{"id":243,"date":"2007-11-27T01:01:54","date_gmt":"2007-11-27T01:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/a-musician-after-gods-own-heart.html"},"modified":"2007-11-27T01:01:54","modified_gmt":"2007-11-27T01:01:54","slug":"a-musician-after-gods-own-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/a-musician-after-gods-own-heart.html","title":{"rendered":"A Musician After God\u2019s Own Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 7 of series: Sharing Laity Lodge
\n <\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nA few weeks ago I got to know Brian Moss, “a musician after God’s own heart.” As you may know, this description was first used of David in the Old Testament. When Saul dishonored the Lord, Samuel said to him, “[N]ow your kingdom will not continue; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart; and the LORD has appointed him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14). This man “after God’s heart” was David, who would one day be king of Israel.
\nDavid is well known to us, not only as a central figure in Old Testament history, but also through his poetry. He is the author of many of the biblical Psalms, and the inspiration for many others. In the Psalms we see the heart of David, the heart that yearned for God.
\nWhy do I call Brian Moss “a musician after God’s own heart”? Well, on the most obvious level, like David, he sings praises to God as a talented singer and pianist. And, like David, Brian doesn’t simply perform, but he draws people into worship. He is an astute and sensitive worship leader, who seeks to draw people’s attention, not to himself, but to the Lord.
\nBrian Moss is like David in that he is also a gifted poet and writer of worship music. One of the things he has done so well is to take old hymns and set them to new music, thus bringing to life some texts that are lyrically rich and well worth singing today. Check our, for example, his album, Not What My Hands Have Done<\/a><\/em>. You can hear an excerpt from this album at Brian’s myspace<\/a>. You can order it from iTunes also<\/a>.
\nBut Brian has engaged upon a classic songwriting project that shows even more plainly his similarity to David. His recent album, Prayerbook No. 1<\/em>, is the beginning of a 10-volume treatment of the Psalms. That’s right, all 150 of them. You can learn more about this project from Brian’s blog: prayerbookproject<\/em><\/a>.
\nLike some of the great hymn writers of history, Isaac Watts, for example, Brian takes a psalm and uses it as the basis for a song. The song draws from the words of the psalm without simply putting the psalm itself to music. Here, for example, is Psalm 1 and Brian’s song, called, “Joy Will Come to You.”<\/p>\n

Psalm 1 <\/strong>
\n1 Happy are those
\nwho do not follow the advice of the wicked,
\nor take the path that sinners tread,
\nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
\n2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD,
\nand on his law they meditate day and night.
\n3 They are like trees
\nplanted by streams of water,
\nwhich yield their fruit in its season,
\nand their leaves do not wither.
\nIn all that they do, they prosper.
\n4 The wicked are not so,
\nbut are like chaff that the wind drives away.
\n5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
\nnor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
\n6 for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
\nbut the way of the wicked will perish.
\n“Joy Will Come to You”<\/strong>
\nJoy will come to you
\nIn the word, the way
\nHold it in the night
\nAnd live it in the day
\nLike a tree beside
\nThe running, living blue
\nWater into life
\nThis joy will come to you
\nWalk away from sin
\nHate has many eyes
\nMocking what is good
\nTheir house is built on lies
\nJoy will come to you
\nIn the word the way
\nHold it in the night
\nAnd live it in the day
\nLike a tree beside
\nThe running, living blue
\nWater into life
\nThis joy will come to you
\nJoy will come to you
\nCopyright 2005, Parson John Publishing (ASCAP), by Brian Moss<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can hear Brian sing “Joy Will Come to You” from his myspace<\/em><\/a>.
\nI had the chance to get to know Brian and his wife Stephanie while they were out at Laity Lodge. They are both kind, humble, and amazingly talented people. Stephanie is a ballet dancer in addition to being a mother of four!
\nI commend Brian’s music to you. How exciting it is to see new artists drawing inspiration from the Psalms so that we might also be people after God’s own heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 7 of series: Sharing Laity Lodge Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series A few weeks ago I got to know Brian Moss, “a musician after God’s own heart.” As you may know, this description was first used of David in the Old Testament. When Saul dishonored the Lord, Samuel said to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sharing-laity-lodge"],"yoast_head":"\nA Musician After God\u2019s Own Heart - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}