Bruce Springsteen’s Lyrics, in a CloudWord Stats Yesterday, Duke scholar Lester Ruth (someone whose work every worship leader should pay attention to) tweeted this interesting stat: Continuing hymn/CCLI song comparison. Most frequent human verbs in hymns? “sin” and “see”; in CCLI songs? “sing” and “praise” His sources for study involve, first, a look at the 70 most republished evangelical hymns up to 1860…so, material that many evangelical historians would classify as more “classic” hymns (as opposed to the “gospel hymn” … Read More
Destroying Self-Worship with Selfless Songs
Please stop what you’re doing and treat yourself to this amazing post over at Liberate by a worship leader I respect and appreciate, Sam Bush. He spends some time exegeting the hymn, “Hallelujah! What a Savior,” by Philip Bliss…a favorite of mine and a staple here at Coral Ridge. He hits on themes I try to bring up that I don’t think enough attention is drawn to in discussions of the “aim” of worship songs. Some quotables: One reason why … Read More
Four Exciting Projects in the Hopper for Coral Ridge Music
Coral Ridge is a busy place. With my own eyes, I’m witnessing a movement, a kind of new reformation, taking place in our walls, in our community, and around our region. And I’m witnessing a gospel revolution continue in my own heart and family. It’s the reason I moved down here in the first place. Coral Ridge Music is a kind of subset of the larger vision and mission of both Coral Ridge and Liberate (read my thoughts on why … Read More
On Worship That Makes Us Feel Lousy
Worship should be uplifting, right? It should make us feel great, right? Well…sort of. Worshipers and worship leaders need to take a good, hard look at the Scriptures and ask, “What is the Bible’s vision of worship?” THAT starting point–not what worship we grew up with, not what worship gives us goose bumps, not even what our favorite worship leader or blogger tells us–is the only way to begin finding healthy, wholesome answers. So, for example, we open up to the Psalms, God’s … Read More
If You Can Only Go to One Conference This Year…
We couldn’t say it ten years ago, but nowadays, there are so many great conferences to choose from. God is raising up amazing conferences on church life, worship, spiritual formation, preaching, the Christian journey, mission, and on and on. But though I will attend and be a part of several conferences over the next twelve months, one, I believe, stands out. It stands out because I’ve witnessed what it does to people for several years now. I’m talking about the … Read More
What if Volume in Worship Became Less About Preference and More About Discipleship?
Refreshing Old Dialogues I’m always grateful for articles, thoughts, posts, and insights that reopen dialogues that feel simultaneously over-worn and under-productive. The volume-level-in-worship dialogue feels like one of those to me. It all too often gets downgraded into an issue of pure preference, sounding like this: The old people can’t stand how loud it is and just want it turned down.The young people can’t stand how soft it is and just want it turned up. I have also heard the … Read More
Are Churches Trending Back Toward One Worship Style?
Rainer’s 6 Reasons I hope Thom Rainer’s post travels. He offers six reasons why some churches are moving back to one worship style, not willing to call it a full-blown trend or prophesy that the tides are turning…but one can hope. Here are his reasons: 1. Multiple worship styles created an “us vs. them” mentality.2. The church did not have the resources to do multiple styles with quality.3. The church moved from multiple services to one service.4. The Millennial generation … Read More
How Worship Leaders Cultivate “Porous Community”
Having recently been in the studio in preparation for new albums this Fall and Winter, I was reminded again of how relationships deepen both spiritual connection and the music-making process. Musicologists have noted for decades that better music is made by an ensemble (their rhythm is tighter, their phrasing is more unified, etc.) when the players are friends. The professional musicians I have worked with over the years have said the same thing—there’s a difference between virtuosic “parallel play” and … Read More
Worship Leader “Oversouling”
An article over at the Huffington Post (John Eskow, “Christina Aguilera and the Hideous Cult of Oversouling”) strongly criticized Aguilera’s performance of the national anthem at an event not long ago. The article did some nice parsing work about musical style, virtuosity, and when and where to balance the two. There’s something in there for the perceptive worship leader. Eskow references a term coined by Jerry Wexler, who produced Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, among other artists. It’s called “Oversouling”: “‘the gratuitous … Read More
Album Roundup – The First Half of 2014
Because I’ve waited so long, the list is pretty long. A whole slew of great albums have hit the scene since early 2014, and I’d like to bring your attention to the ones that are pretty special! In no particular order… Zach Sprowls, Everlasting Arms, May 2014 A peppy twist on “O for a Thousand Tongues” and a meaningful retune of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” make this a wonderful hymn collection, plus some original material. Zach is a thoughtful, … Read More