ERIKTHIEN

UPDATE ON OUR LIFE AND MINISTRY

erikthien — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:16:55 +0000

The Thien family is moving to Phoenix this summer. [Click here to read the full story]

Praise Him | The Royal Royal

erikthien — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:37:53 +0000

I am loving the worship band The Royal Royal right now. The lyrics, for the most part, are straight-forward praise songs but the music and harmonies are killer! They seem to have a knack for creatting Indie-electronic creations that translate well into stripped-down, folk versions. Their EP is on iTunes now if you want to hear more. I looked them up on their website which redirected me to the Paradigm Collective [which includes John Mark Mcmillan, All the Bright Lights, and Brooke Fraser]. It’s worth reading to hear their story and testimony about growing up in church [from a more positive angle]. It also revealed that they were connected to Matt Crocker who is one of the “newer” members of Hillsong United!

This is an acoustic version of Praise Him. Enjoy!

I Am Not The Same | Grace Midtown [Rising]

erikthien — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:45:07 +0000

Loving this song right now…

Cultivating A Life

erikthien — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:36:47 +0000

Mike Breen [of 3DM] once said, “meeting once a week to talk about God over coffee isn’t discipleship. It’s a good thing to do but it’s not discipleship.”

The more I think through this, the more I believe there is power in simply “living life with people” and leading them to live like Jesus. It’s a popular phrase in the American christian culture right now but I think most of us would rather distantly impart knowledge to others rather than live in their world and walk with them. If I were honest, I know I would prefer the exchange.

I have been challenged by some pastors that have outfitted their basements for interns so that they get to be in community with their family and life for a season [usually 5-24 months]. Even though they get lots of teaching, they usually say that getting to be a part of their family was the most impactful part.

It would be much easier to just hold classes [and you could probably turn out more products] but is it discipleship? We could scatter lots of seed on top of the soil but would it be more beneficial to take just a few seeds, plant them INTO the soil, water, and cultivate a lasting relationship. It may not sound as impressive on a resume but it sounds a bit more like what Jesus.

“At It’s Core…”

erikthien — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:51:35 +0000

A friend recently sent me this quote:

“At its core, sin is moral theivery. It steals the worship that rightly belongs to God and gives it to someone or something else. It robs the Trinity to purchase the creation. Every sinner is in some way a worship thief.

At its center, sin is also spiritual adultery. It takes the love that belongs to God alone and gives it to someone or something else. It is a life shaped by satisfaction of cravings, rather than heartfelt commitment and faithfulness. Every sinner is in some way aspiritual adulterer.

The deepest issues of life are issues of worship. Worship is more fundamental to our essential nature than the pain, pressures, or pleasures of our experiences. What we worship determines our responses to all our experiences. Sin is much more than doing the wrong thing. It begins with loving, worshipping, and serving the wrong thing. Sin in some way always involves the great exchange.”

Excerpt from Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

By Paul David Tripp

Are Churches Leaderless? | Mike Breen

erikthien — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:04:19 +0000

I just read this challenging post by Mike Breen of 3DM called Why the Leadership Movement is Leaving Your Church Leaderless. I thought it was worth sharing and, apparently, it was so popular it crashed their servers when he posted it yesterday]. Click and see if it was worth the hype!

Singalong 2 | Phil Wickham

erikthien — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:44:08 +0000

The first Singalong album captured powerful moments of simple worship and allowed the world to listen in to the stripped down acoustic versions of Wickhams songs. By creating new arrangements, varying his strumming patterns for percussive effect, and adding powerful vocal leads, Phil brought the whole crowd in for a huge sounding…sing along! Singalong 2 does the same with some of his newest releases and, if the samples on Youtube are an indication of the whole project, this one should be just as good. The videos online highlight an interesting dotted 8th note acoustic guitar to bring Heaven Fall Down to life and Phil’s soaring vocals amidst an excited crowd ready to scream praises at the top of their lungs. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the tracks!

The Singalong 2 album is out and downloadable for free now! Click here to get it.

[Also check out this unreleased song by Phil on Youtube. So good]

Always Be Alive | Phil Wickham

erikthien — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:22:50 +0000

The name may be wrong because I can’t find the actual recorded version of this song. Phil released the set list for his upcoming Singalong 2 album [click here for that] which didn’t seem to include this song [as far as I could tell by the name]. I love the song but all I have is this Youtube video!! It’s got a killer melody and powerful lyrics. Check it out!!

There is hope beyond the suffering Joy beyond the tears

Peace in every tragedy a love that conquers fear

I have found redemption in the blood of Christ

My body might be tired but I’ll always be alive

Todays Worship Set[s]

erikthien — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:25:54 +0000

Happy mother’s day!! These are the songs I am leading today.

NOCC in the morning:

The Same Love by Paul Baloche
Forever Reign by One Sonic Society/United
Consuming Fire by Tim Hughes
Canons by Phil Wickham

Mosaic in the evening:

Our God by Tomlin
Song of Moses by Aaron Keyes/ Unhindered
Unseen/Turn Your Eyes by Erik Thien
Nothing But the Blood [Overcome] by Erik Thien

The Peace Of Wild Things | Paper Route

erikthien — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:11:25 +0000

This band has become one of my favorites over the last few years. They have taken their time in releasing their follow up to Absence [which is actually downloadable for free now] but I believe the wait will be worth it. If their was one single band that I would say had the most influence on my Fiat Lux album, it would be these guys. Incredible acoustic/electronic arrangements and the lyrics are just abstract enough to leave their meaning to the listeners imaginative interpretation.

In preparation for the release of their new album The Peace of Wild Things, they are releasing some live, stripped down versions of their songs. Check it out:

Carousels

Tamed [New Song]