Monthly Archives: January 2009

On Friday, January 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. I will be live-blogging Dr. Simon Chan’s workshop on “liturgy as the work of the Holy Spirit.” This seminar is part of Worship Symposium 2009, presented by the Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship. To follow along, simply click the “Click Here” hyperlink below on or after the conference time.  A window will open up, displaying my coverage of the conference.  It’s free, and doesn’t require any kind of registration or special software on your part.  And if you click on the link now, you can set a reminder to be …« Read Entire Post

Friday, January 30 from 10-11 a.m. EST, I’ll be live-blogging “Teens and Worship: Encouraging Creative and Meaningful Worship with Teenagers” from the Worship Symposium 2009 at the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship.  You can follow along right here in this blog as it happens, or come here later at your leisure to read all my notes from the workshop.  Here’s the workshop description from the Worship Symposium 2009 web page: Teens and Worship: Encouraging Creative and Meaningful Worship with Teenagers — Sharon Veltema Practical suggestions, strategies, and resources to encourage vibrant, meaningful worship with teens will be presented. We will …« Read Entire Post

I’ll be covering much of the Calvin Institue of Christian Worship’s 2009 Worship Symposium in real-time, including the plenary address from Dr. John Witvliet: “Worship Renewal in the North American Context” Thursday at 4 pm EST. Dr. Witvliet is director of the Institute, and the author of Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows Into Christian Practice.  My coverage of his address will run from 4 to 5 p.m., EST. To follow along, simply click the “Click Here” hyperlink below, on or after the conference time. A window will open up, displaying my coverage of the conference. It’s free, and doesn’t require any …« Read Entire Post

Last week, Dominic Gratto began a discussion with Sojourn worship leader Katie Vaughn.  Here, we present the conclusion.  Katie talks about differences between leading worship for kids and for adults, favorite hymn writers, the sense of community at Sojourn and more. DG: What would you say is the biggest difference between leading worship with kids and leading worship with adults? KV: Kids worship is typically children ages three to eight or so and tends to be more evangelistic in nature because most of the kids are not yet believers. Sojourn Gathered consists mostly of believers – though it is definitely …« Read Entire Post

So guess what?  We’re finished recording for the first of our two 2009 worship CD releases.  This record, which has been code-named “Hi Wattage” because of it’s high energy, indie rock sound, now has a real title:  Over The Grave: The Isaac Watts Project, Volume One. Producer Neil Robins did something unusual in the last recording session, holding it in the gymnasium of The 930 Art Center, Sojourn’s inner-city Louisville home.  Neil gets quite excited before, during and after recording sessions (and whenever he’s awake) but I got him to stand relatively still for two minutes before the session, so …« Read Entire Post

You can see the worship service music set lists of churches all over the world in the Blog Carnival at fredmckinnon.com. 1. Invitacion Fountain, by Michael Pritz of The Violet Burning.  This long-time staple song of Sojourn Gathered is a good choice for a musical call to worship.  The male vocalist sings the “call of God,” (“let all who are weak/ all who are weary”) and the female vocalist leads us in our response (“if You lead me Lord, I will follow/ if You lead me Lord, I will go”). 2. O Help My Unbelief, words by Isaac Watts and …« Read Entire Post

After you’ve read our What Every Christian Should Know About Lent and What Every Christian Should Know About Ash Wednesday, check out these readings for planning Sunday worship liturgies, personal devotions and family worship time during the season of Lent.  These readings come courtesy of The Worship Sourcebook. Read the bold-type portions aloud: Call To Worship Reading For Lent Let us worship God, who has done great things. We rejoice in our God, who made a way through the desert of this world. Let us worship God, who has caused streams of mercy to flow in the wasteland. We are …« Read Entire Post

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues through for the forty days leading up to Easter (not counting Sundays). See “What Every Christian Needs To Know About Ash Wednesday Lent is about preparation.  As the church of Christ, we’re preparing our hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter, those days that mark Christ’s atonement for our sins and victory over Satan and death.  These days carry a much greater significance when we’ve properly prepared for them and retraced Christ’s journey to the cross.  Lent help us focus on why He had to die — why we needed a saviour. …« Read Entire Post

One of the things I’m most looking forward to, as part of Sojourn’s merry band of men heading to Michigan for Worship Symposium 2009 next week, is a seminar from Simon Chan on liturgy and the Holy Spirit. The reading you’ll see below comes from his book, Liturgical Theology: The Church As Worshiping Community: … belief and worship are so inextricably linked that separation can only undermine the integrity of both doctrine and worship. Yet this divorce is exactly what we are seeing in so many evangelical churches. For the more doctrinaire evangelical, worship is only a superadditum to the …« Read Entire Post

In today’s churches, the guitar is coming to dominate the landscape in the same way that the piano and organ once did. It’s important that as church musicians we give great care and thought to our guitar playing – everything from chord voicings to tones – so that the instrument is a servant of the congregation, not the star and not the distraction. Each week on Sojournmusic.com, Pastor Mike Cosper posts a guitarist’s feature, ranging from articles to links, online lessons and interviews.  Here, he discusses guitar tone, amps and mics: Guitar tone is a strange animal. Like any sound, it changes and …« Read Entire Post

If you’ve read our Monday worship music set list article, “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs” for any length of time, you’ve no doubt seen some of Dan Canales’ photos featuring worship leader Katie Vaughn.  Katie is one of the newer Sojourn vocalists.  She’s also a community group leader in our college ministry and serves in our children’s ministry, Sojourn Kids. Now, Dominic Gratto interviews Katie for sojournmusic.com, where she talks about these and other things: Dominic Gratto: Please state your name. Katie Vaughn: Katie Vaughn DG: Where are you originally from? KV: Tuscaloosa, AL. DG: Family background in seven words …« Read Entire Post

by Sojourn Worship & Arts Pastor Mike Cosper: You’ve probably sung an Isaac Watts hymn at least once in your life. If you sang “The Wonderful Cross” in church in the last few years, you may have thought it was a Matt Redman or Chris Tomlin song – it was Watts. You may have sung Sandra McCracken’s “I Boast No More” thinking it was hers – it was Watts. You may have sung Tim Smith’s (from Mars Hill Seattle) “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.” The much beloved Christmas classic “Joy to the World” was also his. It’s said …« Read Entire Post

Read many church music set lists, like this one, at the Blog Carnival at fredmckinnon.com.  Photos here provided by Dan Canales. 1. Warrior, by Dave Moisan, Neil Robins and me, Bobby Gilles, following a Call to Worship from Psalm 2.  We based this song on the little known Isaac Watts’ hymn “David Rejoiced In God, His Strength.”  You’ll be able to hear this one very soon, as part of our upcoming CD of new worship songs based on the hymns of Isaac Watts. We’ll eventually publish a complete story on the writing of this song, for those of you interested …« Read Entire Post

Welcome to the second article in a new sojournmusic.com series on playing piano/keyboard with a worship band, authored by Sojourn worship leader Rebecca Elliott. Rebecca is a featured singer-songwriter on our Before The Throne and Advent Songs records, and will be working on a solo CD this winter. She was featured, along with Neko Case, Okkerville River, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and other great artists on the recent compilation album Before The Goldrush. Rebecca is also an impressive pianist and experienced piano teacher. In this installment, she discusses timing and tone: Keeping good time and creating good sound when playing …« Read Entire Post

We always observe Ash Wednesday at Sojourn, which is sometimes considered unusual in the free church/Baptist/modern American worship tradition.  As with most periods of the Church Calendar outside of Christmas and Easter, a lot of people view Ash Wednesday as an exclusive tool of Roman Catholicism, or at least “High Church” traditions. But as we’ve often said here, the Church Calendar is an effective way to preach the full gospel to yourself, your family and your church.  It focuses our attention on all aspects of Christ’s earthly ministry, from the promise of His coming (Advent) to the gift of His …« Read Entire Post

As I’ve written here and on TravelBlog, Sojourn’s new online magazine, Keith and Kristyn Getty are coming to our Louisville home, The 930 Art Center, for two FREE events — a concert on Friday, February 6 and a songwriting seminar the next morning.  In the video above, watch the Getty’s perform their song “In Christ Alone,” perhaps the finest hymn of this generation. Then in this next video, watch a short interview with Keith and Kristyn Getty.  They talk about the “reinvention” of the hymn in the so-called “modern hymn movement,” of which they are at the forefront.  Both YouTube …« Read Entire Post

In today’s churches, the guitar is coming to dominate the landscape in the same way that the piano and organ once did. It’s important that as church musicians we give great care and thought to our guitar playing – everything from chord voicings to tones – so that the instrument is a servant of the congregation, not the star and not the distraction. Each week on Sojournmusic.com, Pastor Mike Cosper posts a guitarist’s feature, which will range from articles to links, online lessons and interviews: Some Thoughts on Watts… Wattage, that is, not the English non-conformist, poet, and father of the English …« Read Entire Post

Welcome to the concluding post in our 10-part series on complaints people often express about the job that worship leaders and ministers of music do in churches around the globe each week.  As always I’m joined by Lorie King of Louisville, a worship leader at Sojourn for the last eight years, and a leader in many churches and missions around the world at other times.  Lorie also completed a Master’s in Worship at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Professor Carl “Chip” Stam’s School of Church Music and Worship. Read the articles where these “pet peeves” were originally discussed at ragamuffinsoul.com …« Read Entire Post

Last week I talked with Sojourn worship leader Neil Robins, producer of our next worship CD (the first of two projects this year to feature new worship songs based on the hymns of Isaac Watts, the Father of English Hymnody).  It was so fun that I did it again, in the interview above. This album is almost finished! And, as I wrote (in much more depth) last week, it sounds fantastic.  In the short video above, Neil and I discuss these things: The biggest surprise during the recording project for this “High Watts” CD the song revision process in the …« Read Entire Post

You can find links to the congregational worship music set lists from many churches, including us Sojourners here in Louisville, at the Blog Carnival at fredmckinnon.com. Photos of our evening worship band courtesy of Dan Canales. We began, as always, with a Call to Worship — this one, from Psalm 13:6-9. 1. Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing, lyrics by Robert Pinson; music – American folk tune.  It can be so easy to lose sight of the profundity in this song.  Look at the opening of verse three: O to grace, how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be Let that …« Read Entire Post

Sojourn Worship & Arts Pastor Mike Cosper asks producer Neil Robins, “How much longer?”   On Tuesday, I’ll have a six-minute, sit-down interview with Neil where you’ll find out why he says “Isaac Watts is going to scare you.”

We’ve been talking about Epiphany lately here on sojournmusic.com (see links below).  Now courtesy of The Worship Sourcebook, here are readings for corporate worship in large or small congregations, family worship and personal devotions.  These readings cover a prayer of confession, assurance of pardon, prayer for illumination, offering prayer, call to service and benediction: Prayer of Confession for Epiphany God of the Bethlehem star, everyone is searching for your light shining in the face of Christ. The Magi sought Christ simply to worship him. But Herod sought to appease his jealous anger. We confess that our motives for seeking Jesus …« Read Entire Post

Why would a passel of Louisville boys brave the cold and drive to Michigan for a few days at the end of January?  One reason: the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship’s 2009 Worship Symposium, opening Thursday, January 29 and ending Saturday the 31st.  Sojourn Worship & Arts Pastor Mike Cosper has put together a band of merry men to make the trek, including Pastoral Assistant Jamie Barnes, worship leader Neil Robins (producer for our soon to be released CD), Crossing Church Worship Director Eddy Morris and me. You should come, too.  You can register online any time up until 4 …« Read Entire Post

We’ve only got one more episode to go in our ten-part podcast series “Why Do Worship Leaders Do That?”, based on top ten pet peeves that people hold against worship leaders.  Worship leader Lorie King will close out the series in a discussion of “Why do worship leaders cater to the congregation.”  Rather than do it on a Friday, like the first nine, we’ll publish this final episode next Wednesday, January 14 here on sojournmusic.com.  Here are links to the previous nine installments: Discussion of Pet Peeve #1: Why Do Worship Leaders Ask People To Do Things Instead Of Just Singing? …« Read Entire Post

In today’s churches, the guitar is coming to dominate the landscape in the same way that the piano and organ once did. It’s important that as church musicians we give great care and thought to our guitar playing – everything from chord voicings to tones – so that the instrument is a servant of the congregation, not the star and not the distraction. Each week on Sojournmusic.com, Pastor Mike Cosper will post a guitarist’s feature, which will range from articles to links, online lessons and interviews.  Here, Mike concludes his two-part interview with Kevin Twit, the founder of Indelible Grace: M.C.    What …« Read Entire Post

Keith and Kristyn Getty, along with friend and sometime writing partner Stuart Townend, are responsible for some of the most memorable worship songs in our lifetime — contemporary hymns like “In Christ Alone,” “Merciful God,” and “Beneath The Cross.”  And they’re coming to Sojourn’s home, The 930 Art Center on Friday February 6th at 7:30 pm for a FREE concert (tickets are required).  Then the next morning,  Saturday, February 7th from 9 a.m. to noon the Getty’s will lead a FREE Sojourn Songwriting Seminar at the same location. Tickets are now available for the Friday night concert on a first-come, first-served basis.  Request …« Read Entire Post

In the words of producer Neil Robins, we’re “rounding third” on the first of two worship projects from Sojourn Music this year.  As most of you know, both will be based on the hymns of Isaac Watts, the Father of English Hymnody.  While we playfully identify the second by the project code name “Low Watts,” meaning that it will have an earthy, acoustic vibe, this first record is an aggressive indie pop album dubbed “High Watts” (these are not final album names). The above video is just a few minutes long but full of information on this first new worship …« Read Entire Post

Visit the Blog Carnival at fredmckinnon.com to find the set lists from many churches, including this one.  Photos here provided by Dan Canales. We started the New Year off, as we do every week at Sojourn Gathered, with a Call To Worship (this week, we used Psalm 8).  Then we sang perhaps the ultimate “call to worship hymn” in the history of the church: 1. All Creatures Of Our God And King, by Francis of Assissi in 1225.  Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 700 years later.  Francis employs the biblical device of having all creation — sun, moon, wind, clouds, …« Read Entire Post

Welcome to the first article in a new sojournmusic.com series on playing piano/keyboard with a worship band, authored by Sojourn worship leader Rebecca Elliott. Rebecca is a featured singer-songwriter on our Before The Throne and Advent Songs records, and will be working on a solo CD this winter. She was featured, along with Neko Case, Okkerville River, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and other great artists on the recent compilation album Before The Goldrush. Rebecca is also an impressive pianist and experienced piano teacher. She typically plays keyboard for Sojourn whenever singing on the worship team, and sometimes when she …« Read Entire Post

Hop on over to travelblog.sojournchurch.com to see Sojourn’s new online magazine, TravelBlog — three blogs in one.  Sojourn Lead Pastor Daniel Montgomery and our other pastors (including Worship Pastor Mike Cosper, who blogs here as well) are at the helm of “The B.C. Blog,” which will feature very regular posts centering around Sojourn’s 2009 study of the Old Testament.  And since sojournmusic.com is, well, a music-intensive site, I’ll specifically tell you about Pastor Daniel’s “Genesis Playlist” project, a blog post that gives you the opportunity to suggest your own “Soundtrack to the Book of Genesis.” “Stories From The Road” will …« Read Entire Post

Here are Bible passages and Christian readings for personal, family and corporate worship during Epiphany.  The Call to Worship and Opening Responses (a Prayer of Adoration and a Prayer of Invocation) come courtesy The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, CRC Publications.  We’ve used this resource for years at Sojourn.  If you use the readings for corporate worship, have the congregation read the bold-faced portions aloud. Call To Worship Reading For Epiphany Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. May the mountains yield prosperity …« Read Entire Post

Welcome to the 9th installment of “Why Do Worship Leaders Do That?” a series that looks at ten top pet peeves that many people across the world hold against church worship leaders.  We’re using pet peeves and complaints first voiced at ragamuffinsoul.com and later, churchrelevance.com. As always, Sojourn worship leader Lorie King is on the hotseat, using her experience at Sojourn and in many other worship contexts around the globe to talk about these issues.  Today’s topic is “lifestyle.”  From time to time a major “worship leader scandal” seems to break out, such as last year’s faked terminal cancer incident …« Read Entire Post

In today’s churches, the guitar is coming to dominate the landscape in the same way that the piano and organ once did. It’s important that as church musicians we give great care and thought to our guitar playing – everything from chord voicings to tones – so that the instrument is a servant of the congregation, not the star and not the distraction. Each week on Sojournmusic.com, Pastor Mike Cosper will post a guitarist’s feature, which will range from articles to links, online lessons and interviews.  Here, Mike talks with Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace: Kevin Twit is the founder of Indelible …« Read Entire Post