With the global pandemic affecting all of us, the church has been forced into a situation where it cannot continue on as it was. Pastors and church leaders have an opportunity to rethink and reimagine what the church will look like moving forward. To those ends I offer three principles to guide our conversations about … Continue reading Re:Church [Part 2]
When the world shut down in mid-March due to Covid-19 I spent the first week building a live-stream set up for my church from the ground up. The next three weeks were packed with making tweaks to our online streaming, preaching on Palm Sunday, and preparing our Easter weekend services. It was only after Easter … Continue reading Re:Church [Part 1]
We all want peace, joy, and life. When we encounter suffering, pain, or death, we fight against it, or avoid it, passing over it as quickly as possible. We want to keep our distance from what makes us uncomfortable. With the world currently shut-down for a global pandemic it has become more difficult to avoid … Continue reading O Sacred Head (It Is Finished)
It has taken me years of reading Eugene Peterson’s books to finally feel like I am starting to understand them. The first book I read took two attempts. I first picked up Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places somewhere between the end of high school and my first year of college. I did not finish … Continue reading Feeling The Worship
Reading is one of my top goals every year. I try to read through different categories, which you can learn about here. My reading this year was largely determined by unread books I already owned as well as prepping for a course I taught on Israel’s Wisdom. Here are the books I read under each … Continue reading 2019 Reading List
What does peace look like? I would say peace looks like waking up at the cottage to a beautiful sunrise over a perfectly still lake. It’s the freshness of the air. It’s a quietness that restores. What does peace look like for you? A quiet house, a good book, or a long walk? Maybe you … Continue reading And On Earth, Peace
The book of Habakkuk teaches us how to respond when we are surrounded by injustice and violence. He responds with a psalm–a song. This is why I chose Habakkuk to be the focus of a Selah Worship Arts service I led at my church in September. The songs, creative elements, and prayers used in the Selah … Continue reading Habakkuk In (more than) 15 Minutes
When Kirstyn and I got married, we needed to install curtain rods and curtains in our new apartment. Having never hung curtain rods before, but also having too much pride to ask someone for help, where did I turn? Youtube. I watched a few different videos showing me how to use drywall plugs to hang … Continue reading What Youtube Doesn’t Teach About Leading Worship
Some notes on New Music that I have uploaded to my ‘James Mella’ soundcloud account. Continue reading Music Notes
Can I confess something to you? There have been many occasions as a worship leader where I have said something to the effect of “worship leaders have the privilege and responsibility of leading people into Gods presence.” That might not seem like something that warrants a confession. I am certainly not the only Pastor or … Continue reading Worship Leaders And The Presence of God
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James M. MacKnight 