Behind The Song: Jesus, Thank You

(Update: A special welcome to all those visiting via Twitter.
When you've finished reading this post why not check out some other highlights?)


Jesus, Thank You appears on the Sovereign Grace album Worship God Live. You can find links for sheet music & downloads here.



Pat Sczebel is an associate pastor at Crossway Community Church, British Columbia, Canada who says "I don't consider myself much of a songwriter". His son Joel has also written worship songs for Sovereign Grace.


What was the initial inspiration for 'Jesus, Thank You'?

I don't have any specific method that I work from. Most of my songs begin in a quiet time with the Lord or on my way to or from the church office worshiping the Lord as I go.

I was having a time with him and freshly amazed by his mercy... pondering the mystery of the cross. The verse was my asking why? Why would You, the perfect Holy God make a way for me a sinner to be reconciled? The chorus was the only appropriate response to mercy... JESUS THANK YOU!

The first verse and the chorus pretty much came all at one time - I don't think there was any adjustments at all but several were made on the 2nd verse. It started with 2 verses and then my son wrote a 3rd verse which I thought was the best one and then in the recording process some of the guys felt that it was too long so they cut my son's verse.

How long did the song take to write, from initial idea to final draft?

The 1st verse and chorus - 20 minutes [but] I probably spent 6-8 months writing the rest of the song. It was still in process right up to the time of recording it on Worship God Live.

How much rewriting did you do?

There was a lot of rewriting the 2nd verse. I find it can always be difficult to know where to go after the first verse and chorus. It's crucial that you hold on and wait for the right lyrics rather than settling for something that has been said many times before. I think that's our greatest temptation - settling for lyrics that have been used in many songs instead of doing the hard work of coming up with a fresher way of saying it.




How did the song come to feature on the Worship God Live CD?

There is an interesting story! I had sent it [to the Sovereign Grace songwriting panel] about 6 months before a songwriters retreat. One of the guys at Sovereign Grace told me that the song was lacking on many fronts and he suggested I file it away and use it here locally if I thought it worked but that was about it.

I attended the songwriters retreat with 3 other songs, all of which they thought were pretty rough and in need of some help. Feeling a little sorry for me Bob Kauflin asked if I had anything else. I mentioned that I did have one other song but that I had already sent it in and another guy on their staff said that I should file it. Bob asked me to sing it and was very encouraging and felt that it needed to be recorded.

You just never know what God will do with your stuff!

Related Post: Welcome to Bob K's Twitter Posse
Jesus, Thank You (GCN Set List)

GCN Set List: Jesus, Thank You

Welcome to an occasional series highlighting some of the songs we sing at Grace Church Nottingham. First up, one from the Sovereign Grace group of churches written by Pat Sczebel and featured on the CD Worship God Live.

(Update: read an exclusive 'behind the song' interview with Pat here).

The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend
The agonies of Calvary
You the perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son
Who drank the bitter cup reserved for me

Your blood has washed away my sin
Jesus, thank You
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied
Jesus, thank You
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table
Jesus, thank You

By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near
Your enemy You’ve made Your friend
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace
Your mercy and Your kindness know no end

Lover of my soul
I want to live for You

© 2003 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

Buy The Song/CD
FREE Chord Chart
FREE Lead Sheet

Unoffical Video



Thanks to Nato Etire for putting this post together.

Music for the weekend - cheaper than chips!

A classic driving song for 29p!

Goodbye Mike...

Lots of people have lots to say about Michael Jackson. All I want to say is that he recorded one of my all time favourite songs...

htaM etuM

From the band that filmed a video in the back of a moving van, here are Mute Math playing a single from their first album - backwards. You can watch a short 'making of' documentary, buy the song here or preview tracks from their upcoming second album, Armistice.



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Solving the energy crisis

New Song: The Weight Of Glory

(Photo: SunRise by xXFaithfulgirlXx)

My latest song is a meditation on 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. Verse 1 focus on the momentary/eternal contrast, verse 2 on 'light' vs 'weight' and verse 3 holds up Christ as our example as he endured the hours of torture and was in the tomb for 3 days, yet received a kingdom that without end.

Read the Behind The Song blog post

Download This Song - LIVE congregational recording (mp3)

Chord Sheet (pdf)

Lyrics (pdf)

Watch 'Live In The Studio' video

How long, O Lord, this story seems

Till you return, and then we'll see

The strife that fills our mortal days

Barely fills the opening page

And each new chapter has in store

More glory than the one before

So let me count it joy, let me count it gain

To bear dishonour Lord, to suffer for your name

My troubles all will seem so light & momentary

When they fade into the dawning of eternity

And I feel the weight of glory rest on me.

When trouble tries to drag me down

Remind me trials prepare my crown

As coal is crushed to precious stone

So pressures will refine my soul

My destiny will not be dust

For what will be is glorious

So let me count it joy...

In agony, with lonely cries

You hung beneath the blackened skies

The crushing pain, the cross, the grave

Were measured out in hours and days

But none can fully comprehend

The kingdom that will never end

So let me count it joy...

© Matt Blick, 2009.

LIVE recording (mp3)

Chord Sheet (pdf)

Lyrics (pdf)

Other Songs By Matt Blick

You Got Noticed

Not only is Mark Altrogge a masterful & prolific songwriter, but he is also a genius at notices. Watch him big up the tech team, and destroy Bob Kauflin's reputation in a single blow.

(BTW - shout out to the GCN PA team. The best tech guys this side of the resurrection).




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Stef Liston on Charismatic Worship

This post has now moved to Matt Blick.com

Six or 7?

Naturally 7

These guys sound like Take 6: The Next Generation…

 

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Halle Lujah

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Another one to add to my list of weird gigs.

Last Tues I had the privilege of singing with the world famous Halle Orchestra. At 150 years the Halle is the oldest orchestra in the UK. Along with 400 other amateurs (including two of my children) we attempted 'Zadok the Priest' by Handel and 'O Fortuna' by Carl Orff. The latter is an awesome piece – the lyrics are railing against the tyranny of impersonal fate. I'm sure if I didn't believe in the providence of a loving, wise, personal God, I'd feel like this too...

O Fortune, like the moon
Stands constantly changing,
ever waxing or waning...

Fate - monstrous and empty,
you whirling wheel, stand malevolent,
well-being is vain and always fades to nothing,
shadowed and veiled you plague me too...

since Fate strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me!

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My Top 5 Weirdest Gigs.

Classical Music for one buttock

Trent gives it away

The music business is alive and well,

the record industry is dead already.

There is a difference.

The view that if people give away recordings for free (or heaven's forbid 'steal' it!) musicians will die out or be forced to live on corporate sponsorship is a fallacy perpetuated by record companies desperately trying to justify their existence.

This video presentation explains far better then I could why that's just not true. You'll be hooked in the first 10 minutes, or your money back.

Here's some stats to whet your appetite.

Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails release an album without the backing of a record company giving much of the music away and selling the rest for varying prices from $5. They gross $1.6 million in one week. ($750,000 in the first 30 hours).

In 2001, Corey Smith quits his teaching job, gigs relentlessly and gives all his songs away for free. To date he has made $4 million.

Jill Sobule asks fans to invest in her upcoming album. She raises the $75,000 budget in 53 days.

So what are you waiting for? Free your music...

Dave Kusek saw it first

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ThruYou and the thorny problem of airspace

Lively Church In UK Shocker!!!

Chris Moyles, the self proclaimed 'saviour of Radio 1' recently caught a charismatic-style church service on TV, and was 'amazed' (in a good way!) by the vibrancy of the singing. 

"I've been to gigs with less atmosphere".

While it's nice that a totally pagan 'shock-jock' finds a church meeting attractive, I don't think it's necessarily a cause for universal rejoicing just yet. But it is an interesting comment on British culture that he didn't even know such churches existed in the UK. 

Some helpful soul has spliced the original TV footage with Chris' radio comments. Thank you internet fairy!



Gov Gill saw it first. (Sorry Phil).

How To Speak Christianese

When I was preaching recently about the need for our meetings to be intelligible, this was one of the things I had in the back of my mind...



What's the worst christianese you've come across?



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Tedashii: Identity Crisis - Best Album of 2009 (so far)

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If Christian music can make you cringe with embarrassment, Christian rap can be extra cheesy. So often it’s just a pale imitation of whatever was big with secular audiences 10 years earlier.

Which is a shame. Cos if there’s any musical form suited to preaching in song it’ s rap. The typical rap track contains as many words as a whole rock album, giving an unparalleled opportunity to treat a subject with all the necessary nuances and qualifications – vital when most heresy is birthed trying to make God simple to understand. Sad to say much hip-hop has failed to live up to it’s potential. The Christian alternative to ‘bigging yourself up’ is often preaching ‘actualise your potential, ‘be your best you now’, ‘God loves a winner’. Yadayada...

Things are changing however.


A new breed of rappers seems to be emerging, particularly around the Reach record label, guys like Lecrae, Trip Lee & Tedashii. Clear on the doctrine of sin & the importance of the local church, wise to the snare of worldly approval, they rock hard, preach holiness and sample John Piper. Tedashii’s new album, Identity Crisis, is exhibit A.



Intro get off the starting line full throttle, taking you from “Hey baby, what’s up?” to rapping about “Imago Dei” in 1:43 backed by a hyperactive classical piano riff.

I Work follows right on. An aggressive renunciation of peer pressure perfectly welded to a track that would feel at home on the Rocky 2 soundtrack.

In a similar vein 26s’ gives a wake up call to idolatry in the low rider culture. Tedashii perfectly captures the wide-eyed worship of the ride while guest Lecrae preaches to the “self proclaimed kings”

“Tell me where it ends boy,
‘cos the truck don’t bring you luck,
and it sho’ nuff ain’t gonna pay your sins, boy”

Though there are several mellower tracks on the album, Tedashii is at his best when he plays hard. And he plays hardest on Make War.



Kicking off with a sample of John Piper bemoaning why Christians don’t fight harder against sin in their lives, Tedashii grabs the baton and rams the point home so powerfully that I almost wish he could back Piper every Sunday morning!

And maybe Piper would be glad to have him - there’s a mature theological grasp on display here that should make many Christian singers ashamed to open their mouths when they have so little to say, and say it in such a bland rehashed way.

After spending most of the time out in the world, the album bows out with a pair of tracks closer to home.

Church’s hilariously sleepy groove paints the futility of the nominal churchgoer “Jesus must know me cos I heating up a seat in the church” and contrasts sharply with Community’s relentless forward motion. In fact the contrast is almost too sharp. A casual listen could give the impression that this exciting ‘community’ is something to be found ‘outside’ the church. But the chorus spells it out. There’s a blessing on “them church boys” when they “live in community”.

Overall verdict – a relentless drive-by against idolatry and apathy.

If you love rap – Buy It
. And if you think you don’t because your only point of reference is DC Talk - Buy It anyway.

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The Five Vegetables You Meet In Heaven...

,

...Or...

The Tomato has a plank in his eye.

The last few years have witnessed an unfortunate trend. 'Praise & Worship' has become 'hip' and therefore 'profitable'. 

There's money to be made 'in them thar hills(ongs)'. 

So what we've seen is many artists hitching a ride on the worship gravy train. One of the weirdest is Veggie Tales.

Now I love the little edible sunday school teachers when they're singing about Water Buffaloes, Pirates and Cheeseburgers but, like the guys who object to 'christian' puppets testifying that Jesus Christ had washed away their sins, hearing an asparagus praise his saviour in a deliberately out of key comedy way is, for me, a step too far.  But that's not the most surreal part.

In the song 'Here I am To Worship' the veggies duet with Natalie Grant. But they replace the line 

"hope of a life spent with you"

 

with a line taken from the other verse   

"all for love's sake became poor"

Now, admittedly, it's a weak line and theologically vague, but who in the great corporate salad bowl that is Big Idea Ltd is so scrupulous about doctrinal orthodoxy and yet happy for the song to be covered by a bunch of comedy food?

Each VT installment has some kind of life lesson to take away. This little episode has two.

For those who value Biblical worship and doctrinal purity-

It's possible to be faithful to the message and still belittle God in the way you deliver the message.

And for those who don't-

Do you really want to be less orthodox than a bunch of money-grabbing vegetables?