nothing new under the sun

For some years it has been apparent that the rage for novelties in singing, especially in our Sunday-schools has been driving out of use the old, precious, standard hymns. They are not memorized as of old. They are scarcely sung at all. They are not even contained in the undenominational song-books which in many churches have usurped the place of our hymn books.

We cannot afford to lose these old hymns. They are full of the Gospel; they breathe the deepest emotions of pious hearts in the noblest strains of poetry; they have been tested and approved by successive generations of those that loved the Lord; they are the surviving fittest ones from thousands of inferior productions; they are hallowed by abundant usefulness and tenderest memories. But the young people of to-day are unfamiliar with them, and will seldom hear many of them, if the present tendency goes on unchecked.

—Basil Manly Jr. (1825-1892), from the preface of MANLY’S CHOICE: A NEW SELECTION OF APPROVED HYMNS FOR BAPTIST CHURCHES, Louisville, Kentucky: Baptist Book Concern, 1891.

the lifeway worship project

Whenever someone has asked me what I've been doing for the past couple of years, I've wanted to show them this video... but it didn't exist until now! Enjoy:


LifeWay Worship Project from Patrick Watts on Vimeo.

worship blogs

So one of the things I'm doing today at work is looking for blogs written by worship leaders. Here's what I've found...

• They're all at churches that are named something like "Generic Church of the Agape." Nobody has a denomination in their name.
• Some don't blog about worship much.
• And some do.
• Lots play video games, some of which they won at church.
• Some have deep thoughts, and actually solicit feedback.
• Some share lots of set lists.
  
• They all have cute babies.