We had a wonderful and amazing time up in Alaska last month. Maryl and I have been up there many times before but this time was very special. Alliance Bible Church in Anchorage had commissioned me to write a song for the anniversary of the church and wanted to feature it on Palm Sunday.
Since were already going to be in Alaska, we managed to get some other opportunities in the area to minister. We got to spend a whole day with the wonderful people at Wasilla Assembly of God (yes, I know, this is the church that … Nathan Lopez is from). Sunday morning we co-lead worship and then I preached my new sermon on forgiveness. What a great response to a timely message. The altar was filled with people not only receiving forgiveness but articulating forgiveness for those who have hurt them, as well as asking forgiveness from those they had hurt. Such an 
amazing and sweet spirit was in that place as we allowed Jesus to do His great work in each heart. We heard a few of the testimonies later from those who were greatly touched and we were humbled to realize how timely and perfect this message was for this congregation. Thank you Jesus!
Sunday evening, they have a House of Prayer in Wasilla that goes for 3 hours every week. They asked us to lead the first two hours of prayer and worship. I ended up on the cello with Maryl on the flute and a small band with us just flowing for most of the two hours. It went by so quickly and so effortlessly, I was amazed! I don’t often lead from the cello but since my experience in New Delhi, I have gotten bolder in this area. The flow was beautiful and I was able to sing and pray and play all at the same time. And especially to flow with this team so easily was a special gift as we heard the heart of the Father expressed beautifully in song and in prayers. At the end, they put us in the middle of a circle and prayed and prophesied over us for about 15 minutes. Very special, very accurate and very needed. Thank you WAG! You all are an amazing testimony to the faithfulness of God through the years. Keep on, friends!
We met throughout the next week with many worship leaders and pastors in the
Anchorage/Wasilla area. We were thrilled to hook up with some pretty astounding ministries there – you never know what you might find in Alaska! We met with Pastor David Pepper (Church on the Rock, Wasilla) and his two worship guys Jake Sloan and Johnny Ramirez and heard some pretty incredible stories of worship and release in fascinating places. We met with 
Melissa Saulnier who has a great vision of networking and encouraging young songwriters in Alaska and beyond through Oikeo Music. We also met with another young but focused worship pastor, Aaron Gray, from Anchorage City Church. Had some great discussions on worship theology and worship in Alaska.
Also, during the week we got some time to go down south on the Turnagain Arm and see the spectacular beauty that is uniquely Alaskan! We made it all the way to the Portage Glacier and enjoyed the view that takes your breath away – while you are freezing I might add.
The final weekend, we rehearsed and ministered with the Alliance Bible Church worship team and dance team for the Palm Sunday service. Before I sang my song, I accompanied the local Praise Dance team in a beautiful rendition of Jonathan Stockstill’s song, Holy Fire: powerful yet simple. After that we sang my song: All Together and Forever, and dedicated it to the great people that God has raised up there over the last few decades to give God glory in all that life threw at them. Some amazing stories of God’s faithfulness throughout the service accented by worship and prayer and sealed with my song.
They asked me to write a song similar to Exodus 15 – the Song of Moses – enumerating all that God had delivered them from and into. It was such an honor to articulate all that God had done on their behalf. The response to the song was great and it will be used annually for their anniversary apparently. Here are the song’s lyrics:
All Together and Forever by Tim and Maryl SmithFor Alliance Bible Church, Anchorage, Alaska – April 17, 2011 (Based on Exodus 15) Chorus: Lord, we thank you (Lord, we thank you) Lord, we thank you (Lord, we thank you) All together and forever With gratitude and praise Lord, we thank you (Lord, we thank you) Lord, we thank you (Lord, we thank you) We lift our hearts as one. Lord, we thank you For all you’ve done Verse OneWe are humbled today
In the presence of God To tell the good story And give Him the glory For all the great things He has done For so many years He has covered this place He called us, He chose us His mercy has clothed us To carry His marvelous grace Verse Two When we needed you most We called out Your name When our hearts were afraid In our weakness we prayed Beautiful Jesus you came Shaken by sin Hope still remained Through every affliction and every addiction You lifted us out of our shame Verse Three Source of all joy You laid down your life Our hearts have been changed and our lives rearranged Revealing your breathtaking light Husbands return to their wives Families by mercy restored The voice of the Barren now sings to her children A new generation reborn Verse Four You never give up You don’t hide Your face Your love never ceases Your glory increases To fill your people with grace So we gather today Transformed and amazed May each living story tell more of your glory And set our city ablaze Bridge: We look around/we look around We look around today We look around/we look around And all that we can say ‘Lord, you’ve done amazing things You cause our eyes to see You opened up the prison doors And set the captives free!’ We’re amazed We’re amazed We’re amazed We’re amazed Final Chorus: Lord, we thank you Lord, we thank you All together and forever With gratitude and praise Lord, we thank you (Lord, we thank you) Lord, we thank you (Lord, we thank you) We lift our hearts as one. Lord, we thank you For all you’ve done Ending: We look around/we look around We look around today We look around/we look around And all that we can say ‘Lord, you’ve done amazing things You cause our eyes to see You opened up the prison doors And set the captives free!’ We’re amazed
©2011 Tim Smith/SongSmith Ministries
And we thank all of you for your love and support during this exciting season of our lives. We cannot continue to do what we do, without your prayers and encouragement along the way. Thank you for your faithfulness to us and to His calling in your lives. He is amazing and His adventure in our lives continues on. God bless you all. BTW, we head to Calgary Alberta next month and we have some great things lined up for the fall. Keep us in prayer and if you have a moment, drop us a ‘line’ and tell us what God is doing in your lives.
Thanks,
in Him,
Dr. Tim and Maryl Smith, Your Worship Missionaries