Two Thirds of Our Globe (and worship songs, so it seems) It’s high tide for nautical themes in worship songs. “Oceans”-makers, Hillsong Worship, have another album out, OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild. The title track alludes to the outpouring of the Spirit prophesied in Joel and bridges the connection to what happens in worship. There are a couple of metaphors running through the song–prominent biblical imagery for the Holy Spirit: fire and rain. The Bridge gets to the center of … Read More
Join Me in January!
I’d love to invite you to two different opportunities to connect and grow in worship leading and songwriting. I’ll be collaborating with some great institutions to do some important teaching and reflection on our craft, and I’d love for you to join me! The first will be an opportunity for a more intimate gathering, and the second will be one of the best mega-worship conferences on earth. Writing Songs for Today’s Church Trinity School for Ministry (Ambridge, PA) | January … Read More
Should We Do Worship Songs from Churches With Bad Theology?
This is a hot-button issue. And on this one, I differ with a lot of people that I highly respect and appreciate. Over at Reformed Worship, I argue for an open-handed yet pastorally sensitive approach to incorporating worship songs from origins whose theology might be suspect. Please go read my article, “Worship Songs as Trojan Horses.”
Thoughts on Missional Worship
Occasionally, I guest post over at the Reformed Worship blog. Most recently, they published some practical reflections of mine on the relationship between worship and mission in a post entitled, “The Biology of Missional Worship.” I highlight an important recent book on the subject and the great metaphors contained therein. And then, based on one of my favorite worship theologians, Jean-Jacques von Allmen, I offer an additional metaphor. Usually, worship and mission are discussed in separate spheres, such that when they are … Read More
A Theological Reason Why Worship Leaders Need to Take Naps on Sunday Afternoons
I’m Not Playing Around Maybe it sounds a bit cheeky. Perhaps it sounds like overextending an idea’s reach or, worse, a justification for sloth. However, I think there’s a very good theological reason why we worship leaders often find ourselves pillow-side on Sunday afternoons. For me, it’s very personal and autobiographical. I began thinking about all this over the last few months as our church is picking up the pieces of a major tragedy. Since the news hit our church … Read More
The Gift of the Early Era of CCM
CCM’s Story is My Story For me, historical reflection on Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) is always autobiographical. My life is intertwined with its development, because its songs are the songs of my upbringing. Isn’t it always the case that the songs present during our most formative and developmental years of faith stick in us perhaps more deeply than any others? Perhaps it’s the power of nostalgia, or perhaps it’s something deeper. CCM is certainly disparaged by a lot of folks … Read More
Why the Reformational Insight is So Important for Worship
In a couple of weeks, I’ll be taking a doctoral course at Knox Seminary on the theology of Martin Luther. Needless to say, I’ve been neck-deep in the writings of this Reformational bulldog. Right now, I’m reading through J. I. Packer’s translation of Luther’s The Bondage of the Will. The book’s back cover reads, “The Bondage of the Will is fundamental to an understanding of the primary doctrines of the Reformation. In these pages, Luther gives extensive treatment to what … Read More
Making Changes to Your Worship Service in the Light of Pastoral Care…what History Teaches Us
You’re Not “Just the Music Guy” We worship leaders tend to think too lowly of ourselves. “I’m just the music guy.” If we don’t say it, we often think it. Many of us are simply unaware of just how much we shape the people we lead. In fact, the way people are formed through our leadership looks strangely like the way disciples are made under other, well, pastors. I’ve been jumping in an out of a teriffic old book called … Read More
Worship Leading, Qualifications, Compensation, Expectations…it’s complicated!
There are lots of great forums out there for online dialogue between worship leaders about important issues. But one group has always, for me, been a HUGE cut above the rest…Liturgy Fellowship. Many of the posts and conversations are thoughtful, pastoral, and move beyond the typical “What songs do you all do?” and “What’s your fav verb pedal?” Recently, my friend Wendell Kimbrough (check out his thoughtful site and great music here) offered up a provocative and powerful set of … Read More
One Subversive Worship Songwriter You May Not Know
Re-gifting Worship I once heard David Gungor (of The Brilliance…fabulous) talk about his charismatic past meeting his liturgical present as coalescing around a “ninja liturgy”–a stealth liturgical narrative quietly creeping into and taking over the modern worship song set. I’ve been thinking more about this kind of subversion (especially as I’ve been writing The Worship Pastor), maybe arriving at the conclusion that it’s less subversion and more just great contextualization… re-gifting in the best possible light. When it comes to … Read More