Solitude

Great day of worship yesterday. I really, really like Fernando Ortega's version of "How Firm a Foundation" we've been doing, especially the end where we draw out the line "that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake." It's almost like, "Hey, if you didn't get it while we were singing it on eigth notes and quarter notes, maybe you'll get it when we try it on half notes! What a great hymn to compliment TJ's series on Ephesians.

This post is somewhat of an extension of my last post. Yesterday, TJ spoke about solitude, specifically in the realm of getting alone with God so that we not only know about Him, but experience Him (Eph. 3:17-19). The demands of our American society have made it difficult to have solitude. It's so fast-paced that slowing down and getting quiet takes effort. In my last post, I spoke of the struggles to keep my quiet time (solitude) fresh. This post, I want to expand on one of the solutions I've found to that...worship tunes.

When I first became a Christian (age 16), the contemporary music movement was at it's peak. Passion Band, Hillsong, Vineyard and others were cranking out great new songs. These songs were what I relied on to have solitude because I didn't yet know how to study the Bible. Whether in my room, in my car, or at church, I was constantly thinking about these tunes, and more importantly, God. Here are some albums that deeply impacted my solitude as a new Christian:

Hungry (Falling on My Knees) - includes a compilation of artists such as Kathryn Scott and Brenton Brown. The absolute best worship album I've ever owned.

Hillsong: Shout to the Lord 2000 - this is back in the days of Darlene Zchech. This album was high energy, covering every emotion possible.

Passion: OneDay Live - a compilation of old and new worship tunes by the Passion Band. Includes Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall and Christy Nockels.

Now-a-days, I'm listening to the full range of it all (hymns, contemporary, other). Yet, over the past 5 years, I've stopped using worship tunes to help aid my time alone with God. Yes, I went through the phase where I felt like my quiet time wasn't complete unless I had studied the Scriptures with a 5 lb. concordance and a notebook. I had pushed out using music to aid my solitude because I figured it wasn't "the best way." Now, I'm beginning to remember how rich those times were. To think of the deep communion I could have with God if I combined the music from my "spiritual birth" with the theology of my "spiritual maturity." Wow...

I think I might need to pull out that Hungry cd again...