It’s been thirty years since he passed, but I still think about my Dad every day. I’ve been on the planet as long without Dad’s physical presence as with it. It’s a symmetry I no longer dread to think about. Some of Dad shows up in me every day. In simple ways – like putting […]
Music and smaller churches: The Simple Primer, part 5 of 5
Contemporary versus traditional music in worship: how to avoid the landmines The whole discussion of contemporary versus traditional styles of worship wears on me a bit, but not as much as it used to. Let me tell you why. Over time, the contemporary approach in music that I once brought to the table has become […]
Music and smaller churches: The Simple Primer, part 4 of 5
Developing new musicians in smaller churches Larger churches often have the budget to bring in “ringers” to enhance and lead their music programs. Smaller churches usually have to depend upon volunteers. These comments may be more relevant smaller churches at first glance, but can apply to that “how tos” of developing worship musicians in any […]
Music and the smaller church: The Simple Primer, part 3 of 5
Introducing new music If you happen to serve a worshiping congregation who actually welcome new music into their worship services, you need to remember to at least put them on your Christmas card list. I know many musicians, especially those of us who serve at smaller churches, may not be able to throw in Starbucks […]
Music and smaller churches: The Simple Primer, part 2 of 5
Support the theme of your worship service Way back when I was an active member of our church’s high school youth group, First Baptist in Glenwood, Iowa allowed us to put together a youth service. It was then that our leaders introduced us to the idea of planning worship, which until that point had seemed […]
Overflow of the Heart: There’s Nothing New about Hate
Getting Past Everyday Discrimination This guest post is from longtime Resilient Church friend Todd Matia. Todd is a magazine publisher in Colorado Springs, and a former math and engineering instructor. He is an active Young Life club advisor, and a dedicated Jesus follower. Warning- long post: The relevance of my story in the midst of […]
Music and smaller churches: The Simple Primer, part 1 of 5
How to select music Forty-some odd years ago, I strapped a guitar my back, took a deep breath, and became one of the first guitarists to ever offer special music as part of the Sunday morning worship service at First Baptist Church of Glenwood, Iowa. I’m pretty sure that none of the guitar players at […]