i am sure of this

Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon,...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:29:00 -0500

Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night. I hope your week has started off well, but in case it hasn’t there’s a hymn coming straight to your earholes at 8 AM (CST). It’s based on verses 17 & 18 of Psalm 10 and originally written by Edward Osler in 1836. Few, but very powerful words…simply reading them is encouraging to me. I hope that hearing them in song will be as well.

It’s been a little over a week since I last popped in on the social media world. In that time, we’ve laid down 4 final cuts to songs for the first Hymnbook CD due out in September. I’m stoked to see these come together and how much better the quality is by moving up from the iPhone headphones to record to the TASCAM US-144mkII, an actual microphone and some studio headphones to mix. Simple upgrades that were made for the benefit of your earholes in this process. I’m still no Matthew Smith, Caedmon’s Call, or this guy…and that’s not even the goal, but I’m hoping you’re getting as excited as me to see these sings leak out into the atmosphere and do their part at ramping up global warming. Kidding of course. Maybe.

So check the twitter feeds for @mhenslee or @myhymnbook at 8AM, CST to listen to Psalm Ten…and please keep praying as I finish recording the final cuts so we can start raising some funds for some great church plants, ministries and missionaries.

Other updates…

I’ll be opening for Diamond Rio on October 23rd in Vidalia, LA
Leading some of the hymns for the BMA of Arkansas in November

To blessed to be congested. Well…

Matt

PS: Have you heard of my good buddy, Kevin Sanders? If not, he’s put his new demo out on NoiseTrade and I implorest thou to hearest it: click here.

thirstingsoul: Behold What Wondrous Grace!Lyrics by Isaac...

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:55:27 -0500

thirstingsoul:

Behold What Wondrous Grace!
Lyrics by Isaac Watts (slightly adapted)
Originally published in Hymns and Spiritual Songs in 1707
Arr. by Kevin Sanders

In reading some of Watts’ hymns I came across this and fell in love with it. It’s simply a celebration of God’s grace poured out upon His children! Listen with Galatians 4:4-7 in mind…

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)

Lyrics:

Behold what wondrous grace the father has bestowed

on sinners of a mortal race to call them sons of God

‘tis no surprising thing that we should be unknown

the world knew not their King, God’s everlasting son

Nor doth it yet appear how great we must be made

But when we see Him here we shall be like our head

A hope so much divine may trials well endure

to purge our souls from sense and sin

as Christ the Lord is pure

If in my father’s love I share a filial part

send down your spirit O to rest upon my heart

We would no longer lie like slaves beneath the throne

my faith shall Abba cry and thou the kindred own

Psalm Eight

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:00:00 -0500

Psalm Eight:

Psalm 8 adapted from Isaac Watts’ version written in 1719. What doth thou thinketh?

Boom. Roasted. (Tony Bock/Toronto Star)

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

Boom. Roasted.

(Tony Bock/Toronto Star)

There is a war going on. All talk of a Christian’s right...

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

There is a war going on. All talk of a Christian’s right to live luxuriously “as a child of the King” in this atmosphere sounds hollow — especially since the King himself is stripped for battle.

John Piper

"May the coffee rise to meet you, may its buzz pick up the slack, the steam rise warm upon your face,..."

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

“May the coffee rise to meet you, may its buzz pick up the slack, the steam rise warm upon your face, with each sip sliding smoothly through a smile, and until we have another cup…May God keep you in hollow of His hand.”

- My caffeinated version of a traditional Irish blessing.

Excited. Humbled. Ready. Those were the words that came to mind...

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:45:00 -0500

Excited. Humbled. Ready.

Those were the words that came to mind this morning as I awoke from dreaming I had just won a “Moonman” at the MTV Video Music Awards. Now that I’m back (thankfully) to reality, I thought I’d give you another update about the progress on “My Hymnbook.”

The Facebook page has grown to over 200 “likes” and counting. If you’re one of them, thank you! If not, click here and then click “like” to restore balance to the universe. We’re counting on you. Also, if you’re one of the brave souls to have clicked “like,” please do your part to save the planet from the evil Zurg! At the page, you can click “suggest to friends” right under the hymnal, then click all the smiling faces or strange inthebathroomholdingoutthecameraaboveheadandtakingpicture pictures…they might can help in the battle too. :)
The Twitter page is there, yeah. It exists. Would you mind taking a moment to follow “My Hymnbook” there as well? You can do so by clicking here and then clicking the button that says follow. It’s easy as, I dunno…I’m all out of cliches.
I think the website has made it easier to find and we’ve just crossed 400 plays! If you’ve taken a listen thank you…but also, what do you think? A few have requested hymns, is there one you’d like to hear?
Psalm Seven seemed to get lost in the shuffle a bit…I’m still trying to figure out the best time to upload these ditties. If you missed it, click here and then click the play button.

Now that all of that is out of the way, we can get on to the fun stuph again. It’s just about time to pull together the first CD!

When I first started worked on these songs, I figured they would be for Walnut Valley Baptist where I serve as the worship pastor. I knew I’d send a few of them to some friends via email, but then God began to impress on me how these could do even more. Posting them online was the first step and hearing things like this made it well worth it.
Now we’re ready to take the next step. Very shortly we will be ordering some CDs and cases…nothing fancy, but nothing ugly either. I’ll then fill ‘em up with the songs from “My Hymnbook.”
At this point, you come into the picture. I want you the buy them! But not for me and certainly not my pocketbook. Each cent above shipping and the cost of making the CD will be going directly to a church planter, missionary, or ministry (I’m hoping to announce the first one this week). There will be many CDs, so there will be many opportunities for you and I to link up to make an impact to further the gospel. Will you? Can I count on you to make this happen? Seriously, I need a count. :)

You in?

"The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on..."

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.”

- Martin Luther

Tomorrow we gather to worship the King…not a king, the...

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

Tomorrow we gather to worship the King…not a king, the King! What a privilege it is!

    Lift up your heads, O gates!
        And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
        that the King of glory may come in.
     Who is this King of glory?
        The LORD, strong and mighty,
        the LORD, mighty in battle!
     Lift up your heads, O gates!
        And lift them up, O ancient doors,
        that the King of glory may come in.
     Who is this King of glory?
        The LORD of hosts,
        he is the King of glory! Selah

(Psalm 24:7-10 ESV)

Romans 8:1-11

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

(Romans 8:1-11 ESV)

"He is the best preacher [or worship leader], that can in the most lively and powerful manner display..."

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

“He is the best preacher [or worship leader], that can in the most lively and powerful manner display Jesus Christ before the people, evidently setting him forth as crucified among them; and that is the best sermon [time of leading worship] which is most full of Christ, not of rhetorical art [musical creativity].”

- John Flavel - The Excellency of the Subject, 18

from worshipmatters.com

Two days, two parties… …both surprises to my...

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:00:00 -0500

Two days, two parties…

…both surprises to my lovely bride, Rebecca.

But it couldn’t have possibly been done without the joyful, generous and selfless help of our dear friends. I believe - as crowded as we most certainly were - that all had a great time of fellowship and food. On Monday we grubbed on my world famous Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and on Tuesday I chose not to fry again outside, so it was Jordan’s BBQ to the rescue! On Monday it was a cookie cake made by the wonderful people of Walmarts and on Tuesday, Tracie (one of Rebecca’s co-workers) made a Mickey & Minnie cake which was de-lish! Though there may not have been enough chairs, there was certainly enough food and laughter to go around.

This hasn’t been the “easiest” of years for Rebecca and I…miscarriages, sicknesses, new starts and life changes. Life isn’t easy, but according to Romans 8:28, all of those things will work together for good. But as I began thinking about what would be the best way to celebrate Rebecca’s — birthday, God seemed to impress on me to share it with those who helped us through many of this valleys…so that’s just what I did.

A very, very special thanks to Jean Poland who birthed beautiful Rebecca Gayle on August 3rd 19—. These parties literally couldn’t have been a success without you kidnapping Rebecca. We love you dearly.

To Roxy and her boys, Vicki, Shelah and Emmah, Paige, Sam and Mallory, Kristin and Gary, Jim and Diane who all pitched in to make night one a success, THANK YOU!

To Jeff and Kristi and fam, Mike and April and fam, Shauna and Dennis and fam, Justin and Kim and fam, Aaron and Karice, Brian, Tracy, Audrey and Michelle, Chrissy, Brittany and Roxanne who all made night two a success, THANK YOU!

We love you all dearly and are thankful for the friendship, encouragement and joy you brought to our lives over the past year.

Yours in Christ,
Matt Henslee

PS: Shameless plug…the music in the background is a sneak-peek at the next hymn for My Hymnbook which will be posted on Friday, Psalm 7!

Today, that stunning lady in the picture above is celebrating a...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

Today, that stunning lady in the picture above is celebrating a birthday!

Happy birthday, my love!

It was a great, but long week last week. This week is gonna be...

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0500

It was a great, but long week last week. This week is gonna be even greater, though!

New director starts at Civitan Services.
My wife turns —.

I hope you have a great week as well…

Walnut Valley Baptist

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:00:00 -0500

Walnut Valley Baptist:

Looking forward to hearing & singing the gospel and listening to all that God did in and through the students in South Dakota!

PLEASE READ…and read to the end. I thought I’d take a moment to...

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0500

PLEASE READ…and read to the end.

I thought I’d take a moment to fill you in a few things I’ve been hinting at for the past few days…but before I do, here are a few housekeeping notes:

“My Hymnbook” now has its own domain, http://myhymnbook.com.
It also is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/myhymnbook. I know there will be those that “follow” @mhenslee that couldn’t care less about this, so I don’t want to fill their timeline with updates on this Hymnbook project. So, if you do want to know about it…follow @myhymnbook.
I’m saving up to purchase something to plug directly into for these recordings. To this point, it has been me, garageband, my macbookpro and an occasional dog bark or text message. (In the beginning, it was a fire alarm that hadn’t been changed) Pray that God will provide…many have noticed a drastic change in the recordings, that’s ‘cause I’ve been locking myself in the bathroom. :) Still the built-in mic and my ugly mug.
UPDATE, “My Hymnbook” now has a “Like” page on Facebook…do you “like” us? ;) Click here…

Now for the fun, big-picture stuph!

I’m now 10 Psalms in with a few hymns in the works as well…all in 3 short weeks. The first change you may notice will be the post frequency. Beginning now, I’ll post one or two(maybe) a week. I know that life gets busy and I’d rather have a queue set up then go weeks without. I’m also hoping to plug in a few musician friends of mine to change things up a bit…surely no one wants to hear me sing 150+ Psalms.

Another change that may come is I’m in talks with a few developers about having this site more helpful. Meaning, you can keep playing the songs…but also download the chord charts, original lyrics, the song itself, etc. I want “My Hymnbook” to have everything you could ask for in regards to these songs.

Money, money, money…

WAIT, don’t leave yet!

As some of these Psalms began to get some traction, I believe God laid on my heart how they could encourage even more. I have several friends who are planting churches or connections with other ministries. My hope is that as I get enough tracks laid down that I can “sell” them…but not for me. I’d like all the profits from the sales to go directly to some ministries or planters. Just in the planning stages right now…but knowing there will be 150+ of these bad boys means there will be plenty of CDs to be made. And the more CDs made, Lord willing, the more God can use them to change the world through some great planters or ministries.

I can’t stress this enough…THIS IS NOT ABOUT OR FOR ME…this is for you, and eventually you and I can work together to benefit some guys on mission.

I hope all that makes sense…keep praying for wisdom as we embark on some amazing things.

Yours in Christ,

Matt Henslee

My life….is complete.

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:18:38 -0500

My life….is complete.

"God is to be praised with the voice, and the heart should go therewith in holy exultation."

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:00:00 -0500

““God is to be praised with the voice, and the heart should go therewith in holy
exultation.””

- Charles H. Spurgeon.

I can’t wait to gather tomorrow with the awesome folks at Walnut Valley! The gospel will be preached, sung and the youth will be back from their trip to South Dakota! Stoked!

Bob Kauflin on why he believes God wants us to sing. Are you on...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:00:00 -0500

Bob Kauflin on why he believes God wants us to sing. Are you on Twitter? You can follow him here.

Hashtag Heaven

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:00:00 -0500

Though my friend Matthew Smith is not a fan of "hashtags," visit this for an example (of both): http://twitter.com/matthewsmithUS/status/19030743595 ... I am, and so is my buddy Tripp:

Kay (on Tripp's IM): ok, now time to unload more stuff. yay. #sarcasm

Me: Enjoy!

Tripp (back on his IM): wow, my wife used a hashtag

Me: She's a keeper

Tripp: Yep.