After months of planning and recording, Come Weary Saints, the latest project from Sovereign Grace has been released. At the Sovereign Grace Music site we say that “Come Weary Saints is an invitation to redirect your focus to the God whose love has been forever demonstrated at the cross of Calvary.” The CD contains twelve songs, mostly written with a congregation in mind, that reference our trials and suffering in a genuine but redemptive way. In his book, The Wages of Spin, Carl Trueman wrote an article called “What Can Miserable Christians Sing?” He warns: “A diet of unremittingly jolly choruses and hymns inevitably creates an unrealistic …
Archive | Books, CDs, Websites
For Future Generations
One of the reasons I wrote Worship Matters was not simply so that people would read it, which I hope they do, but so that it might serve as a training tool for future leaders. That’s why I dedicated the book this way: Ps. 71:18 has been a favorite verse of mine for years. It says, “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” God has kindly answered my prayer. (BTW, this picture comes courtesy of my oldest daughter, Megan, who posted it on her blog.) …
Share this post:
Worship Matters — the Book — is Released
Crossway is now shipping copies of my book Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God. The first review I’ve seen is over at blog.worship.com. They got the title wrong, but hey, it’s a very kind review. Here’s a portion of what they wrote: Biblically based and contemporaneous in setting, Worship Matters is a book we believe worship leaders will find both encouraging and challenging. Consider giving a copy to your worship team, pastor, and worship leader. This one is a definite must read. You’ll have to determine that for yourself. In the mean time, I’d appreciate your prayers that God would use this book to …
Share this post:
RSS Update (especially if you get Worship Matters by e-mail)
We interrupt our irregularly scheduled blogging to bring you an announcement. RSS Update isn’t the most intriguing title, but this is an important post if you get Worship Matters by e-mail. Until recently you could receive Worship Matters in your Inbox through a service called Feedblitz. Someone informed me of an inappropriate ad that accompanied one of my posts, so I upgraded to a paid subscription. At the same time I changed my e-mail RSS feed to Feedburner, which has no ads and also looks better. So in a couple months I’m going to stop the Feedblitz feed. What does this mean for you? If you receive Worship Matters through the Feedblitz …
Share this post:
Come Weary Saints CD Almost Ready
Next month we’ll be releasing our next CD, Come Weary Saints. The project is an invitation to each of us, whatever season we find ourselves in, to redirect our focus to the God whose love has been forever demonstrated at the cross of Calvary. Whether you’re going through trials or know someone who is, these songs are a reminder of the Father’s sovereign, loving care. Contributing song writers include myself along with Mark Altrogge, Steve and Vikki Cook, Pete Gagnon, Todd Twining, Joel Sczebel, and Stephen Altrogge. Ryan Baird, from Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, CA sang half the tracks. He was joined by Kyle Davis, who has sung on other …
Share this post:
Cheap CDs
In case you didn’t know, the Sovereign Grace sale on CDs and books continues. Through March we’re selling all Sovereign Grace CDs for the ridiculously low price of $6. You can download them for the same $6. Accompaniment CDs are going for $6, too. In addition our Pursuit of Godliness books are going for $5. Our printed music is really cheap, too. Our two volume songbook set is going for $40, all piano scores are a buck, and piano score sets from a CD are $6. And there’s free shipping in the U.S. for everything. I explain why we’re doing this in a previous post. …
Share this post:
Sovereign Grace CDs and Books for Ridiculous Prices — and Free Shipping
So yesterday I’m sitting in my office and I receive an email from Pat Ennis, the executive director of Sovereign Grace Ministries. It’s brief and to the point. He says he wants to reduce the price of our Pursuit of Godliness books and all our CDs to $6 and offer free domestic shipping. For a full month. He also says to come by his office if I want to appeal his plan. So I stop by and find him talking with Tommy Hill, the financial wizard of Sovereign Grace. I appeal that maybe we should consider $7. Nope. Not enough of a reduction in price. In fact, Pat ended up dropping the price of the books another dollar. The bottom line is this. From February …
Share this post:
Introducing the New Sovereign Grace Music Website
I’ve been part of Sovereign Grace Ministries since 1981. We’re a family of churches committed to planting and supporting local churches. We support our churches personally and relationally, as well as through a variety of training opportunities and resources. One of those resources is music. That’s because for the past twenty five years we’ve written over 300 songs filled with biblical truth and gospel-saturated passion that reflect the Scriptural themes God has been teaching us – the centrality of the Christ’s substitutionary atonement, the sovereignty of God, the active presence of God’s Spirit, gratefulness, the doctrine of sin, and more. …
Share this post:
The Book is Finally Done
For those of you who have been following this blog for a while, you know that I’ve been working on a book for over a year now. I’m happy to report that I’m finally done. The book will be called Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God and will be published by Crossway. I mailed in the final manuscript about two weeks ago, and I’m one happy guy. Lord willing, it will be available in April. The book is written for those who lead congregational worship in song, but I think it will serve anyone in leadership, as well as Christians who want to discover more about what it means to worship God. Not surprisingly, I’m already …
Share this post:
All I Need Is Here – Michael Gungor Band CD
I met Michael Gungor briefly a few years ago at an Integrity Songwriter’s retreat. I was struck by two things. He’s an incredibly gifted guitarist. And he’s a humble man. A great combination. After hearing his most recent CD, All I Need is Here, I’ve learned that he’s also a thoughtful and creative songwriter. His new CD, on the EMI/Worship Together label, goes beyond the “norm” in everything from melodies to production to packaging. His lyrics aren’t among the most profound I’ve seen, but Michael is consciously trying to say something meaningful and biblical that draws our hearts to the glory of Christ and our responsibility to love and obey …
Share this post:
Our God Saves by Paul Baloche
I met Paul Baloche about ten years ago when we were both part of a panel at the GMA (Gospel Music Association) week. We actually met back in 1985, although I didn’t find out about it until 1998. Paul had just become a Christian and Rita had persuaded him to attend a Christian conference in the Philadelphia area where some guy was teaching a session on writing songs for worship. That guy happened to be me. I’ve joked with Paul that I should probably be getting a cut of his royalties since what he learned at that seminar has probably been a key part of his success all these years… Paul is a humble man. We’ve talked about the unfortunate ending …
Share this post:
Subtitle Update
Thank you to everyone who submitted a suggestion and/or ideas for a subtitle for my book. What we finally chose was actually a combination of a number of suggestions. Matt Lowe proposed, “Leading Others to Exult in God’s Glory.” I changed “God’s glory” to “the Greatness of God,” and my friend Ken Boer suggested the word, “encounter” instead of “exult.” That led to the subtitle we’re going with, which is, “Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God.” Both Matt and Ken will be receiving a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. While I could have gone with no subtitle, and I certainly don’t think a subtitle makes or …
Share this post:
New CD from Mark and Stephen Altrogge
"In a Little While," the newest release from Sovereign Grace Ministries is now available for download or purchase. It features the songs and vocal talents of my good friends, Mark and Stephen Altrogge (pronounced al-TROAG-ee). Most of the songs are intended for congregational worship. Mark, Stephen’s dad, is best known for his songs, "I Stand in Awe," and "Forever Grateful," but he’s written around 200 worship songs over the past two decades. I’ve had the privilege of working with him up close, and have grown to respect and appreciate him deeply. Here are a few reasons why: Mark is humble. Even though he writes …
Share this post:
One Step Closer to a Subtitle
Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas for a subtitle for my book. So kind of you. There were a number that made an impact on me (A Plea to An Emerging Generation of Leaders), some I laughed out loud at (Worship Matters: Yo Quiero Taco Bell), and others that made me think. After reading them all, these are the options I’m considering at the moment: 1. Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God 2. Worship Matters: Biblical Foundations for Leaders 3. Worship Matters: A Practical Theology for Leaders 4. No subtitle I’d like to get a quick vote from you all as to which one you think an atheological twenty-something …
Share this post:
Book Update and Looking for a Subtitle
This past Tuesday morning I sent a semi-finished version of the book I’m writing to my editor. It’s funny how you can work on something for over a year and a half and still end up making a major push at the end. Part of the explanation is that last week my good friend C.J. Mahaney spent two days with me going over every word. His comments, thoughts, and insights were invaluable, but resulted in some more work. At this point, Crossway has the manuscript and will be getting an edited copy back to me in a month or two. In the mean time I’ll have a few friends review the manuscript again. It’s great to be able to write a book in committee. There’s …
