of the event, which is this Friday at 7:00 PM, I asked Drew Hodge, our music leader, to answer a number of questions about this year’s concert.

1) Briefly, what is “Cause for Praise”?

Cause for Praise is an annual night of worship through song. This year is our second year and we hope to continue hosting the event every fall. Our desire for the event is to have people from all over Albuquerque come and sing, fellowship, and worship our great God in a way that’s a little different from a usual Sunday morning service. This year will be special in that we are doing a living room, unplugged kind of set. The musicians will all be on the floor for a close, family-like environment. Our prayer is that people come in and feel at home.

2) We know that DSC is releasing an album at this year’s Cause for Praise of songs based on various Psalms. What’s the story behind this album?

Yes! We are releasing Psalterium, Vol. 1, an EP (Extended Play) with five Psalms that we have put to music. Psalterium is Latin for Psalter which is a collection of Psalms, and this is Vol. 1 of what we hope to be a series of volumes, Lord willing. The songs came from our songwriting community that we call the Writers Guild. It’s a group our DSC writers that meet once a month and share music that we have been writing and receive encouragement and critique. Earlier this year I challenged the group to take the Psalm that is the same number as the day they were born and put it to music. My desire was to have more Psalm songs to sing with the church. Psalterium was recorded here at DSC and is the result of that effort.

3) What was the song writing approach for this album, in working from the text of a Psalm to lyrics for a song?

I told the writers to stay as close to the text as possible while taking some liberty with the text to adjust for rhyme and phrasing, changing a word here and there, or taking out a word or two to make it flow with the music. What we didn’t want was a song based on a Psalm. We wanted to sing the Psalm as closely as we could while still making it musically accessible.

4) Last year’s Cause for Praise was later released as a live recording. Will there be a live recording and follow-up album this year as well?

We will be recording this year’s Cause for Praise just like last year, but this year we will be releasing the songs one at a time in the coming months, instead of making a live record. That will give us more time to work on each song, and they will be available through the DSC website in the months ahead.

Admission is free and open to anyone, so plan to come, and bring a friend. Of course, be mindful that this is a live recording if you are including your children and, as always, don’t forget to silence your cell phones. We hope to see you Friday night!

Oct 14

God, Water, and the Achi

2011 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Mission

The Book of Psalms is rich with imagery. It’s rich with imagery because it’s a book of songs and prayers written about and to the Creator of everything we see.

Psalm 104 is perhaps one of the psalms richest with creation imagery, helping us to bless the Lord for His greatness revealed in and through everything that He has made. Just read verses 1-4:

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.
– 104:1-4

Our Water Team is now wrapping up their current trip to the Achi in Guatemala. As they complete their trip, this psalm reminds us of God’s goodness and power on display wherever we find water:

He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
– 104:5-13

Thankfully, water is more than a sign of God’s goodness and power in the provision of physical life. We can bless Him because it is also a sign of His saving power and goodness in His provision of spiritual life. In Isaiah 44:3, God makes a marvelous promise: “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground.” That dry ground is us. When Jesus came, he fulfilled this promise, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

We should pray for God to use our team among the Achi, so that they may have water for physical life. But we should pray all the more earnestly that they may come to Christ and drink the water Jesus came ultimately to provide – water unto eternal life.

Visit our Global Missions Core Initiatives page to learn more about DSC’s partnership with the Rabinal Achi. There you will find information about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how you can be involved.

To hear Psalm 104 set to music, download Fernando Ortega’s “Creation Song.”

Oct 13

Introducing the New DSC Website

2011 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Administrative

If you are reading this blog at the DSC Website, you’ve probably noticed that it received a total makeover about a week ago. Much of the content is the same, but is presented and organized in a way that should be easier to find and easier to use. For example, a new secondary navigation menu at the top of the screen provides quick links to important but not central features of the site, such as the Give page or the Church Directory page. And now, in addition to a rotating banner, we have three fixed image links to the right of the banner. These will change as needed to shine a spotlight on important announcements.

Of course, a redesign like this is also a good opportunity to build in some new content. Here are a few new pages intended to make our site more useful to those who are just getting to know us:

  • The Who Is Jesus? page answers the most important questions about Jesus Christ, which are also the most important questions about our church.
  • The New to DSC page welcomes those who are new to DSC and briefly introduces them to our mission, our worship services, our leadership, and ministries.
  • The new Connect, Grow, and Serve pages outline practical ways to get plugged in at DSC.

In addition, there are a number of smaller additions that should help us stay connected, including pages where you can Update Your Information or Subscribe to the DSC Blog, E-Newsletter or Prayer Force email. In addition, there are several quick links at the top right of the page for DSC’s Blog Feed, Podcast, Facebook Page, and Twitter Feed.

We hope this update helps our visitors get connected and our body stay connected to the glory of God.

Many thanks to Memo Ochoa for his great investment of time and heart in a site that is both beautiful and usable. Memo’s role around here is at the same time one of the least visible and most visible roles in our church. You won’t see him up front in a worship service, but he is the mind and creativity behind the graphics and communication pieces that decorate our church. Well done, Memo.

Oct 11

October Lord’s Supper and Elders’ Q&A

2011 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Events,Lord's Supper

The month of October has two special things going on. First, we will be sharing in the Lord’s Supper on a Sunday morning, October 30. Second, on the Wednesday that would normally be our Lord’s Supper service, October 26, DSC’s elders will host a Q&A session.

Why are we switching things up this month for the Lord’s Supper?

No where in the New Testament do we receive specific instructions concerning when or how often we are to share together in the Lord’s Supper. That’s interesting. We’re told by Jesus, “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:25). And when the Apostle Paul had the chance to prescribe a pattern, he only said, “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 1:26).

But that’s okay. It’s enough for us to know the purpose of the Lord’s Supper: to remember Christ’s death and to proclaim Christ’s death until he returns. Our tradition of sharing the Lord’s Supper on the last Wednesday of each month is meant to help us do this with seriousness, clarity, and focus. It’s a great tradition and it honors Jesus’ command.

But for the same reasons, we’re going to change things up once a year and share the Lord’s Supper together on a Sunday morning. We hope to do this going forward once each year around this time of year.

How can I submit a question for the Elders’ Q&A?

First of all, just plan to submit at least one question. Any question. If you have any questions about our operations, ministries, vision, church planting, or anything else that you would like answered, submit them through the Communication Card on Sunday morning or by email to info@desertspringschurch.org.

If you don’t have any questions, stop for a minute and think up at least one question, then send it in. The elders collect questions in advanced to ensure coverage of the most prominent issues. However, if there are questions unaddressed at the Q&A they will be answered through the DSC Blog or email.

The Elders’ Q&A will take place at 6:30 PM, but you’ll want to come an hour early. It’s not a Lord’s Supper meeting, but we still need to eat and we still need to talk to each other. So, the youth are hosting their now customary pre-service church-wide meal at 5:30 PM. Plan to come, and plan to come early.

 

Oct 5

Resources on Depression

2011 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Recommended Resources

This Sunday, Ryan preached a sermon from Psalm 3, titled, “When Your Whole World is On The Brink.” Psalm 3 is one of many psalms that express lament for lamentable circumstances and, ultimately, hope in God’s saving power and goodness.

In his sermon, Ryan showed us how Psalm 3 gives us an example of how our own thoughts and prayers and feelings can progress: Lament (1-2), Remembrance (3-5), Resolve (6), Request (7-8). This psalm, along with others like it, provides a helpful prayer template for our own laments, sadnesses, discouragements, and depression.

Below are a number of helpful resources for thinking through and wrestling with depression:

Ed Welsch discussing depression:

[RSS and email readers, click here to view this video]

Unfortunately, due to audio equipment issues, the audio for Ryan’s sermon is not available.