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Praying the Bible Creatively
Every Christ-follower has heard the call to pray. We hear it from Jesus himself (Matt 6:9, Luke 11:2). Our worship gatherings feature regular opportunities to pray. Other Christians invite us to pray. And there’s an ever-increasing list of books, sermons, and other resources encouraging prayer. At least at a cognitive level, we know we should pray.
An Easy Way to Teach Your Church about Singing
We want everyone not only to understand our core priorities when it comes to music, but to become equipped to bolster the singing here. After all, the singing ministry of a church primarily belongs to the whole congregation, not just the musicians or trained vocalists.
The Songs That Write Us
The songs that come to mind in difficult moments give voice to the emotional contours of our life with God. At the same time, they shape and define that life with God. That is, our songs both express our prayers and form new prayers in us.
The Deep Work of the Worship Leader
We should approach our task with an intensity of focus that produces a solid outcome. This is counterintuitive for some churches, where worship leadership is handed to a young man whose primary qualification is that he can play an instrument or sing. It counters worship leaders who do only what is needed to get through Sunday so the focus is solely on the preaching of the Word.
On Songs That Quote Scripture
Some songs quote passages without their context, leaving the exegetical work to the listener--which isn’t inherently wrong but also isn’t helpful. Other songs distorts the true intent of the text by putting verses a new context, which does a tremendous disservice to the church and dishonor to God. I hope this article will challenge songwriters to write, pastors to select, and Christians to champion songs that treat passages in their original context with a renewed commitment to clarifying the biblical author’s intended meaning of a passage.
Eight Ways to Maintain Your Integrity as a Worship Leader
You may only have to pick four songs every week to keep your boss satisfied and your congregation singing, but there’s so much more you actually can, should, and need to do to maintain your integrity as someone who has been called to sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the people God has called to worship Him in grace and truth.
Hymn: We Will Feast in the House of Zion
We will feast in the house of Zion We will sing with our hearts restored He has done great things, we will say together We will feast and weep no more
Hymn: Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder
Let us love and sing and wonder, Let us praise the Savior’s Name! He has hushed the law’s loud thunder, He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame. He has washed us with His blood, He has brought us nigh to God.
Hymn: Christus Victor
At last, the sacrifice complete, He bursts the gates of hell And robs the serpent of his prey-- Victor Emmanuel.
Hymn: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
Hymn: The Law Demands a Weighty Debt
The law demands a weighty debt, And not a single mite will bate; But gospel sings of Jesus’ blood, And says it made the payment good.
Hymn: Day by Day
Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
Hymn: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.
Don't Just Write for the Church
Writing for the church is good and God-glorifying, and I truly love doing it. I wonder, though, if more honest songs would arise if we didn’t only write for the church.
The Movement Is Strong So the Music Is Strong
The strong movement produces strong music. There is no greater movement and no greater passion than Jesus’ gospel, the power of God to save. The songs of the redeemed should pack passion, creativity, intensity, and be sung loudly to reveal the story of God and how that story collides with our lives.
Six Ideas for Writing Songs from Scripture
In previous posts, we talked about why it was important for songwriters to write from scripture, and how to do it faithfully, creatively and regularly (make some goals!). Today I want to list some specific ideas, writing prompts, scripture passages, and examples that might help you get started.
Join Me at This Year's D&T Conference
The theme of this year’s Doxology & Theology Conference is liturgy. During our time together, we will explore the various expressions of liturgical traditions and learn how critical Scripture is to our gatherings.
How to Begin Thinking About Your Church's Liturgy
If you're reading this and you currently have little to no discernible gospel liturgy in place, I'd like to offer three thoughts and one exhortation that I hope are helpful in your worship planning.
How to Write a Song from Scripture
How exactly should a songwriter go about writing from the Bible? I’ll explore three key concepts we need to keep in mind as we attempt to write songs from the Bible.
The Heart of the Worship Leader
Intentionality is important with your craft and leadership, but also in maintaining the health of your own heart.
Who Turned Down My Music?
Some are instructing churches to turn down the music volume during their Sunday morning gathering. We cannot dismiss these arguments as complaints from old curmudgeons within the church, such as the argument that a lower volume of music emphasizes corporate singing. However, I’m not sold that the best way to encourage corporate singing is turning down instruments’ volume.
How to Help Your Congregation Sing
The goal of leading corporate song is to facilitate the joyful singing of God's people. Anything you do should tend toward their participation and full engagement. This means that your leading of the singing should be simple and predictable enough so that the congregation can jump on board, and also compelling enough that they want to jump on board.
Review of A Home & a Hunger: Songs of Kingdom Hope
In A Home and a Hunger: Songs of Kingdom Hope, singer/songwriter Caroline Cobb invites listeners to sing the story of God’s kingdom. Cobb has emerged as a unique and needed voice as she attempts to make biblical theology accessible for old and young, new believers and longtime Christians, for those who know their need and for those who think they’re doing OK.
Planning for Grief in a Worship Service
The joy of the good news of Jesus outshines all other joys, making it seem like we must be dreaming, filling our mouths with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. So our worship services should feel joyful, right? On the whole, yes, of course, they should. But that is far from the whole story.
How to Use Structure in Songwriting
Congregational songs must be singable enough that unmusical people can participate and theologically understandable enough for new believers to benefit from their truth. But the biggest struggle I see when songwriters show me new congregational worship songs isn’t musical or theological. The greatest struggle in writing good congregational worship songs is structural.
D&T Podcast: Getting Started
To help you get the most out of the podcast, we’ve organized podcasts by topic, and italicized titles that are particularly helpful to those just beginning in worship ministry.
The Gospel and Worship Leader Flubs
In analyzing mistakes, the first question I ask myself is whether I could have done better in my preparation to avoid this mistake. But often times these flubs are just, well, flubs.
Preparing a Set List
Set lists are more than songs, and Sundays are more than gatherings. Every Sunday is an opportunity to call people to lift their eyes from unsatisfying idols to gaze at the infinite beauty of God.
10 Suggestions for a Songwriting Retreat
There are several things that keep us from writing new songs—fear, insecurity, laziness, and lack of discipline to name a few. But perhaps the most prevalent, and ironically the easiest to overcome, is simply not carving out time for cowriting.
Taking Theological Inventory of Songs
Our difficulty as worship pastors is that we tend to be so close to the songs we lead that we cannot see the big picture which we are forming. The people of your church are worth your spending the time to take a few steps to take theological inventory the songs you sing.
The Benefit of Knowing Your People
I came across this passage in my devotional early one Sunday morning. As I read these words, honest and sobering questions flooded my thoughts: “This is true for Paul, but is this true of you and your congregation? Is it? Do you long to see them? Are you using the spiritual gift God has given you to strengthen the church? Are you and your congregation mutually encouraged by each other’s faith on a weekly basis?”
The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World
If you assume that a book relating corporate worship and ethnic diversity does not affect you, then let me make the case that you must read The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World.
Songwriting and Mixed Motives
As soon as I finished a song, I had a flurry of thoughts: Did they like it? Were they impressed? Will they say what an amazing song it was? Do they think I’m a good songwriter? Will they all spontaneously stand up and burst into applause?
Stop Saying the Same Old Thing
This sense of nothing-new-to-say is magnified by the fact that worship leaders only have a few moments in between songs to speak. Our responsibility then is not only to hold up the Truth, but also to have wisdom in our economy of words, extending beyond just the same old thing.
Is Anyone Thirsty?
Our lives are combusting with expectation and anticipation, and we're groaning for answers. Jesus knew this about us, better than we do. In fact, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink’” (John 7:37).
2016 D&T Conference Set Lists
Check out the set lists from this year's Doxology & Theology Conference!
Brand New Edition of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
No hymnwriter since the Reformation has been as prolific in his writing and impact as Isaac Watts, called the Father of English Hymnody. His Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs provided the hymns of the post-Reformation movement of churches.
Seven Ways the Reformation Renewed Worship
We usually think of the Reformation of the 15th Century in terms of doctrinal renewal. But we also owe the Reformers a debt for the renewal of worship. Here are some of the key areas...
Announcing the 2016 Conference Breakouts!
Check out the breakout sessions available at this year's Doxology & Theology Conference! Sign up now, and we'll see you there!
Three Reasons to Attend the Doxology & Theology Conference
We’re less than two weeks away from #doxandtheo16, and a few spots are still available. (Also, registration closes October 31.) If you’ve been on the fence about joining us next week, here’s three reasons to sign up today.
2016 Survey Results
This year, we asked you to fill out a short survey to help us know more about you and the ways we can serve you best. Thank you for filling out the survey! We had hundreds of responses, and your input helps us understand why you're a part of Doxology & Theology. Check out the infographic below to see more about who comes to D&T and why.
Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ
The Corner Room’s latest project, What Great Mystery, is a collection of five hymns that explores the mercy of God for sinners. One of these is a retuning of Horatius Bonar’s hymn, “Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ.”
Worship and Wisdom
Our instinct in thinking about worship from a biblical perspective is, rightly, to go to the Psalms. But have you ever considered going to Proverbs?
Thinking Pastorally About Emotions in Worship
Emotions in worship are a touchy subject. They’re touchy because, first, worship is often intensely emotional, and, second, many of us have had unpleasant experiences with leaders who have abused that reality. In my opinion, there are two extremes, neither of which are healthy or biblical, and both of which should be avoided through pastoral wisdom and grace.
Songwriting for the Local Church
Our church sings original music. Not always, but sometimes we do it. Most of the time it’s awesome, but other times, it’s an exercise of patience for our congregation. Recently someone asked me to explain why our church writes original music, so I’ve been thinking about all the ways songwriting serves our local church.
What the Fourth of July Taught Me About Liturgy
Song and melody not only unite us with others, but also touch parts of our hearts that might surprise us. This Independence Day liturgy took a truth that wasn’t immediately at the forefront of my mind and moved me from passive forgetfulness into active gratitude.
Worship Is the Goal of Missions
As worship leaders, our lives and leadership must reflect the gravity of unreached peoples. We are a part of God’s story: we tell the story in song and in prayer. We are a part of the going and sending of the church.
How the Psalms Instruct Us
Do you think of the psalms as divine instruction that you must respond to by faith? Or do you typically view the psalms as a conglomeration of songs and prayers? When you read the psalms, do you get the sense that you must respond?
Are You Content in Your Calling?
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs is one of the most helpful books I have read in dealing with the plague of discontentment in my own heart.
The Call to Worship
In a day and age where so many distractions are fighting for our attention, one of the best ways we can help center our people’s hearts is through a specific and pointed call to worship. It urges people to turn from worldly distractions and set their minds, hearts, and attention on the glory of God.
When the Power of Scripture Meets the Power of Music
The songwriters of the Church have a special responsibility. We should be writing songs that expose God’s people to more and more of His powerful, life-changing Word.
A Worship Truth for All to Hear
Whatever the ambient volume of our sanctuary, there is a more critical matter of volume and understanding at play. It is one of the most glorious truths in the universe: implicit, and seldom mentioned. That is, when we gather to worship at our local churches, behind all our prayers and all our songs, behind all our exhortations and all our encouragements: the Lord hears.
The Discipline of Songwriting
I recently had a conversation about the process of creating art with a friend who writes movie scripts. As we talked, I mentioned a difficulty I’ve had in writing a song that I’m actually happy with. I’m trying to write more because I want to cultivate this gift in my own life and serve the congregation I am privileged to lead. But it’s been frustrating.
(Mis)Understanding Excellence: How Godly Excellence Shapes Your Life and Your Ministry
In all this talk of excellence, many Christians fail to realize the chasm between the world’s definition of excellence and God’s definition of excellence. The two are not synonymous. In fact, worship leaders in particular often succumb to a worldly definition of excellence. In doing this, we actually misunderstand godly excellence.
Responding to the Increasingly Short Shelf-Life of Worship Songs
Things are not as simple for worship leaders/church music directors as they used to be. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s certainly a more complicated thing. There are now more songs to choose from than ever, at an increasingly rapid speed, coming from big publishers, independent artists, local churches, Christian radio, social media feeds, conferences, carrier pigeons, and their distant relatives, hipsters.
O Church of Christ, Invincible
One of the areas we must continue to grow in as church leaders is giving people vocabulary to express confession of sin, the emotional tides of suffering, and even death. The gospel is wide enough for all of our questions, and strong enough to hold us through each storm.
Remembering the Contributions of Hughes Oliphant Old
On May 24, 2016, one of the great Reformation scholars of the 20th century passed into glory.
Hey Worship Leader, Don't Waste Your Words
You have a unique gig, worship leader. You have the “enviable” position of getting as much face time on the platform every week as the lead pastor. Next to preaching, your gig is the most vocal and visible ministry in the church.
Worship Reformed
At this year's D&T conference, were celebrating the contributions of the Protestant Reformation, and we’ll consider how the Reformation shaped our faith, returned singing to the church, and continues to reform our practices.
Spurgeon on How to Lead Singing
This helpful article from Charles Spurgeon was published in his monthly publication, The Sword and the Trowel.
Seven Resources for Finding Excellent Songs
Here are resources I suggest for finding excellent songs that capture the richness and Word-centeredness in view in Colossians 3:16.
The Hymns of Anne Steele
In a matter of years, Steele became one of the best-loved names in hymnody. Just as Watts was crowned the “father of English hymnody,” Steele has been called the “mother of the English hymn." Since her day there has not been a woman hymn-writer who has matched Steele’s ability and nuance with the doctrinal fidelity and care she demonstrates.
Thomas Cranmer: A Forgotten Worship Reformer
Every once in a while you stumble across a historical figure whose voice speaks—no, shouts—with all kinds of contemporary relevance. For me, that figure is Thomas Cranmer, and the more I get to know him, the more I am inspired by this theologian, pastor, artist, and worship leader. If Cranmer is remembered at all, he is often caricatured as a wishy-washy politician, flitting to and fro in the winds of the whims of the mad King Henry VIII.
The Sunday After Easter
Easter is not the "Super Bowl of the church." Easter is not the day we suit up, march onto the field and win the game for Jesus. Easter is the day we fix our eyes on the resurrected Christ. Easter is the day we gather together to remind one another that Jesus has already won for us.
Easter Hymn: Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?
Alas! and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head For sinners such as I?
The Promise and Practice of "Yet"
The word "yet" brings together what I intend to do and what I actually do, though more often than I like to admit, there’s a significant gap between those two things.
Three Rhythms in Planning Worship
We must continue to preach the Gospel through song to those who already know it and rest in it. So what are some practical ways we can accomplish this as worship leaders so that our weekly planning is not mundane but done with intentionality and excellence?
Sing Something Fresh
For the last twenty years, I have been trying to bend the English language around for the glory of God and write melodies to encourage the hearts of his people. I know the difficulty and the reward of this labor and, more than ever, I feel the need to sing to the Lord a new song.
The Labor of a Church Musician, Part 1
This is the first of a two-part series, delivered by Harold Best at the 2014 Doxology & Theology Conference.
Don't Just Write for the Church
Don't Just Write for the Church
Writing for the church is good and God-glorifying, and I truly love doing it. I wonder, though, if more honest songs would arise if we didn’t only write for the church....Read More ➔
The Movement Is Strong So the Music Is Strong
The Movement Is Strong So the Music Is Strong
The strong movement produces strong music. There is no greater movement and no greater passion than Jesus’ gospel, the power of God to save. The songs of the redeemed should pack passion, creativity, intensity, and be sung loudly to reveal the story of God and how that story collides with our lives....Read More ➔
Six Ideas for Writing Songs from Scripture
Six Ideas for Writing Songs from Scripture
In previous posts, we talked about why it was important for songwriters to write from scripture, and how to do it faithfully, creatively and regularly (make some goals!). Today I want to list some specific ideas, writing prompts, scripture passages, and examples that might help you get started....Read More ➔
How to Write a Song from Scripture
2 How to Write a Song from Scripture
How exactly should a songwriter go about writing from the Bible? I’ll explore three key concepts we need to keep in mind as we attempt to write songs from the Bible....Read More ➔
How to Use Structure in Songwriting
How to Use Structure in Songwriting
Congregational songs must be singable enough that unmusical people can participate and theologically understandable enough for new believers to benefit from their truth. But the biggest struggle I see when songwriters show me new congregational worship songs isn’t musical or theological. The greatest struggle in writing good congregational worship songs is structural....Read More ➔
10 Suggestions for a Songwriting Retreat
10 Suggestions for a Songwriting Retreat
There are several things that keep us from writing new songs—fear, insecurity, laziness, and lack of discipline to name a few. But perhaps the most prevalent, and ironically the easiest to overcome, is simply not carving out time for cowriting....Read More ➔
Songwriting and Mixed Motives
Songwriting and Mixed Motives
As soon as I finished a song, I had a flurry of thoughts: Did they like it? Were they impressed? Will they say what an amazing song it was? Do they think I’m a good songwriter? Will they all spontaneously stand up and burst into applause?...Read More ➔
Songwriting for the Local Church
1 Songwriting for the Local Church
Our church sings original music. Not always, but sometimes we do it. Most of the time it’s awesome, but other times, it’s an exercise of patience for our congregation. Recently someone asked me to explain why our church writes original music, so I’ve been thinking about all the ways songwriting serves our local church....Read More ➔
When the Power of Scripture Meets the Power of Music
When the Power of Scripture Meets the Power of Music
The songwriters of the Church have a special responsibility. We should be writing songs that expose God’s people to more and more of His powerful, life-changing Word....Read More ➔
The Discipline of Songwriting
The Discipline of Songwriting
I recently had a conversation about the process of creating art with a friend who writes movie scripts. As we talked, I mentioned a difficulty I’ve had in writing a song that I’m actually happy with. I’m trying to write more because I want to cultivate this gift in my own life and serve the congregation I am privileged to lead. But it’s been frustrating....Read More ➔
Sing Something Fresh
Sing Something Fresh
For the last twenty years, I have been trying to bend the English language around for the glory of God and write melodies to encourage the hearts of his people. I know the difficulty and the reward of this labor and, more than ever, I feel the need to sing to the Lord a new song....Read More ➔
