A few weeks ago we posted the first song from “The Acoustic Sessions,” Our Only Hope is You. These are going to be stripped down versions of songs we’ve recorded on Sovereign Grace albums. We’re starting with songs from Grace Has Come, our latest release, but plan on going back to other albums and recording arrangements that are easier for a smaller church, or any church for that matter, to adapt. In this video, Devon, McKenzie, and Jonatan offer a simpler version of the song, It’s Your Grace. I wrote this song with Doug Plank, a good friend and a pastor at Crossway Church of Lancaster, PA. Right before he left for a two week trip …
From the Archives: Should Worship be Fun?
More than once I’ve heard Christians insist that worship should be fun, or act like they had a responsibility to prove that Christians knew how to “party” in church. I’ve always been uncomfortable with that connection, so I started thinking about the place of “fun” in worship, if one even exists. I’m going to address this question by answering it as I posed it, and then considering two other ways it might be phrased. Should worship be fun? If we take the exhaustive testimony of Scripture, the answer would have to be a resounding NO. “Fun” wouldn’t characterize any of the scenes in the Bible where people encounter God together, at least …
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Going to the Philippines
A couple years ago Cornelius Ebo, a pastor in the Philippines, came with his family to spend ten months as part of the Sovereign Grace Pastors College. Cornelius, or Nilo, asked if I could come host a music/worship conference in the Philippines. At the time it seemed like a stretch. But as the Lord would have it, I’m heading to the Philippines next week. I’ll be joined by a number of folks including Steve Cook and Norton Hall, a band led by my son , Devon. Jena Baumer, an intern from Cedarville University will also be with us, as will Lynn Baird, his daughter Meghan, and a few others from Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena. Sovereign …
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Our Only Hope is You – The Acoustic Sessions
Every time Sovereign Grace Music releases an album we bump up against the competing values of seeking to create fresh sounds and arrangements and recording something that a group of musicians in a small church can pull off. Our most recent album, Grace Has Come, was no exception. One song in particular that received a more dramatic production was “Our Only Hope is You,” by Neil and Kate DeGraide. It opens with a beautiful piano riff (played by Neil), and includes an orchestral cello part and a passionate lead vocal by Kate. The song is full of the angst of living with a hope that is not yet seen, but a hope in which we are fully confident. But …
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And the Winners Are…
Thanks to everyone who left a comment on yesterday’s post which automatically entered you in the drawing for one of 5 free copies of Keith and Kristyn Getty’s new album, Live from The Gospel Coalition. It was fascinating to read the responses. I’m not sure how many people thought they were limited to hymns penned by the Getty’s, but In Christ Alone was cited 44 times. Appropriate, I think. In any case, here’s who will be getting a free album (the number of your comment precedes your name): 61 – James 65 – Tony Weber 160 – MJ Wilson 187 – Sandy Spencer 212 – Stacy Sublett All these five people have to do is send your mailing …
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Win a Copy of Keith & Kristyn Getty’s New Album
My dear friends, Keith & Kristyn Getty, are releasing their first live album, LIVE AT THE GOSPEL COALITION, today. They’ve graciously allowed me to give away five free copies. Up until midnight tonight you can leave a comment below telling us what your favorite hymn is, and you’ll automatically be entered to win. I’ll pick the winners at random and announce them tomorrow morning. If you’d like to read more about the new album, you can do so here. And if you aren’t familiar with Keith and Kristyn, who along with Stuart Townend are writing some of the most theologically thoughtful, gospel-rich modern hymns today , check out their site. UPDATE: …
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Grace Has Come – So Has Our New Album
I’m overjoyed to report that last week (Aug. 1) we released Grace Has Come: Songs from the Book of Romans. I knew when we started this project that it would be a daunting task. It was. There just isn’t any way of adequately communicating the glorious truths in the book of Romans. But we had to try. I thank God that a lot of great songs for congregational worship have been written recently, like Not in Me and Man of Sorrows. More people are trying to write songs that are theologically driven, gospel aware, fresh, and singable. With Grace Has Come we let a book of the Bible drive the whole album. This is by no means an exhaustive musical …
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Thoughts on WorshipGod East: Called to be Faithful
I’m so grateful for all God did at WorshipGod East this past weekend. Over 1000 church leaders and musicians gathered for 2 1/2 days around the theme Called to be Faithful. We started Wednesday night with a pre-release event featuring songs from our new album, Grace Has Come: Songs from the Book of Romans. We hope to release some of the songs from that night as audio and/or video tracks. My son, Devon, led a band of very fine musicians from 5 churches, 4 of them local. I was freshly grateful for the gospel partnerships the Lord is enabling us to form in Louisville. The conference took place at Highview Baptist Church, East Campus. I can’t …
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Songs from WorshipGod East: Called to be Faithful
We sang a lot of songs at WorshipGod East: Called to be Faithful. Some were familiar, some were new. But all of them were designed to enable the word of Christ to dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16). That happened not only through the content of the songs but the way they progressed. In each session we started with songs that emphasized the greatness of God, leading to an awareness of our sinfulness and need for forgiveness. How sweet it was to follow that with songs and Scriptures that confirmed the grace and peace we’ve received by trusting in Christ’s substitutionary death for us on the cross. I was grateful for the guys who led each session. …
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Grace Has Come Preview Event in Louisville
We’ve been having a blast getting ready for WorshipGod East: Called to Be Faithful, which officially starts next Thursday morning, Aug. 1. I say “officially” because we have pre-conference intensives for drummers, keyboardists, guitar players, and choir members the day before. Online registration is closed, but you’ll be able to get passes for the whole conference, a day, or a session at the door. I’m happy to report that we just added another event and it’s free. On July 31, Wednesday night, 8 PM, at Highview Baptist East Campus, my son, Devon, will be leading a band that will be playing most of the songs from our new album, Grace Has Come: …
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And Here’s Who Gets a Free Registration to WorshipGod East
I really don’t know why I keep doing these WorshipGod registration giveaways. I read through the comments and just want to give everyone a free registration. Unfortunately I can’t. Thanks to everyone who commented, especially those of you who just wanted to bless someone else. As promised, I picked 2 winners based on content (although I could have picked a dozen more) and picked 2 using a random number generator. Which of course really isn’t random because God controls it (Prov. 16:33). So here is who’s going to WorshipGod East for free: 1. Nick, who wrote: For Christmas, I asked extended family for the money to buy my wife …
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Four People are Going to WorshipGod East for Free
I’ve been reading some of the evaluation forms from WorshipGod West and am so glad to see how people were specifically encouraged and equipped for serving in their local churches. It was a great time. But on to the future. WorshipGod2013 East: Called to Be Faithful is just three weeks away (Aug. 1-3), to be held in beautiful Louisville, KY, at Highview Baptist Church East. We have a great list of teachers lined up this year, both in the main sessions and the breakouts. Kevin DeYoung, Craig Cabaniss, Kevin Twit, Jared Mellinger, Donald Whitney, Mike Cosper, Steve & Vikki Cook, Sheri Gould, and more. And in case you missed it, we just added …
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Adding a Pre-Conference Drum Class at WorshipGod East
Out at WorshipGod West I was talking to David Zimmer, drummer for Enfield, about our next conference, WorshipGod East, taking place Aug. 1-3 in Louisville, KY. I mentioned that we were offering three pre-conference intensives on July 31, 2:00-5:30 PM, for guitarists, sound personnel, and pianists. In the midst of the conversation he offered to teach one for drummers. He and Ryan Foglesong are already teaching two workshops on The Bass/Drum Connection as part of the conference, but David thought there was plenty more to say to drummers alone. So I said let’s do it. In this three hour pre-conference session, The Modern Drummer, David will …
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Songs from WorshipGod West
Ever since reading Bryan Chapell’s excellent book, Christ-Centered Worship, I’ve been more intentional about structuring songs and meetings to reflect the story of the gospel and our response to it. At WorshipGod11: The Gathering we recorded an album based on those thoughts. More fruit from that study came at WorshipGod West. At each meeting we sought to rehearse, remember, revel in, and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ as our only hope and the means by which we’ve come to know God as our Father. Below I’ve listed the songs we sang, along with a few comments. Click on the title of the song titles to access charts and/or original sources. THURSDAY …
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Reflections on WorshipGod West: Called to Be Faithful
This past week, almost 900 people gathered for our first ever WorshipGod West conference, held June 27-29 at Calvary Church of Santa Ana, CA. They came from as far away as Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Ireland, Canada, and Mexico. Some drove 18 hours to be there, others simply drove down the street. Although this was a new location for a WorshipGod conference, we enjoyed many of the evidences of God’s grace we’ve seen in previous years. Ultimately, that was due to God’s kindness and the prayers of his people. Humanly speaking, it was due in large part to Sheri Goodrich and the generous staff of Calvary Church, the members of …
