The ZOE Group

Visit our ZOE facebook fan page!

2010-03-29T21:08:00.001-07:00

Visit our facebook fan page! We have transitioned into keeping up with all things ZOE over there! :)

Thanks for checking in! :)

http://www.facebook.com/theZOEgroup

Visit our ZOE facebook fan page!

2010-03-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, All!

VIsit our facebook fan page! We have transitioned into keeping up with all things ZOE over there! :)

Thanks for checking in! :)

http://www.facebook.com/theZOEgroup

Overflowing with Him!

2007-09-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hello, All! ZOE Weekend is upon us!

We hope to reconnect with many of you who are so dear to us. We are praying that it will be a rich weekend of worship and renewal.

The theme of this year's conference, Overflow, is all about us letting His love for us spill over onto those around us. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus tell us that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. I pray for that type of desperate longing for Him and that we are filled to overflowing!

If you are planning to attend, safe journey! See you soon!

If you aren't able to be with us in Nashville, we covet your prayers!

"Closer" in Orlando

2007-06-12T19:37:00.001-07:00

Just got back from the Metro Church in Orlando (Oviedo), Florida. They have some amazing things happening there. They have taken an old grocery store space in a strip mall and have totally converted it into a beautiful, functional church space.

It was a great weekend with family. This is the biggest blessing of being in ZOE-- meeting so many brothers and sisters coast to coast and sharing the journey together. Thanks to Bret and the whole gang for making us feel so welcome! :)

Keep us in your prayers as we head into the studio next week to work on our next conference project.

ZOE Group Music on MP3s!

2007-03-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

If you've been blessed as I have with music from The ZOE Group, you'll understand why I'm excited to tell you that their most recent albums are now available as MP3 downloads from the new MP3 Downloads aisle of The ZOE Group Store.

They're only $1 per song, a competitive price in a world of 99c iTunes and 88c Wal-Mart Music offerings. But you can't get them there.

On each song's page, there's a little control panel you can use to listen to a short (about one minute) sample of the song. That'll help you figure out whether you want to buy "All the Heavens" from Closer or "All the Heavens" from Ancient Future ... or "Holy is the Lord" from Closer or "Holy is the Lord" from Look to the Hills. (Four different songs, there ... see, wasn't it fun listening to the excerpts?)

The most recent three albums are already available: Closer, In Christ Alone and Desperate. I'm adding more as quickly (and carefully) as I can to the site.

And, as nearly as I can tell, The ZOE Group is the only a cappella Christian worship team making their songs available by MP3 download on the Web (though you can find Keith Lancaster & The Acappella Company songs on iTunes. Still, it's hard to convince an AAC-format iTunes song to play on your MP3 player, isn't it?)

So, what are you waiting for? Go listen! Go buy some!

Merry Christmas to ALL!!

2006-12-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, ZOE family!! May God fill you with the Joy of Jesus!

Much love--
Brandon

ZOE-- A Light for the City

2006-10-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

We were blessed to be featured artists in this year's

A Light for the City at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Sheryl, Karin, and I hang out during the pre-show rehearsal Sunday afternoon.

Our director John Coates covers some last minute details with singer Marty Goetz before the show begins.

Last night the ZOE singers were privileged to participate in A Light for the City. We joined the Nashville Chorus, Greater Nashville Community Gospel Choir, and others in a night of worship and praise in the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Other featured artists included Marty Goetz, Ashley Cleveland, Buddy Greene, and Mandisa of American Idol fame.

Not only did we sing with the 400 plus choir, but we were also asked to perform "How Great is Our God" as well as to sing the lead part on an arrangement of "As the Deer" with the entire chorus.

Words can't describe the experience! The music was so powerful and genuinely beautiful-- my husband said that during the first few opening numbers he thought he was in heaven!

Some of the best highlights:

The GNCG choir singing "They Didn't Know"-- an incredible piece about Jesus and his sacrifice for us. They received a standing ovation, and I think we were all moved to tears.
The entire chorus singing "How Great Thou Art"-- it was wonderful to see the sold out house singing along with all of us! It felt like the roof was going to come off!
Buddy Greene on the harmonica-- accompanied by an accordion. Amazing!
The prayer before the start of the show led by the director of the GNCG choir, Sam Robinson. He reminded us of what an opportunity we had to "christen" the new symphony hall with God's Spirit. He also remarked how neither "Prima" or "Donna" showed up for the show, but that we were all working together to touch the community.
Mandisa leading us in "Shackles"! We were all dancing-- as best we could! :)
The last song-- "Total Praise" and the "amens" at the end-- that was one of the ALL time best singing experiences of my life! The passion of director Sam Robinson was beyond anything I had ever seen! The music went straight through to the core and the entire room was in the Spirit!

ZOE has been so blessed to participate in community activities here in Music City. Next month it is the Ryman! Yeah, God!

Some Conference Moments...

2006-10-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Jacob's Ladder by Jack Maxwell

A highlight of the conference was seeing a replica of Jack Maxwell's stunning Jacob's ladder statue which now stands on the campus of Abilene Christian University. His son Matt also produced a great video showing Jack at work on the project. The statue reveals his heart and the talent God has given him. Many will be touched by the piece, and God is glorified by the tireless dedication Jack put into making his dream a reality.

Jack and Jill also painted another beautiful on-site canvas for the conference this year. The painting illustrated Mike's lesson on Jacob's wrestling match with God. A neat touch to the work this year was a black-light effect.

Love the amazing worship times we experience together at the conference each year!

It has been 10 wonderful years of singing together! We truly are family!

Closer-- 10 Years of ZOE

2006-10-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well-- Our 10th Look to the Hills conference wrapped up last weekend and what a blessing it was! The theme this year was Closer. Perhaps I say this every year, but, it really was an amazing time. I remember at one point just standing up there and reminding myself to truly savor the moment-- We were singing "How Great is Our God"... the chorus to that song always gets me anyway, but when I looked out at all the people raising their hands and singing all out for the Lord, I couldn't even sing! As the tears filled my eyes, I just stopped and let it all sink in.... HE alone is worthy of our praise-- and what times of praise we have together at the conference.

One of the featured speakers this year was Lauren Winner, author of Real Sex, The Naked Truth about Chastity. I have to confess, that I was a little worried that we had taken on a topic a tad too bold for the typical ZOE conference attendee! Yes, we have stretched their comfort zones in the past-- (remember the interpretive dancers?!!)-- but, sex is just not something that we often tackle in a worship setting. I'm proud to say-- I was way off base.

There probably isn't a more vital topic in our world today. When it comes right down to it, our sexual activity-- whether healthy or depraved-- all reflects our interpretation of God-- who, by the way, created sex in the first place! In a loving marriage, the physical bond that a couple shares is but a tiny glimpse of the intimacy we will know with the Father in heaven one day. Sex in its worst, immoral setting, shows our spiritual emptiness and our desperate attempts to fill our desires with anything but God.

We all long to be filled with His love and to feel closer to Him, and depending on what day of the week it is or how our lives are going, we feel His presence in varying degrees. Mike Cope reminded us that no matter our feelings, He is always there. He used the story of Jacob to cement the point: Jacob literally wrestled with God and forever kept a physical reminder of the encounter. We are the same-- we have our times on the journey where we feel like we are taking a beating, but when the tumult is over, we see that God was right there in the midst of it all. We learn that our scars are lessons learned and that God used them to get us to a better place-- even if we couldn't see it at the time.

One of the best moments this year was Randy's closing talk on Saturday night-- we were all still talking about the next morning-- and laughing! We have all known that Randy is the best story teller of anyone we know! We can all recite verbatim his "Trip to the Crystal Cathedral" story where the USC marching band shows up after the girl scouts wave the flags and a bird lands on Robert Schuller-- or the classic "Cutting of the Apron Strings" where his Mother finally learns that Randy has come of age. But, we were all interested to see why he was closing the conference-- usually the last night is saved for the "heavy-hitter", and we try to bring the weekend to a powerful close that will be ringing in everyone's ears as they head back to their home churches.

Randy actually began by admitting that he, himself, was also a little shocked to be doing the Saturday night closer. He said he felt that it was a message that God needed him to deliver. He further confessed that intimacy is not his strong suit. In a completely unassuming and transparent way, Randy went on to touch all of us of his struggle with being intimate with God and others. The whole talk was so real and moving. Of course, he also used some wonderful stories to make his point-- the "Bell Bottom Bonfire" and "Softball Sliding Snafu" will most surely be added into the Gill lore we will retell to each other again and again! :)

What a great weekend! God continues to amaze us year after year that we can never really run out of "material" to cover about Him! :)

It was great to see all of you! Thanks for continuing to support the ministry and for being lights for the Lord in your communities from coast to coast. We are blessed by you!

Pay attention to the songs

2006-10-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here's another reason why what we're doing is important:

One reason why we Christians argue so much about which hymn to sing, which liturgy to follow, which way to worship is that the commandments teach us to believe that bad liturgy eventually leads to bad ethics. You begin by singing some sappy, sentimental hymn, then you pray some pointless prayer, and the next thing you know you have murdered your best friend.

- Stanley Hauerwas

Copyright and Worship

2006-09-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it occurs to me that I'm entering the ZOE blog on a sort of negative note, but here goes . . . it's about doing what's right.

Many churches have a maverick attitude about the resources they use in public worship. They grab photos from the internet, rent a movie from Blockbuster, copy off songs or burn CDs for the congregation, and with little thought to the legalities, boom, Sunday showtime! Not only is there little if no reporting to CCLI or CVLI, but not even the gratitude of crediting sources. This is like an old game some preachers have played with swiping sermons and not coming out the gate and admitting reliance (which is not bad if admitted!) on other's work.

For years churches have needed wisdom and advice about how to properly use internet, video, sound, and music media.

At our Look to the Hills Worship Conferences, ZOE has done sessions over the years on this, and we have brought in various resource people. But there's still need for more discussion and perhaps a good manual for this.

Let's start today with music. How does your church rate? What do you do about copyrights and managing the legalities of reporting to CCLI.

Here is one resource I'd like for you to check out. Come back and comment on what you've learned, what your church practices, and let's learn together what we can about church copyrighting. Let's do the right thing, even if it's not the easy thing.

CCLI

Playground: A Place I Know

2006-09-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

While we're mentioning some of the outside activities of the group.... You all need to know about a project Brandon worked on this summer. He produced an AMAZING children's CD entitled Playground: A Place I Know.

If you have children, this is a MUST have! It is a CD that they will love, and you will, too! The songs are so cute and clever, but they are also incredibly deep with meaning. The simple truths in the lyrics remind us that we are all called to become like little children.

It is constantly playing in our car these days, and it has been such a blessing to me and my family. Great work, Brandon!

To purchase the CD, visit here!

FUNd-raising

2006-08-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

Kudos to Amy, Melissa, Karin and Sheryl for their participation in the Otter Creek Consignment sale this weekend. All of them volunteered and worked to make it a success, but Amy went above and beyond as she led the charge. She's worked tirelessly to create an amazing sale that will benefit the kids of Otter Creek. Thanks for all you do as you give of yourselves!

If you're in Nashville, come by the sale. It begins today!!

Zoe Group Singers 2006

2006-08-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

ZOE Conference CD 2006-- Closer

2006-07-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

The 2006 Look to the Hills Conference CD is finished! The title of this year's offering is Closer. The songs on this year's CD are more hymn-like in nature and include several new arrangements of classic hymns that we all know and love. We pray that lives will be touched by the beautiful words and melodies of these precious hymns to our Father.

With only two months remaining until we gather again in October, Larry Bridgesmith captured this Closer theme well in a recent email: "Being Closer to God is the desire of our hearts and the longing of our souls. The intimacy we seek in many inappropriate places can in truth only be found in the God of heaven and earth." Conference registration is now open! You can sign up online now. Register early!

Our time in the studio went extremely well. Randy Gill acted as producer/director and did an excellent job. We recorded at the Bennett House and Shuff Studios in Franklin, TN. You can pre-order your copy of Closer now.

Randy goes over some final details before the group listens to the playback of the final song.

The ZOE Girls: sopranos- Sheryl, Melissa; altos- Karin, Amy

Pringles are a staple food at all ZOE recording sessions!

Peter and Philip try to hit those low bass notes.

Two talented tenors-- Philip and David

Welcome!

2006-07-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome, Friends, to the first official posting on the ZOE Group blog! This will hopefully be a place where we can share fun details and thoughts about our participation in the Zoe Group ministry. We invite you to share your thoughts and stories with us about how God is showing you the abundant life He has promised.

Some wonder why our ministry is called ZOE. Zoe is the Greek word used in the New Testament over 130 times for "life." It is defined as

the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate
every living soul
the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic "logos" and to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature
life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.

I came that they may have life (zoe), and have it abundantly. John 10:10

The ZOE Group ministry was founded 10 years ago and grew from a year-long Bible study of worship which sought to learn what God was trying to teach throughout Scripiture about His desire for and definition of worship. At the end of the study, those who had participated in the study felt a real need to share some of their conclusions and the blessings they had gleaned from the study.

They invited others to gather in a conference-like setting to further explore the topic. The first Look to the Hills conference was held in Nashville, TN, October 1997. The prayer was, and has always been, that a renewed passion for worship would be created in our churches as well as a desire to live the true zoe life that God had promised.

The ZOE mission:

The ZOE Group, Inc. is a not-for-profit Christian ministry dedicated to worship renewal in the lives of individuals and the churches to which they belong. The group consists of men and women who have encountered the living God in worship and have been changed by the encounter. They believe that the core of Christian existence derives its strength and focus from a life disciplined to worship God moment by moment in setting of solitude and in gatherings of believers. Worship is multi-dimensional, not limited to a weekly time and place. Instead, the encounters of God with His people throughout history have been in times of loss as well as celebration, in settings of splendor and squalor, in moments of introspection or even anger. To worship well we must become a people consumed by a desire to worship more.

The ZOE Group provides resources to help God's people improve in the discipline of worship. Through the prophetic word, music, arts, drama and the gifts God has given to His people in every age it is our prayer that excellence in the worship experience can be enhanced and improved, practiced and taught.

Seminars, recordings, publications and internet communications are all means by which The ZOE Group expects to share a maturing vision of Christian Worship.

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."