Worship Matters

Not too long ago I came across the work of Chris Powers, who put together an animated video of one of our songs, The Prodigal. I was moved by the way he used simple animation to illustrate the song in a powerful way.
Recently Chris told me he had animated another one of our songs, The [...]

Last month, we introduced a number of songs at the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, KY. O Great God was one of them.
I originally wrote the song for our album, Valley of Vision, a collection of songs based on The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. It comes from the [...]

If you read my blog, you’ve probably already seen this video put out by North Point Media. It’s racked up thousands of views in the past couple weeks for obvious reasons and sparked some lively debate over at Vimeo.com.
Like most viral videos seeking to make a point, this one has its supporters and detractors. Some call [...]

I came across this video recently on YouTube. It uses a song from our Sons & Daughters album, The Prodigal, written by the brother/sister team of Ryan and Meghan Baird.
When I first watched it, I was unexpectedly moved by the way the animation communicated the meaning of the lyrics. I quickly forgot that I was watching a video [...]

Last week I posted on Leading with Limitations at Together for the Gospel. When I saw the video below (via Michael Hyatt), I repented of even thinking I was limited. Ever.

I’m not sure of where this family is spiritually, but they certainly model making the most of your limitations. One of my favorite Patrick Henry [...]

I’ve been reading in Isaiah recently and have been freshly reminded of God’s hatred for idols and his passion for his own glory:
Is. 43:11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.
Is. 44:6    Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am [...]

Last night, in the last four hours before midnight, we had a rush of people voting for their favorite To Be Like Jesus video.
It was close.
At the end of the day (12:02 AM to be exact), Abby Cannon’s video “To Be Like Jesus” edged out Jon Ruth’s video “Gotta Wait” by two votes. The final tally [...]

Two months ago I invited people to send in videos based on one of the songs from our most recent kids’ album, To Be Like Jesus (now available for $6 during our February sale). The best video would receive a $250 Amazon.com gift card.
We narrowed it down to two finalists. The first, Gotta Wait, is from Jonathan [...]

Each summer my church holds an event for 6-10 year olds called Summer Celebration, led by one of our pastors, Mike Bradshaw. It’s a week long event filled with fun, games, teaching, songs, and encouragement. The leadership team (which includes a significant number of high schoolers) invests hours of planning and preparation with the goal of [...]

What do you do when you start leading a song in two different keys?
At our WorshipGod08 conference, we had the opportunity to find out as Joseph Stigora started “Psalm 96″ in one key and the rest of the band from Covenant Fellowship came in a step higher. I posted on this previously, but here’s the [...]

Yesterday I posted a video of Mark Altrogge at WorshipGod09 pulling a ticket out of a jar to announce the winner of a prize drawing. Sounds simple, I know.
Here’s another video, demonstrating how in the hands of a master, a simple task can become a 12 minute comedy routine.

If you haven’t had enough of Altrogge [...]

Mark Altrogge is a multi-talented man. His songs have been sung across the world (I Stand in Awe, Forever Grateful) and he continues to be one of the most prolific, humble songwriters I know. He’s also a caring husband and dad, and a superb pastor at his church in Indiana, Pa. Not to mention, he’s [...]

This past May I had the joy of leading the singing at the Next conference in Baltimore, MD, along with three different bands. One of them was Zelos, led by Judah Groveman. We introduced one of Judah’s songs, By This We Know Love. It’s a simple ballad that communicates the profound truth of 1 John [...]

Last year, at WorshipGod08, we presented a choral arrangement of “Glorious and Mighty,” from the Psalms CD. Unfortunately, the recording didn’t turn out very well. But at this year’s Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference we sang the piece again and recorded it to 24 track. I thought it turned out much better.
In any case, you can [...]

I don’t know too much about beatboxing, except that I can’t do it. Wikipedia defines beatboxing as “a form of vocal percussion which primarily involves the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one’s mouth, lips, tongue, voice, and more.” And more? Guess that leaves it wide open.
My son-in-law, Kerrin, made me [...]