Good news for corporate worship music

Kevin Twit says they have started the next Indelible Grace project. Indelible Grace really opened my eyes to what substantial worship music looks like back when the second CD came out like eight years ago, and the projects have been pretty consistently good since. The sound has gotten better with each record.

Speaking of Indelible Grace, I finally bought some tracks off of Matthew Smith's new disc, All I Owe, and I recommend the song None Among. I had marked that one in my Spurgeon hymnal to write a new tune to, but Matthew beat me to the punch.

30

So today I'm 30. Maggie was asking Melissa last night if she thought I would wake up with lots more gray hair.

How did I spend my last night in my twenties? In our IBUC elders meeting with a bunch of dudes in their 60s. Pretty much awesome.

listen to Sky Blue Sky for free

My favorite band is continuing their tradition of letting fans stream their new record on their website for free before it comes out. Check it out here. Totally different from either of their last two records, but I'm loving it.

If you listen to it, let me know what tracks you're digging the most.

Bob Kauflin on plannings songs for the long haul

I know I have several times on this blog linked to Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters blog, but it has been a while. Yesterday he posted a draft of part of a chapter of the book he's working on, and it's absolutely brilliant. He's talking about viewing your song selection over a long period of time and essentially asking yourself if with the content of the songs you are faithfully shepherding your people towards a biblical, well-rounded view of God. This question won't even make sense to worship leaders who view their role primarily as performers instead of pastors. Sadly, that's all many churches expect out of the guy who chooses their diet of corporate worship music. Also sad is that many churches make style and/or instrumentation the highest priority, so that, for example, the worship leader is forced to choose only from songs that have orchestra arrangements available on the market.


Read Bob's post here.

Highlights:

"...a meal isn’t the same thing as a diet. God doesn’t want us only to be concerned about this Sunday. He wants us to keep the big picture in view."

"Reviewing your songs can answer some important questions.

• Are any themes missing or lacking?
• Are we falling into a rut musically or thematically?
• Are God’s Word, worthiness, and works being proclaimed in our songs?
• Are we worshiping a triune God in song?
• Are we conscious of the Gospel each time we sing?
• Do we need more songs of celebration or reverence?
• Are we doing any songs too frequently or not often enough?
• Do we have a healthy blend of deep and simpler songs?
• Are there any songs we don’t do any more that we should start doing again?"
  

"A good measure of how we’re doing in this area is what I call the “twenty year rule.” If someone was born in our church and grew up singing these songs, how well would they know God? Would they see that he is holy, wise, omnipotent, and sovereign? Would they know him as Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer? Would these songs give them a comprehensive and broad view of God, or would they only be exposed to certain aspects of his nature and works?"