a href="http://thousandtongues.bandcamp.com/album/merciful-to-me" data-mce-href="http://thousandtongues.bandcamp.com/album/merciful-to-me"Merciful to Me by Reformed Praise/a Twice in the book of Matthew, Jesus says that those who would follow Him must take up their own crosses (Matthew 10:38-39; 16:24-28). These are strong words. Jesus was shamed and tortured to death, an...

lt;a href="http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/album/from-age-to-age" data-mce-href="http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/album/from-age-to-age"gt;From Age to Age by Sovereign Grace Musiclt;/agt; Come to church this Sunday. The worship will be epic. Literally. According to Merriam Webster, an "epic" is"a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds o...

Our September song-of-the-month is "Complete in Thee." The hymn text is from the 19th century, while the tune is more recent (but still sounds like a hymn tune. You can listen to it here. Looking at the chorus, might seem strange to sing the words, "glorified I too shall be." There is a sense in which only God is worthy of glory, and He does not share that glory (Isaiah 4...

By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1 John 3:16 ESV This year, the kids in our Vacation Bible School will learn about a simple message: God loves us, so we should love each other. Love is a tricky thing to define. Many people today seem to think that it means simply accepting someone as they are, ...

[1] May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah[2] that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.[3] Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! [4] Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah[5] ...

My favorite song for the start of a worship service is also this month's Song of the Month: "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy." Maybe you're used to thinking of this as a song of invitation. And it probably has been used most often at the end of a sermon or evangelistic service, sung while waiting for people to come forward. But for me, this old hymn is a powerful reminde...

Since we celebrate Easter this month, we'll be featuring a song that celebrates the resurrection of Christ. April's song of the month will be "Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed!" by Keith and Kristyn Getty along with Ed Cash. You can listen to it by clicking here, and read brief interview with Keith Getty about the song, along with the lyrics,here. The song is also feat...

Our song for the month is "Not In Me." You can listen to it and read the words by clicking here, and read lyricist Eric Schumacher's explanation of the backstory and meaning of the song here. This modern hymn is a meditation on Luke's Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and t...

February's song of the month is By Faith, a meditation on Hebrews 11 & 12....