New songs for worship, rich in Christian theology. Contemporary hymns, psalms, songs of lament and praise written by members of the Louisville, KY-based Sojourn Community.

Worship Pastor Mike Cosper's response in The LEO Weekly, for those of you who have been following this story and want to read it immediately.  For the rest, here's the backstory:  On April 9, The LEO Weekly, Louisville's major alternative newspaper, posted a cover story on Sojourn entitled "Smells Like Holy Spirit," with the subtitle: they're young, involved, and socially aware -- and think being gay is a ... Continue reading »

Jesse "Jay" Eubanks, long-standing Sojourn worship leader as well as someone with year's of experience as a booking agent to musical acts and as a singer-songwriter himself, knows that worship isn't simply a matter of music or a once-a-week event: it's a life lived before the throne of God.  Jesse worships God in many ways, not the least of which is in the love and dedication he ... Continue reading »

We're just two weeks away from the 2008 Cultivate Beauty Festival, Sojourn's annual art, film and music festival at our home, The 930.  Events, taking place on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11,  include a visual art exhibition opening, live music from national and regional artists, a festival of short films and a lecture by noted author, educator and artist Harold Best entitled "What ... Continue reading »

Here is a paper that Sojourn Worship Arts Pastor Mike Cosper presented at the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship.  The topic is "Vertical Habits," the theme behind our CD "Before the Throne."  You can also listen to the mp3 of a lecture at Calvin's 2008 Symposium on worship by a panel of pastors, artists and educators, hosted by Betty Grit, entitled "Vertical Habits: Practical Wisdom For Teaching Worship."  Sojourn ... Continue reading »

1. Awesome God (Your Voice) by Vicky Beeching.  Beeching sets up each of this praise song's two verses by stating that God's voice (first verse) and arms (second verse) created the universe and everything in it.  The closing lines of each verse declare how that voice and those arms love and shelter us, before leading into the chorus with "How can this be?" It's a powerful technique that shows the greatness of ... Continue reading »

Sojourn worship leader Rebecca Dennison tipped me off to this blog post from Stuff Christians Like, entitled, "Letting Anyone Play Music."  It's a funny story about a church goer who decides the music at his church needs him and his tambourine to help lead everyone in songs of worship, to the surprise of the music minister and everyone else in the congregation that day.  ... Continue reading »

Yes, the headline says "CDs."  As in: Sojourn's new worship project, a follow-up to last year's Before the Throne, will feature two full-length music discs, rather than one.  We'll get to all the details here in this post -- and be sure to click on the audio player below to hear a short interview with co-producer Neil Robins, where he talks about the selection ... Continue reading »

Last week I participated in the second Band of Bloggers conference, attending with fellow Sojourn communications deacons Kevin Janes (Sojourn's Communications Director) and Aaron Marshall, also of churchsmo.com, a blog that helps churches use New Media to spread the gospel. After fellowshipping with nearly 150 Christian bloggers from all over North America, we witnessed a round-table discussion on "the gospel trust," led by a panel of ... Continue reading »

Sojourn Worship Leader/ Pastoral Assistant Jamie Barnes is also a singer-songwriter, and has garnered strong reviews and press notes from Billboard Magazine to the Louisville Courier Journal.  Most people describe his music using words like "acoustic," "folk," "Americana," or simply "indie." Stars of the Lid, one of Jamie's favorite bands, is a due known for drone-based ambient music.  Quite different from Jamie's own "sound," but among his favorite artists.  This ... Continue reading »

1. Invitacion Fountain, by Michael Pritzl. We've done this one quite a bit over the last few years. It's a good song to make us aware that we don't come together to somehow usher in God's presence, since God is present everywhere. The call is from God; it is our privilege to respond. Pritzl, from The Violet Burning, has structured this song very well, giving both male and female voices ... Continue reading »