Trolling the Masters
Today, with a single click, you can freely access and rate some of the best music ever written. So how do the masters fare?
face the music
The wise pastor told his new worship director, “There’s one style of music I hope you never play in our church.” She grabbed a pen and asked, “What is it?” He replied, “I’ll never tell you. If we all insist on getting our own way, we’ll never sing anything.”
stealing vs. working
When my twin sister and I were 5 years old, we began counting the money we had in our piggybanks. It turned out that one of us had more than the other. To our young minds, this just wasn’t right. So, we decided to balance our accounts by helping ourselves to our mother’s money!
the Rock
The Christian faith is a singing faith. Knowing that I love to sing hymns, a friend gave me the devotional book 101 Hymn Stories: The Inspiring True Stories Behind 101 Favorite Hymns so I could learn the history of great songs like “Amazing Grace,” “A Mighty Fortress,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and “It Is Well with My Soul.” Already rich in biblical truth, these hymns have stories behind them that have caused me to appreciate their message even more.
history’s steady tune
George Jellinek, former host of The Vocal Scene radio program, says “the history of a people is found in its songs.” Years ago, music was a crucial way for slaves in the US to recount their stories, and music was central to the way the Civil Rights movement retold its vision. If you want to know a culture or its people, you have to know the music they used to pass along their stories. This is how the people in ancient Israel used the Psalms—their stories and prayers helped them to remember God, particularly in the long years when God was silent.
deliberate
Due to my love for music, I want my kids to know its inherent beauty beyond their ability simply to hear notes. So with no hidden dreams of creating prodigies, my husband and I have invested our finances, time, and oversight into making music a priority. We’ve given our kids certain choices along the way, but we understand that we…
sing
For 160 years, the Free Church of Scotland has not allowed hymns or any instrumental music to be played or sung in their public worship. In 1843, the Free Church split from the Presbyterian Church of Scotland; and ever since, the Free Church has allowed only psalms to be sung—and only to be sung a cappella. However, a vote in…
why we sing
Music is a kind of language—an experiential language. It allows us to communicate what we feel or to evoke what we hope to feel. When I want quiet—soft jazz helps me express that longing. When I want to experience joy—folksy bluegrass hits just the right chord. My wife Miska and I both have songs that, whenever we hear them, trigger…
freak folk
Freak folk, psych folk, and folk-pop are terms used to describe genres within folk music. Musically, freak folk features acoustic instruments, mostly guitar and occasionally violin or flute, accompanied by percussion instruments such as bongos. Psych folk is a blending of folk music and psychedelic rock or pop. The varieties of folk music just keep unfolding.
The Bible has its…
