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Where Do Hymn Writers Find Their Songs?
Scripture, friendship, suffering and ordinary life: the sources from which hymn writers find words for the church.
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Thoughtful essays on Scripture, music, worship and the memories hymns carry.
Light Reading — Title Index
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When Scripture Finds Its Voice
There are passages of Scripture we remember because we have studied them, and others we remember because we have sung them.…
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Why the Same Hymn Meets Us Differently
A hymn does not arrive in an empty room. We hear it through the season we are living, the people we remember and the questions we bring. That is why a song we have known since…
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When a Tune Becomes a Place
Some melodies hold more than notes. They preserve a room, a voice, a journey, a Sabbath evening or a congregation at prayer. A hymn may begin in the present and, within a few …
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Why Repetition Forms More Than Memory
We sometimes speak of repetition as though it were the opposite of discovery. If we have sung a hymn a hundred times, what more could it have to offer?…
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How a Hymn Works: Words, Music and Memory
A hymn is more than a poem with a tune attached. Its words and music work together, shaping how we hear an idea, remember it, and sometimes carry it into the next season of li…
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