We should not choose music randomly, as though the service were a playlist. There should be an internal coherence to what we are doing: we gather before God, confess faith, confess sin, hear the Word, respond in praise, and depart with blessing. Song selection should serve that movement.   When modern Christians talk about “worship,”... Continue Reading

The most basic element of music is rhythm. This is true of faithfulness as well. A life of faithfulness is not accomplished in one burst or sporadic starts and stops, but a rhythm of steady diligence over time. Singing reminds us of this. We cannot sing an entire song in one second; rather, music exists... Continue Reading

He is the one who draws us to himself. He is the one who seeks and save us. As Jesus said of his mission in Luke 19:10: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”. I was calling out as a teenager, “I’m looking for someone to change my life, I’m... Continue Reading

A hymnal is a deeply human work. What you hold in your hands is real music, written and selected by real believers who you will one day spend eternity with.⁠ And what’s in there stays there. There is no refresh button. No infinite scroll. No additions or subtractions. And that’s a wonderful thing. The nature... Continue Reading

In the Old Testament, it was the priests who mediated God’s presence through the rites of divine worship that Moses had received. As music came to be seen as the primary way we experience God’s presence, in the 20th century, worship leaders became a new kind of priesthood to serve the church—and, really, no one... Continue Reading

Newton never recognized “Amazing Grace” as anything remarkable or especially significant among his hymns…Its relative obscurity in Britain and his lack of personal references to the song suggest Newton had no idea how popular it would become or how powerful its influence would be. The song enjoyed much greater notoriety in America in the 19th... Continue Reading

What possibly could stir the mighty God of heaven and earth to sing? Not what but who—you! God’s delight is in you. You make him glad. He is overjoyed with you. You, his child, are the apple of his eye, the choicest among ten thousand.   Why Would God Sing? The steadfast love that God... Continue Reading

Local believers need to be raised up who can write local songs, hymns, and spiritual songs for the church and then go on to lead and play them skillfully. Because of my grandmom, I know the potential impact of this kind of work. Through good songs, local believers can unstoppably retain and reproduce truths from... Continue Reading

The early church took what was likely a familiar melody and infused it with bold Christian theology. It proclaims Christ’s supremacy in a dark time for God’s people. That’s what good worship music does. It doesn’t just sound beautiful—it shines a light on the truth.   A century ago, archaeologists digging through ancient ruins in... Continue Reading

The incessant storms of recent times—political, cultural, ecclesial, theological, medical, economic!—have shown how quickly such worldly securities can crumble. Such storms provide a perfect opportunity for the Church’s counter-message to shine most distinctly, as the city on a hill (Matt. 5:14). We are in great need of recovering this lost confidence.   Note: We don’t... Continue Reading