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Reflections on Turning 55

By on January 7, 2010 in —Family, Devotions

55. A speed limit. Five years past half a century. LV. Double nickels. And today, my age. I finally qualify for the 10% senior discount at Jiffy Lube. I remember when 55 seemed really old. Right now it feels like the prime of life.  What does a 55 year old worship leader think about? Here’s a sample… 1. The years I have left for fruitful ministry are dwindling. Used to be I never thought much about death. Now I think about it at least weekly. Life is short, and it keeps getting shorter. I estimate I have between 10-20 more years of fruitful ministry, Lord willing. Then again, I may not live to see 2011. A lot to accomplish before …

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When Things Don’t Go As Planned, Take 2

By on January 2, 2010 in —Leading a Congregation, —Worship and the Spirit, —WorshipGod Conferences, Videos

What do you do when you start leading a song in two different keys? At our WorshipGod08 conference, we had the opportunity to find out as Joseph Stigora started “Psalm 96” in one key and the rest of the band from Covenant Fellowship came in a step higher. I posted on this previously, but here’s the video again: I got an email recently from a Sovereign Grace worship leader who shared how that incident at the conference encouraged him on a recent Sunday. This is what he wrote: We are a church of about 150 or so, so when you mess up it feels really uncomfortable because everyone is so close. It had been a while since something happened. Sunday …

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Thoughts on the ESV Study Bible (now that I’ve read it)

By on December 31, 2009 in —Worship and Scripture

In October of 2008, I posted that my goal was to read through the ESV Study Bible and notes (excluding the articles at the end) by the end of 2009. It took a little extra time this past week, but I finished Revelation 22 today. In my post last year, I gave ten reasons why I appreciate the ESV Study Bible. I mentioned the pastorally sensitive, gospel-centered notes, the excellent charts and illustrations, the additional articles, and the translation itself. Reading it through this past year (15 months, actually), has only confirmed all I said previously. There are certainly other ways to read the Bible than “in one year.” But let me tell …

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How Can Worship Matters Serve You More Effectively?

By on December 29, 2009 in —Websites

Like many of you, I’m in the midst of reflecting on 2009 and planning for 2010. One of my goals is to make Worship Matters more effective in serving the folks who read it. That’s you. If you’re involved in leading corporate worship in your church or ministry, I’m especially interested in knowing anything I can do that would make this blog better. Some changes I want to make include: more consistent posts (duh) more music and book reviews more interviews from pastors, theologians, and musicians more analysis of current trends or events blog redesign free resources tab Could you take a moment to comment below and tell me what …

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Sons & Daughters Nominated for Best Worship Project of 2009

By on December 28, 2009 in —Sovereign Grace Music

Every year Worship Leader magazine announces its “Reader’s Choice” awards. They give their readers a limited list, and ask them to choose their favorite artists, songs, and albums from the previous year. This year I was happy to learn that Sons & Daughters was nominated for two categories: Best Worship Project and Best Compilation Project. I have mixed feelings about Christians giving out awards to each other, especially in the music world. On the one hand, I know awards are an attempt to recognize and promote what most people think is worthwhile, beneficial, or glorifying to the Lord. That’s great. We’re to give honor to whom honor is …

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One Quiet Moment

By on December 26, 2009 in —Christmas

A few years ago I wrote a Christmas song for GLAD (my previous musical life) that reflected on Joseph and Mary’s humble submission in accepting their part in God’s plan of salvation. Hard to imagine the difficulty of that decision. But so grateful to God that they responded. The music seems a little dated to me now, but the truth of the lyrics still affects me. At the end, you can listen to/download the song. One Quiet Moment One quiet moment, on a star-clustered night, Two weary travelers knew an end was in sight; So the soon-to-be mother, grasped her husband’s strong hand, And paused to remember where the journey began. Nine months …

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Looking Back at WorshipGod09

By on December 23, 2009 in —WorshipGod Conferences

As I review the past year, one of my highlights was definitely WorshipGod09: From Generation to Generation, featuring John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Jeff Purswell, Thabiti Anyabwile, Keith & Kristyn Getty, Shai Linne, Don Whitney, and many more. Over 1700 worshipers of God gathered for 3 1/2 days of singing, instruction, fellowship, and equipping. From the evaluations we got, God met us in wonderful and specific ways. We just put together a slide show (using Animoto) that gives you a sample of what took place at the conference. The soundtrack is The Father’s Love, from Sons & Daughters, the album that we released at the conference. If …

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“To Be Like Jesus” Contest

By on December 17, 2009 in —Contests, —Sovereign Grace Music

No, this isn’t a contest to see who can be the most like Jesus… Sovereign Grace Music is inviting families, individuals, children’s ministries, and whoever else is up for making a creative video to participate in a contest using our latest kids’ album, To Be Like Jesus. The prize is a $250 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Here’s what you have to do: 1. Order a copy of To Be Like Jesus from our online store as an album or a digital download. (You can skip this step if you already own one). 2. Make a video using one of the songs from the album. You can use an accompaniment track and provide your own vocals, or use one of the original songs. …

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Treasuring Christ Above All Things

By on December 14, 2009 in —Sound and Tech, —Worship and Christ, Devotions

My daughter, Brittany, sent me this video today. It’s by the folks at Desiring God, who excel at using technology in a creative way to draw attention to what’s being said. The content is part of a John Piper sermon set to techno music. Piper addresses the question, “How do we treasure Christ above all things?” which is at the heart of God-honoring worship. This is what we’re seeking to help people do every time we have the privilege of leading corporate worship. …

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Leading Worship and Biblical Counseling

By on December 9, 2009 in —Choosing Songs, —Leading a Congregation, —Worship and Life

If you lead worship, you may not think of yourself as a biblical counselor. Maybe that should change. Last month I had the joy of leading the singing at the CCEF conference. While I was there David Powlison asked if we could chat about the relationship between singing congregationally and biblical counseling. There are a number of ways those two activities don’t seem connected. We sing with a group, while biblical counseling usually involves 2-4 people. You don’t normally counsel people with music. You just talk about issues. Counseling is interactive, while in corporate worship the communication is generally from the leader to the congregation. But …

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A Few Christmas Songs Worth Checking Out

By on December 9, 2009 in —Christmas, —Music Reviews

I know it’s late in the season, but I wanted to post some of the more solid Christmas songs, mostly for congregational worship, that I’ve come across this year. From my experience, Christmas carols are a mixed bag. Some beat around the “gospel bush” and hint at a universal brotherhood, while others clearly proclaim the good news that a Savior has been born to rescue rebellious sinners. I lean towards the second. Every year I’m on the lookout for new songs that express the wonder of the Incarnation in a fresh way. Here are a few that I’ve found this year. On Christmas Day – A song by Matt Osgood from www.RESOUNDworship.org that contains …

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Paul Baloche Talks About His New Album, Glorious

By 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 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 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 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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