The newest release from Red Mountain Church is a Christmas album. Several months ago, I hosted a podcast with the singers and musicians that make Red Mountain Music. (Listen here.) Now, their Christmas album, Silent NIght: Advent Hymns from Red Mountain Church has been released.

This is a different album. First off, the songs are not old hymns put to new music. The musicians made the decision to maintain the original tunes.  Choosing to keep the original melodies makes the album more appealing.

Secondly, Ashley Spurling is the only vocalist. A wise move. Spurling’s vocals are flawless throughout. Her vocal talent is best showcased on the slow and quiet songs like “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” and “What Child Is This?” She communicates a certain longing with her voice, a sense that contributes well to the desire for redemption that marks the season of Advent.

The only complaint I have with this album is that the group chose not to do what they do best: take an unknown hymn and introduce it to a new generation. I would have enjoyed one or two Gadsby Christmas songs thrown into the mix – songs unknown to most listeners and given new life on a RMC album. Instead, Red Mountain Church chose to play it safe with the classics.

But let me say this: they do the classics well. The arrangements are creative enough to sound fresh, but not so creative that they get on your nerves. A true feat indeed in the crowded Christmas-music market today.

Click here to sample some audio clips from the album.
Download Silent Night from Amazon.com.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

A couple of years ago, I was browsing the LifeWay bookstore at Southern Seminary and came across an odd-looking red CD called The Gadsby Project by a group called Red Mountain Church. I listened to a couple of tracks and was intrigued by the forgotten hymns that were included on the project. I bought the CD and went home to listen some more. The next day, I went back to the bookstore and bought all their CDs.

You might be unfamiliar with Red Mountain Church. The group is based in Birmingham, Alabama. They take old hymn texts and put them to new music. They have five CDs available (and one on the way) – all of which are worthy of attention.

I recently recorded a podcast interview with three of the main musicians/singers for Red Mountain Church: Brian Murphy, Clint Wells, and Ashley Spurling (the main vocalist… listen to a couple of her songs and you’ll realize why). The interview also includes snippets of some of their songs.

Some of the questions I ask:

• Why the Gadsby hymnbook?
• How do you come up with the new melodies for the old hymns?
• What’s the writing process like?
• What project is coming up next?

Download the interview here: (Right-click, and then choose “Save Target As…” to your computer).

Visit their website to hear more clips.

Check out some of their lighter stuff on YouTube.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Sovereign Grace Music’s newest release, You and You Alone, the fifth CD in the Overflow series delivers music from father-son team, Pat and Joel Sczebel from Surrey, British Columbia.

A longtime fan of Sovereign Grace Music, I was looking forward to You and You Alone, thinking it would be in the same vein as Songs for the Cross-Centered Life and The Valley of Vision project. You and You Alone resembles the other CDs lyrically, but differs musically.

The CD begins with Joel (the son) singing the rock anthem “Trust in You,” a song that emphasizes the sovereignty of God. Dad and son switch mikes for “Over All,” another rock-flavored song that speaks of God’s rule over all creation. Things quiet down musically by the time “The Greatest of All” appears, complete with a bluesy piano and organ. My favorite song on the CD was “You Alone.”

You and You Alone contains PDF lead sheets and guitar sheets for each song, helping worship leaders easily incorporate the better offerings into their own worship sets.

Compared to some of the other Sovereign Grace CDs, I found You and You Alone somewhat disappointing. Rock worship music rarely does anything for me, so my comments are more about the style of the music than any supposed deficiencies in the production. The lyrical content is superb. But those who are not used to hard-hitting, rock-styled worship services will probably pass on Overflow 5.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

Lifeway Research recently confirmed with statistics what we’ve all noticed in our churches. We’re losing the 20somethings. Break down the ages of most congregations, and you’ll see a startling absence of young people between 18 and 30.

I am currently teaching a Sunday School class that seeks to reach this elusive generation. I am a 20something who is ministering to other 20somethings. And while I don’t claim to be an expert on reaching my own generation, there are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

First up. Music does not bring people to church. People bring people to church. At this year’s Southern Baptist Convention, I was distressed at how many times I heard pastors mention “updating our music” as a way to reach my hard-to-reach generation.

Sorry to burst the bubble. But changing the music is completely irrelevant.

I talked to a handful of 20somethings who dropped out of church for a few years and are now back and engaged. When I asked them about the worship style of our church (we’re a mix between blended and traditional), the answers were all different. Most of them indicated that they would rather we sing less and get to the preaching quicker. “That’s what we’re there for,” said one. Others mentioned how much they loved the organ. A couple mentioned that the “hymns” could be hard sometimes, but that they wanted to learn them anyway, as they felt they were important.

My generation is musically fragmented. Some of my classmembers like Country music. Others like P.O.D. and Disciple. Some are into soft rock. One loves anything Classical. The majority like folksy rock, but there’s no consensus. The Iraq war veteran in our class (tattooed and tough) has a soft spot for the Carpenters, Celtic chants, and the crooners of the 40′s and 50′s. iTunes and iPods. We are a generation of many styles.

The idea that a “contemporary” music service is going to reach my generation just makes me laugh. No one in my class is there for the music. They are all there for the relationships and the Bible teaching. Not that the music is unimportant… it’s just not central.

Even funnier is the mindset among the Boomer generation that if we were to start using the organ and singing hymns again that all the young people would leave. The Boomer generation is making the same mistake that their parents did, thinking that what attracted them to church is what will attract their kids. Sorry. It isn’t happening. Furthermore, musical style isn’t much of a factor anyway.

For some reason, I have a feeling that most churches don’t really want to invest in the 20something crowd. It’s almost become an expectation that people will drop out of church between 18 and 30 and then return when they have kids and are ready to start “real life.” Meanwhile, the 20somethings are drinking their lives away, buying into the American dream of materialism, and starting off marriages on shaky foundations.

It’s easy to update musical style and think that this is the “sacrifice” it takes to reach the younger crowd. It’s much harder to actually invest in the relationships and serious Bible teaching that are actually more effective in reaching the 20somethings.

Let’s keep hoping in the 20somethings and stop cursing them with low expectations or old-fashioned ideas. ”Contemporary” worship is so old anyway. Let’s bring this generation back to the church with what they might have missed during their childhood and youth group experience: the gospel!

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog

Keith and Kristyn Getty (the writers of “In Christ Alone” and other modern hymns) have released a new song called “Love of God.” You can download the audio for free here.

1. Worship: Adoration and Action – D.A. Carson
  (Wipf and Stock Publishers) 1992
 This collection of essays reminds us of the biblical underpinnings for worship, as well as giving us some practical advice for worship services. A terrific companion to Carson’s Worship by the Book.

2. Worship in Spirit and in Truth – John Frame
  (P&R Publishing) 1996
 Frame’s biblical insights into the nature of worship help us avoid the worship wars that plague North American churches. He grounds his book in the abstract principles of the Word, but also offers terrific practical advice to worship leaders and worshippers in general.

3. The Divine Hours – Phyllis Tickle
  (Doubleday) 2000
 Phyllis Tickle draws on the Book of Common Prayer and the early church fathers as she compiles this terrific source of psalms, prayers and readings for those interested in fixed hourly prayers. The written prayers here are a terrific supplement to one’s prayer life.

4. Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts – Harold Best
  (Downers Grove: Intervarsity) 1993
 Best reminds us that worship encompasses all our life and not just what we do on Sunday morning. Christians are always worshipping, even if our worship is not always directed towards God.

5. For All God’s Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church – N.T. Wright
  (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans) 1997
 A terrific book that is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the God worthy of praise and the second part shows how can we reflect God’s image in the world. Wright is unique among worship writers, because he not only calls for a renewal of worship but also a renewal of the Christian witness of today’s church.

6. Reaching Out without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for this Urgent Time – Marva Dawn
  (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans) 1995
 Dawn makes the case for traditional worship by showing the underlying problems of the contemporary worship movement. Dawn’s advice is radical in that it calls us back to verticality in worship and demands we not dumb down our theology for an increasingly impatient generation.
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I know this song has been out almost a decade, but I still love it… especially the line “Tell me how can I love Jesus when I’ve never seen his face, yet I see you dying and I turn and walk away?”

Where else can you hear Kirk Franklin, Crystal Lewis, Mary J. Blige, Bono, and R. Kelly in one place?

Caedmon’s Call is back… and while they might not be “better than ever,” they’re definitely better than they have been in a long time. Overdressed (to be released next Tuesday) returns Caedmon’s Call to their acoustic/folk roots, giving us an engaging collection of songs that hearken back to 40 Acres and their self-titled debut.

Derek Webb returns to the Caedmon’s fold for Overdressed, and not a moment too soon. I’ve never thought Caedmon’s Call was as good without Derek, and neither have I liked Derek as much without Caedmon’s. The album begins with Derek in full force on a folksy gospel-twinged song called “Trouble,” a song that sets the theme for the rest of the CD. We’re depraved. We’re sinful. We’re overdressed. But God is good.

From there, we jump back into standard Caedmon’s fare: “Need Your Love” features Cliff Young’s recognizable vocals, a catchy chorus, and the characteristic pop sound, creating a song that could fit comfortably on any Caedmon’s Call album since their debut.

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The podcast that Tony Kummer and I did with Derek Webb over at SaidatSouthern is making some waves in the blogosphere. Shortly after it was released, several people took issue with Derek’s off-the-cuff definition of “the gospel.”

“What a great question. I guess I’d probably…my instinct is to say that it’s Jesus coming, living, dying, and being resurrected and his inaugurating the already and the not yet of all things being restored to himself…and that happening by way of himself…the being made right of all things…that process both beginning and being a reality in the lives and hearts of believers and yet a day coming when it will be more fully realized. But the good news, the gospel, the speaking of the good news, I would say is the news of his kingdom coming the inaugurating of his kingdom coming…that’s my instinct.”

Granted, I would define the “gospel” somewhat differently than Derek. Sitting next to him in the interview room, I knew immediately that some people were not going to find his answer satisfactory. Not enough “penal substitution.” Not enough “wrath of God.” Not enough “grace versus good works.” In short, not Reformed enough.

After reading some of the comments on blogs about Derek’s definition, I am now concerned that Peter, Paul, and even Jesus himself might not answer the question well enough for some of these guys.

Mark tells us very clearly that the “gospel of God” that Jesus proclaimed was, in summary: “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in this good news!”

Of course, some could rightly say that Jesus’ message was and should be different, now that we are living post-resurrection. And I would agree with that assessment, except that the apostles’ gospel proclamation still remains kingdom-focused and resurrection-centered.

Let’s leave aside our own gospel formulations and go back to the text.

Peter, at Pentecost, preaches a gospel that tells of Jesus’ life, spends one verse on Jesus’ crucifixion and then takes 13 verses expounding Christ’s resurrection and subsequent exaltation as Lord of the world. Three chapters later, in Acts 5, Peter again centers on the resurrection.
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