Check Out My Interview with Worship Links

Zac HicksWorship and Pastoral Ministry, Worship Resources1 Comment

On Monday, Worship Links published an interview with me which I encourage you all to read. Worship Links actually has a lot of great resources, acting as an online clearing house for good worship thought. Several of my friends and fellow worship pastors have been interviewed (including Bobby and Kristen Gilles).   If you only read one thing, make sure you read my most embarassing worship leader moment. It’s quite humiliating and 100% true. Check out the interview here!

Behind the Song “Wake Up Sleeper” and Album Giveaway Contest

Zac HicksConvergence of Old and New in Worship, Worship Resources6 Comments

His Be the Victor’s Name (EP) released this week. Here’s my post about it. I will be sharing a little about each song, and the first one up is “Wake Up Sleeper.”  Listen to it: His Be the Victor's Name by Zac Hicks & Coral Ridge Worship Resources lyrics | lead sheet | chord chart | buy it Behind the Words “Wake Up Sleeper” is the only song whose words are 100% original. My readership knows that I’m a big fan of … Read More

His Be the Victor’s Name EP – Releases Today!

Zac HicksAlbum Reviews, Convergence of Old and New in Worship, Worship Resources1 Comment

Coral Ridge Music and I are proud to announce the release of His Be the Victor’s Name, a small collection of worship songs dedicated to the themes God’s two words of Law and Gospel. It consists of four re-tuned hymns, a confession song based on the Book of Common Prayer, and one full original. With the exception of “From the Depths of Woe” (Indelible Grace / Christopher Miner), all the tunes and additional texts were written by me in collaboration with … Read More

I’m Giving Away My Albums for Two Weeks!

Zac HicksWorship Resources1 Comment

My humble contribution to the worship song world, thus far, has been two LP’s and a bunch of singles, pretty much all of which have been retuned hymns. I’m giving them away for free on NoiseTrade for two weeks. I’d encourage you to share the love and spread the news far and wide. The reason for this is to pre-celebrate the release of my newest project, an EP of 6 songs that have all been a part of my amazing … Read More

Worship Book Roundup, 2013-2014

Zac HicksBook Reviews, Worship Resources3 Comments

Not every worship leader is built to be a voracious reader, however it’s still important for worship leaders to be worship readers, in some form or fashion. In this post, I want to highlight some of the books that have inspired, aided, and encouraged my ministry of worship pastoring in 2013. Then I want to talk about books I hope to read and books I have my eye on. GREAT READS FROM 2013 Robbie Castleman, Story-Shaped Worship A deep, sweeping … Read More

Singing the Bible – Cardiphonia’s Canticles

Zac HicksAlbum Reviews, Convergence of Old and New in Worship, Hymns Movement News & Reviews, Songwriting, Worship Resources2 Comments

Astounding. They just keep getting better. A little before Christmas, Cardiphonia (that influential blogging and resourcing site that is in my top three go-to worship destinations online) released Canticles. A “canticle” is just fancy liturgical language for any song actually pulled directly from the pages of the Bible, more or less. Read more about it in my post here.  There’s a lot of talk out there about “biblical worship.” It means a lot of things. I’ve posted before about the difficulty … Read More

A Trinitarian Hymn for the New Year

Zac HicksSongwriting, Worship Resources2 Comments

Back in November, I arrived at the Cove to lead music alongside my fearless leader, the gospel-addict, Tullian Tchvidijian. The guest leader cabins at the Cove are evidently filled with books from Ruth Graham’s own library. She was quite the collector of old hardbacks. I stumbled upon a small, original edition of Frances Ridley Havergal’s collection of hymns, Under the Surface (get it for free at Google Books), and one of the first hymns I read was this one. It’s perfect … Read More

Great New Musical Meditations on the Gospel

Zac HicksSongwriting, Worship ResourcesLeave a Comment

I am continually impressed and encouraged by the output of Mars Hill Music. Stylistically, I love what they do. It’s my personal musical cup of tea. From the sing-songy, “Brady Bunch” worship style of The Sing Team, to the , flanged, Cure-style punk of The Modern Post, to the driving indie sound of Citizens, to the neo-classical folk chops of King’s Kaleidoscope, to The Dispatch’s modern tribute to the 80s, to Ghost Ship’s banjo rock, they’ve got something very special … Read More

One Worship Conference to Pay Attention To

Zac HicksWorship ResourcesLeave a Comment

When I get really feisty, I have to admit that an anti-establishment streak runs through my veins. In reference to the “worship industry” (I know, I know…the phrase is laden with problems), I’m not a complete naysayer. I hope you’ve seen that I try to encourage a reform-from-within stance rather than be a rock-hurler from the other side of the fence. But I am delighted to see, dancing around the inside and outside of the worship industry’s borders, folks with … Read More

How to Develop Your Own Philosophy of Worship

Zac HicksWorship and Pastoral Ministry, Worship Leading Tips, Worship Resources, Worship Theology & ThoughtLeave a Comment

Whether you’re a worship leader, a pastor, a church leader, or a congregant, having the basic building blocks of a philosophy of worship is vital. When you have your philosophy in place, it helps guard against the type of decision-making that will ultimately hurt or mal-form you and your congregation. When you lead and make decisions from your philosophy, as opposed to from your hip, your leadership becomes much more purposeful, wise, and (when your philosophy is borne out of theological reflection) … Read More