Worship Resources Intl.

Cold, wintry Grand Rapids was the location for the annual event sponsored by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. 

I was honored to be a presenter (one of dozens) at this marvelous annual conference which draws about 1500 participants from around the world. The subjects of my three workshops (Blended Worship, Thematic Worship, and Biblical Principles of Worship), which I gave twice each, seemed to spark a lot of interest–I was thrilled to see the interest in both practical topics and in biblical foundations.

Highlights for me were: teaching eager learners; catching up with some friends and making new ones; meeting some of the internationals (they came from 45 countries); finally getting to meet and hear Kenneth Bailey (whose books on the Middle Eastern cultural background of the gospels have intrigued me for 30 years), and getting to hear Dallas Willard speak a couple of times on the Christian life.

Audio of some of the presentations are now available HERE, with more to come.

Sorry this is a little late getting posted–just returned home from the Calvin Symposium for Worship (see above) and other responsibilities.

This month’s issue focuses on thirsting/hungering/longing for God, and includes:

• Theme article "Better than Life" (on Psalm 63)
• Hymn and song texts based on Psalm 63
• Scripture texts on the theme of Spiritual Thirst
• Quotes dealing with thirsting for God
• Info on a great lineup of upcoming worship conferences and other events
• Click HERE to open PDF (left-click) or to download (right-click, "Save link as…")

Pastor Randy Smith of Grace Tabernacle in Lake Como, New Jersey, has provided a wonderful resource in this huge, categorized database of quotations from across a wide spectrum of Christian and other literature. Click HERE.

I myself have an extensive database of quotes specifically on worship, which I use in compiling the "Quotables" section for each issue of Worship Notes, but alas, it’s not yet in such an organized and accessible form. In the meantime, remember that the website for Chip Stam’s email list "Worship Quote of the Week" has an indexed compilation of all past weekly quotes.
 

LSU Tigers, move over. Proclamation and Praise: Hebrews 2:12 and the Christology of Worship, released by Wipf & Stock in October, has rocketed to the number one position in that publisher’s "Best Sellers" list, astonishingly beating out such riveting titles as Introduction to the Desert Fathers and The Founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Melanesia and Micronesia, 1850-1875.

Thanks to all those purchasers who helped make this possible! Surely the special December sale on the volume had a lot to do with this success. Still, I plan on keeping my day job . . .

FULL DISCLOSURE: The book ranks #998,415 in sales on amazon.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The January issue focuses on the theme of "Worship, Creation and the Fall," and includes:

• Theme article on "Worship and the Fall in Romans 1"
  
• Spotlight on two articles which demonstrate the importance of Romans 1 for understanding the centrality of worship in the Fall
  
• Quotations on worship, Creation and the Fall
• A brief study on how "Christ Reverses the Fall"
  
• Info on important upcoming worship events
• Click HERE to open PDF (left-click) or to download (right-click, "Save link as…")

Beginning Fall 2008, The Bethlehem Institute at Bethelehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota will be offering a rigorous, two-year graduate apprencticeship program in worship studies.

For more information, click HERE.

The December issue focuses of course on the theme of Christmas, and includes:

• Theme article on "The Canticles of Christmas" (the psalms of praise of Mary, Zechariah, Simeon and the angels in Luke 1 and 2)
• Biblical/pictorial reflection on "Jesus Christ, the True Light"
• Review of article by John Witvliet on rightly using Isaiah (and the Scriptures in general) in our Christmas worship and at other times
  
• Info on upcoming worship event
• Click HERE to open PDF (left-click) or to download (right-click, "Save link as…")

"Praise the Lord: Song, Culture, Divine Bounty, and Issues of Harmonization" by Mark Noll (from Books and Culture, November/December 2007)

 
"What to Do about the Worship Wars" by John Fischer  (from Moody magazine, July/August 2002)

 just published!

There is a report on the Worship Theologians Conference held September 20-22 at the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship at the Center’s website HERE. There you can also download a number of the papers that were submitted by participants for discussion at the conference.