-
Every Book I Read in 2024 Reviewed in Ten Words (or Fewer)
I read a wild variety of books, from sci-fi to biography, Christian living to classic literature, memoir to investigative journalism, books on aging to books for middle-grade readers… That said, there’s probably something on this list for everyone! For a fun challenge, I decided to review every book I read in 2024 in ten or…
-
Christmas & New Years Letter 2024
Last year I wrote a “Christmas letter” style post and found it helpful for updating friends and family, as well as for personal reflection. If life updates are of interest to you, read on. If not, stay tuned for other content. In a Nutshell As 2023 came to a close, Billy had a sense that…
-
Christmas Recommendations to Nourish Your Imagination
I just looked up from answering emails to see that today is December 19th. How is that possible? Even though I’ve spent the last few weeks playing for holiday concerts and preparing for Advent services, Christmas still managed to sneak up on me. Anyway, if you are not quite in a holiday mood or are…
-
Final Words & Parting Gifts: Thoughts on Pre-Selecting Funeral Music
Earlier this week, I played for a funeral. Although this is a regular part of my job as a church organist, this particular service was uniquely encouraging. The departed was clearly a remarkable lady. Her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren sang the hymns with incredible confidence, leading me to believe she has left behind a…
-
Review: The Story of Katie Luther
About The Story of Katie Luther: The Nun Who Escaped to True Freedom by Gretchen Ronnevik is a brief, accessible biography of Martin Luther’s bold, resourceful, faithful wife. This book is part of Crossway’s “Lives of Faith & Grace” series, which “engages middle-grade readers (ages 8–13) with the real-life stories of Christian men and women…
-
Reblog & Reflection: After a Children’s Christmas Service
I just finished playing for another children’s Christmas service which, as usual, was full of joy and cuteness and more than a few muffled laughs. Highlights of the evening included my organ student accompanying hymns with excellence, little voices reading big words from Scripture, and pews full of beaming parents and grandparents. Humor from the…
-
“Stop”: Christmas Lyrics Based on the Book of Job
Earlier this autumn, I got to play Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living with one of the choirs I accompany. I’ve written before about how much I love playing Forrest’s music. A pianist himself, he writes choral music that requires accompanists to be genuine collaborators. His piano parts tend to be equal parts intuitive—fitting perfectly…
-
Love is a Garage Door Opener
When we were dating, I would typically get off work earlier than my now-husband, Billy. My favorite running trail went past the church where he worked, so I’d park behind the church and chase that daily tread. I ran with particular enthusiasm during that season because I knew that if I “happened to mention” that…
-
Worship Leader, Are You Using the Wrong Metric?
It’s Advent, a season of special services and rousing carols. Even people who rarely listen to traditional worship music will find themselves humming along to “What Child is This?” or belting out “Glo-o-o-o-o-oooo-o-o-o-o-ooooo-o-o-o-o-ooo-ria!” when “Angels We Have Heard on High” plays. For contemporary and traditional worship leaders, the pressure is on. It may be a…
advent, blog, chistmas service, Christian life, Christian ministry, christian music, church, church leadership, church music, faith, hymns, Jesus, leadership, ministry, ministry life, Music, music ministry, organist, singing, singing church, spirit-filled singing, worship, worship leader, worship music, worship musician blog -
On Piano Lessons: Reasons to Start and to Stop
Today was my last day of teaching piano—at least for now. I’m continuing to teach organ on the side, but needed to refocus my priorities in anticipation of my book’s release, dissertation prep, and increasing ministry commitments. This season of teaching ended in the best possible way: one of my students performed his first recital…
benefits of piano lessons, education, honest advice from a piano teacher, joys of piano lessons, learning music, Music, music lessons, music teacher, piano, piano advice, piano lessons, piano students, piano teacher, reasons to quit music, reasons to study music, taking music lessons, when to quit piano, when to start piano -
Early Christmas Gifts + Road Trip Entertainment
Happy Thanksgiving week! Since this week marks the start of the Christmas season for many of us, I wanted to share a few recommendations to get you in the holiday spirit and—for those of you who are traveling—to help pass the hours. In the spirit of early Christmas, I’d like to give you a few…
-
Review: “Ecclesiastes: Finding Meaning When Life Feels Meaningless” by Lydia Brownback
Ecclesiastes: Finding Meaning When Life Feels Meaningless is part of Crossway’s Flourish Bible Study series. The series author, Lydia Brownback, is an accomplished writer and conference presenter. Accordingly, she writes like a speaker—with a friendly and clear tone. She distills biblical information into an understandable and applicable format, making this study on Ecclesiastes a great…
Recent Posts
- Trustworthy and Trustful
- Last Things First: March–April 2026
- Turn Your Eyes
- In All Things Thee to See
- The Singing Love of God
Subscribe for Free
Support
If you enjoy my work and would like to keep the music playing and words flowing, consider buying her a coffee using the button below.
Social Media
Ryanne Molinari 