Monthly Archives: February 2012

Church Music Terminology: What Is a Hymn?

Most likely, you have used a term like hymn, song, praise song, chorus, worship song, praise chorus, “praise and worship music,” etc.  What do these mean?  Are there associations with the terms?  What is the history of the term? Specifically, … Continue reading

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Singing or Selecting Songs: Lyrics

This is partially coming from the paper I mention in the About page.  What is it we should be thinking about when we read through the lyrics of a song and are attempting to determine its suitability, or even when trying … Continue reading

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Choosing a Church Based on “Music”

There’s a relatively common thing I hear in conservative Christian circles … that is, that choosing a church based on music is not good (rather, it should be chosen based on the teaching). I think there’s a lack of clarity … Continue reading

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Link

I ran across an article entitled The Wondrous Cross today, primarily referencing the oddity that we use a crucifix in so many works of art, wear it, etc., with the goal of stating that we should reflect on how it came to be … Continue reading

Top Song Additions to the Christmas Story

Have you ever noticed how many Christmas songs/carols add to the Christmas story or speak of details that we have no clue about?  I didn’t, in the past… it’s shocking at how little I paid attention to lyrics, especially to … Continue reading

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In the Cross of Christ I Glory

This is an example of a review of a song that we do… in this case, it’s a hymn from our hymnal, In the Cross of Christ I Glory.  This was an interesting one, because a lot of it doesn’t … Continue reading

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Reasons We Like Songs

Going through your “library” of songs that you typically do at your church –  whether that means going through a hymnal, a drawer of sheet music, or an online collection of PDFs – can be enlightening.  Why do we do … Continue reading

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How Important Is Preparation?

In this post, I’m thinking through some aspects of planning and preparation for Sunday.  Of course, coming from me, this will primarily be thinking about musical aspects of Sunday. What Does Music Do? To set the basis for the importance of … Continue reading

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What Does the Test of Time Do?

The Test of Time We’ve all heard it, I’m sure; such and such work of something has withstood the test of time… whether it’s referring to classical music, literature, church music, art, or what have you, it seems it’s a … Continue reading

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Words Mean Things

… and it’s important not to conflate them, or it gets really confusing. Words We Use to Describe Lyrics and Music Here is an example: when reading about the contemporary vs. traditional music controversies, which I am trying to do … Continue reading

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