Recently I finished reading a book called, 'Why Johnny can't sing hymns.' It was a pretty darn good read. While I had to make my way past all the overt criticisms of a music form that I actually quite enjoy (that is, contemporary worship music) the author, T. David Gordon (no relation) had some compelling things to say.By trade, Gordon is a media ecologist, which I confess is a profession I had not heard of...
Read MoreRead MoreIn less than two weeks, we'll be getting on a plane to Adelaide for my first overseas music tour. That's pretty exciting huh?!The tour is to promote the work of the 'Songs that Unite' website, which is an initiative of the Uniting Church of Australia. The site publishes songs from local composers to make them available to the wider church. This is my kind of thing. Without really thinking about it, we've adopted a similar...
Read MoreRead MoreHere are the One Voice Project, we were excited to hear about this initiative happening down south. Here's Cheryl Harray to tell us about this collaborative project to visualise the praises of God's people, and their testaments to God's goodness. - MalcsThe 10,000 Reasons 'Post it note' Praise ProjectFlagstaff Community Church, Dunedin, NZ The song ‘10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord Oh My Soul) by Matt Redman has rapidly become a well known and loved congregational song...
Read MoreRead MoreMy dear friends, Sam and Rach Callander have almost completed a crowd funding campaign to create the Super Power Baby Project. The project is inspired by their daughter, Evie, who died almost 3 years ago. Evie had a rare chromosome disorder. Yet in the midst of all the medical information Sam and Rach were bombarded with, telling them everything Evie would not be able to do, they chose instead to give voice to the wonderful...
Read MoreRead MoreSome of you really enjoyed the rhyming all-age prayer I shared a week or so back.I knew I'd written another sometime earlier this year, I just couldn't find the receipt, or the serviette that I wrote it on. Turns out it was on an envelope. This is more of a call to worship. Come sleepers, come dreamers! Hey rank unbelievers! Come into God's house, find a pew.Hey husbands, hey sisters! Hey neighbours, hey misters! Come in, find the place, just...
Read MoreRead MoreSo, my friend Cate is preaching on 1 Corinthians 4 this Sunday at St Peters (where Paul boasts, 'I am the scum of the earth'). Alongside talking this over with her, I've been continuing to ruminate on the Philippians 2 hymn (where Christ empties himself, becoming like a slave) and the idea that we are all made of dirt in the first place (Genesis 2) which Eugene Peterson has helped me to remember in his...
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Read MoreRead MoreI led the worship service at St Peters on Sunday. It was a combined, all age service, meaning the whole church family was together for the whole service. That's my favourite kind of service. It's always a challenge, but I think its part of the challenge of being the church, living alongside one another, and learning to encounter God in the midst of unlikely fellow-pilgrims.I've been reading a lot of Hairy McLary to my two...
Read MoreRead MoreMuch of our worship seems to reject the incarnation. Karl Barth, when writing to address the growing atheist movement in the early part of the 20th century, answered their criticism that ‘there is no such thing as a God up there’ with the words, ‘quite right.’ He reminded the church that we don’t believe in a God like that either. The only God we know of is the one who came to meet us, who...
Read MoreRead MoreSo the gospel for this Sunday is the parable of the Good Samaritan.Here are a couple of songs that might help you prepare, or enrich your worship this Sunday.Firstly, 'These hands' is a song that speaks of God's seeking of us and tenderness towards us. Perhaps we are the fool who travelled down that dangerous road on our own. And maybe God is the one we thought was our sworn enemy, but turned out to...
Read MoreRead MoreSo here it is.This is the release party for the music video to the song, 'Our Father is waiting'. Right now we're milling around, hobnobbing and scoffing canapes, hors d'oeuvres and other spelling impossibilities while waiting for the big reveal at 9pm on Wednesday evening.In the meantime, why not cruise around the 'room' and check out who else is here. Wanna join the fun, email your self-take to malcs@onevoice.org.nzExcitement is building outside the venue.And a sneak...
Read MoreRead MoreHey guys, if you're in or around Christchurch, we're heading there today!Tonight (Friday) I'm playing a combined youth event at St Stephen's Presbyterian - Bryndwr (how can it be a word without any real vowels!?!) from 7pm.Tomorrow (Saturday) I'll be leading two workshops at St Marg's Presbyterian in Bishopdale. From 10:30am we'll be looking at 'The story of worship' and after lunch we'll explore 'Worship and mission' - and whether they have anything to say...
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