For several years, I served as the song leader in my church. During that time, it was my responsibility to select the music and lead the congregation in the singing every week.
I took that responsibility seriously. The hymns and songs that I selected had to be doctrinally sound, and appropriate for worship with a God-centered worldview. Within those parameters, I tried to select music that would reinforce and support the text and the subject of my pastor’s messages.
Some of us have been singing the hymns for years; the words roll off our lips but the messages often don't engage our minds or penetrate our hearts. With the apostle Paul, I want the congregation to "sing with understanding."
So it has been my practice to select one hymn each week, research it, and then highlight it with a short introductory commentary so that the congregation will be more informed regarding the origin, the author's testimony, or the doctrinal significance of the hymns we sing.
It is my intention here, with this blog, to archive these hymn commentaries for my reference and to make them freely available to other church song leaders. For ease of reference, all the hymn commentaries in this blog will be titled IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Other posts (which will be music ministry related opinion pieces) will be printed in lower case letters.
I know that some of these commentaries contain traces of my unique style, but please feel free to adapt them and use the content any way you can for the edification of your congregation and to the glory of God.
All I ask is that you leave a little comment should you find something helpful.
Ralph M. Petersen
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This is exactly what I hear when I hear praise songs. Yesterday, the team sang a new version of "It Is Well With My Soul" it was a terrible. Last month they did a make over of "Amazing Grace" I don't understand why they "claim" it as new when they stole the words and tinkered with the music. That's like painting over a Rembrandt and calling it your own. It's a lie. That's like this song "I want to know you" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUXGxtYxjyg I am sorry but this song worldly not Godly. I don't want to touch God or see His face. There is something sinister about this song.
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