Kevin Stilley

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Worship – Recommended Books

Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has recommended the following books on Worship.

Allen, Ronald, and Gordon Borror. Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel. Portland: Multnomah, 1982.

Berkley, James D. Leadership Handbook of Preaching and Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992.

Best, Harold. Music Through the Eyes of Faith. San Francisco: Harper, 1993.

Dawn, Marva. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Eskew, and McElrath. Sing With Understanding. Nashville: Church Street, 1995.

Frame, John M. Worship in Spirit and Truth. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1996.

________ . Contemporary Worship Music. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1997.

Hustad, Don. Jubilate II: Church Music in Worship and Renewal. Carol Stream, IL: Hope, 1993.

Leisch, Barry. The New Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996.

Martin, Ralph P. Worship in the Early Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.

_______ . The Worship of God: Some Theological, Pastoral, and Practical Reflections. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,1988.

Peterson, David. Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992.

Schaeffer, Francis. Art & the Bible. Downers Grove: IVP, 1973.

Senn, Frank C. Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997.

Segler, Franklin M. Christian Worship. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996.

Underhill, Evelyn. Worship. Guildford, England: Eagle, 1991.

Wainwright, Geoffrey. Doxology: The Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine, and Life. New York: Oxford, 1980.

Webber, Robert E. Rediscovering the Missing Jewel. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996.

________ . Blended Worship. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996.

________ . Worship Old and New. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.

________ . Worship is a Verb. Nashville: Abbott/Martyn, 1992.

Westermeyer, Paul. Te Deum: The Church and Music. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998.

White, James Emery. Opening the Front Door: Worship and Church Growth. Nashville: Broadman, 1992.

White, James F. A Brief History of Christian Worship. Nashville: Abingdon, 1993.

_______ . Introduction to Christian Worship. rev. ed. Nashville: Abingdon, 1990.

Wright, N. T. For All God’s Worth. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.

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Worship – select quotes

Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half full) of artificial admirers (like people who write generic anniversary cards for a living). Emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the disciplines of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections from God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.”
~ John Piper, in Desiring God (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1986), page 76

Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to His purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.
~ William Temple, in Readings in St. John’s Gospel, vol. 1 (London: Macmillan, 1939), page 68

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Best Amazing Grace Recording

What is the best audio recording of Amazing Grace? This week I was at a party for my brother-in-law in which each of the guests had contributed a favorite song for a compilation CD. One of those attending had selected Elvis’ recording of Amazing Grace. They explained, “Everyone knows it is the best recording of Amazing Grace, ever.” Really? This particular “everyone” doesn’t know that. I like Elvis, but am not particularly fond of his rendition of Amazing Grace.

So, my question is, which is the best recording of Amazing Grace ever?

Here are some of those that I know of. Feel free to contribute others in the comment area below.

101 Strings Orchestra
Tori Amos
Chet Atkins
Joan Baez
Batmobile
The Beat Daddys
Elmer Bernstein
Blind Boys of Alabama
Pat Boone
Boys II Men
Shirley Caesar
Glen Campbell
Johnny Cash
Cecilia
Charley Daniels Band
Cherry Bomb Club
Cincinnati Pops
Charlotte Church
Judy Collins
Crazy Cat George
Dave Matthews Band
The David Rose Orchestra
Ani DeFranco
Phil Driscoll
Esteban
Faith Evans
Fats Domino
Scott Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
The Gatlin Brothers
George Gershwin
Mickey Gilley
Al Green
Arlo Guthrie
Merl Haggard
Jimmy Hendrix
Whitney Houston
Mahalia Jackson
Sonny James
George Jones
Janis Joplin
Jordanaires
K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Krystal
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Christy Lane
Leadbelly
Meadowlark Lemon
The Lemonheads
Loretta Lynn
Blind Willie McTell
Herbie Mann
Glenn Miller
Drop Kick Murphy
Anne Murray
Jim Neighbors
Willie Nelson
The Neville Brothers
Oak Ridge Boys
Original Drifters
Patti Page
Twila Paris
Vicki Philips
Pras-Ghetto
Elvis Presley
Ray Prices
Boots Randolph
Lou Rawls
Charlie Rich
LeAnn Rimes
Diana Ross
Pete Seeger
Seven Nations
Shanon
Robert Shaw Festival Singers
Paul Simon
Tommy Smith
Ray Stevens
Rod Stewart
Supastar Mantovani
B.J. Thomas
Randy Travis
Tsa’ Ne Dose
Ike & Tina Turner
Conway Twitty
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Voices of Watts
The Von Trapp Children
The Weavers
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lawrence Welk
Andy Williams
Victor Wooten
Glen Yarbrough

Okay, there are a few for you to consider. Amazon lists 3,213 Mp3 downloads for “Amazing Grace” so I am sure this list is just the top of the iceberg. Which is your favorite?

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The Protection of Praise


by John Fischer

If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!
(Proverbs 11:27 NLT)

Praise is a valuable weapon against the enemy. War cries, frontal assaults, or special words of exorcism can’t drive back the forces of evil. Neither can the brandishing of the sword or the charge of the brigade. What keeps the powers of darkness at bay is the simple and true praise of the Savior from a heart set free.

Christians are engaged in a battle, but going on the warpath won’t win this fight. It can even make matters worse. Christians can easily get caught up searching for evil in the world and trying to root it out, but by focusing on evil so much we bring the evil right to us. The best way to go after the enemy is with Christ on our minds and praise for him in our hearts. We do this unconsciously all the time. We sing a little song of praise as we go about our tasks, and unseen demons rush for cover. There are some things we are better off not knowing about.

Like the complicated etchings of the classical German painter Albrecht Durer that depict hosts of angelic beings and demons warring high in the sky over peaceful, tranquil landscapes, we have little knowledge of what is really going on at any given time in the heavenly realms around us. But we need not be conscious of this. We do not require sentries on the watch every hour, fearing attack. We do not have to check behind every door. It’s better if we don’t. If you search for evil, it will find you! We need only be in the presence and the praise of Jesus. The enemy flees at the mere sound of his name.

Jesus is our constant protection. He is our most valuable possession. The best protection against evil is a heart bent toward the good seeking God in all things. Light does not fight with darkness. There is no wrestling match necessary. Light banishes darkness. They cannot occupy the same place at the same time.

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