The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is … Read more Warming Up Your Ministry in the Winter of Your Life
Church musicians are all too typically regarded as those who sustain the church by providing musical services. This view has them responsible for creating fellowship and good feeling in the congregation—dispensing songs that keep everybody happy and engaged. This job description creates tension that comes from the pressure of trying to satisfy the desires of … Read more The Challenge of Musical Leadership in the Church
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. Refrain This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior, all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior, all the … Read more Blessed Assurance
Music in the church should show forth what it means to live faithfully. Music that is derivative or distorted, or that coats over real suffering and pain and joy with sentimentality and cliché, will never really “work.” Not all music in the church need be contemporary, but all of it should pertain to the life … Read more The Musician’s Call
Today, there are more reported suicides than ever before. From the pre-teen to the teenager to the adult. Whether it be from isolation, loneliness, feeling like you don’t measure up, a death in the family, relationship failures, a failing economy, uncertainty, families splitting up or not speaking over political or religious differences, people haunted by … Read more Suicide is a Permanent Solution to a Temporary Situation
A well-crafted hymn tune is essential for expressing the meaning of a text. Composing hymn tunes, then, is an important task that ultimately makes a hymn text singable and “pray-able.” To write an effective tune, the composer must meet poetic and musical criteria. The first step in the process of composing a hymn tune begins … Read more How to Compose a Hymn Tune
If one were to take the position that only those things that Scripture specifically allows are allowable and those that Scripture does not specifically mention are prohibited, then the perimeters of musical practice in the New Testament would be very limited. There are two basic reasons why this cannot be the case and why the … Read more The New Testament View of Music
Worship is an activity that includes every aspect of human awareness: heart and mind, senses and intellect. St. Paul bids us, “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Rom. 12:1). We can see how he is using the word “spiritual” here: not in contrast to … Read more Worship in Mind, Heart, and Spirit
Communication with almighty God is not the same as with humans. We could never reduce that spiritual union to the level of our finite understanding. Fortunately, God knows that! And because he designed us, he knew from the beginning that our communion with him would be very special to us and to him. God does … Read more What Happens in Worship?
When the church first began in Jerusalem, the believers met in homes for fellowship and worship. Acts 2:42–47 tells us that the early Christians met in homes to hear the apostles’ teachings and to celebrate Communion (which is called “the breaking of bread”). During such gatherings the Christians often shared meals with others in what … Read more Early Christian Worship in House Churches