The Search for Songs

Between comments about the guitar being too loud and words being misspelled on the screen, I occasionally get questions like, “Where did you find that hymn?”, “Where can I get the music for that song?”, and “Why don’t we ever sing _______ song?” So for both of you who were wondering, here is my disclosure of the music resources I often draw upon for our congregational worship music and the criteria I use for judging which music to employ and which music to exclude.

The search for quality worship songs is both enjoyable and exhausting. Large doses of diligence and discernment are required to listen through the overabundance of new music out there that falls into the nebulous genre of “Christian worship music” and find those few nuggets of lyrical gold that are well-suited for congregational singing in our context. With the advances in technology (especially the internet), the amount of Christian music out there can be overwhelming. So how do we begin to sort the musical wheat from the chaff? What do we look for when evaluating potential congregational worship songs? The answer is pretty obvious: lyrics and music.

The lyrics need to be
(1) Biblically sound—We want to sing words that make us think God’s unchanging thoughts. The words of the song must be theologically accurate. We remember what we sing, so we want to sing the truth.
(2) Godward—Worship is not just an activity for us; it is a service to another—to God. So we want there to be a distinct God-centeredness in the songs we sing. Even if they are songs of confession, the general tenor of the lyrics must direct our thoughts toward the Divine.
(3) Artistically fresh—Words should not be boring or dull, but communicate age-old and unchanging truth in fresh and thought-provoking ways. Songs are poems set to music. We all know there is much variety in the quality of poetry. So just because the words rhyme and are true does not make them well-suited for worship—they must be excellently written.

The music is evaluated by
(1) Singability—The melody should be logical and simple for the congregation to follow. Some songs are great for personal listening, but not suited for congregational singing because of the complexity or irregularity of the melody.
(2) Appropriateness—The tune should fit the text. Words of jubilation should not be sung in a minor dirge. And songs of contrition should not be sung to the tune, “Ode to Joy.”
(3) Compatibility—The style of our worship music must cross the cultural and generational gaps in our congregation. We want diversity of musical “style” that ministers to the entire flock.

While we may occasionally find great worship songs from a broad range of the more popular sources, there are a few lesser-known ministries that more consistently provide worship music for the church that falls within these parameters. So to help you know where to look for the music we regularly sing, I am providing you with the three main resources for Berachah’s worship music.

Sovereign Grace Music. The music division of Sovereign Grace Ministries (formerly PDI) is constantly producing gospel-rich, biblically-solid, and culturally-relevant music for churches. Their stated mission is as follows:
“We are committed to developing a biblical understanding of worship, and to producing songs that exalt God’s Word, works, and worthiness. Because God’s glory is too great to be confined to any one style or culture, we seek to draw from the rich heritage of the past while utilizing the best musical ideas and technology of the present. Moreover, each song we release is designed to be faithful to Scripture and musically suitable for use within the local church.”

Sovereign Grace Ministries was founded by pastor and author, C.J. Mahaney. His long-time partner in ministry, Bob Kauflin, is the primary worship leader and songwriter featured in their music. They have done a great service to the church by producing a plethora of rich, Christ-centered music over the last two decades. Some of their songs that we have used include: “Not to Us,” “The Gospel Song,” “Before the Throne of God Above,” “Be Praised in All the Earth,” “I Will Glory in My Redeemer,” “Your Great Renown,” as well as re-written versions of “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” and “Fairest Lord Jesus.”

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/ – Music is under the “Resources” tab. Their website has many CDs available for purchase and sheet music offered for free download.


Getty Music. This is the ministry of Irish composers, Keith and Kristyn Getty. Their mission is “to revive the art of hymnody for a new generation.” From their website:
"There are two reasons we write modern hymns. First, it is to help teach the faith. What we sing affects how we think, how we feel and ultimately how we live, so it's so important that we sing the whole scope of truth the Bible has given us. The second reason is to try and create a more timeless musical style that every generation can sing, a style that relates to the past and the future."

The 100+ “modern hymns” they have written are a real gift to the church today. These are the types of songs the church will likely be singing until the Lord returns. Their music provides that rare combination of well-crafted lyrics and simplicity of melody that gives them their enduring quality. Some of the songs we have sung include: “In Christ Alone,” “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,” “Speak, O Lord,” “See What a Morning,” “Father We Have Sinned,” and “Let the Earth Resound.” Expect many more of their hymns to be used in our Lord’s Day worship in the future.

http://www.gettymusic.com/ – From their website you can order CDs, songbooks, and downloadable sheet music. Their latest cd, “In Christ Alone,” has been recently made available in many Christian bookstores.


Indelible Grace Music. This is the worship ministry that grew out of Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), a college ministry connected to the PCA. Their main emphasis is on writing contemporary melodies to old hymns.
“Our hope is to help the church recover the tradition of putting old hymns to new music for each generation, and to enrich our worship with a huge view of God and His indelible grace . . . We want to be a voice calling our generation back to something rich and solid and beyond the fluff and the trendy. We want to remind God's people that thinking and worship are not mutually exclusive, and that not everything worth knowing happened in the last three years. We want to invite the Church to appreciate her heritage without idolizing it. We want to open up a world of passion and truth and make it more that just an archaic curiosity for the religiously sentimental.”

Songs we use include modern versions of: “Sovereign Grace O’er Sin Abounding,” “A Debtor to Mercy Alone,” “Whate’re My God Ordains Is Right,” “Jesus, I, My Cross Have Taken,” “Come Ye Sinners,” and “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.”

http://www.igracemusic.com/ – Their website has some great articles on worship as well as their free downloadable hymnbook. They also have CDs available for purchase.


Other Useful Resources:

cyberhymnal.org – extensive online database of hymns. Searchable by title, tune, topic, composer, or meter. The only downside is the poor quality of the audio samples.

grassrootsmusic.com – Helpful online store to find new and independent artists. They have many mp3 samples available.

worshipmatters.com – Bob Kauflin’s weblog on worship. Good resource for insight and discussion on worship-related issues.

Grace Hymns. Topically arranged hymnal of older, biblically-rich texts. There are no musical scores provided for the hymns, only the meters. So you will need to use a different hymnal to find tunes with the right meter. (ISBN – 0 95054 761 1)

Justin Culbertson
Berachah Bible Church

The Making of a Mother

Are mothers born or made? In some sense mothers are born. God has created women to bear children with the included necessary psychological and emotional “wiring” to nurture and rear children. This of course does not mean that all women will be mothers or that all mothers will be good mothers. Nature alone is not enough to endow a female who bears children with the qualities needed for effective motherhood. Other things must be in place to ensure godly mothering. No greater privilege is bestowed upon a human being than the opportunity to give birth to an immortal soul and influence that child with biblical truth. More specifically, to be able to teach one’s child about God, impart divine wisdom, and exemplify Christ-exalting living is quintessential mothering.

How then can a mother be made to fulfill such a noble task as godly mothering? A godly mother must be conceived in the womb of the new birth. The one who is to conceive life within her must be born of the Spirit of God. This new birth that comes from God is not the result of human effort but is the product of the Holy Spirit. Motherhood without God is possible but is not good. There is too much at stake. The brush with death in giving birth, time and energy given on behalf of others, and mothering a future generation is without eternal value if Christ is shunned.

A godly mother is made by a mother who is godly. The best start in life is one that grows and develops under the watchful loving eyes of a mother who knows God and passes on His truth in the Bible to her children. Were you brought up by a mother who loved Christ and who taught you the Scriptures from infancy? If so, rejoice and aspire to do the same for your children. This kind of intergenerational spiritual linkage bears consequences for thousands of generations (Ex. 20:6). A godly mother is also made by having a father who knows his heavenly Father. Fathers, do you have a daughter? Meg Meeker in her book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters has said that “daughters who spend more time with their fathers are less likely to drink, take drugs, have sex as teenagers or have out-of-wedlock babies.” Yes fathers, your time with your daughter matters greatly both in its quantity and quality. Daughters need dads who live for Christ.

A godly mother is made by being around older women who are devoting their remaining years to the display of inner beauty (1 Pet. 3:4; Tit. 2:3). Older women in the church who embrace life as an opportunity for sacred service to God, who use their tongues for encouragement rather than injuring others, who do not allow chemical dependencies to become a substitute for dependence on God, and who are committed to passing on the truth of God as it has been woven into the years of their experience are a rich treasure for mothers to be and mothers in the making. The work of a mother is not finished when the nest is empty. There are younger women who desperately need older women to whom they can look and see how to live God’s way.

A godly mother is made by knowing older men who are blazing a trail that is worth following (Tit. 2:2). Older men who are clear and discerning in their thinking, worthy of respect, self-controlled, rock-solid in their faith, who know how to love and to live with their hope set on heaven can make an incalculable contribution to the way mothers-to-be think about manhood. A mother in training needs an example of what true masculinity is like for it may be part of her task to rear a son for God.

A godly mother is made by learning early in life the value of displaying the precious jewelry of Christian truth (Tit. 2:4-5). The church working in concert with the family has a great work to do. Young women have to be taught how to express love to their husbands and children. As has already been pointed out, older women in the congregation must rise to the occasion and offer guidance in how to be committed to the spiritual welfare of one’s husband, in showing interest in what he does, and how to be his helper. Infants and small children are cute. But with that established there is a lot of love-work that has to be done. Children are self-centered and if left to themselves will bring heartache to their parents. They have to be taught what love is, how to get along with others, the importance of self-control, respect for authority, knowledge of the Scriptures, and how to make decisions. The mother who wants to be a God-pleaser needs guidance in how to lay out life’s priorities, in not being ruled by emotions, and how to develop a theological mind. It is this kind of jewelry that is to adorn the mother after God’s own heart.

A godly mother is made by understanding that outer beauty without inner beauty is a monstrosity (Prov. 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”). The world brings great pressure to bear on young girls. It would have them believe that facial cream, make-up, clothes, a model-like figure, and beauty to die for are what define femininity. Let the man beware who wants a godly mother for his children. The man is caught by looking at the gold ring and failing to see the pig. What is the pig? It is that women who is morally flawed and relationally defective. The young girl who wants to grow up and have children of her own would do well to live by the truth that beauty is only skin deep. What really matters is having a heart that radiates love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Now that would be a mother that would make any son or daughter proud.

A godly mother is made by being savvy as to the degree of moral corruption that exists in society. To be spiritually ditsy is no laughing matter. The mothers of tomorrow need a Christian world and life view that makes them able to see through the smoke and mirrors of modern thinking. Multi-culturalism, the internet, the theory of evolution, and a host of other concepts and issues require a biblically razor sharp mind. A godly mother is made by refusing to be a self-satisfied woman, but instead has an insatiable appetite for God and His Word. In an age where the god narcissism rules (having a love-affair with oneself), a mother who is running hard after God will not preen herself on the latest fashions, hair-styles, or linger long in front of the mirror. She does not neglect her appearance and health, but her primary concern is to know the Scriptures and how they apply to her life.

A godly mother is made as she prays for, respects, and is devoted to her husband. She will not grow weary in the well-doing of submitting to her husband in the Lord and delights in the opportunity to exemplify the way Christ’s church submits to Him. By doing this she lives out gospel truth and gives her children an everlasting portrait of God’s redemption in Christ. A godly mother is made by valuing her children as gifts from God. She views them as made in the image of God, but because of sin are in need of God’s forgiveness. The early morning finds her in faithful intercession before God for those for whom she is responsible.

A godly mother is made by becoming an authentic worshiper of God. Her children must see her standing along side other believers in Christ singing the songs that extol God and the wonders of His salvation. A confusing message is sent to sons and daughters when their mother would rather stay at home and watch television than giving herself in ministry and encouragement to others on the Lord’s Day. But her worship doesn’t begin and end on Sunday. The whole of her life is a praise response to God’s mercy and grace to her. Her worship of God on the first day of the week is matched by her kindness on Tuesday.

Is it your desire young women to be a mother one day? Do you know what it takes to be a godly mother? Now is the time to set out on that journey. It will not be easy, but it will yield heavenly rewards that will echo throughout eternity. This would be a good time for all mothers in the making to renew their heart’s desire to exalt Christ. “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Prov 31:30).

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Entrusting the Truth to Faithful Men, Who Will in Turn Teach OthersA Summary of the TMAI Symposium – March 2007

On March 3rd Carol and I departed from Atlanta for Los Angeles, California. We had dual purposes for our journey. Mine was to attend a symposium for The Master’s Academy International (TMAI), a consortium of ministry training centers around the globe that are committed to training men for a faithful ministry of God’s Word. Carol’s purpose was to see friends from our days in seminary, folks whom she had not seen in 5 years. We both looked forward to re-visiting people and places among which we had spent 5 years of our lives before heading for Russia.

After arriving in the wee hours of Sunday morning, our first stop before hitting the sack was at In N Out Burger, a favorite eating place of ours with a limited menu but great fast food. After a good night’s rest, we worshipped with brothers and sisters at Grace Community Church, our church home during our seminary days. Dr. John MacArthur was still in the Gospel of Luke, which he had just started when we left five years ago. It was a great time of being part of a large congregational choir, hearing God’s Word, and worshipping with His people in that part of the country.

I attended the TMAI symposium on Monday, March 5th. The theme of the symposium this year was distance learning. Though certainly no replacement for face-to-face discipleship, there are ways to use the power of the internet to supplement theological instruction (consider the apostle Paul’s letters as an early form of distance teaching) and provide training for men who may not be able to study at a seminary fulltime. One such way is simply to post Powerpoint presentations and oral lectures to a website, much like we are doing here with our Bible institute. In fact, in my presentation on how a traditional class on Old Testament survey can be “converted” to a distance learning format, I was able to use our institute class as an example. I also learned things at the symposium that will improve our own Bible institute materials. But the most enjoyable aspect of the symposium was to see men with whom I became friends during my own training now ministering around the world and training men in their respective countries to faithfully teach the Truth. It was the best kind of reunion.

On Tuesday the sixteen training centers represented at the symposium broke up into regional summits. I attended the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit for the four Russian-speaking schools that are part of TMAI. Our main discussion was on building a database of solid theological materials (books, journal articles, course syllabi, etc.) that will be web-based and updateable by each school. This will help each training center know what is available for various theological disciplines, as well as what is currently being translated, so as to avoid duplication of work.

While I was at the symposium, Carol was doing some serious “catching up” with friends. She spent Sunday afternoon with Mary Heath, a dear lady and Georgia native who continues to faithfully serve the Lord into her 80s. On Monday she spent all day with Nancy Green and her family, who now live in Acton, CA. The Green’s kids and ours became good friends when we lived there and still keep in touch; Carol and Nancy also speak occasionally by phone, but had not seen each other since 2002. On Tuesday Carol visited with Debby Stitzinger, Jaclyn’s former piano teacher who has faced various trials of late but remains steadfast in faith, hope, and love. In the evenings Carol and I would rendezvous at one of our favorite old eating places and compare notes. I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of Russian brothers while I was in LA: Zhenya Bakmutsky, a graduate of NBTS who now oversees youth ministry for the Baptist Union throughout the CIS, and Edward Ginrek, the rector of NBTS. Both were in town for the Shepherd’s Conference; Zhenya also sat in with us at our regional summit.

All in all, it was a great trip for both of us. Please pray for the ministries of the teachers and students who make up TMAI as they proclaim the Word of God in their respective countries. If you would like more information about a particular TMAI training ministry, check out the website at www.tmainternational.org.

Frank Pass