“Mick McGuire” is finally here!

It’s finally happened! I’m finally official!

The other day I got a surprise package in the mail from Alliance Music Publications. What to my wondering eyes should appear but a great big stack of published scores… with my name on the front!

You may recall that “Mick McGuire” is the Irish folk song I arranged [...]

“You Might Be a Sadducee If…”

[From my archives.]

Ah, those good old Pharisees.  They’ve been dead and gone for centuries, yet we never tire of talking about the dangers of their beliefs.  I’ve lost count of the number of sermons I’ve heard, articles I’ve seen, and books I’ve read that in some way or another caution the Christians of modern days [...]

The True Meaning of Christmas Trees: The Spiritual Abuse Connection

I think I finally figured out what Christmas trees are really about.

Not long ago on Revelife, an author brought up the subject of our friend Mr. Tannenbaum. Apparently, some folks try to appeal to Scriptures such as Jeremiah 10 to support the old canard that Christmas trees are pagan symbols that the church is adopting [...]

Hypocriticism

When I was in high school, I worked under a man who for some reason didn’t like me.  So he decided to sabotage my career.  He spread false stories about me behind my back, saying that I wasn’t a good worker.  He insulted me in front of my friends.  He managed to get me written [...]

Spiritual Abuse Files: The untold story of Grace On a Snake!

(Starring Samuel L. Jackson as the aptly named Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Film)

In the Roman world of Jesus’ time, there were many moral problems.  There were famines, wars, diseases.  There was harsh poverty and decadent luxury. There was political corruption, intrigue, abuse of authority.  There was embezzlement, treason, armed insurgents who plotted [...]

CD Recording Session: The Photo Gallery

Those of you who have been following me for a while have probably heard that I’ve been working on a brand-new CD recording of worship songs and hymns I’ve written over the past several years. I’ve wanted to do this for quite a while, especially since getting married and realizing how wonderful Carrie’s [...]

Practical Tips for Worship Leading

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/handjes/1800214770/

Originally published August 2006. These ideas are in a rough and unpolished form. I wrote them down one evening while they were in my mind for some reason, and since then several people have told me this was very helpful in their own work in worship music. This is still very much how I [...]

New CD Project!

Starting on September 8, I’ll be recording a new CD. My usual piano and vocals will be joined with the audio engineering skills of Peter Devins, the vocals and guitar stylings of Carrie Pazdziora, and the fantastic violin virtuosity of Øystein Torp, making an intimate but dynamic sound. The songs are new hymns and worship [...]

Bless Thou Jehovah (R. A. Torrey)

R. A. Torrey was a 19th-century evangelist known for his commitment to the Word of God and the message of the Gospel. As a pastor, evangelist, teacher, author, and scholar, he has an enduring impact even today. Many of his books are regarded as classics (such as the splendidly simple How to Pray), and institutions [...]

Jesus and the Parable of the Man who Needed Health Care

Yes, there is such a parable in the original. The first several times I didn’t realize what it was about; Jesus insists on framing the question in a way that invalidates most of our categories of discussing the issue. I’ve taken the liberty of writing my own paraphrase, with a few hopefully not-entirely-unwarranted interpolations and [...]