Our Stories Unleashed

Do Lyrics Really Matter?

I used to hate coffee. My mom drank it when I was growing up. My grandparents would drink a cup after dinner. I never understood why anyone would enjoy such a bitter drink. But now, I rarely go a day without a cup. And I have even had a cup after dinner a few times… Funny how we change. As I am writing this, I am now craving a delicious cup from Dwell Coffee & Biscuits in Fort Worth. If you haven’t been yet, you need to. But I digress. Do you know what I think goes well with...

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"Come Thou Fount" a Deeper Understanding

Have you ever sung something and then realized that you don't know what you are saying? That happened to me in the hymn, “Come Thou Fount." There are a few words in this hymn that we don't use in today's language. I probably sang it 100 times before asking myself, "What does ebenezer or fetter mean?" Well for those of you who don't know, here is the explanation: "Ebenezer" means "Stone of help" Found in 1 Samuel 7:12. The Lord had responded to Israel's repentance and also Samuel's...

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Choosing Worship Music Requires Balance

Every so often people will tell me that they heard an amazing worship song that we have to sing in church.  Which is awesome. I love that people are excited about worshipping the Lord through song and want to share that with me. Plus, I'm always looking for new songs.  So, I thought it might be helpful to share some things I consider when choosing new songs for congregational worship. I evaluate them using four criteria: theology, content, context and...

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