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Worship Leader: You Shouldn’t Play that Song
A few months ago, I spent some time with another worship leader here in Grand Rapids evaluating our worship song libraries. I revamped my library in Planning Center a couple years ago, but it was due...
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You’re Not Too Cool for Traditional or Too Mature for Contemporary
I’ll be honest. I stole curated that title from a post over at The Worship Community. The post itself was fine, but the title put into words what I have been feeling for a long time: the polarity...
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Modern Worship Resources: Holy Week
Even though the church I’m at now doesn’t strictly follow the Church Calendar, preaching on the specific readings prescribed for each Sunday, there’s one aspect of the Church Calendar that I really...
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Holy Week: The Gospel in Real Time
Holy Week, the week beginning with Palm Sunday (also known as Passion Sunday) and Easter Sunday, is a unique time in the church. The rest of the year, we move quite quickly through the life and...
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Are You Supposed to Be Where You Are?
There’s a song out right now on Christian radio stations that’s pretty popular. Right now, it seems to be on everytime I get in the car. I’ve heard people talking about the song and their...
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The Future of Contemporary Worship
I think it’s time we consider abandoning the idea of Contemporary Worship in the modern church. This is probably the last thing you ever thought would come from me, especially seeing as I’ve been...
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Modern Worship Resources: Advent
The season of advent is a season of preparation and anticipation as we look back to Jesus’ first arrival at Christmas and await His promised return. It’s also the season that kicks off the church...
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Two Things Your Worship Songs Must Be
For worship leaders today, we’re posed with an interesting dilemma. We’ve got access to literally thousands upon thousands of songs to choose from when we’re putting together worship services. Whether...
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A New Chapter Begins
This past Sunday was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I’m still coming down from – my ordination and installation as pastor at Journey of Faith in Grand Rapids and the beginning of a...
View ArticleWhat makes worship “worship”?
If there’s one thing that the church gets excited and confused about all at the same time, it’s worship. It seems that everyone in the pew has an opinion about what makes the time we spend gathered...
View ArticleTrue Confessions of a 1st Year Pastor
One year ago today I became a pastor. I stood before God and my congregation and took my ordination vows and was ordained as a pastor. I’m still getting used to being called “Pastor Matthew” (and let’s...
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Making Room for Lament in Lent
A while back I read Debra and Ron Rienstra’s book, Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry. Their use of the old wedding day tradition of “something old, something new, something...
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Even When Steeples Are Falling
Today, the great Notre Dame cathedral in Paris caught fire and burned. Images of the flames engulfing the monumental 12th century have flooded the internet and the world is understandably mourning the...
View ArticleDoing Something New
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 There’s a lot to...
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