We are here to simply run our leg of the race. I feel so passionately that today’s pastors are being crushed by the weight of trying to measure up to the ministries of others. And when I say ministries, I almost mean careers.

Years ago some friends and I hiked up a mountain called Cerro de Chipinque that flanks the south side of the city of Monterrey, Mexico. When we reached the top, we suddenly emerged out of trees into a glorious view…

In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport argues for two core abilities for thriving in today’s world: the ability to both quickly master hard things and to produce at an elite level, in terms of quality and speed.

I grew up on Steve Green’s “Hide ‘Em in Your Heart” series. These songs were formative for my sisters and me; we memorized Scripture without trying. I recall literally holding my tongue while learning to keep it from evil.

Here's the thing: you can phone it in because ministry can be phoned in. If you're like many worship leaders, especially those employed full-time to serve the church, you may have plenty of time…

It may go without saying that we live in an age not overly characterized by the disciplines of either reading or writing religious poetry. Those who craft lyrics for corporate worship today generally refer to themselves as songwriters rather than poets.

While many people know and love female hymnists such as Charlotte Elliott, Frances Havergal, Anne Steele, and Fanny Crosby, it is unfortunate that the name of Lina Sandell is known by so few.

Songwriting is easily one of the most frustrating, rewarding, time-consuming, life-changing, soul-healing things a worship leader can do. God uses our creative thoughts put to music to inspire, and to help others deeply explore life.

“When the music is strong, the movement is strong.” Harry Belafonte I love this quote! However, I believe it’s the strong movement that produces the strong music. There has been no greater movement and no greater passion than Jesus’ gospel…

A quick Spotify search of “Psalm” will tell you that there are a lot of contemporary songs written from this book, especially from Psalm 23, 51, 63, 118, 121, and more. Instead of writing from these and other well-known Psalms, try writing…

I grew up in the Northeast around a lot of Roman Catholics. I saw the formality and structure of their religious gatherings as a sign of their deadness. To me, the word "liturgy" seemed pretentious at best and lifeless at worst…

Stay Faithful to the Text. Approach the text like a preaching pastor would. Don’t be afraid to sit down with commentaries and a study Bible and look up what the words meant in the original Greek or Hebrew.

Recently my family and I moved to a new house. If you’ve ever experienced the “joy” of moving, especially with kids, you know it can be a long and stressful process. All the boxes, the packing, and the miraculous return of those missing socks…

The sun beat upon my skin as the countryside breeze blew over my arm. The windows were down in my old F150 and Journey was cranked up on the radio. I was singing at the top of my lungs without a care in the world…

The goal of leading corporate song is to facilitate the joyful singing of God's people. Anything you do should tend toward their participation and full engagement. This means that your leading of the singing should be simple and predictable enough…

Good theology has a way of putting us in the redemptive story. Our theology reveals our hearts, identifies us with the characters in ways that make us think, “I am like him,” and opens our hearts to God’s truth as it moves toward our need.

The joy of the good news of Jesus outshines all other joys, making it seem like we must be dreaming, filling our mouths with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. In light of our unspeakably glorious, unfading, irrevocable hope in Jesus…

What’s the biggest struggle in writing a congregational worship song? Congregational songs must be singable enough that unmusical people can participate and theologically…

Over my 15 years of leading worship, I’ve had some spectacular blunders. During an exhortation a few weeks ago, I said, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be praised.” And then this past Sunday during the song "Man Of Sorrows," I told our people that "the tomb has been rolled…

Set lists are more than songs, and Sundays are more than gatherings. Every Sunday is an opportunity to call people to lift their eyes from unsatisfying idols to gaze at the infinite beauty of God. It’s an opportunity to place songs and prayers in the mouths and hearts of those who gather that will linger for days