Fruitful Worship
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Boldly Singing “Son”
We sang “Be Thou My Vision” last week at church and, as always, I was curious to see which version of the second verse we would use. The traditional verse reads: Be thou my vision, and thou my true Word;I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord.Thou my great Father and I thy true Continue reading
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Book Review: How Can I Make the Most of Sunday Services?
I received a copy of How Can I Make the Most of Sunday Services? by Erin Wheeler early this week. This was perfect timing, as it allowed me to read it in preparation for Sunday—which is exactly the point! (Plus, due to its brevity, it helped me get ahead on my GoodReads Challenge.) About & Continue reading
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A Few Lessons from Pruning My Grape Vines
When we first moved to Iowa, we were met with tremendous fruitfulness—and not just spiritually! Upon moving into our home, we found a young apple tree, a mature cherry tree, and two lush grapevines. I was enchanted. Having grown up in Phoenix, I was used to planting ill-fated gardens each year only to watch my Continue reading
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Dressed in Splendeur Podcast
Anyone who knows me knows that I am always thinking ahead. I journal because, if I don’t, I forget to look back and give thanks for the wonderful things God has done in my life. My recent conversation with Lydia Summer of SPLENDEUR Magazine and Podcast was a much-needed time of reflecting on God’s goodness. Continue reading
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Singing Our Way to Gospel Culture: Seven Things We Do When We Sing Hymns Together
I spent the last week studying and discussing gospel culture, which is, most simply, the unity between Christians that flows from union with Christ. The majority of my classmates were pastors, so we spent a lot of time talking about how to foster gospel culture through preaching and shepherding. Naturally, I was concerned with how Continue reading
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Three Reasons You Don’t Feel Joyful During Musical Worship
Have you ever sat through a church service and wondered, “Why don’t I feel anything?” Or been told by a worship leader to “make a joyful noise” while you’re just wondering how you’re going to stay awake, let alone rejoice? You’re not alone. Keep reading for three reasons you might not feel joyful during worship Continue reading
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Social Media and Sabbaths
It’s Saturday evening, and I am filled with relief. Tomorrow, at last, is a Sabbath. Sundays are not restful for me. I rise earlier than other mornings and practice for an hour or so before my first church service, where I play the organ and direct the choir. After this, I snatch a few donut Continue reading
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Three Ways Musical Roots Teach Us About Love
I am always amazed by how music—even music theory—images certain theological concepts. Enjoy! 1. The Root Provides Identity In music theory, the “root” is the note by which a scale or chord is named (C is the root of a C major scale, and so on). It is the foundational pitch that gives the scale Continue reading
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Conclusion and Questions to Consider: Reframing the Bethel-Hillsong Controversy According to the Fruit of the Spirit
Welcome to the final article in my Bethel-Hillsong series! To organize this content, I’ll link each article in order below: As we wrap up this lengthy series, here are nine fruitful questions to consider before you program music by any artist—including Bethel and Hillsong—for worship: I hope this series helped you think about this issue Continue reading
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Surprised by Self-Control: Bethel, Hillsong, and the Overlooked Purpose of Congregational Song
When asked which fruit of the Spirit is most directly related to worship music, most people will answer, “Joy, of course!” If pressed, they might also mention love, peace, goodness, and faithfulness. Patience and kindness may make the list too, but what about self-control? We don’t often discuss self-control in relation to worship music except Continue reading
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Coming Back to the Heart of Worship: 5 Facts About Gentleness that Shape How We Discuss and Do Worship Music
Gentleness is a much-abused fruit in our day and age. For the sake of “gentleness,” people are told to abandon doctrinal convictions. For the sake of “gentleness,” people are coerced into disobeying scripture’s command to teach, exhort, and admonish. To use gentleness in such ways is to misapply this powerful fruit. Gentleness, which is perhaps Continue reading
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The Good, The Bad, or the Simply Not Good: Can we Pronounce the Music of Bethel and Hillsong as “Very Good”?
“Kinda weird, but not a sin” has become a common saying in my household. My husband and I say this jokingly about hilarious fail videos or the quirky things we catch each other doing. But when it comes to worship music, this saying hits on an important point: there are more than two black-and-white categories. Continue reading
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Ryanne Molinari 