This quiet ballad uses I Kings 19:11-13 and events from Jesus’ ministry to reflect on hearing the still, small voice of the Lord in our world today. The song can be effectively led by a praise team or sung as an anthem by choir.
This tune first appeared as #37 in a collection of Isaac Watts Psalms, In Melody and Songs (2014). What is interesting about this tune is that though the harmonies shift through a few different keys (D, Bm, C), the melody always remains in D. Hence the tune name, INDY.
This is an orphan tune, waiting to be adopted by a text to call its own. If you write lyrics for this melody or pair it with an existing text, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense and let me know how you’ve used it.
“The most eloquent poetry, the richest theology barely begins to reveal the mystery.” This acoustic rock ballad concedes that no words or music will ever capture the beauty and love of Jesus. But isn’t his surpassing worth and our inability to fully understand him all the more reason for adoration?
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
There are many songs that are perfect for Easter day (“Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” for example.), but few that remain appropriate during Eastertide. “Jesus Lives, and So Shall I” will take you through the whole season of Easter with its focus on our new life in the risen Christ.
PowerPoint slides for congregational singing are available from Digital Songs & Hymns.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
Charles Wesley’s hymn “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” is a timeless text that has been forever in search of a timeless tune. This choral setting brings out the pathos of the text, an urgent prayer in time of need. The anthem is scored for SATB Choir and Piano and can be purchased from GIA Music.
I love this hymn so much that I included it in an episode of the Greg Scheer Music Podcast as well as a Lent hymn series that explored a different musical setting of “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” every week.
Most Christmas songs are all joy and confidence: Shepherds overwhelmed by angelic songs; Wisemen led by navigational stars. But if your life is at all like mine, those moments are rare. Instead, life is often accompanied by a soundtrack of doubt, missteps, and loss. “Jesus, Be Enough” asks the question: Is Jesus a sufficient gift even when Christmas miracles don’t occur? Will we trust God even when our prayers seem to go unanswered? It is a Christmas carol for the rest of us. [Above is a demo of the choral anthem and below is a version with guitar and cello.]
The hymn tune TABLE GREATS (a play on “greatest” and “table grace”) is a setting for Steven Starke’s 8.7.8.7.8.7 Maundy Thursday text. This simple, singable tune gives voice to Starke’s reflection on the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet in the upper room.
This beautiful hymn by James John Cummins had fallen into disuse until fairly recently. It covers all of life— depth of sin, temptation, ease and joy, sickness, and dying— and always brings us back to the prayer, “By your mercy, oh, deliver us, good Lord.”
There are few songs that use the image of Jesus as high priest. Shepherd, Bread of Life, yes, but not high priest. I fell in love with this text by Isaac Watts and wrote a new tune for it.
PowerPoint slides for congregational singing are available from Digital Songs & Hymns.
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “shelter in place” order took effect at midnight; an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, everyone is to stay home except for the necessities. When I woke this morning, I considered how quickly the world changes. People all over Michigan–all over the world–are finding themselves confined to their homes. Maybe they’re dreading the silence. Maybe they can’t imagine getting through a whole day with all their children at home. Maybe they’ll lie awake at night worrying about their loved ones catching the virus.
This simple song, dubbed “a hymn for sheltering in place” reminds us that Jesus walks with us during these times.
PowerPoint slides for congregational singing are available at Digital Songs & Hymns.
