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Just a post, to see what favorite song inspires freepers in praising the LORD? I have many, but I will say the one that connects to my soul like no other is *Through the Fire* by Jason Crabb and the Crabb Family http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP4OvUU-ZHU&feature=related

What about Bad Music? by Dr. Jeff Mirus, October 9, 2009 It is a feature of human nature that all normal persons respond emotionally to music. For this reason, music is often described in emotional or quasi-emotional terms. It may be languorous or bombastic, martial or lyrical, peaceful or agitated, soothing or exciting, and so on. But in addition to the connection between music and human moods, music is also perceived as beautiful (or ugly) and the human intellect naturally wishes to understand those properties of music which, if properly manipulated, produce beauty. Finally, the essentially moral character of the...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a school district's refusal to let a band play a religious piece at a high school graduation, saying the superintendent had reasonably decided to avoid a constitutional controversy by ordering a secular program. The district's veto of an instrumental version of "Ave Maria" by German composer Franz Biebl at the 2006 graduation ceremony in Everett, Wash., did not violate students' freedom of speech or religion, said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

If you asked me who some of my favorite artists are right now, without hesitation I would say Natalie Grant, Nichole Nordeman and Britt Nicole. I know many of my friends haven't heard of them. I love to introduce people to these artists because they just might love their music too. Grant, Nordeman and Nicole are widely known in the mainstream Christian contemporary music world. There is so much talent in and outside of the church. This week, I wanted to share some artists with you who are not LDS but are fellow Christians with a faith-promoting message. In addition,...

Minutes after he learned a jury had sentenced him to death, killer James Broadnax laughed at the mother of one of his murder victims as she told him how he had devastated her life................ Patterson said television interviews Broadnax gave after the crime, in which he boasted about killing the two men and expressed no remorse or sympathy for their families, influenced jurors more than the defendant’s impassive demeanor in the courtroom.

Popular Christian rock band MercyMe was involved in an automobile accident Saturday that resulted in the deaths of two people and the hospitalization of a third. “Car just hit our tour bus,” tweeted MercyMe frontman Bart Millard from his iPhone around an hour after the early morning accident. “We are ok, but 2 of the 3 in the car did not make it. The one that did is pregnant. Please start praying.” According to The Associated Press, police in Fort Wayne, Ind., were told by witnesses that the tour bus was going through a green light about 1:15 a.m. Saturday...

CHICAGO — At a gathering of Church composers and musicians recently, Msgr. Anthony Sherman asked how many people had looked at the revised order of the Mass. Almost everyone raised a hand.Msgr. Sherman, the executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship, might have predicted the reaction during his breakout session at the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Convention in Chicago. After all, new Mass texts require new music — and pastoral musicians are preparing to provide it. “Given that music is integral to the celebration of liturgy, composers will have an important role to...

Sunday Poll: In your church, what kinds of songs do you sing? A Daily Poll

SHERWOOD PARK — Rob Evans, the Donut Man, might still be a Protestant but he doesn’t protest anymore. In fact, he is a happy Catholic, in love with Jesus, the Church and the sacraments. As he has put it, “To be Catholic is to experience authentic freedom to live, to love at extraordinary levels, and to learn the ways of the Master — the way that leads to the sanctification that we’re all called to.” A Catholic for the past three years, Evans, 55, is a children’s entertainer and a self-described Donut Repair-man who knows that life without Jesus is...

Nearer, My God, to Thee - Words: Verses 1-5, Sar­ah F. Adams, in Hymns and Anthems, by William Johnson Fox, 1841; verse 6, Ed­ward H. Bick­er­steth, Jr. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. Refrain Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee! Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness be over me, my rest a stone. Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God to Thee. Refrain There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n; All...

I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous) Verse 1 I stand amazed in the presence Of Jesus the Nazarene And wonder how He could love me A sinner condemned unclean Chorus How marvelous how wonderful And my song shall ever be How marvelous how wonderful Is my Savior's love for me Verse 2 He took my sins and my sorrows He made them His very own He bore the burden to Calvary And suffered and died alone Verse 3 When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see 'Twill be my joy through the ages To sing of...

Counselor suspended after teens hear Christian music Accused of 'exposing children to unapproved religious activities' A Southern California counselor with nearly two decades of experience with foster children is challenging a decision that she be punished after four teens she took on an approved day-long outing encountered a beach festival – and heard Christian music. The 18-year employee, according to the lawsuit, took four teen girls from the Orangewood Children's Home, which was launched as a private facility but now is owned and run by Orange County. "What happened to this counselor was insane and unjust," said Brad Dacus, president...

For decades he was a fixture on the Billy Graham Crusade stage and on televisions in living rooms around the country. Now, George Beverly Shea, the award-winning baritone who is often described as "America's Beloved Gospel Singer", will reach a new milestone in his storied life - the century mark. Shea will celebrate his 100th birthday on Sunday, February 1. One day later, he will be the guest of honour during a special private gathering of family and friends at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. "On the ladder of life, I have reached...

Wonderful Medley for the Christmas Season! Thanks for viewing.

“Yet for all the high-level packaging, The Priests really are the genuine article, who deliver the classic church music they have always sung, from Ave Maria to O Holy Night, in perfect harmony.” ....

The Louisiana American Civil Liberties Union fired off a letter to the mayor of Thibodaux, La., warning that the small town's promotion of a city festival featuring Christian bands may be a violation of the First Amendment. The Thibodeauxville Festival, which draws nearly 12,000 people to the town whose population barely exceeds 14,000, has featured fun, food, street dancing and bands from a variety of genres for the past 16 years. But when the ACLU spied the city's seal on a flier that also promoted the Christian bands performing at the festival, it took action. Marjorie Esman, executive director of...

THIBODAUX — The American Civil Liberties Union has taken issue with the city’s promotion of “Christian Music and Dance” at its upcoming Thibodeauxville festival, claiming it violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event, contends the ACLU has mistakenly assumed the festival is backed by local government and no part of the First Amendment was violated as charged. Only government can violate constitutional provisions, which in general do not apply to the private sector. In response to a complaint filed by Thibodaux retiree Charles Mosley, the ACLU’s Louisiana branch has asked...

It isn't every day that a group of Catholic monks find themselves on the pop charts. Yet that's what happened to the monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz, a 12th-century Cistercian monastery near Vienna, whose CD of Gregorian chants has become a runaway hit. After its European release in May, "Chant: Music for the Soul" became the top classical album in Britain before crossing over to the pop charts, at one point outselling recordings by Madonna and Amy Winehouse. Even before its U.S. release on July 1, the album became the most popular classical recording in this country, thanks to copious downloads...

Rich Cook had it all: a dream job in his chosen field, Christian music; a solid marriage and three adoring daughters; a home in Orange County, a paradise in his eyes, worlds away from his New Jersey roots. But something was wrong. "I'd been around a long time, and I knew what it was," said Cook, 63. "I had to do something. The bottom line was changes had to be made." Cook was gay. And by the mid '90s he decided it was time to acknowledge it to his family and the world. ... Cook and his wife divorced. His...

"Funeral arrangements have been made for the 5-year-old daughter of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman." "Cinderella" video w/SCC explaining inspiration for song SCC Blog video with Maria Sue

NASHVILLE, Tenn - The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said. The girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. McPherson said no charges are expected. "It looks like a tragic accident," she said. She said several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville. The brother...

One Toronto church decided that they had enough of divisiveness this Lenten season, and decided to take a stand. No more would incendiary rhetoric be used to inflame the passions of the congregation. No more would the United Church endorse an outdated theology, at least not the West Hill Protestant United Christian Church. Their pastor struck these dreaded words from their Easter hymnal …. Jesus Christ? That triumphal barnburner of an Easter hymn, Jesus Christ Has Risen Today – Hallelujah, this morning will rock the walls of Toronto’s West Hill United Church as it will in most Christian churches across...

A Michigan church filed a federal lawsuit after police officers, led by a local prosecutor, entered the sanctuary at least twice without a warrant, alleging the church's music was too loud. In one instance, they threatened to arrest church musicians for disorderly conduct. Faith Baptist Church, with a congregation of about 10,000 members, is suing local officials in the Township of Waterford, Mich., in a First Amendment case a church attorney said could have national ramifications in establishing what local governments can do in regulating churches. The suit -- alleging the township violated the church's freedom of religious expression, freedom...

Yet another painful experience of modern Evangelical “worship,” once the fury and chagrin has drained away, awakens in my mind this scene from my boyhood: It is a summer Sunday evening service in a little Baptist church in rural Michigan, hard by the fields and woods. Everyone who plays an instrument (all “acoustic” in those days), young or old, skilled or not, has been invited to accompany the congregational singing, for that is what is done on Sunday evenings, when the service is less formal. The minister stops the music near the end of the hymn, taps the pulpit, and...

Bad news for fans of Boston fans of Bill Bennett, Dennis Praeger, Mike Gallagher, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, and Hugh Hewitt: WTTT AM 1150 has apparently changed its format from conservative talk to Spanish language religion. Salem Communications also owns WEZE AM 590 and WROL AM 950 in town but I don't believe any of the shows will wind up there (we'll see). Boston still has WRKO AM 680 (mostly conservative), WTKK FM 96.9 (mostly conservative), and WBZ 1030 at night (middle of the road)

ROME (CNS) -- Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists filled Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls with some of the most famous hymns written by Charles Wesley at a service marking the 300th anniversary of the Methodist reformer's birth. The songs, featured in hymnals across denominational lines, were the focal point of the Dec. 3 ecumenical evening prayer service in the Catholic basilica. The Rev. John Barrett, president of the World Methodist Council said, "It was mind-blowing really" to celebrate Wesley and sing his hymns "in Rome with an ecumenical gathering." "I think Charles Wesley would be thrilled. He did...

One of the world's oldest styles of religious music is attracting a host of new enthusiasts.Gregorian chant is usually associated with monks in monasteries, but it's being heard more often now in regular services. Its growing popularity brought 70 representatives of choirs from Northern Ireland to a chanting workshop in the Dominican Convent in west Belfast. The college chapel became a study for a day as experts passed on advice on how best to perform the ancient melodies. Principal tutor Donal McCrisken said Gregorian chant was an excellent medium for vocal training. "You have to sing it very purely -...

This is an excellent music video about Christmas. Christmas With a Capital "C"

I'm having some problems with music in Catholic America. Part of it is my problem. I spent fifteen years in the Anglican Church with the New English Hymnal--which is probably the finest hymnbook ever published in the English language. Musically and liturgically it was the best that traditional Anglicanism had to offer. Catholic music in England--well we won't even go there. Apart from a few islands of decent church music the Catholic church in England was a wasteland. I am discovering that in the USA it is not much better. My problem is that I am actually unfamiliar with most...

WASHINGTON(October 9, 2007) – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will vote at their annual Fall General Assembly on the approval of the document Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, a revision of the guidelines for music at Mass. The document “represents a significant rethinking of the structure and substance of what needs to be said about this important aspect of the liturgical renewal,” said Bishop Donald Trautman, outgoing chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, in the documentation sent to the Bishops for their review. The document retains and refines some of the more important...

Mormon Tabernacle Choir- 75th Anniversary Six members of the staff traveled to Washington, DC in November to represent the Choir in receiving the National Medal of Arts. Standing with President and Mrs. Bush are (l to r) Announcer Lloyd Newell, Tabernacle Organist John Longhurst, Choir President Mac Christensen, Choir Directors Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg, and Assistant to the Choir President, Stan Parrish. Choir President Mac Christensen poses with President and Mrs. Bush following the awarding of the National Medal of Arts.

In India Thousands of Youth Rock for Jesus and for Life with Canadian Musician David MacDonald By John-Henry Westen POTTA, India, August 8, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One of the inspiring occurrences which took place on my recent speaking engagement in India was getting to know another Canadian - singer/songwriter David Macdonald.  Although I knew David by reputation - he is the main musician at the annual March for Life in Ottawa every year - I had not until India had a chance to speak with him in person.  David is a fascinating man.  A pop musician who can do fancy...

Label terminates contract before album releases and confuses everyone NEW YORK – As the hip-hop industry's tradition of wholesome, thought-provoking lyrics has slowly decayed since the 80's, one artist wants to buck the trend by adding a new level of linguistic complexity to his lyrics. Tru Dawgma, a self-proclaimed "exegetical elaborator," insists that his new style will help counteract hip-hop's recent reputation of promoting only superficiality, sex, drugs, and violence. But not everyone appreciates Dawgma's approach, as God's Fro Records recently terminated his contract and stated, "Most of our listeners don't have a GED, let alone an M. Div.!" God's...

God of our Fathers (National Hymn) Daniel C. Roberts, the 35 year-old rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, a small rural church in Brandon, Vermont, wanted a new hymn for his congregation to celebrate the American Centennial in 1876. He wrote "God of Our Fathers" and his congregation sang it to the tune Russian Hymn. In 1892, he anonymously sent the hymn to the General Convention for consideration by the commission formed to revise the Episcopal hymnal. If approved, he promised to send his name. The commission approved it, printing it anonymously in its report. Rev. Dr. Tucker, who was...

THE WASHINGTON TIMES - Singer-songwriter Derek Webb, formerly a member of the contemporary Christian band Caedmon's Call, won rave reviews for his 2005 solo album, "Mockingbird," which dealt with themes of war, politics and social justice. The following are excerpts from an interview with Mr. Webb, whose most recent release is "The Ringing Bell": Question: What is your relationship with Sojourners, an organization that expresses Christian commentary on faith, politics and culture? Answer: Sojourners seems to be about people who think spiritually and yet socially. They see the implications of spiritual ideas in terms of social action. I definitely make...

Note: K-LOVE is a network of radio stations that carry contemporary Christian music songs. The following is a copy of the e-mail I submitted to the K-LOVE general comments address on October 22, 2006. Dear K-LOVE staff: I listen to your station every so often when I do not feel like listening to some of my Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and other epic soundtracks while driving to school and back. I'll admit up front, I'm not terribly fond of some of the music on the station. Please don't misunderstand. I'm a true, Biblical believer. I am a Christian, committed...

Photojournalist Stephanie Keith's first Christian rock show was in 2002, when she walked into a Kansas City coffeehouse and saw a punk band playing staunchly Christian tunes. "It seemed like such a contradiction in terms," she says, remembering the incongruity between the band's brash sound and its intensely Christian message. Over four years, Keith attended dozens of major Christian rock festivals -- including the New Hampshire's Soul Festival, Pennsylvania's Creation Festival, New Jersey's Autumn Blaze event and Virginia's Acquire the Fire fest -- many of which showcase the abundance of Christian punk, emo and hardcore bands. The twelve photographs that...

Chattanooga’s oldest radio station, WDOD, has ended its 11-month experiment with progressive talk radio. At 10 a.m. this past Monday, the station switched to a format featuring musical oldies and standards from the late 1950s and the 1960s and 1970s, according to Danny Howard, director of programming and operations for WDEF and WDOD. The new format, which is locally controlled, is known around the station as Ruby AM 1310. Who’s Ruby? “It’s kind of funny,” Mr. Howard said with a laugh. “When we started talking about doing this, it turned out that everybody had an Aunt Ruby or a grandmother...

For years, seniors in the wind ensemble at Henry M. Jackson High School have selected a favorite piece of music to play during commencement. For last month's ceremonies, the 17 students chose an instrumental version of "Ave Maria," which they had performed at a school concert in December 2004. But their choice was vetoed by Dr. Carol Whitehead, superintendent of the Everett School District. Instead, the ensemble played a selection by British composer Gustav Holst. Now Kathryn Nurre, an 18-year-old who played alto saxophone in the ensemble before graduating, is suing Whitehead, claiming the decision violated her First Amendment right...

The Pope has demanded an end to electric guitars and modern music in church and a return to traditional choirs. The Catholic Church has been experimenting with new ways of holding Mass to try to attract more people. The recital of Mass set to guitars has grown in popularity in Italy; in Spain it has been set to flamenco music; and in the United States the Electric Prunes produced a "psychedelic" album called Mass in F Minor. However, the use of guitars and tambourines has irritated the Pope, who loves classical music. "It is possible to modernise holy music," the...

Vatican City, 26 June (AKI) - Pope Benedict XVI has called for traditional sacred music to be played during mass, condemning the ongoing custom of contemporary music at religious celebrations. "Updating sacred music is possible, but this cannot happen unless it follows the tradition of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphony," the pontiff said on Sunday on the sidelines of a concert in the Sistine Chapel. A skilled pianist with a predilection for Bach and Mozart, Benedict XVI spoke against a custom reportedly appreciated by his more informal predecessor John Paul II, who worked very hard throughout his papacy to make...

TVC ASKS PATAKI TO STOP HARASSMENT June 21, 2006 - Washington, DC – The Traditional Values Coalition asked New York Governor George Pataki to rein in a state agency which is threatening legal action against an Accord, New York skating rink because it plays Christian music during a “Christian Music Skate” party. The New York Division of Human Rights threatened Len and Terry Bernardo, owners of the Skate Time 209 rink in Accord, with an investigation because the rink plays Christian music during certain hours. The agency also threatened to charge a local newspaper which advertised the event for “aiding...

Interview With Researcher Julieta Vega García MEXICO CITY, JUNE 13, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Gregorian chant continues to be the official chant of the Catholic Church of Latin rite, though composition of new works is nonexistent, says a music expert. Julieta Vega García, who has a licentiate in philosophy and classics, with specialization in art history, and a doctorate in geography and history in the area of musicology, gave a brief overview of Gregorian chant in this interview. Vega García is a piano teacher with a certificate from the Higher Conservatory of Music of Granada, Spain, and director of the Schola Gregoriana...

Canadian songwriter Gordie Sampson says he knew almost nothing about country music when he moved to Nashville last year with his wife and baby and the beginnings of a hit song percolating in his head. A year later his simple, heartfelt tune "Jesus Take the Wheel" -- inspired by a real-life car crash in Cape Breton -- has dominated radio airwaves across the continent for months, broken industry records and turned the 34-year-old Nova Scotian into one of the hottest songwriting talents in Nashville. "Jesus Take the Wheel," co-written by Sampson and a pair of American collaborators -- and recorded...

WHEN THE HISTORY of Christian rap-metal music is finally written, I pray to the Lord of Hosts that I don't have to read it. But if that fate should befall me, I'd feel gypped if it didn't include an extended encomium to the boys from Junkyard Prophet..... When I blasted them from my basement, my wife, who has a stomach for Christian praise music, descended the steps to complain, which I took as a good sign...

The Sixteenth Annual Summer Music Colloquium Tuesday, 20 June 2006 - Sunday, 25 June 2006 The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Center for Ward Method Studies of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music in collaboration with the Church Music Association of America Gregorian Chant has been called the most beautiful music this side of Heaven. But as Pope Benedict XVI and the Second Vatican Council have emphasized, it is also integral to Catholic liturgical life and should be heard and experienced with wide participation in every parish. The Church Music Association of America is working...

How Great Thou Art, open this in another window and listen to the beautiful piano music! How Great Thou Art, open this in another window and listen to the beautiful piano music! O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonderConsider all the worlds Thy hands have made,I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,Thy power throughout the universe displayed, Refrain:Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;How great Thou art, how great Thou art!Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;How great Thou art, how great Thou art! When through the woods and forest glades I...

He warned them to protect their hearing. "If the sound's an issue, we do have earplugs available," he said. Ushers handed out earplugs and fluorescent glow sticks for the "U2 Eucharist," a communion service punctuated by the Irish rock band's music. Episcopal parishes from California to Maine have hosted similar events, weaving U2's tunes -- laced with biblical references -- into the liturgy. Streamers flew over worshippers' heads at the recent gathering in Providence. Children danced by the altar. Plasma-screen TVs illuminated the gothic sanctuary. Some people sang and clapped, while a few looked puzzled. Brooks said the evening was...

'Til the Storm Passes By, Press here for the music, played on a real piano! You can download all of these free to your HD Words and Music by Mosie Lister copyright 1958 Mark 4:39 "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face, While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place. 'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry, Keep me safe till the storm...