Because I straddle the worlds of traditional and modern worship in my job, I’m often hearing, answering, deflecting, and/or resonating with grievances and concerns lodged by worship lovers on both ends of the spectrum. And because I’m trying to urge a congregation to seek unity amidst diversity for the sake of our common Gospel mission, I often find myself defending the merits of one side to the other. However, there should still be room for critical evaluation. Many frequently lodge … Read More
Reformation Sunday…wishing more worship leaders were equipped to celebrate it
This Sunday is Reformation Sunday—a time when Protestants thank God for how He refined and revived the Church in the sixteenth century. Being Presbyterian, we’re wedding the celebration of the Reformation with the 500th anniversary year of the birthday of John Calvin. Our unique slant on acknowledging Calvin is by stepping back several centuries and worshiping with a liturgy straight out of Calvin’s Geneva. We’re going instrument-less and hymn-less. We’re singing a capella psalms. We’re comparing the Genevan liturgy to … Read More
The Glad Sound Loops Are Up!
In an effort to further the cause of people using our music in the corporate worship setting, we’ve added to our resources page downloadable loops for appropriate songs. Loops, in brief, are split-track, “play-along” recordings usually made of the synth, effects, and percussion “frills” above and beyond the average modern rock band instrumentation. You can read a fuller explanation here. If you’re a worship leader or band, or if you know of worship leaders or bands that utilize loops, let … Read More
Why Hymns Aren’t “Popular”
In preparing for the release of my album, being an independent artist plopped into the vast ocean of worship music, I tried to keep my expectations level-headed when it came to the spread and popularity of our project. I knew promotion would be slow and hard, and I knew the concept of setting old hymns to new music wouldn’t win any Dove Awards or KLOVE Top 100 spots. Still, there were a few inroads into the mainstream that I was … Read More
Contemporary worship gets some brains
Contemporary worship isn’t all that old. However, it’s been around long enough now to receive at least some historical analysis. It seems as though this worship movement has passed out of infancy and adolescence and into a more mature young adulthood. The evidence: the repertoire of worship seems to be getting some brains. With broad-brush generalizations, contemporary worship’s infancy in the 1970s and 80s created a repertory of church music which was not only simple but also sometimes simplistic. Taking … Read More
Great New (Old) Worship Songs for Advent and Christmas
(Updated December 2011) For this Christmas season, or if you’re thinking ahead to the next, here are some modern worship style Christmas songs. They’re great historic hymns that we’ve set to new music which carry Advent/Christmas themes. They aren’t “updated” standard Christmas carols. They’re old hymns that modern worship has all but forgotten. But they’re worth reviving, and here they are: All Ye Gentile Lands Awake lyrics | mp3 | chord chart | lead sheet | video tutorial | about All Ye Gentile Lands Awake by Zac … Read More
Review of Christ-Centered Worship, by Bryan Chapell
Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009. $24.99. 320 pp. ISBN 978-0-8010-3640-8 People in my generation and down are prone to exaggeration. It’s part of our cultural ethos. “That was the awesomest thing I’ve ever seen.” “That was the nastiest thing I’ve ever tasted.” “That was like a million times worse than anything I’ve experienced before.” So in light of my generation’s over-indulgence in superlatives, I preface what I am about to say … Read More
Megachurch in Town Goes Liturgical
I have the privilege of working with a church that grants me study leave. Our church is one of those visionary places that recognizes when its leaders are given (sanctioned) opportunity to unplug, reflect, read, and process, we’re better at what we do. I naturally gravitate toward introverted, cerebral activities, so I purposefully plan aspects of study leave to be connecting with others in my field and learning from them. This past week, I went down to visit some new … Read More
Don’t Forget the Album Artwork
For all you digital downloaders, we have posted the album artwork for you to round out your Glad Sound experience. Download the artwork here.
Fox News Story: Our Reaction
Last night this news story aired (read a transcript). We’re incredibly grateful and can only attribute it to God that a big local news station considered it newsworthy to report on our “innovations” in church music (see a previous post for why this isn’t all that innovative). We’re thankful for Fox 31 News and Tammy Vigil for sharing this story. We’re also appreciative that they gave us a fair shake. So often the equation goes: Christianity + News = another … Read More