Homegrown Worship
Homegrown Worship is a Christian recording label based out of the U.K. It is also a platform dedicated to unearthing and sharing brand new worship songs from all over the world each and every week. I am excited to announce beginning in 2020, I will be partnering with them in recording several worship songs I have written.
I have been writing Christian worship songs since I was in my late teenage years. Writing songs of worship are one of the main ways I connect with God and it brings me a lot of joy and peace. Usually, I have to be completely alone in the house, and totally free from distraction to even think about working on a new song. Since having three children, this time has become more and more precious.
Over the years, I have recorded and produced several of these songs, sometimes using vocalists from our local church congregation. I have enjoyed these projects greatly, but truth be told, I have never been very good at sharing them with other people. These recorded songs have largely remained on my computer’s hard drive for several years now, and I have been in prayer about what might be next.
A dear friend of mine encouraged me to submit some of the worship songs I have written to the Homegrown Worship website. (www.homegrownworship.com). I eventually decided to submit a song and see what happened. I heard back from them asking if I had any more songs to share and that they were interested in partnering with me to record them.
My husband and I feel a peace about the door the Lord has opened and I am thankful and excited about this new chapter.
Thanks for your support and I look forward to what the Lord does next!
Blessings and love,
Ashley Ruth
Homegrown Worship Releases:
“We Look to You”
“We Look to You” is a song I wrote several years ago. The lyrics are a reflection of the often daily prayers of my heart.
Being a Christian can be hard, and without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, it would be impossible. Who else offers strength and peace when you are going through the fires of life? Who else offers perfect wisdom and the eyes and ears to really see and love people? And what other kind of love is big enough to love the unlovable?
I know I am incapable of attaining any of these things on my own. I need the Lord to be working in and through me to accomplish His will for my life. I need His power and patience to be the kind of wife and mother He has called me to be. I need His help to actually be different than the world around me.
I remember the creation of this song began with the Chorus. The Lord gave me an interesting melody accompanied with the phrase “We look to You.” After that, the words quickly began to flow out of me and onto the paper. I remember running to the piano to write the next line of the song in between re-filling juice cups and changing diapers. I was so excited and my spirit could not rest until I had said what I needed to say in writing the song.
In all things, I look to Jesus, because He is the only One who can truly satisfy our needs. He is also the one who can rescue us from danger. Psalm 25:15 says “My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.”
Jesus is the only One who can bridge the gap between our imperfect sinful condition and a perfect and holy creator, God. His love made a way to redeem and restore us in relationship with our heavenly Father. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.
I hope this song is an encouragement to you. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me with words of encouragement. It really makes all the difference. 🙂
Blessings and love, Ashley Ruth
“Leaning”
My husband and I planted a church here in Florida about four years ago. If you had asked me a year before we started the church, I never would have imagined my life would take a turn in that direction. I was a busy mom with a small child and another on the way. I played clarinet full time in an orchestra, and my husband and I served on our local church worship team. My life was full, and I was happy and satisfied.
After a series of interesting events and encouragement from our Pastor, my husband began to sense the Lord leading him to start a church. We began the process with much prayer and dreams of seeing countless souls come to salvation in Christ.
The reality of starting a church in your home proved to be a huge blessing, as well as a huge challenge. There are hundreds of little details and decisions we were suddenly responsible for making, and the “simple” task of teaching the Word of God and leading a congregation in worship proved to be more than we were capable of on our own. We desperately need the Lord’s strength and discernment. As we have endeavored to maintain the integrity of the Word of God above all else, we have experienced moments of incredible devastation, as well as moments of incredible joy.
Four years into this adventure together, we now have three amazing children. Life is more full than we ever could have dreamed. Matthew 11:28, says “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The Lord inspired me to re-write one of my favorite old hymns, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” as an anthem of my decision to lean on the everlasting arms of the One who will always be there and will never fail us.
Today, as I reflect on the recent recording process for “Leaning,” the Lord has allowed me even more opportunity to live out these words: “What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.” As the world around us has completely changed in light of a global pandemic, I am realizing the perfect timing God has for releasing this song into the public. I pray it is a source of comfort and encouragement to those struggling with fear during this season.