Archive | November, 2009

Paul Baloche Talks About His New Album, Glorious

By Bob Kauflin on November 24, 2009 in —Music Reviews, —Songwriting

Yesterday I reviewed Paul Baloche’s new album, Glorious. I emailed Paul a few questions which he was kind enough to answer. As long as I’ve known Paul he has always been gracious and humble. His songs are sung across the world, yet he consistently encourages those around him, laughs at himself, and directs people’s hearts to the glory of Jesus Christ. He’s also been serving in his local church for the past 20 years. So grateful for his example of humility. Here’s the interview: 1. How do you hope people who listen to this album will be affected? I hope that they will be inspired to wonder- to inquire- to lean in to the glory and mystery …

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Album Review – Glorious by Paul Baloche

By Bob Kauflin on November 22, 2009 in —Music Reviews

My first lengthy conversation with Paul Baloche took place about 5 or 6 years ago. Early on the conversation turned to theology. Paul assured me that his theology was “Jesus,” and he didn’t think it needed to be more complicated than that. I’m happy to report Paul’s views have changed. Paul’s new album, Glorious, is filled with intentional, gospel-centered theology that’s expressed in tunes that are both singable and memorable. Yes, you can find albums that are denser theologically and more cutting edge musically. But when it comes to writing accessible songs that communicate biblical truths clearly and sincerely, few do it as well as Paul …

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Songlist from the CCEF Conference

By Bob Kauflin on November 19, 2009 in —Other Events

When I agreed to lead worship at the CCEF conference last week, I have to admit I was a little intimidated by the theme of the conference: Sex Matters. As it turns out, the teachings provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate God’s grace in the gospel. I was reminded once again that there’s no part of our lives that the gospel doesn’t address, whether it’s reminding us of God’s holiness, assuring us that our forgiveness through Christ is complete, freeing us from our shame, or changing our hearts to find our greatest pleasure in God himself. I really enjoyed playing with the other musicians, who came from four different churches. Not …

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Matt Redman Interview

By Bob Kauflin on November 5, 2009 in —Music Reviews, —Songwriting

I asked Matt Redman if he could fill us in on some of the background to his latest album, We Shall Not Be Shaken, which I reviewed yesterday. His responses give some insight into the songwriting process, as well as Matt’s humility. Themes of God’s sovereignty pervade the songs on this album. Why did you choose to make that focus for this album? I had a sense that many people right now need re-assurance that God is in control in their lives. So many recent events, particularly economic ones, have reminded us that much of this life and this world is fragile, temporary and changing. We’ve heard so many statistics about mortgage payments defaults …

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Why So Many Words in Worship?

By Bob Kauflin on November 4, 2009 in —Choosing Songs

Over at the Gospel Coalition blog Kevin DeYoung gives 25 reasons why words are so important in our corporate worship. Here are some samples: All the corporate worship we know of in the early church is saturated with words. While there are many things we don’t know about the worship of the early church in the Bible, we do know that they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). We know they were devoted to the public reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13). We know they brought hymns, words of instruction, revelations, tongues and interpretations (1 Cor. 14:26). In other …

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Matt Redman’s We Shall Not Be Shaken – Review

By Bob Kauflin on November 4, 2009 in —Choosing Songs, —Music Reviews

I first met Matt Redman in 1997 when I was over in England for a worship conference. In a few minutes of conversation a few things stood out to me. He was a young man passionate about impacting his generation with worship songs that communicated biblical truth about God and not simply emotional responses. He was theologically aware and gospel-focused. He was articulate. And he was humble. Over the past years my first impressions have not only been confirmed; they’ve been deepened. After listening to his latest album, We Shall Not Be Shaken, I found myself thanking God once again for Matt’s faithfulness to serve the church with his songwriting …