Last weekend I attended a training seminar on church music, provided through a local Bible institute. Over fifty people attended from various independent churches, including a couple from Melbourne. The topics included the Bible's emphases on music in the church, musicianship, audio / visual / technical support, and leading church
Thanks for your thoughtful responses to my last post on altar calls. The consensus is - “it depends.” So my next question is – it depends on what? Let’s talk about the factors determining methodology when the Bible is silent. How does your personal experience influence your methodology? Many of
Let’s discuss the use of altar calls in church services. For the purpose of this blog post, an altar call is an event that takes place after preaching. It involves an invitation from the preacher to come to the front of the church in response to the message. FOR Faith
For some of us, it’s easier to talk with God spontaneously during the day: a request here, a thank-you there. To pray anywhere and anytime is an amazing blessing of knowing God. But momentary talks with God are not enough. Imagine a father who comes home and chats for a
Have you ever experienced this? You're in church, singing with the congregation, and suddenly a line from the text becomes highlighted in your mind. You're arrested by its truth. The music flows on while your heart is stirred up toward God. You feel a lump in your throat and your
My pastor, Steven Mock, preached on Psalm 96 on Sunday. He called this Psalm "a missionary melody." "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!" There were three key points that Steven made from the text: 1. Mission starts with worship (v. 1) Mission is
I'm reading John Piper's God Is The Gospel, where he asks: "Why is the Gospel good news?" The reason this must be asked is that there are seemingly biblical answers that totally ignore the gift of God himself. A person may answer, "Being forgiven is good news because I don't
Why Men Hate Going To Church. David Murrow. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005. 248pp. I was required to read this book and I opened it with curiosity, as I often interact with guys who have no interest in church. The short answer is that the book was frustrating but did provide
"A Quiet Heart" by the Soundforth Singers & Orchestra has been a real God-send. One song in-particular that has been a blessing is Only Jesus (Words and music by Keith Ferguson and Bruce Greer). This song has been such an encouragement to me personally both from a doctrinal and musical
Music, being perhaps one of the most controversial issues in Christianity today, brings up a lot of questions. Many of them deserve to be answered personally and honestly. Is bigger, louder, more majestic... better? When I listen to sacred music throughout the week, am I using it for entertainment? If
