Church music can be controversial. So much so that disagreements over church music have been referred to as “worship wars.” But the internet is built for controversy. So here are 10 reasons to oppose new music in church. Continue reading 10 Reasons to Oppose New Church Music
There may not be many people quite like me. I’m a Worship Pastor. Okay, plenty of people are worship pastors. I spend a lot of time organizing music and musicians and helping lead a church in worship. I did my undergrad in music ministry, combining music and theology. But I also have a Master Of … Continue reading Music Study
There’s a thrift store in Cobourg, Ontario that my wife and I absolutely love. Whenever we are out at the cottage we stop in at this hodge-podge store and look for cheap furniture, kitchen items, and books. Oh, the books. We always return home with more books than we originally brought with us. Two of … Continue reading Smarter Shallows?
At the beginning of each chapter in Essential Worship, Greg Scheer gives a quick assignment to help the reader engage in the material for the present chapter. The first chapter’s assignment was “How do you define worship?”¹ I confess that I did not take Scheer up on his challenge then. Still, I thought it was an … Continue reading Worship: A Definition
Perspective is a good thing. It’s provides space to expand our view. It’s staring at a piece of bark and hearing someone yell, “Hey, there’s a whole forest out here!” Gaining perspective almost always requires an outside catalyst: something or someone. We need this catalyst to help us take a step back and remember that … Continue reading Hearing Loss
I miss the beginning of a new semester. I loved getting the new syllabus for each course and looking through at all of the topics to be studied, books to be read, and assignments that would occupy my time for the next four months. Okay, I might be a bit of a nerd. Not all students … Continue reading Deadlines
We need good liturgy. I am a worship arts pastor at a pentecostal church. I went to a pentecostal college for my undergraduate degree. I grew up in the home of a pentecostal pastor (and not just any pentecostal pastor, but my favourite pentecostal pastor: my dad). I have a deep love and appreciation for … Continue reading Classical Jazz: A Pentecostal Liturgy
It was my day off. A Friday morning after a busy week of work. All I needed to do that day was get my car to my neighbourhood mechanic for what I believed would be a simple break repair. I got up early with Kirstyn, and once she left for downtown I dropped off my … Continue reading Side Streets And Highways
I never used to read. One summer, my mom tried to solicit a deal with me: she would give me a dollar for every book I read. I found the shortest book on my shelf (one that was certainly too young for me) and got my first dollar. I read the same book a second … Continue reading Reading Two Five
A few weeks ago our bathroom fan stopped working. After a couple weeks of it being broken, I finally had a day off with some time to devote to this project. I measured the current unit, went to the store to find one roughly the same size, and came home to replace it. I told … Continue reading Good Friday Reflection
James M. MacKnight 