Author Archives: Paul

Abide with Me and I Need Thee Every Hour

Posted on June 4, 2013 by avatar

Abide with Me, written by Henry Lyte, is a remarkably well known hymn.  I say “remarkably” because it’s played and sung in many non-Christian contexts, similar to other remarkably popular hymns such as Amazing Grace. This post may step on … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Music, Song Reviews | 3 Comments

Worship Traditions

Posted on May 25, 2013 by avatar

Traditions in worship (specifically, I am thinking about worship services) are not inherently bad.  They can often be helpful.  It seems they often start from ways of doing things that worked well in some way.  The problem comes when we … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Music | Leave a comment

Hymn Stories, Backgrounds, or Context

Posted on May 24, 2013 by avatar

I am sure we are all familiar with the story of Horatio Spafford and the hymn It Is Well With My Soul.  If you’re not, a simple summary would be that he wrote the lyrics shortly (as he traveled to meet … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Music | 3 Comments

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

Posted on May 6, 2013 by avatar

There are two passages that get a lot of air/paper/screen time with regard to music in the church. Colossians 3:16 (Google Chrome’s spellcheck doesn’t have the word Colossians in it?! weird) and Ephesians 5:19 Two thoughts that were thunked 😉 … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Music, Terminology | 4 Comments

Church Hymnody Is Not Pauline Hymnody

Posted on April 2, 2013 by avatar

It’s always surprising to read arguments for why we should do traditional hymnody that include Biblical passages that refer to the word “hymn,” as though the hymns that Paul sang were anything like (in a literary or musical sense) what … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Church Music, Music History, Music Styles, Terminology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

In Awe of God: A Series on the Biblical Theology of Worship

Posted on April 24, 2012 by avatar

This is a series that our church did recently.  You can find all the sermons and handouts here.  This particular handout is one I had a … hand 😉 in, if you’re interested.

Posted in Church Music, Terminology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

What Is True Hymn Form?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by avatar

I stumbled across this post today, rather by mistake in searching for something that the post happens to mention (The Look by Newton/Kauflin). What I found interesting was that the author of the review appears to have decided on what a true … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Music, Terminology | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Worship in Response to Testimonies

Posted on March 30, 2012 by avatar

… specifically, testimonies of God’s grace.  This is something that I have personally struggled with, and I’m fairly certain many others have as well… both in relation to one’s own testimony of God’s grace (specifically, salvation) as well as responding … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Other | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Church Music Categorization

Posted on March 26, 2012 by avatar

Terms Overview As part of a handout for church to accompany sermons on music, my pastor and I have worked on term definitions … it’s difficult for the common modern terminology, since it’s not like there is really a correct definition. … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Music, Controversies, Song Selection, Terminology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Physical Expression: Inconsistent Expectations

Posted on March 23, 2012 by avatar

I have come to realize that I tend to have a lot of inconsistent expectations with respect to various aspects of life.  Here is one that I’ve been thinking about more recently. Kids and Adults: Distractions Kids When a child … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Music, Controversies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment