Monthly Archives: June 2008

Sojourn’s first children’s book, Pastor Daddy, written by Lindsey Blair and me, with illustrations by Tessa Janes, is now available to purchase. From the preface: “Pastor Daddy was written to teach preschool children the Christian doctrine of the home as a “little church” where the father teaches his family God’s commands and leads them to worship the one true God. The home is the front line of ministry to children-not the Sunday school or public church gathering. All the practices present in a Christian worship service-the Scriptures, prayer, and praise-should be present in the home as well. Pastor Daddy teaches this …« Read Entire Post

Our corporate worship service each week follows a liturgy with seven basic elements.  On an even simpler level, these seven elements remind us of these basic truths: 1. God is holy 2. We are sinners 3. Jesus saves us 4. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth and conforms us to the image of Christ. With that said, here is the order of our service for this Sunday: 1. My Maker and My King, hymn text by Anne Steel, music by our worship arts pastor, Mike Cosper.  We sang this song of adoration as the service began.  Check out …« Read Entire Post

In the week ahead on sojournmusic.com: an audio interview with worship arts pastor Mike Cosper on the sacred v. secular debate, focusing on why some of Sojourn’s worship leaders also record and perform “secular” music. A feature on worship leader Charlie Richardson including video and audio links to some of his songs. Charlie is the writer of Before the Throne’s “There is a Peace” and other great worship songs. Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, our regular Monday column focusing on the songs we sang at the previous days’ congregational worship service. This week we’ll especially look at these songs in …« Read Entire Post

We recently talked about “worship in the broad sense,” which is often called “whole life worship.” Theologians like David Peterson and Harold Best have done solid work in helping the church to see that worship is not just what we do as a congregation on Sundays. But of course, what we do on Sundays is worship, too. Whether we call it “corporate worship,” “gathered worship” or “congregational worship,” there is no doubt that the Bible calls us to assemble together. In Sojourn’s membership class section on worship, taught by pastor Mike Cosper, we call this Worship in the Narrow Sense: …« Read Entire Post

“I believe that music will play a big part in my life in the next years to come.” – Chad Lewis’ journal, October 21, 2002 I first saw Chad Lewis in March, 2005 in the basement of the old Narrow Path bookstore on Louisville’s Bardstown Road, where he was headlining a standing-room-only concert. I stood in the back in a crowd of mostly young Christians as he told stories and sang original material, including early versions of several songs that, along with never-before-heard cuts, form the record Fading Grass (four mp3s available here), available from our Store. In a review of …« Read Entire Post

After hearing the two podcast interviews with the co-producers (Neil Robins of Dirt Poor Robins, and worship arts pastor Mike Cosper) of the upcoming Sojourn worship music project — two CDs of songs based on the hymns of Isaac Watts — some of you have asked what we mean by “based on the hymns …” Pastor Mike answered this question in his audio interview, explaining that Sojourn songwriters composed new melodies but were also allowed liberties with the texts. In some cases our writers left the texts pretty much as-is, in some cases they merely updated antiquated pronouns (exchanging “thee” …« Read Entire Post

This ten minute audio interview with Sojourn Lead Pastor Daniel Montgomery focuses on Daniel’s working relationship with worship arts pastor Mike Cosper, and answers questions such as: Why does Sojourn have a pastor/elder-level position over the worship arts ministry? What qualities make for a good worship arts pastor? Why is there so much conflict in some churches between the worship ministry and the teaching/preaching ministry, and how can churches move beyond that? What is the nature of true worship, and what has the modern church often reduced “worship” to? and more.  Listen now from the player below or download it …« Read Entire Post

The format for this week’s Sojourn music set list article is a little different. Sojournmusic.com has just switched web hosts, and in the process (because I wasn’t smart enough to back things up when I knew we were going to be switching hosts) a blog post from last week and a couple drafts that were to be published this week were lost — including the original “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs” post, which featured the typical format of links, commentary on the songs, and some notes on the Bible readings we used and more. Next week we’ll return to that …« Read Entire Post

The week ahead on sojournmusic.com will feature an interview with Pastor Daniel Montgomery, insights into Sojourn’s upcoming worship CDs, and more.  This two-minute video will give you the scoop!

Actually I have no way of knowing if you’re going crazy or not, but I’d like to think you aren’t. Anyway, if you’ve been here within the last couple days and you notice a few changes with blog articles, have no fear — we’re switching our host server, which will be better and lead to some cool things in the future.  But for now, we lost a couple little blog items.  We’ll straighten it out soon, and from here on out, it’s smooth sailing! By the way, next week I’ll have an audio interview with Sojourn Lead Pastor Daniel Montgomery, …« Read Entire Post

From Sojourn’s member class on worship, taught by worship arts pastor Mike Cosper:  Worship in the Broad Sense – Unceasing Worship This definition is what we often hear called “whole life worship.‿                   “We were created to continuously adore.  We were created to do this as naturally as to breathe in and out, to honor, to submit, to depend on, to fellowship, with our Maker.‿ – Harold Best                 “Living Coram Deo is living every moment in the presence of God, confronted by Him in every fact, in every event, in every person.  Because of his covenantal Lordship, all of …« Read Entire Post

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.” Psalm 43:3 Former Sojourners Nick and Brittany Nye recently moved to Columbus, Ohio, home of the largest university in the country, Ohio State. They’ve settled into a neighborhood known as The Short North, which is Columbus’ arts district. There, they planted Veritas Community Church, making use of the call that God placed on their lives and the skills, knowledge and networking experience gained during their time in Louisville. Veritas (the name is taken from the Latin word …« Read Entire Post

Jeremy Quillo.  You know him as one of Sojourn’s first and most experienced worship leaders and songwriters, featured in both roles on These Things I Remember and our debut CD, With The Angels (he also contributed vocals and songs to Advent Songs, and wrote two songs for Before the Throne).  Jeremy and his wife Carrie also lead Quest, Sojourn’s junior high student ministry.  And Jeremy has led worship many times for youth camps and rallies. I sat down with Jeremy in the home he shares with Carrie and their two girls, Noelle and .  We talked about the differences and …« Read Entire Post

I can’t think of a better time than Father’s Day to tell you all that my first book is nearing release — a children’s book co-written with Lindsey Blair, a great writer and one who loves and understands children, being a mother.  The book also has really cool illustrations by Tessa Janes, under the guidance and encouragement of Sojourn Church’s Director of Sojourn Kids, Jared Kennedy.  “Abraham had in his tent a house of God and a church, just as today any godly and pious head of a household instructs his children… in godliness. Therefore such a house is actually a school and …« Read Entire Post

Last Friday I recommended four books for you that are among my favorites of 2008.  Here are four more that I’ve read for the first time this year.  I think you would enjoy and benefit from these as well.  1. Young, Restless, Reformed, by Collin Hansen.  This is a quick read that also happens to be an enlightening look at “a journalist’s journey with the new Calvinists” from the editor-at-large for Christianity Today.  From John Piper’s church in Minnesota to Louisville’s Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, from Mars Hill Church in Seattle to Sovereign Grace’s Covenant Life Church in Maryland, it’s a look at …« Read Entire Post

Yesterday we included links to several songs featuring the singing and songwriting skills of Rebecca Elliott, recorded on various Sojourn CDs as well as recorded live at The 930. We also began an interview, conducted by Kristen Miller for sojournmusic.com, with this talented young worship leader and artist. Not only does Rebecca sing and write, but she plays a variety of instruments, most notably piano (though, listen to her sing and play guitar on a song she wrote about the high cost of gasoline and everything else in the free mp3 below), gives piano lessons here in Louisville, and as …« Read Entire Post

If you’re familiar with Sojourn’s Before the Throne, then you’ve heard Rebecca Bales Elliott, who sang on roughly half the record’s songs and also wrote “I’m Coming Back,” and co-wrote “In the Shadow of the Glorious Cross” with Brooks Ritter (hear it on our Before the Throne page) and “All I Have Is Yours” with me (hear it on myspace.com/sojournrecords).  Visit Rebecca’s official website from our Helpful Links section and you’ll see she’s not only a prolific writer for the Church, but that she writes and performs songs of beauty and hope, struggle and longing, doubt and faith, carrying them into the Louisville music scene and …« Read Entire Post

Dr. Harold Best, author of Unceasing Worship and Music Through The Eyes Of Faith, delivered a lecture as part of Sojourn’s 2008 Cultivate Beauty Festival at The 930 on “What Creative People Can Learn From The Creation.” Dr. Best touched on everything from abstract art (“the precedent for abstract art is not the tail end of the 19th century — it is God’s creation of the universe”) to popular culture (“It’s not bad that popular culture is shallow, it’s that it is locked in to shallowness and refuses to have inter-course with depth”) to Chaos Theory, artistic accountability, the generational …« Read Entire Post

The Louisville Courier-Journal, a Gannett newspaper that boasts the largest paid circulation of any Louisville news publication, published a picture from Sojourn’s baptism service yesterday on their front page (Sojourn Lead Pastor Daniel Montgomery baptizing Ben Mast). The photo accompanies an article about declining membership and baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention, and also includes quotes from Sojourn pastor-elder Chad Lewis (also a singer-songwriter, featured on our Fading Grass CD) on ways that Sojourn cultivates a missional mindset: Chad Lewis at Sojourn Community Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Germantown, said the church uses such things as art exhibits and …« Read Entire Post

The focus for this week’s posting of Sojourn’s music set list will be slightly different.  Instead of commentary on the songs, I’ll walk you through our liturgical pattern, showing how the songs fit into that. Our services are meant to drive people to the cross. We need to be reminded of the gospel everyday and this is why our services are structured as they are. The order is:  (1) Call to Worship, (2) Confession of Sin, (3) Assurance of Forgiveness, (4) Giving of Peace, (5) Preaching of God’s Word, (6) Response through Communion and Singing Songs of Praise, (7) Benediction. This …« Read Entire Post

Sojourn worship arts pastor Mike Cosper’s sermon on Psalm 51, previously available for streaming through this site, is now up on our podcast, Sojournmusic.com Radio — available at iTunes and other podcast directories.           __________________________________________________________ Acts 29 pastor/bloggers David Fairchild and Drew Goodmanson (of Kaleo Church in California) have been writing about perspectives on leadership based on the biblical offices of prophet, priest and king for some time now.  Of course Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of prophet, priest and king, and as Christ’s body, we carry these roles as well. Goodmanson and Fairchild write about how each of us have giftings …« Read Entire Post

Here are some of my favorite books from the first half of 2008.   I’d be glad to know some of your favorites, too — it might help me decide what to read in the second half of 2008. 1. Worship Matters: Leading Others To Encounter The Greatness Of God, by Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace.  I’ve blogged about this one a couple times already.  If you’re a worship leader or music minister of any sort, or you know one, get this book.  Seriously.  It’s the ultimate blend of comprehensiveness and simplicity.  Sound theology and tons of practical helps. 2. The …« Read Entire Post

Jamie Barnes is a singer-songwriter whose compelling music on albums like The Recalibrated Heart has drawn acclaim from Billboard Magazine to the Louisville Courier-Journal, from live venues in New York City to the radio airwaves of Sweden.  He is also a Sojourn worship leader and pastoral assistant to worship arts pastor Mike Cosper. I interviewed Jamie for the sojournmusic.com radio podcast, asking him about similarities and differences between performing music in clubs, coffee-houses and other venues as opposed to leading church congregations in worship through music.  The short conversation touched on other issues such as the false dichotomy of “sacred …« Read Entire Post

Today, some of Sojourn’s many worship leaders (including vocalists and musicians of all stripes) answer the question “Have you ever experienced burnout as a worship leader?  What did you do about it?”  I’ve also included a response from Danny Medina, worship leader from our Acts 29 sister-church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, City On A Hill. Christi Osterday: I’ve been struggling with burnout as a musician for the past couple of years now. Without realizing it, I was equating how well I use this one gift God has given me to my standing with God. I was feeling guilty when I practiced a lot …« Read Entire Post

Dr. Harold Best, author of Unceasing Worship and Music Through The Eyes Of Faith, spoke at Sojourn’s home, The 930 Art Center, on the subject of “Art For The Church; Art From The Church, Art Facing The Church” as part of our Cultivate Beauty Festival. To hear, simply scroll down and click the play button or subscribe to our podcast, Sojournmusic.com Radio, through iTunes or another directory and download it to your iPod or mp3 device.  Here are just a few of Best’s thoughts and quotes that you’ll hear him expound on: ~ The engagement of the Church in the arts …« Read Entire Post

1. Your Blood Says Everything, by Billy Sommerville.  Billy artfully demonstrates the revelation of God to us in the Bible (the word of God) and in the person of Jesus Christ (the Word made flesh) in the line “Hear the word / spoken from the tree.”  That’s the wonderful thing about poetry — it can pack so much into such little space.  In seven words, in eight syllables, we sing about the importance of hearing the Word, the centrality of the cross to our faith, and the truth that Jesus is the Word of God. 2. Seeing You, by Matt Redman.  …« Read Entire Post