We’re just about smack dab in the middle of Lent, a time when we tone things down in worship and life in order to hear God’s whisper of love in and through the cross of Jesus. For this reason Lent is typically a bit more serious, even somber, than other seasons and worship tends to...
In Christ Alone
posted by DJL
On Tuesday I shared some hymn writing advice from Stuart Townsend that I thought would be helpful for preachers as well. For those of you who don’t know Stuart, I thought I’d share this unique performance of one of his best know hymns (written with Keith Getty) performed by David...
Advent Break: Little Drummer Boy
posted by DJL
There’s something about a cappella singing that is hard to beat, especially at Christmas. This rendition of A Little Drummer boy, by the 5-person group Pentatonix, is no exception. So amid all the shopping or sermon writing or decorating or baking or traveling, I hope you can find a few minutes to relax one of the favorite extra-biblical, yet still beautiful Christmas stories. (And if you’re a “Little Drummer Boy” fan, check out last’s year’s post on the Little Rockin’ Drummer Boy.) Notes: 1) If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click here to watch the video. 2) Again thanks to...
The Christmas Scale
posted by DJL
Perhaps because I was such a reluctant student of the piano as a child (which, like so many others, I deeply regret as an adult), or perhaps because I admire such simple and beautiful videography, or perhaps because I love Christmas carols and never, ever noticed the simple scale that starts a...
Advent Break: Angels We Have Heard on High
posted by DJL
Feeling a tad stressed this December 10? Just two weeks shy of Christmas Eve, and amid all the hustle and bustle of holiday parties, or shopping, or decorating, or writing your Advent 3 sermon (yes, Working Preachers, I’m thinking of you), or studying for finals and writing papers (yes, my students, now I’m thinking of you!), or of making lists and checking them twice (oh, yeah, that’s supposed to be Santa’s job!)? Well, wherever you may find yourself or whatever you may be doing, I’d invite you take a three-minute Advent mental health break and enjoy this early Christmas present from The Piano Guys. It’s a rendition of Angels We...
Unlikely Carols: Pearl Jam’s Let Me Sleep
posted by DJL
Most Christmas songs are cheery, but not all. (Think, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” for a moment.) The song with which I decided to start our Advent series on Unlikely Christmas Carols is one of those songs: Pearl Jam’s “Let Me Sleep.” Except that it’s not so much sad as kind of tragic. Unlike Dave Matthews “Christmas Song,” which tells a full story, Pearl Jam tends to be more suggestive, evoking a feeling more than sharing a story. The song speaks of someone who is down and out…and cold…at Christmastime. Maybe a homeless person or drifter, but someone who is exposed to the elements. And, while shivering in the cold,...