Yesterday I referred to the message I gave on The Future of Worship at WorshipGod09:From Generation to Generation, I spoke from Ps. 78:1-8 and shared the story of Asaph. My first point was that God commands us to tell the coming generations what he has done. Psalm 78 is a maskil of Asaph, and one of 12 Psalms ascribed to Asaph. Whether Asaph actually wrote them or not, we can’t be sure. But one thing we can be sure of is that his influence lasted for centuries. Asaph ministered at the tabernacle as a Levite. When David recaptured the ark of the covenant and returned it to Jerusalem, Asaph was appointed by the other Levites “to raise sounds …
The Future of Worship: Passing the Baton
At WorshipGod09:From Generation to Generation, I gave the last message on The Future of Worship, based on Ps. 78:1-8. The previous messages had dealt mostly with the biblical values of worship we want to pass on to future generations – the nature of God, the importance of the heart, the role of leadership, the significance of the local church, and more. The question I asked in my message was: What do we need to keep in mind as we seek to transfer these and other biblical values of worship to the next generation? In preparing for the message I came across some comments from Nigel Hetherington, the Scottish National Sprints and Hurdles coach. …
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Matt Redman on Romantic Language in Worship Songs
Ben Neumann, a member of my church, told me about an interview with Matt Redman that was recorded a couple years ago. I’ve had a number of opportunities to hang around with Matt, and each time I walk away encouraged by the grace of God in his life. He’s a diligent theologian, a devoted husband and dad, a brilliant songwriter, and a leader who is always seeking to direct your attention to the greatness of God’s glory in Christ. I’m affected by his love for and understanding of the gospel, and his heart to see people pursue God with a biblically informed passion. In this interview he talks about how he’s revisiting the use of romantic language …
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Messages and Books on the Holy Spirit
I had a good conversation through Skype today with Tim Smith, worship pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I met Tim a couple years ago, and I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to interact with him on various topics related to worship and the church. Today one of the areas we touched on was the difference between being “charismatics with a seatbelt” and “philosophical charismatics.” The first phrase describes an attempt to exercise the more spontaneous gifts of the Spirit in a responsible way that exalts Christ and builds up the church. The second phrase describes those whose public meetings aren’t much different from those who deny that …
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The Passionate Preaching of John Piper
At the recent WorshipGod09 conference, I taught a seminar called, “Let the People be Glad: Corporate Worship and Expressiveness.” I attempted to present some biblical principles for what we’re supposed to do with our bodies when we gather to praise God together. I know for some of you that’s a no-brainer, but for others it’s still a front-burner issue. John Piper is a great example of what happens when the heart’s passion for God is naturally expressed externally. He practices what he’s written in his books and proclaims in his preaching—worship (whether it’s singing or preaching) consists of strong affections rooted in biblical truth. Here’s …
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Remembering WorshipGod09
My good friend, Andy Alonso, took pictures at WorshipGod09, and put together this slide show. Brings back a lot of great memories. You can watch a larger size version over at Andy’s site. …
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Song Lists from WorshipGod09
After last year’s WorshipGod conference we received some feedback that we had introduced too many new songs. I agreed. So at WorshipGod09 we tried to include more songs that people would be familiar with, while also including songs from our recent projects. Here’s what we ended up with. Song list from Wednesday PM: 1. Come Thou Fount – By Robert Robinson, John Wyeth and Bob Kauflin. Guitar chart. 2. Greater Than We Can Imagine – Sovereign Grace Music. From Psalms. 3. The Father’s Love – Sovereign Grace Music. From Sons and Daughters. 4. God Over All – Sovereign Grace Music. From Looked Upon and Next 2009 Live. 5. Here is Love – By William …
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WorshipGod09 Has Come and Gone
God was good to us at WorshipGod09: From Generation to Generation. I know in a few days all the mistakes, problems, “things I wish we had done better,” will be more evident to me, but right now I’m very aware of many specific ways that God answered our prayers. One of my favorite parts was getting to spend some time with folks I haven’t met or have only known through the Internet. Had a great time with some of the Acts29 worship pastors from Louisville, Seattle, St. Louis, and Dallas. Thanks to Tim Smith for setting that up. Also got to hang out with the folks from Enfield, the band that leads the music at Grace Community Church’s Resolved …
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A Hymn for Ordinary Christians – Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Our church as been trying to memorize one hymn a month for the past ten months. This month we’re working on Great is Thy Faithfulness. I had the opportunity to introduce the hymn yesterday morning and was moved by its history. Here’s what I shared. The story behind Great is Thy Faithfulness should encourage every Christian who thinks of their life as ordinary. There’s no tragic story (think “It Is Well” by Horatio Spafford) associated with this hymn. It’s just the fruit of a faithful man with a simple faith in a faithful God. Thomas Chisholm, who sometimes described himself as “just an old shoe,” was born in a Kentucky log cabin in 1866. …
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Sample the New Sovereign Grace Album – Sons & Daughters
I’m happy to let you know that you can listen to samples from our new album, Sons & Daughters, over at the Sovereign Grace Music website. We’ll be releasing it next Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the WorshipGod09 conference. The songs are primarily meant for congregational worship, and focus on themes related to 1 John 3:1: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The project came out of a perceived lack of songs that help us meditate on the unfathomable love God has shown us in adopting us through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5). We are now part of God’s family – in Christ we will …
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Fifty More Spaces Open for WorshipGod09
God has been very kind. We’ve actually reached the 1,600 attendees we had hoped for for WorshipGod09. Made us so happy that we decided to open up an extra 50 spots for people to register on site (on-line registration is already closed). The choice of seminars will be limited (see below). To reserve a spot, on a first-come-first-served basis, you can contact us via our website. The cost is $185 or $135 for students. Payment (cash/check) will be expected when you arrive. Thursday, Seminar 1 “Do You Thirst for God” Donald Whitney “Thoughts on Songwriting, Part 1” Keith & Kristyn Getty Thursday, Seminar 2 “Improving Your …
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One Week Until WorshipGod09 Registration Closes
We’re three weeks away from WorshipGod09: From Generation to Generation (Aug. 5-8) and the last day for registering is next Wednesday, July 22. Where has the summer gone? So many things I’m looking forward to about the conference. With the help of my good friend, Jeff Purswell, I finally nailed down what the topics of the main sessions are going to be. They’re all related to significant issues to think about as we pass corporate worship from generation to generation. Wed. PM – The God of Worship (John Piper) Thurs. AM – The Heart of Worship (John Piper) Thurs. PM – The Leaders of Worship (Jeff Purswell) Fri. AM – The Church of Worship …
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WorshipGod09 Worship Leader Pre-Conference Intensive Expanded
One feature we’ve added at WorshipGod09 this year are pre-conference intensives for vocalists, songwriters, and worship leaders/planners. They’ll take place on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 1:00-4:30. We wanted to offer something more hands-on and focused for those who were willing to pay a little more ($50) and come a little earlier. Due to numerous requests, we’ve added thirty slots to the worship leader intensive, which I’ll be leading. I’ll be covering topics like 4 ways to view ourselves as leaders, heart issues, song progression, working with a team, and more. If you’ve already signed up for the conference and saw that the intensive was full, …
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Kid’s Albums Aren’t Always Just for Kids
I often wonder how to define the age range for our kid’s albums. For “To Be Like Jesus,” our target age was 6-10 year olds. But on the CD we’ve described the age range as “6 and up.” I recently received an email from Abby, a mom I know, that reminded me why we shouldn’t put a cap on the upper age limit. “To Be Like Jesus” has been an amazing means of encouragement and enjoyment not just for Jack and Charli (6 & 4), but especially for me. Every song has brought tears to my eyes as I’ve been affected by the truths from scripture. The lyrics are extrememly practical and helpful for growing in and understanding the fruit of the Spirit …
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Next 2009 Live Now Available for Download
The Next 2009 conference took place in Baltimore, Maryland May 30-June 2. Over 2500 people gathered to worship Jesus Christ in song, to study his Word, and to rediscover who he is and what he has done. I had the privilege of leading the songs along with three different bands: the Na Band, Reilly, and Zelos. Some of the sessions also featured a 14 piece string section. We were able to record the event and are now offering Next 2009 Live, a 13 song download for $5. That’s right – 13 songs for 5 bucks. Where else are you going to find a deal like that? The songs on the download album are: God Over All (Devon Kauflin) Na Band His Name …