Noteworthy Blog

Isaac Watts was born into a non-conformist family in Southhampton, Hampshire, England. His father, a protestant preacher, read scripture and prayed for and with Isaac throughout his childhood. The oldest of nine children, he began his personal walk with Christ at the age of 15. By the time he was 16, he learned Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and French.  In the early days of the Protestant Reformation, it was considered a sin to sing anything that didn't directly come from scripture. The Psalms, via the metric Psalter, and some New Testament canticles were considered to be the only acceptable form of music in the worship service. For the first 150 years of Protestantism, they didn't even sing about Christ's death and resurrection.  Watts, in his early 20s, grew frustrated with church music and his dad wisely challenged him to do something about it. He did. Isaac Watts is considered the Godfather of English Hymnody, having written more than 700 hymns.  The statement and question st...

In Catholic circles, this coming Sunday is referred to as Passion Sunday. It precedes Palm Sunday by one week, signaling the coming end of Lent and helping to focus the church on the work of the Cross. You might ask, “I’m not Catholic so why are we talking about what the Catholics do?” Well, I’m not Catholic either. But I do believe that as we approach Holy Week, it is good to prepare our hearts for this very special church season and focused time of remembrance. This hymn, written by German clergyman Paul Gerhardt in the mid-1600s gives us language to do just that.  “The cross is the suffering love of God bearing the guilt of man’s sin, which alone is able to melt the sinner’s heart and bring him to repentance for salvation.” Billy Graham.  As we prepare for worship on Sunday morning, let us apply the work of the Cross to our hearts, and awaken "with gladness"! Awake, my heart, with gladness– see what today is done! Now, after gloo...

Released in 2012, this song by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin came together quickly, beginning with the chorus. Myrin played some of what would become the chorus melodies and Redman became inspired, connecting it to Psalm 103. The song was written and completed in an hour according to Redman. Reflecting on the song, Redman says, “If you wake up one morning and you cannot think of a reason to bring God some kind of offering of thanks or praise, then you can be sure there’s something wrong at your end of the pipeline, and not his. We live beneath an unceasing flow of goodness, kindness, greatness, and holiness, and every day, we’re given reason after reason why Jesus is so completely and utterly worthy of our highest and best devotion.” Take time to read Psalm 103 now, and then reflect on the lyrics of the song. Chorus 1 Bless the Lord O my soul O my soul Worship His holy name Sing like never before O my soul I’ll worship Your holy name Verse 1 The sun comes up it’s a...