community worship.

there are thousands of reasons i love working at gordon college. it's a place that had such a huge impact on my life and continues to do so every day that i work there. the people i get to interact with on a daily basis are just plain awesome. they're some of the people in my life that make philippians 1:3 a reality*.

anyways, we had the privilege of gathering together as faculty and staff to worship God as one body before the students returned to campus. i love this tradition because it brings us right back to the reason why we do what we do. we work at Gordon to serve the Lord and glorify His name and do so in a place that encourages students to do the same thing.

it was a fantastic time of worship. i always love hearing so many voices sing praises to God. it's one of the most beautiful sounds. be thou my vision was sung by the faculty staff choir and that is on the top three hymns list, for sure:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

What a great hymn to sing as we enter into another school year.

*i just listened to a john macarthur sermon on aspects of joy and he was explaining how in philippians 1:3 paul was saying how he would think back on the people who brought him joy when he was facing hardship. i've heard the verse a million times but never really thought of it in this way. i liked it. (and in my paraphrase, i butchered what macarthur said. you can listen to it here.)