Category Archive

Two days ago, in Loveland, CO (a ways north of Denver…why did they choose Loveland?), the Hillsong United army graced Colorado with the only other concert besides their Passion 2010 appearance in Atlanta on this tour-leg in the US.  Besides the fact that I enjoy their music, great drumming, and prominent use of electric guitars, it was a chance for me to experience what is probably the extreme edge of the “rock show worship” spectrum, because that’s what they bring—huge … Read More

Happy new year, everyone! It’s time for another Sunday Setlist Blog Carnival post! This week felt joyful and free-spirited; here is the rundown.  All People That on Earth Do Dwell – William Kethe 1561 / Zac Hicks, 2009This old hymn is set to some appropriate, contemporary music, complete with congregational clapping. Stylistically, it’s loyal to the original intent of the hymn and its lyrics which is a call for all God’s people to come before Him with gladness and joy. … Read More

A while back I offered a post, giving reasons why the use of so-called “7-11 songs” is valid.  The phrase “7-11 songs” is usually used as a pejorative to encapsulate what many traditionalists criticize as the shallow, mundane, and overly repetitious singing of a song.  “Seven words, sung eleven times,” so they say.  My previous post stuck to mostly biblical argumentation, hoping to keep the door open to the concept of singing minimal words multiple times.  We certainly need to … Read More

About a year and a half ago, I threw our congregation a shocking worship curve ball.  We kicked off the fall of 2008 with a service of lament and mourning.  We devoted the entire liturgy to songs, Scripture readings, and preaching based on lamentation.  We read lament psalms corporately.  We sang another lament psalm in a chant-and-response format.  Those who were willing put ashes on their heads and came forward to kneel at our chancel to pray and lament…lament for … Read More

Every few months we hold a “cerebral” worship service where we sing hymns and praise songs that are very theologically dense. Here is what happened in this week’s service. If you haven’t heard already, we’re part of a network of worship leaders sharing our worship experiences each Sunday through Fred McKinnon’s blog carnival. Summary 1. Thou Lovely Source of True Delight  –  Anne Steele,  1760 / Kevin Twit, 1998A slow and contemplative song reminiscent of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, … Read More

Here’s what happened in today’s worship service.  We’re part of a network of worship leaders sharing our worship experiences each Sunday through Fred McKinnon’s blog carnival. SummaryI loved worship today!  It was full of meaningful symbols, great songs, and a Christ-centered atmosphere.  Today, regrettably, some of our slides for congregational singing were severely off.  This is so disappointing, because I know that the enemy uses it to rob God of the glory He deserves.  Nonetheless, it was good to be … Read More

I’ve been cooking this up for quite a while.  Many know that my particular church’s context involves two services on Sunday, unique in musical style yet similar in liturgy.  Many also know my passion for traditional worship as well as modern worship.  I’m always looking for ways to bridge them, and I’m especially looking for ways to tastefully import elements of traditional worship into the modern worship grid.  One of the ways is, of course, my setting of old hymns … Read More

This has turned out to be a second installment of concerns over evanglicalism’s limited understanding of and approach to hymns.  My first installment was a critique about the limited creativity we evangelicals have exerted in “resetting” hymns.  The chief concern of today’s post is this question: Why is it that all evangelicals seem to know of “old hymns” are the late 1800s and 1900s gospel-era songs?  Over a year ago, I was leading worship for a group in our church, … Read More

(there are other great verses…these are the ones we’re using) Angels from the realms of glory,Wing your flight o’er all the earth;Ye who sang creation’s storyNow proclaim Messiah’s birth. Come and worship, come and worship,Worship Christ, the newborn King. Shepherds, in the field abiding,Watching o’er your flocks by night,God with us is now residing;Yonder shines the infant light: Saints, before the altar bending,Watching long in hope and fear;Suddenly the Lord, descending,In His temple shall appear. All creation, join in praisingGod, … Read More

The Glad Tidings EP was the vision of the one-man think-tank known as Dave Farmer, foisting his bold ambition upon squeamish me.  I produced it, Gary Welker engineered it, and Josh Davis mixed it.  The result is a slightly haphazard yet fully enjoyable EP made available for free public consumption.  Save track 4, it is in keeping with our vision to set old hymns to new music. Track 1: Lo He Comes (Christmas Deconstructed Remix)“Lo He Comes” is one of … Read More