For God Alone

Quarantine 2020 brings many adjustments to normal life, including assembling together, guaranteed in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and, if we are to conquer the pandemic called Coronavirus, all of us are required to make sacrifices, no matter how great. But, folks, this pilgrim loves to sing, especially with other people, and preferably with S’s, A’s, T’s, and B’s (Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses). For years, I have told my choirs that God wired me to sing, and I cannot but sing! In the past few weeks, choirs have been 'meeting' through social media platforms. While these cyber-gatherings provide visual connection...

For God Alone - The Primacy of Worship In September of 2016, Central Baptist Church Bearden (Knoxville, TN), a church I served nearly seven years, launched a discussion regarding their direction and vision. Ultimately, that discussion led to the creation of a Vision Lay Team (VLT). Throughout much of 2017, this congregation-elected team met most Monday evenings for 1.5 - 2 hours praying over and discussing their future. Following much prayer, many discussions and meetings, this team (of which the author was a member ex officio) created four dreams around the general topics of worship, discipleship, community, and evangelism. Rightly so, worship was the first dream among the four. Worship is the church’s first priority. Bruce H. Leafblad is the person I respectfully call my worship mentor. Dr. Leafblad joined the music faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall of 1983, the beginning of the second year into my master of music degree at Southwestern. Le...

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! (Psalm 96:1) The Bible records nearly 200 songs of all kinds - canticles, victory songs, hymns of praise, laments, and, of course, psalms - and includes many more references to singing, and to the singing of new songs. While the first reference to music in the Bible is recorded in Genesis 4:21 (Jubal, the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe), the first song in the Bible is the Song of Moses, recorded both in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32, and is the glorious retelling of Israel’s triumphant exodus from Egypt following four hundred years of slavery. I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name. (Exodus 15:1b-3) Not only is the singing of new son...