Truth in the Digital Age (9-27-2026)

We’ve been going through a series on truth and God’s word. This means a lot of the songs in our repertoire that talk about the Bible have already been sung in the last few weeks, but luckily not all of them! As we move later into our service, the focus of our songs will shift from God’s word into what our lives should look like when we are truly seeking His truth.

1. The Gospel Is For All

The truth that we have in God’s word is not a secret we should keep to ourselves. The love of God that’s written about in the Word is a message the entire world needs to hear, especially in this day in age where “truth” has been so diluted and so much “noise” is being bombarded at us. This song does a great job at setting the tone for our entire service.

2. Into Our Hands (Swiftly We’re Turning)

Tillit Teddlie typically wrote the words and music to the songs that he composed. In this case, however, someone else wrote the words and he put it to music. Mr. Teddlie was approached by a woman named Mrs. Roy Carruth, who said she had written several poems he might like to have. He paid her $4 for them, which may not sound like a lot, but in 1938 that was around $95! The words to this song was one of the poems he purchased from her.

3. Holy Spirit, Dwell in Me

As we study God’s word, we should be seeking to increase our wisdom in applying it to our lives. James 1 tells us to ask for wisdom. I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit is one of the many ways God can help us in our seeking. Imagine if each time we read the Bible, we started with the prayer in this song: “Touch my eyes that I might see.” Indeed, we should always ask the Spirit to help the Bible to “be my drink, be my living bread.”

4. Ancient Words

When you consider that the Bible is a collection of 66 books put together, it amazing to think of how so many different authors, gathered from so many different places and times, are still being read today and are still changing lives. That is indeed what was going through the mind of Lynn DeShazo when she wrote this song. A few people have taken time to criticize her lyric “O let the ancient words impart” mainly because the word impart has no object attached to it. What exactly are the words imparting to us? However, as a songwriter myself, I think Lynn’s lyric is appropriate. For starters, song lyrics aren’t always grammatically correct. It is, in fact, poetry set to music (as mentioned earlier in the blog). Second, I like leaving what the word is imparting open because what each of us needs from the word varies from day to day. Perhaps it is imparting truth, or wisdom, or faith…the list goes on. God knows what we need, so let’s allow Him to determine what the ancient words need to impart to us each time we read His word.

5. Oft We Come Together

Two Tillit Teddlie songs in one week? I couldn’t resist including this song because it’s one of the few songs that actually contains the word “truth.” Each verse of this song refers to one of the emblems that we pass: the bread, the cup, the offering. In order to emphasize each emblem, we will sing one verse at a time, pass that emblem, and then continue to the next verse. (See ORDER OF WORSHIP below)

6. Thy Word

There’s probably no two greater bigger names in contemporary Christian music than Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. The two came together to compose this song. Of course, Amy had a great starting point for the lyrics, as the chorus comes directly from Psalm 119:105. She takes it a step further, though, in the verses by describing some of the times that she needs to turn to scripture: when she is “afraid,” or when she is “wandering.”

7. Days of Elijah

There may be thousands of years separating us from the events of the Bible, but the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in our lives (Romans 8). That should definitely impact how we view the truth of scripture. It is just as relevant today as it was back then. Therefore, these are the days of Elijah!

8. Called Me Higher

As we read the Bible and attempt to discover the truth, what good is that if we don’t let it have an effect on our lives? We should always read with the underlying goal of discovering what God is trying to teach us. Where is He calling us to go? What is He calling us to do? And will we “go where You lead me, Lord”?

9. I Saw the Light

If His word is indeed a light unto our path, then it will lead us to where there is no more darkness, no more night. What else can we do but exclaim “Praise the Lord, I saw the light!”

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

The Gospel Is For All (1,3)

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 ESV

Into Our Hands

Holy Spirit, Dwell in Me

PRAYER

Ancient Words

Oft We Come Together (2)

COMMUNION – BREAD

Oft We Come Together (3)

COMMUNION – CUP

Oft We Come Together (1)

OFFERING

Thy Word

Days of Elijah

SERMON

Called Me Higher

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

I Saw the Light (1,3)

Goodness of Grace (8-16-2026)

We’re continuing a series of sermons on grace this week. I’m excited (and maybe a little nervous) to be introducing two new songs to our Sunday morning service at Creekside. They are songs that we have learned in our Wednesday night singing class, and I have a feeling they will become new favorites in our worship.

1. Amazing Grace

We begin with perhaps the most famous song ever about grace. Some might not be familiar with what a transformation it took in the composer’s life to be able to write this song. John Newton was a slave trader, helping to transport slaves across the Atlantic ocean. When he looked back on his transformation, he acknowledged he had a hard heart and was prone to violence. On one of those trips across the ocean, a violent storm hit, and death seemed imminent. In desperation, Newton cried out to God. While it took a couple more years for his heart to soften, he could not escape the feeling that God had shown him grace and spared him in that moment. He eventually left slave trading and became a minister. It was during this time that he wrote this hymn. Realizing the storm he faced, the words “how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed” takes on a whole new meaning.

2. Wonderful Grace of Jesus

I don’t recall singing this song as a child. In fact, I may not have learned it until I moved to Texas in 2012. This song has existed since 1918, though, so it certainly has been around a long time. If you listen to the song, you might think it was designed for acapella singing, given the male lead at the beginning of the chorus. I doubt that to be the case given that Haldor Lillenas was actually raised Lutheran and became a minister in the church of the Nazarene. He intended this song to have an evangelistic effect to spread the news of the grace of Jesus. Given that the song is still being sung today, I’d say his evangelistic goal was a success.

3. His Grace Reaches Me

After having our scripture reading, we take it down a notch from the last song. Even though this song may start slower and quieter, it is still just as stirring of a song as the last one. The popularity of this song soared in the 60’s and 70’s when gospel quartets were all the rage. Whitey Gleason composed it in 1964, and the Blackwood Brothers Quartet (whom Gleason played the piano for) recorded it soon thereafter.

4. The Goodness of God

God gives us grace not because of anything we have done, but simply because of His goodness. That is why our theme this week not only focuses on grace, but on the goodness of God. This song has continued to grow in popularity since being originally released in 2019. CeCe Winans released her version in 2021 and bolstered it even more. Every time I have seen this song led in church, you can tell that people are connecting with it. When we sing the words “all my life, You have been faithful,” each one of us is thinking of ways unique to us that God has been faithful.

5. God Is So Good

Such a simple message, but still so important for us to acknowledge. I also like this song because it is so easy to customize to a specific theme in our service. Not only does this fit our theme of goodness, I made it fit the theme of grace, as well, by adding a verse: “He gives me grace, He gives me grace, He gives me grace, He’s so good to me!”

6. A Beautiful Life

Earlier we talked about John Newton’s change in life and how that inspired the hymn “Amazing Grace.” This song also came from the desire of a changed life. William Golden is said to have written this song in prison. Clearly whatever he had done to get himself there, he had a desire to live a better life. Thus he begins “each day I’ll do a golden deed by helping those who are in need.” What an example. Because of the grace God has given us, let us then show that grace to others in the way we treat them.

7. Make Me More Free

There is no other song we sing (that I know of or can find) that has the phrase “more free.” If you are free, then how can you be more free? Dennis Jernigan, writer of this song put it this way: “I am never too old to learn something new, and I can always stand to be a little more free in my identity in Christ.” Christ has set us free with grace, but each day we exist in these earthly bodies, we struggle. So let our prayer be for God to “make me more free.”

8. I Will Sing of the Goodness of God

This last song is the latest composition of one of our elders, Gary Pendergrass. From Psalm 89, it is an uplifting and catchy tune that I think you’ll find yourself humming for the rest of the day.

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Amazing Grace (1,2,3)

WELCOME

PRAYER

Wonderful Grace of Jesus

SCRIPTURE READING – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ESV

His Grace Reaches Me

Goodness of God

COMMUNION
OFFERING

God is So Good

A Beautiful Life (1,2,4)

SERMON

Make Me More Free

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

I Will Sing of the Goodness of God

Loving Father (6-21-2026)

Our songs this week all remind us what a loving, forgiving Heavenly Father we have. May they serve as an example not just to fathers on Father’s Day, but to all of us on how we should be loving and forgiving to everyone.

1. This Is My Father’s World

Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? If so, you know the breathtaking beauty it displays. Would you believe that is partially what inspired the lyrics of this hymn? Maltbie Babcock would head out for a walk around Niagara and tell his wife “I’m going out to see my Father’s world.” After his death, his wife published his words as a poem, his friend Franklin Sheppard set it to music, and it became known around the world.

2. One Thing Remains

It’s been over a year since we’ve sang this one at Creekside, so I thought this was a good week to dust it off and bring it back. If anyone comes up to me and says that this song is too repetitive, you can be sure I’ll make them go read Psalm 136. In that Psalm, every verse (all 26 of them) contains the phrase “His love endures forever.” In fact, I would say this song is trying to accomplish the same goal. It’s trying to reinforce that God’s “love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.”

3. Glorify Thy Name

Just before Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He was deep in prayer. In John 17, He specifically prays that the Father may be glorified through Him. That was the inspiration to this song when Donna Adkins wrote it in 1976. What a beautiful example of a prayer for us to pray as well: may He be glorified through us.

4. Confession (Forgive Us, Lord)

This is our first time singing this song on a Sunday morning. When I introduced it a few weeks ago on a Wednesday night, I made this comment: “If this song doesn’t touch your heart, then you had better check if you have a pulse.” Written by Randy Gill (Shout Hallelujah, Magnificat), this song asks for forgiveness for our sins. Each one of us has different things we struggle with. That’s what is so deeply moving about this song: the sins I’m thinking of as we sing this song are different than the sins you’re thinking of as you sing it. But the one thing we have in common? Our need for His mercy and forgiveness.

5. How Deep the Father’s Love

This may sound like an old, traditional hymn. In actuality, it was written in 1995 by Stuart Townend. Stuart can tell the origins of the hymn better than I can.

6. Great Is Thy Faithfulness

This is one of those songs that the Church of Christ was a little late to the game. Written in 1923, the song gained popularity in the 1950’s through Billy Graham. It didn’t make it into the hymnody of the Church of Christ until 1977. I don’t believe I learned the hymn until it was published in “Songs of Faith and Praise” by Howard Publishing in the 1990’s. It is definitely a dearly loved hymn throughout the world.

7. Always Forgiven

”Father of grace, You welcome me in.” What a wonderful thing to call our Savior: Father of grace. After having sung “Confession (Forgive Us Lord),” this song is a wonderful follow up to that. This song also mentions the sin that we’ve committed, but more importantly, it tells what God did with that sin: “All of the sin I have committed was placed upon Your righteous Son.”

8. Father, I Adore You

We end with this simple song sung as a round between men and women. I hope it stays in your heart for the rest of the week!

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

This is My Father’s World (1,2)

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 103:8-13 ESV

One Thing Remains

Glorify Thy Name

PRAYER

Confession (Forgive Us, Lord)

COMMUNION

OFFERING

How Deep the Father’s Love (1,3)

Great is Thy Faithfulness

SERMON

Always Forgiven

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

Father, I Adore You

Senior Sunday, Volume 3 (5-17-2026)

Getting teenagers to respond to texts and emails asking for requests is never fun. However, once they do respond, seeing what songs they send me of their favorites is definitely fun! Each of our 5 graduating seniors contributed one song choice for our songs this week. Our theme for service has to do with staying close to God as we work towards being close to Him in heaven. Whether it was coincidence or providence, each teen had at least one song on their list that fit this theme! I picked 4 more to round out the set. Let’s see what made the list.

1. Let Me Live Close to Thee

When you think of songs about being close to God, this is certainly one of the most upbeat ones. If you follow church music history at all, then you’ve likely heard of the publishing company Stamps-Baxter Music Company. Founded in Dallas, Texas, the name of the company came from the two founders: J. R. Baxter, Jr. and Virgil Stamps. This song was written by those two men! Hard to believe that this song will be 100 years old next year.

2. Seek Ye First

(Chosen by Dean) Sometimes we make being close to God harder than it is. Jesus left us a pretty clear message of how to do so. “Seek first the kingdom of God.” The basics of that message struck Karen Lafferty during a difficult time in her life. She realized that is where she needed to put her focus, put it to music, and the rest, as they say, is history.

3. Jesus, Let Us Come to Know You

(Picked by David) Sometimes in our effort to get closer to God, we may feel like it all rests on our shoulders. That’s not the case, though. James 4:8 reminds us that when we draw close to God, He will in turn draw closer to us. If you’re feeling the need to be closer to God, tell Him so in prayer…or better yet, sing Him this song. That’s exactly what this song is: a prayer for God to draw closer to us.

4. Nearer, Still Nearer

(Picked by Marshall) Routine can be a double edged sword. Humans like routine. It helps us as a memory aid and keeps us from forgetting. However, when something becomes too much of a routine, we can go through the motions and not really think about what we’re doing. (Example: Haven’t you ever driven somewhere only to realize you can’t remember the drive or anything about it?) The same can be true for songs that we’ve sung in church our entire lives. In an effort to help us get out of routine and sing this song in a different style, we’ll be singing a new arrangement of this song. Same words and notes as normal, but verse one is just soprano/alto, verse 2 is just soprano/tenor, and verse 3 is just soprano/bass. Everyone comes back in on verse 4. Perhaps you’ll hear some of the lyrics in a new light when sung this way. (The video below is the traditional arrangement.)

5. Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)

(Picked by Karen) If I asked you when did Jesus feel farthest from His Father in heaven, what would your answer be? I’m willing to guess you’d say when He was on the cross. After all, He uttered the words “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Isn’t it just like the Gospel that in that moment of Him feeling furthest from God, He made it possible for us to be close to God? This song paints the contrast of that beautifully. The song begins very low and quiet, reminding us that “The Savior of the world was fallen.” But when we get to the line “The ground began to shake,” just wait until the volume grows, the hope arises, and we burst out “Forever He is glorified! Forever He is lifted high! Forever He is risen!”

6. I Will Meet You There

Knowing that we will be close to God in the next life is truly a comfort. But what makes it even better? Thinking of the reunion that will take place with all those who have gone on before us. This song was written out of tragedy when two dear friends were killed in a motorcycle accident. What was born out of tragedy turned into a song that has brought comfort to people around the world. Praise God!

7. A Mansion, Robe and Crown

As a worship leader, you often hear people say “I want that song at my funeral.” Sylvia Rose got a more specific request: write a song for my funeral. Not only that, the request was from her own father! He didn’t want to wait until he passed and then have the pressure of the request put on her, so he did it while he was still alive. This song was born out of that request. And just like the last song, while it may have been written dedicated to someone specific, it went on to bring comfort to Christians around the world.

8. Hymn of Heaven

This song truly contrasts the pain of life with what we’re waiting for. “Every prayer we prayed in desperation…in the end we’ll see that it was worth it when He returns to wipe away our tears.” If your heart isn’t beating with joy and hope at the end of this song, please check to make sure you have a pulse. 🙂

9. Heaven’s Medley

(Picked by Victor) I did not grow up singing this medley, but I sure wish that I had. I learned it in 2012 after moving to Texas. It was one of those songs that had been passed from youth group to youth group, so I attempted to put it to sheet music. It’s definitely a crowd favorite every time I lead it. Here is an audio recording of a youth group singing a similar arrangement.

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Let Me Live Close to Thee (1,3)

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – Philippians 3:17-21 ESV

Seek Ye First

Jesus, Let Us Come to Know You

Nearer, Still Nearer

PRAYER

Forever (We Sing Hallelujah)

COMMUNION
OFFERING

I Will Meet You There

A Mansion, Robe and Crown

SERMON

Hymn of Heaven

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

Heaven’s Medley

His Hand at Work (4-19-2026)

We are beginning a new sermon series this Sunday titled “The God Who Works: Seeing His Hand in Our Daily Lives.” So what better topic for us to sing about as we open this series than songs that reference the hand of God? Every song on our list this week references His “hand” in the lyrics, but some in very different ways than others. We’ll even be introducing a song that has never been sung on a Sunday morning at Creekside, at least since I started keeping track in 2018. Let’s see what’s on our list for the week.

1. Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand

We recently switched up the format in our Sunday morning service where we now begin with a song as a “call to worship.” I thought this was the best of the bunch to serve that purpose. It really sets the tone for our entire service, and has such a hopeful, upbeat feeling to it.

2. Jesus, Hold My Hand

If Albert Brumley is not a name you are familiar with, you need to change that! He gave us songs like “I’ll Fly Away,” “Salvation Has Been Brought Down,” “If We Never Meet Again,” and “Heaven’s Really Gonna Shine.” Not a super long list, but certainly a prolific list in the Church of Christ hymnody. If you’re familiar with the songs on that list, it’s also obvious Albert liked to write songs giving different parts time to shine with the melody. The altos get their turn in the chorus of this song. Written in 1933, this song clearly gained popularity over the next two decades because in 1956, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash recorded a demo of this song during their “Million Dollar Quartet” sessions. Not bad for a 28 year old gospel songwriter from Oklahoma!

3. Hand in Hand With Jesus

This is one of my favorite hymns. The gentle 3/4 time signature (think slow waltz) gives this song the perfect feel and tempo to hold a newborn and singing this song while rocking them. Now imagine God or Jesus doing that to you. We all need comfort from our fathers at some point in our lives. What better place than comfort from our heavenly Father as we sing “walking thus I will not stray hand in hand with Jesus.”

4. Do Not Abandon Me

“O Lord, your hand rests hard on me.” That’s not exactly a positive view of God’s hand. Or is it? “Rebuke me in my wrong.” These are actually the words of David in Psalm 38, which is directly where this song comes from. God’s hand may not feel very near to you where you currently are in life, and it is okay to feel that way. The important part, as David shows us, is to cry out to Him “do not abandon me!”

5. How Beautiful

“How beautiful the hands that served the wine and the bread and the sons of the earth.” Jesus hands will indeed be a wonder to look at when we get to heaven. The scars will be there. But as Twila Paris reminds us in this song, those hands served us in so many ways while He was here on earth. It sets a standard for us to try and follow, as the bridge points out. “And as He laid down His life, we offer this sacrifice, that we might live just as He died, willing to pay the price.” Tough words to live by.

6. He’s Still Workin’ On Me

This is the new addition to Creekside’s repertoire. Perhaps you’ve heard it sung in children’s Bible class or vacation Bible school. It brings to life the center of our message this morning from Philippians 1:6. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” When Joel Hemphill wrote this song in 1980, he may have intended it for his children, but I can tell you it is a message I need reminded of often as an adult.

7. Shine On Us

“Lord, let Your grace from Your hand fall on us.” As we sing this as our song of invitation, may this be a prayer for each of us to sing. Written by Michael W. Smith and his wife Debbie in 1995, this song has clearly touched lives as represented by the countless versions of it I found on YouTube. After perusing dozens of them, I settled on this simple but beautiful rendition, very similar to the arrangement we sing.

8. He’s God the Whole World in His Hands

This song has such a simple melody and message. Yet we seem to struggle to remember it, don’t we? Don’t you find yourself worrying about wars, politics, the future, and a list of other things that we can’t control? Let this song serve as a reminder of WHO has you in His hands!

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand (1,4)

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – Philippians 1:3-11 ESV

Jesus, Hold My Hand (1,3)

Hand in Hand With Jesus (1,2,4)

PRAYER

Do Not Abandon Me

COMMUNION
OFFERING

How Beautiful

He’s Still Workin’ on Me

SERMON

Shine On Us

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands (1,4,5,1)

Heal Our Battle Wounds (3-22-2026)

Coming up with the right set of songs is painstaking some weeks. After reviewing our preacher’s sermon notes, two words came to the forefront: “heal” and “wound.” Easy to pick songs for that theme, right? Wrong! There is a shocking shortage of songs that reference those two words. I came up with a list of songs that was only about half as many as we needed. I had to step aside and come back to it the next day. Then it finally hit me. What do we need healing from? Where did we get our wounds? In the battle! With that final piece of the puzzle, everything came together. This is also the perfect time to introduce a new song about the battle.

1. The Great Physician

Let’s begin with this hymn which praises Jesus for being our healer! William Hunter certainly covered the many effects Jesus can have on our life in such a short song. His name can bring our “heart to cheer” and rid us of “guilt and fear.” In the last verse, he asks us to look to the future when we sing around the throne.

2. The Battle Belongs to the Lord

We move into our songs that remind us of the battle that we are currently fighting, whether we realize it or not. The Bible clearly states that this life is a spiritual battle. Jamie Owens-Collins was all too aware of that when she wrote this song. She states, “There are times when God comes in and just ‘boom,’ answers your prayer right now and gives you a miracle. But, most of the time, He lets us really walk through the process.” Wherever you are in that process, remember that the battle belongs to Him.

3. Rescue Me

Written by Keith Lancaster for the Timeless Psalter project, the words to this song are a modern interpretation of Psalm 17. You may feel uncomfortable asking God to “bring down” your enemies. But the truth is we all have an enemy in Satan, and he wants nothing more than for us to fail. When we put it in that context, we should emphatically sing “rescue me!”

4. Never Once

We’ve been working on this song for the last three weeks in our Wednesday night singing class, and this is the perfect week to introduce it. As we are thinking about needing God to heal our battle wounds, this song directly acknowledges the battle and how God is with us. “Kneeling on this battleground, seeing just how much You’ve done, knowing every victory was Your power in us.” When we keep that perspective at the forefront of our minds, then it’s easy to declare “Never once did we ever walk alone!”

5. Just As I Am (I Come Broken)

I’m a stickler for not leading a song if it’s already been done in the last 2 to 3 months. So why am I leading this song when we just sang “Just As I Am” two weeks ago? Because this version of the song tells the rest of the story. We come to God “just as I am” because we are “broken” and “wounded,” so that we can be “mended” and “healed” by Him.

6. O God of Every Nation

Many of you are probably scratching your head at the title of this song, asking yourself “do I know that song?” If you don’t know the words, you probably still know the tune. With the same music as “O Sacred Head,” this song of lament asks God to heal our world. The second verse even asks God to help us to remember “days when war shall cease.” Very appropriate words given the current state of our world.

7. You Are My All in All

While this song does not directly reference our themes of “heal,” “wound,” or “battle,” it fits so well, mainly because Dennis Jernigan tells all the ways that Jesus heals our battle wounds. Who can’t relate to phrases like “You are my strength when I am weak,” or “when I fall down, You pick me up”?

8. Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen

Like it or not, how we treat others has the biggest impact of how others see Jesus. If we claim to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, and then we turn around and treat someone poorly, then we are not letting others see the beauty of Jesus in us. That is not to say that we are to show them perfection. On the contrary, be willing to show them your battle wounds, and tell them how Jesus healed them. As we sing this as our song of invitation, may we all do some self reflection on if we are allowing others to see Christ in us.

9. All to Us

If we were to sum up what it means to love others and take that message to the world, this song says it all. “Let the glory of Your name be the passion of the church. May the saving love of Christ be the measure of our lives.”

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – Luke 10:25-29 ESV

The Great Physician (1,3,4)

The Battle Belongs to the Lord
Rescue Me

PRAYER

Never Once

Just As I Am (I Come Broken)

COMMUNION
OFFERING

O God of Every Nation

You Are My All in All

SERMON

Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

All to Us (1,3)

Draw Near (2-1-2026)

James 4:8 tells us to “draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” What a comforting thought. As we prepare to hear a message centered on that thought, I hope these songs help prepare our hearts for drawing near to Him.

1. Who Will Follow Jesus

Most people would probably consider this an invitation song, but I like to use old songs in new, unconventional ways. We begin with this song because it poses the question to all of us: who will follow Jesus? If we wish to draw near to our Savior, that means we must follow Him, no matter where He goes. If we cannot answer yes to this question, then drawing near to Him is all in vain.

2. Walking Alone at Eve

The imagery in this song is part of what has made it such an enduring hymn for the last 100+ years. Having watched many sunsets from airplanes, there is something peaceful about it. It causes us to reflect on the day, or perhaps reflect on our life, and certainly reflect on creation. Thomas Sweatmon, the lyricist, finds himself doing all of the above! Will Slater’s melody certainly played a part in this hymn’s longevity, as well. My favorite note in the whole song is in the chorus when the sopranos sing “O for a home with God, a place in his courts to rest.” That note when they sing the word “a” is very distinct. In fact, you’ll hear that very distinct note again when we sing the song “A Shield About Me” later in our service.

3. Closer to Thee

The last song originated in the Church of Christ, and this song did as well! Written by Austin Taylor, this song almost didn’t make it into existence if it weren’t for a friend of Austin’s. Austin had been trying to write a song and had discarded several attempts into the trash when his friend came to visit. Luckily, the friend pulled this one out of the trash, read it, and encouraged Austin to keep it.

4. Sweet, Sweet Spirit

Before our prayer, we will sing this heartfelt song by Doris Akers. As I was assembling the slides for these songs, I was very surprised to find a second verse to this song. At first, I thought perhaps it was added by someone other than Doris herself, but after digging around YouTube, I was able to confirm that Doris did in fact write the second verse. So we will include it when we sing it on Sunday.

5. As the Deer Thirsts

When you read the title of this song, you may be thinking of the wrong song! This is probably the lesser known version, but still just as powerful. This iteration of Psalm 42 was composed by Dennis Jernigan (most notably known for “You Are My All in All”). It fits our theme so beautifully because as the end of the chorus, he implores God to “draw me deeper, Lord, deeper, Lord, in You.”

6. I Want to Be Where You Are

We’ve sung this song in our Wednesday night singing class at Creekside, but it has never been done on a Sunday (at least since I’ve been keeping track since 2018). It fits our theme so well, though, and is such a beautiful, heartfelt song, that I just had to include it. Written in 1989 by Don Moen, he had been studying intently all the details laid out in the Old Testament about the Tabernacle, all the furniture, the Holy of holies, etc. Thinking of all that was required for that tabernacle and how only the high priest could enter the place of God’s presence, he had the line pop in his head, “I just want to be where you are, dwelling daily in Your presence.” The rest, they say, is history.

7. Called Me Higher

There is one potential danger of focusing on drawing near to God. How could that be possible? After all, God told us to draw near to Him, so why would there be risk involved? The risk is when we convince ourselves that means we get to play it safe. Didn’t He also command us to spread the word throughout the world? Of course that means we cannot always stay danger free. That is exactly what this song reminds us. The verses tell us that we “could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home.” But the chorus contrasts that with the calling that He has put on each of our lives. “You have called me higher, You have called me deeper, and I’ll go where You will lead me, Lord.”

8. Surround Us, Lord

I have a feeling if you polled our congregation on their favorite songs about God’s presence being with us, this would be another top contender. Just as “As the Deer Thirsts” and “A Shield About Me” both came from the book of Psalms, this song is also inspired by the same. From Psalm 125, this song has been on the scene in the Church of Christ since the Zoe Group recorded it over 25 years ago.

9. When All of God’s Singers Get Home

There will come a time when we will no longer have to draw near to God. We will all gather around Him at His throne and be together for eternity. No more sadness, no more goodbyes. Won’t that be something to sing about!

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – James 4:1-8a ESV

Who Will Follow Jesus (1,2,c,3,4,c)

Walking Alone at Eve (1,2,3)

Closer to Thee (1,2,3)

PRAYER

Sweet, Sweet Spirit (1,2)

As the Deer Thirsts (2x)

COMMUNION
OFFERING

I Want to Be Where You Are

Called Me Higher

SERMON

Surround Us, Lord

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

When All of God’s Singers Get Home (1,2,3)

Majesty on Earth (12-21-2025)

We’re continuing a sermon series this week on the “Son of Man.” More specifically, we’ll be focusing on the dominion and glory that Jesus has been given. In our scripture reading this week (Daniel 7:13-14), there are numerous phrases used to describe Jesus and His kingdom. What a beautiful connection that has to the celebration of His first coming to earth. Let’s praise Him for bringing His majesty down to us!

1. O Worship the King

One of the phrases used to describe Jesus in Daniel 7 is “Ancient of Days.” This is one of the few songs that references that name. Some of the language in this song has definitely become dated to us in 2025. “Pavilioned in splendor”? The only reason I know what the word “pavilion” means is because we had a structure at my church in Michigan that we called a pavilion. It was basically an open air covering for having picnic tables set up. So what does it mean to be pavilioned in splendor? Have you ever seen a peacock when suddenly it opens its tail? Imagine that type of covering of splendor!

2. Come, Thou Almighty King

We continue our opening medley of songs with another hymn that also references “Ancient of Days.” This hymn is so old, very little is known about its origins. Some sources say that the words were originally paired with the tune “God Save the King,” or what we Americans would know as the tune to “My Country, Tis of Thee.” Some people found that scandalous to pair a song to the same tune used to praise an earthly king as our heavenly King. So lucky for us, it was paired with another tune called “Italian Hymn” back in 1769 and has survived to this day.

3. All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

We finish our opening medley with this classic hymn. The last two songs both declared God as our King. This song makes a fitting end to the medley then by saying that we should “crown Him Lord of all.” Edward Perronet, the lyricist of this song, had a deep appreciation of making Jesus his King. If you asked most ministers what their greatest sermon they ever delivered was, I’m sure each would have a special message that they curated. (Nothing wrong with that!) Edward, however, was asked one time to preach. Feeling a little unprepared, he got up and declared “I will now deliver the greatest sermon ever preached on earth.” Quite a tall order. He then opened his Bible and read the sermon on the mount. Smart man!

4. Majesty

Defining what is considered a contemporary Christian song is somewhat difficult. What is considered “contemporary”? Written in the last 10 years? 20 years? It’s certainly open to interpretation. Personally, I consider any song that was written in my lifetime to be contemporary. This song just barely makes the cut, as it was written the year I was born. What year was that? I’m not going to tell. If you really want to know my age, you’ll have to look it up yourself, or pay attention to the copyright info when the song is projected Sunday morning. (Gotta make you work for it a little!)

5. Glorious Impossible

Jesus coming to earth made the impossible possible. Without Him, we would be lost, but by Him taking human form, living a perfect life, offering Himself as a sacrifice, we are no longer lost! That is why I love the imagery of this song. It truly reminds us of the “lavish grace so full” that we can receive because of Jesus, the Glorious Impossible.

6. Gratitude

This is a song that we learned in our singing class last Spring. It was not introduced into our worship until this previous Sunday night when one of our teens led it. I figured this was a great time to reinforce it and lead it on a Sunday morning. Imagine traveling with the wise men to worship a King that was declared by angels. What if you had no gift to bring Him? What could you bring Him? That is the sentiment of this song. Listen to the words of what the composers are telling us to offer. “I have nothing else fit for a King except for a heart singing Hallelujah.”

7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Charles Wesley is certainly a prolific songwriter, but even the best songwriters sometimes need some outside help to think outside the box or point them to something better. Charles’ original opening line to this song was “Hark how all the welkin rings.” Don’t know what welkin means? Me neither! Apparently it is old English for sky or heavens. Luckily a preacher, George Whitefield, reworked the opening line into what we know today.

8. Living Hope

The invitation song was the song I had the most trouble picking this week. I couldn’t find a song that helped us apply the sermon to our lives and what it means today. When I ran across this song in my list of songs I know how to lead, I went and looked at the lyrics. It indeed explains why Jesus coming to earth means so much. “How great the chasm that lay between us.” Until He was willing to come to earth, our Savior seemed some distant deity, or one that we could not have access to in the Holy of Holies. “The God of ages stepped down from glory to wear my sin and bear my shame.” And what should our response be to that? “Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free!”

9. Joy to the World

This isn’t just our closing song–it is our mission for the week. Take the joy of our Savior out into the world.

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – Daniel 7:13-14 ESV

O Worship the King (1,3)
Come, Thou Almighty King (1,3)
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (1,3,4)

Majesty

PRAYER

Glorious Impossible

COMMUNION
OFFERING

Gratitude

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (1,2,3)

SERMON

Living Hope

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

Joy to the World (1,2,4)

The Empathetic Savior (11-30-2025)

Working on the list of songs this week was a challenge. There are several songs that talk about Jesus understanding our pain and suffering. But I really wanted to highlight that he truly understands because He gave up so much for us. That allows Him to be able to relate to our pain and suffering because He has walked a mile in our shoes. That truly makes Him the empathetic Savior.

1. 10,000 Reasons

We’ve all (hopefully) spent the week with friends and loved ones while being mindful of all the things in life to be thankful for. I thought this would be a great place for us to begin our worship, continuing to thank Him for all that He has done for us.

2. Tell Me the Story of Jesus

Part of what makes Jesus able to empathize with us is that He experienced being “despised” and “rejected.” That is a phrase that we hear often in the songs we sing. Even when we face hardships in life that make us feel like we’ve been rejected by others, none of us have ever faced the rejection that Jesus did by being convicted and killed when He was completely innocent. So whatever rejection you might be going through, He understands.

3. Highly Exalted

”You were despised, You were rejected.” Because He went through the ultimate rejection, God exalted Him to the highest place!

4. Exalted

Matthew Bassford was a member of the church who passed away from ALS at the age of 45. While I never got to meet him in person, we interacted online as we were both song leaders, worship leaders, and song writers. This is undoubtedly his most famous and best work. Again, like the last song, it emphasizes all the ways Jesus was rejected, but then exalted by God.

5. Night With Ebon Pinion

If there was ever a song that made Jesus relatable to me, this is the one. In the garden of Gethsemne, Jesus is feeling lonely. He is feeling scared. He is praying and asking God for something but being told no. Do you relate to all those? He set the ultimate example by adding the following phrase to His request: “let Thy will be done.”

6. He Knows Just What I Need

Mosie Lister has written some of my favorite hymns. “Where No One Stands Alone” holds a special place in my heart because at the Texas Normal Singing School, we finish each night with that song. “Til the Storm Passes By” is also a stirring song to me, especially since I’m a pilot and get a vantage point of storms that most people do not. When Mosie wrote this song, I highly doubt he ever imagined it being sung by Elvis Presley! When you talk about songs that remind us that Jesus understands our pain, this is one of the best.

7. There’s Not a Friend (No, Not One)

”Jesus knows all about our troubles.” When Johnson Oatman Jr. wrote this song, it was so beloved and relatable that it immediately started spreading throughout the world, even getting translated into Japanese and Chinese. Truly our need for an empathetic Savior is timeless.

8. I’ll Be a Friend to Jesus

I hope by now that these songs have shown how much Jesus went through for us, how much He understands us, how much He empathizes with us…so why would we not want to be His friend? As we sing this song as an invitation and response to our lesson, may we all evaluate our lives and how we can be a better friend to Him.

9. Psalm 34 (Taste and See)

If Jesus is the empathetic Savior, that is one message the world needs right now. So let us “magnify the Lord” together as we close out with this song by telling the world of all the ways He has been empathetic to us. This one is new to Creekside and being introduced for the first time on a Sunday morning. In order to simplify it a little bit, we will not be singing the polyphonic (4 part) bridge. We will simply sing the verses and chorus. This video, however, contains the entire song.

In Him,

Aaron Shotts

ORDER OF WORSHIP

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – Matthew 16:13-16 ESV

10,000 Reasons

Tell Me the Story of Jesus

PRAYER

Highly Exalted

Exalted

Night with Ebon Pinion

COMMUNION

OFFERING

He Knows Just What I Need (1,2)

There’s Not a Friend (No Not One)

SERMON

I’ll Be a Friend to Jesus (1,2,3)

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

Psalm 34 (Taste and See)

Joy in the Battle (10-19-2025)

Let’s face it: doing the right thing isn’t always easy! Even something as simple as sharing the gospel can feel intimidating. There’s no doubt that Satan is doing what he can to hold us back. But when we choose to fight in the battle, there is a joy that comes with knowing we’re working for a cause bigger than us. I hope our songs this week bring you joy and encourage you in your battle to do good things for the Kingdom.

1. Onward, Christian Soldiers

Sabine Baring-Gould wrote this song for the children in his Sunday school class to be able to march along from village to village while singing. While the tune we now have is probably not the same as the one the children sang, it’s still surprising to think of lyrics with such warfare imagery being taught to children. Although, I suppose it could be argued that this was the “I’m in the Lord’s Army” song of its day!

2. Soldiers of Christ, Arise

When making my selections, I’m always careful to make sure I’m not repeating any songs that have been sung in the last few months. So people may be wondering how this song is on our list when we just sang it last week. This is an example of a song that has the same title, same lyrics, but different music. The tune to this version of the song is the same tune used for “Crown Him With Many Crowns.”

3. Dare to Stand Like Joshua

If you made a list of people in the Bible who were brave soldiers in the Bible, Joshua should certainly be on that list. In fact, it’s not his warrior skills that amaze me but his faith that astounds. In the battle against the Amorites (Joshua 10), he prayed for the sun to stand still until the battle was won. God answered that prayer! I’m not sure if I would have the faith to ask for such a thing. No wonder C. M. Robinson wrote these words encouraging us to dare to be like Joshua.

4. Hard Fightin’ Soldier

This song takes the imagery of fighting the battle and reminds us what that involves: “talk right, sing right, pray right.” This is also an appropriate song for our lesson as we are wrapping up our sermon series on sharing the gospel. Each verse reminds us that we should be “bringing souls to Jesus by the service that I yield.”

5. My Worth Is Not in What I Own

Part of what keeps us from fighting the battle is getting caught up in things that aren’t important. Whether it be working, saving money, our material possessions, etc., none of those things are going to matter when we leave this world. This song reminds us that our worth comes from our “Redeemer, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul.”

6. I Still Have Joy

The battle can certainly wear us down at times. This song reminds us of the things that can NEVER be fully taken from us if we hold onto Him.

7. Salvation Has Been Brought Down

If there was ever a song that combined joy with spreading the good news of the gospel, this would be the one! Albert Brumley, composer of songs like “I’ll Fly Away” and “If We Never Meet Again,” wrote this song in 1940. Albert was always careful to make sure that his songs were scripturally sound by asking others to examine his lyrics. It is said that originally he had titled this song “Salvation Will Be Brought Down,” but when he showed it to a preacher, the preacher said that “salvation has already been brought down.” The rest, as they say, is history.

8. Go Light Your World

I asked our youth minister what was going to be the point to take home at the end of his sermon this Sunday. He said that he wanted to encourage and challenge us to keep spreading the gospel in the face of suffering. I couldn’t think of a song that carries that message stronger than this one. This song reminds us how people in the world are hurting, so we need to “carry (our) candle” out into the world and be the light for them to find Jesus.

9. There Is Much to Do (Lord, Send Me)

Sometimes there are songs that, unfortunately, have no background information. There is no information about the composer, M. W. Spencer, to be found. All we know is that the song was first published all the way back in 1890. What we can assume about M. W. Spencer is that he or she was willing and ready to serve the Lord. I thought this was a wonderful thought for our song service to leave us with as we dismiss.

In Him,
Aaron Shotts

ORDER OFWORSHIP

WELCOME

SCRIPTURE READING – 2 Timothy 4:1-8 ESV

Onward Christian Soldiers

Soldiers of Christ, Arise (Elvey)

Dare to Stand Like Joshua

PRAYER

Hard Fightin’ Soldier

My Worth Is Not in What I Own

COMMUNION

OFFERING

I Still Have Joy

Salvation Has Been Brought Down

SERMON

Go Light Your World

SHEPHERD’S PRAYER

There Is Much to Do