Tag Archives: kent henry

Songs for a Sunday // For I Know the Plans

A really old Kent Henry album

Spotify says this one is from 1994, so that’s 20 years ago – good heavens! Kent is my all-time favorite worship leader. He blazed a trail in worship revelation and leading 30-40 years ago, but he has never stopped, he just keeps worshiping and leading people in to the Presence, year after year, decade after decade.

There is so much great musical worship out there, many new songs (Kent’s latest release: HERE). But every now and then – it is good to remember and some songs hold up over time and remind you of the good God has done over many years. I can recall what He was doing in my life when I was listening to these songs…

High and Lifted Up, For I know the Plans, The Repaired of the Lord (a spontaneous song of encouragement and promise), Burn it Deep (the reprise) – those are my favorites.

The promise in Jeremiah

As it happens, I caught a live-stream service from Summit Christian Center in San Antonio last night. Pastor Rick Godwin preached, “Good News in a Terrible Place.” It was about the conditions in which God’s people found themselves when that beloved and often-quoted prophetic scripture Jeremiah 29.11 came.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29.11 NKJV)

God’s people were in exile. They were in Babylon, a godless place and they were going to be there a long time, as per, you know – the God of the universe.

Rick said the truth is, being in exile is a regular part of the human existence and the word of the Lord to us is  build houses and plant gardens and marry and live fully and dwell and increase in that place – in our Babylon, our place of exile. Because even there, especially there, God promises:  I won’t leave you, I won’t quit using you and I won’t quit working in your life the way I have planned. Get used to it. You may be in Babylon a long time. But even there, there in your exile,

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord… (Jeremiah 29.12-14)

So that passage wasn’t about being immediately rescued from a bad situation, but about God being there even in the situation – and using us in exile to bless the people and community and world around us!

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So, take heart, friends and family. Exile doesn’t mean you’re washed up, used up, outside God’s will or out of His favor. It just means, He has put you {led you} in to the middle of a place (a Babylon) that needs His glory, His light and love to be shown and He will do that through you! This is good news in even the most terrible of places!

The sermon podcast should be available soon! HERE…update 9.10.14…click here for video OR Podcast here

“Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you.”  – Tim Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering

 

Kent Henry!!!!

Our family-all-time favorite worship leader (the leader on our first ever Hosanna’s! Integrity cassette worship tape: He is Exalted), has a video blog!!!

Kent Henry:  Great voice.  Spirit-led.  Full of wisdom and grace.  Passing it all on to the next generations.  He played at Heaven Fest 2009 and it was awesome!

AND, on this one, he is teaching from my favorite book of the Bble: Ephesians!

The times of refreshing come from His presence because of the power of redemption…(references the song “The God of the Redeemed” from Brian and Jenn Johnson at Jesus Culture).

“Don’t let the devil ever stop you because you’ve fallen in sin…keep using your gift.  This is a secret I learned years ago, this is from the heart of God to yours.  The devil will try to condemn you and confound you to the place: no more prayer, no more playing the guitar, piano, whatever you are doing in your church, teaching, but do not stop.  Don’t let him stop what’s going on in you in terms of redemption.  Use your giftedness as God is perfecting His holiness on the inside of you.”

Hear more on this Youtube video.  I just subscribed to the whole channel!!

Now-what is cool/weird is, perplexingly…I went to bed singing an old hymn from  my childhood that I honestly cannot remember singing for the past 30 years.  Maybe I have, but it isn’t like a favorite song or anything.  It is vcoming together…Today must be for exploring redemption….by the blood of Jesus…

Sweet is the song I am singing today

I’m redeemed, I’m redeemed

Trouble and sorrow have vanished away

I have been, I have been redeemed.

I’m redeemed by love divine

Glory, glory, Christ is mine

All to Him I now resign.

I have been, I have been redeemed.

Summer Bible Reading Plan…NOW I am woefully behind…

I am NOT throwing in the towel for anything!

Gritted teeth determination.

Neither life nor busyness nor a “massive music festivalshall cause me to miss the best meal of everyday:  The Word of God!

Your words came and I ate them.

Summer Bible Reading PLAN: read through the New Testament and the Psalms over the 14 weeks of summer.  Ideally, about 4 chapters or 20 unhurried minutes a day.  Meditate on them, internalize them, live them and be renewed and restored by them.

Ahem….right.

Reality and true confessions:  I have “skipped” a few days and then can’t catch up on my-self-imposed “catch-up days,” AND I have zoomed through chapters, realizing later, I have no idea what they even said.  So then, how could I possibly meditate on them???  Couldn’t.  So, I must re-read…Am I supposed to confess this publicly?  Well, I did.

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Pray for me, friends and fellow-sojourners.  And catch me when I slack.

I wish to be diamond-dripping RICH with the indwelling word by summer’s end.  You, too, I hope!

As Kent Henry sings (and we sing along!)
Lord, I live by Your Word
Lord, I live by every word from Your mouth
And I’m like a tree by a stream
I’m bearing fruit, my leaf is green
All that I do is prospering
O, Lord, I live by Your Word.

Two Weeks until we Celebrate the Birth of Jesus!

Guess who’s coming to dinner?!

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Kent Henry!

Kent Henry!  I wrote about him after Heaven Fest. (pictured:  Kent praying for DP during Heaven Fest)

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Abba, Father sent His Son~

But WHEN THE TIME ARRIVED

that was set by God the Father,

God sent his Son, BORN AMONG US of a woman,

born under the conditions of the law

SO THAT

He might REDEEM those of us who have been kidnapped by the law.

Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage.

You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted AS HIS OWN children

because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!”

Galatians 4.4-6 The Message

He came.  He ransomed us, redeemed us, He set. us. free!  So this is Christmas!

Scenes from a good summer ~ Heaven Fest

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An Ode to Summer, for I will not to acknowledge a  fall which does not truly begin until the Autumnal Equinox, on the 22nd day of this month sometime in the afternoon.  Yes,  the nights are cooler, some mornings even crisp.  And it may seem the summer is past.  But I must sing of my love for the summer until the last verse fades softly…

In summer, the song sings itself.”  ~William Carlos Williams

The evening skies are amazing.

The summer night is like a perfection of thought.”  ~Wallace Stevens

At Heaven Fest this year, we had THE perfect sunny summer morning.  Then late afternoon clouds which morphed into an electrical storm in the offing.  There was supposed to be rain, but lightening just surrounded us instead and gave us the coolest breeze and light show ever!

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www.skateministry.org  Uriel!

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The screen is bigger than it looks!

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Early in the day.

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 Skillet is so cool!

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23,000 people showed up.

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The hip-hop stage was so awesome!  It was packed all day long and there was amazing worship going up!

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 “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”  ~Sam Keen.  This quote has absolutely nothing to do with Heaven Fest, not at least until it’s OVER!

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Every stage had a chaplain/minister who prayed with all the bands.  John Burgess is leading it here!

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We had a Kidz Area this year: petting zoo, face painting, jumpy-things and even a worship stage they could play at.  It was so much fun!

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We never want to chintz on the port-a-potties, and we never shall.

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Kent Henry was here!  What an honor!

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My sweet-peeps, Andy and Leah Garcia, made this shot possible right after Kent and his kids had led us into some deep worship.  Andy set it up and Leah took the shot.  Thank-you, friends!

Kent Henry is not only my all-time favorite worship leader, he was the one I raised my kids on.  Heaven Fest being what it is is due, in no small part, to the worship influence my “tribe” was nurtured on as they were growing up.  Having Kent attend, teach, lead worship and pray over my kids was the honor of a lifetime.  His influence on Heaven Fest is undeniable, whether he is here or not, but it sure was cool to have him come and see the impact his life and ministry are still making on my family and through my childrens’ lives.  Talk about legacy!

The nameless/faceless band at The Sacred Assembly – it was a breathtaking time in the Presence!

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What a summer!  I get to work with 100 other people who lead this deal and it is such a privilege to get to do this thing!  In November we told the Lord yes, in February we started the fundraising, permitting and all sorts of logistical.  By the time summer comes, we are literally surrounded by the world’s most amazing people, walking it out with them.  I love Heaven Fest!  LOVE it!

 

Wanna see about 8000 more pictures?

Tons more photos and youtube videos we found can be seen on www.heavenfest.com. You’ll feel like you were there, if you weren’t, and will re-live the thrill if you were!