Arts and Culture on Songs

liturgy

Adapted from Colossians 3:12-17

Scripture

Colossians 3:12-17

Leader: Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience All: bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against an...

Quote

Author

Beauty R. Maenzanise

Keywords

What does the Lord require of followers? The Lord requires gratitude. And for those of us in the Christian tradition, Jesus wants our gratitude to increase more and more until, like a holy flame, it b...

illustration

Solving the Narcissism Epidemic

Author

Brené Brown

Keywords

Recently a group of researchers conducted a computer analysis of three decades of hit songs. The researchers reported a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 98:1-4 (ESV)

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 98:1-4

Pastor: Oh, sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. All: The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his ...

Quote

Author

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Keywords

Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal song. By grace we learn to sing, and in glory we continue to sing. What will some of you do when you get to heaven, if you go on grumbling all the way? Do not ho...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 40

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 40:null

I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on a rock and gave my feet a firm place to stand. ...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 95:1-2 & Psalm 124:8

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 95:1-2, Psalm 124:8

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. Where ...

liturgy

Come into God’s presence with

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 100:null

Come into God’s presence with thanksgiving in your hearts. We will enter his gates with praise. He has made us glad. His love endures forever. We join with all of creation, To sing a new son...

liturgy

Opening Prayer based on Isaiah 9:6

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 9:6

Wonderful Counselor, open our ears So we may hear your song God is with us, God is near Mighty God, open our eyes So we may see you at work For goodness, truth, and justice Everlasting Father, open ...

illustration

Community & Identity in the Himba People

Author

Ann Voskamp

Keywords

There’s a brilliant family of people in Africa, called the Himba. When a Himba woman is expecting a child, she goes out into the wilderness with a few of her sisters, and together they wait till they ...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 92:1-4

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 92:1-4

Leader: It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; People: to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, Leader: to the musi...

illustration

Love Songs All Address God

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 42:1-2, 1 Samuel 1:9-18, Psalm 63:1, Luke 15:11-32, Lamentations 3:19-24, Romans 8:22-23, Exodus 2:23-25, Hosea 3:1, John 20:11-18

In 1998, Nick Cave*, an Australian rock/pop artist, was asked by the Vienna Poetry Academy to give a series of talks on the nature of song-writing. A year later he gave a slightly revised version of t...

illustration

Music: Yesterday & Today

Author

Jay Y. Kim

Keywords

Scripture

Colossians 3:16, Psalm 100:1-2, Psalm 95:1-2, Revelation 14:2-3, Nehemiah 12:27

These days, music is everywhere. It’s on television and film, elevators and restaurants, public bathrooms and dentist offices. It’s in our cars and on our phones. With just a few taps to our screens, ...

liturgy

Inspired by Psalm 32:11

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 32:11

Leader: Come into my presence with singing; come to me with shouts of praise! All: We are glad to worship You, O Lord! We rejoice with songs of praise. Leader: Come to me, all people. Come to me, ...

illustration

Spirituals and Suffering

Author

Luke A. Powery

Keywords

There is no lack of pain and suffering in the world. Look around. Read the newspaper. Click on the Internet. Scroll Facebook or read a tweet. Suffering is always present like the paparazzi. It seems t...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 107

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 107:null

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 95

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 95:1-7

Leader: O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! People: Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with song...

liturgy

God–our Father, Lord and indwelling

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Psalm 133:1, 2 Corinthians 9:13-14, Matthew 28:19-20

God–our Father, Lord and indwelling Spirit of grace and power: Thank you for hearing us when we pray whether in songs of rejoicing or through tears of sorrow. Thank you for gifts–for the gifts of musi...

illustration

Understanding Expressive Individualism

Author

Brian S. Rosner

Keywords

A survey in 2015 found that 91 percent of adults in the United States agreed that the best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself. Everything else flows from this conviction. The thinking ...

illustration

Slow Down. Be Considerate. Be Aware

Author

Ryan Holiday

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 16:7, Proverbs 4:7, Philippians 2:3-4, Matthew 7:12, James 1:19

In the intro sequence of the beloved children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood , the first interior shot does not show the host. Instead, in the beat before Fred Rogers appears on the screen si...

blog

One Love—The Life and Music of Bob Marley

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

My Early Soundtrack What music shaped your early life? For most of us, our parents’ musical tastes probably were our starting place. That music made a deep impression on what we like — and don’t like...

liturgy

God of Grace and Love—Father, Son and

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

God of Grace and Love—Father, Son and Holy Spirit: We come to you in prayer knowing that your steadfast love endures forever...and we give You thanks; thanks for the gift of life, the gift of new life...

liturgy

Lord, You are good and faithful and

Author

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Keywords

Lord, You are good and faithful and never neglect us. But we often neglect You and each other. We fail to prioritize worshipping You, even as we make time for other things. We forsake the true focus o...

blog

Identity Questions: I Am Who You Say I Am

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Identity

There's a refrain in one of the songs we sing at our church that goes like this "I am who you say I am." It's a rather simple line, but a lesson that takes a lifetime to live out. ...

illustration

Jazz as an Analogy for Wisdom

Author

Daniel Grothe

Keywords

All great jazz musicians have at least three things in common: (1) they have gone into the practice room and learned and internalized all the scales, which are simply organized sequences of notes, unt...

illustration

What Sort of a Tale Have We Fallen Into?

Author

J. R. R. Tolkein

Keywords

“Yes, that’s so,” said Sam. “And we shouldn’t be here at all, if we’d known more about it before we started. But I suppose its often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: a...

illustration

Discovering Simplicity

Author

Harvard Stephens

Keywords

Scripture

Philippians 4:11-12, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Timothy 6:6-5, Proverbs 30:8-9, Matthew 6:33

During a retreat at the Taizé compound in France, a young American shared a remarkable discovery. He said: “Back home, surrounded by all my possessions, I often feel uncertain about many things. Here,...

illustration

How do you help People Change: The Story of the St. Lucian Parrot

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 58:12, Psalm 24:1, Colossians 3:12, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:14-16

But could you imagine how valuable it would be to be able to change people’s thoughts, actions, behaviors across a whole host of areas from one to another? This is precisely the question Dan and Chip...

liturgy

Adapted From Psalm 57:7-10

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 57:7-10

Pastor: My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! All: Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! Pastor: I will give thanks to you, O ...

illustration

Stories in Music

Author

Jonathan Gottschall

Keywords

The musicologist and neuroscientist Daniel Levitin estimates that we hear about five hours of music per day. It sounds impossible, but Levitin is counting everything: elevator music, movie scores, com...

liturgy

illustration

liturgy

liturgy

liturgy

liturgy

liturgy

illustration

liturgy

illustration

illustration

liturgy

illustration

liturgy

liturgy

liturgy

illustration

illustration

blog

liturgy

liturgy

blog

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

liturgy

illustration

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalm

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea