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July 2018

July 16, 2018

Larry Norman, Jesus and the Devil: A Conversation With Greg Thornbury

For my inaugural post at Patheos, I am proud to present a conversation I had...

September 2017

September 22, 2017

20 Years, 20 Songs: A Rich Mullins Countdown (Part 2)

Part 1 Here. In which I continue the process of spotlighting the 20 songs...

September 20, 2017

20 Years, 20 Songs: A Rich Mullins Countdown (Part 1)

Part 2 here. For those who are interested, I have written some thoughts on...

February 2017

February 14, 2017

My Top 10 Love Songs (Valentine’s Day 2017)

Once upon a time, I gave you my top five underrated love songs (at the time)....

December 2016

December 28, 2016

Questions & Answers: Hearts and Bones and Carrie Fisher

Wikimedia Commons/public domain Many have commented that 2016 was thicker than usual in celebrity deaths....

June 2016

June 25, 2016

O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

Grant us grace always to live in such a state that we may never be...

May 2016

May 30, 2016

Questions and Answers, Veterans’ Day Edition: Fortunate Sons

Though here at journey's end I lie in darkness buried deep, beyond all towers strong...

January 2016

January 10, 2016

On Bing Crosby and the Sexual Revolution

Few voices are as inimitable or instantly recognizable as that of Bing Crosby. Warm,...

December 2015

December 24, 2015

The Bitter-Sweetness of "White Christmas"

Christmas greetings! Thank you for your patience as this blog has gone semi-dormant this...

July 2015

July 14, 2015

Questions and Answers: As We Are Known (featuring Edie Brickell and Audrey Assad)

Loneliness is woven into the fabric of the human condition. Lifelong companionship is a gift...

July 01, 2015

Southern Gospel vs. The Rest of the World: Diamond Rio and The Akins

You might know that the Akins are one of my favorite groups in southern gospel...

June 2015

June 16, 2015

Anatomy of a Song: “If These Walls Could Speak”

I can't think of very many songwriters whose material runs the gamut from rock-bottom awful...

June 03, 2015

The Enduring Power of Hymns

Much ink has been spilled over the worrying statistical reality that millennials are leaving their...

May 2015

May 12, 2015

Anatomy of a Song: “Ireland” by Garth Brooks

Last week, I remarked on the pros and cons of Garth Brooks's stance on digital...

May 07, 2015

Garth Brooks vs. Digital Music

A while back, I blogged about the fact that Youtube is setting itself up as...

March 2015

March 24, 2015

Do you want to be a great singer? Then sing the song.

One of my favorite contemporary musicians is Harry Connick, Jr. While I like some of...

March 12, 2015

Harmony Master Class: Simon & Garfunkel and Andy Williams

A harmony master class, as I will define it, is a preferably live exhibition of...

February 2015

February 14, 2015

My Top 5 Underrated Love Songs

You've danced with your spouse to Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here." You've sniffled...

February 10, 2015

Questions and Answers: For the Streetlight People

For those of you who are new to the site or can't remember the last...

January 2015

January 20, 2015

A Statler Brother's Thoughts On the Performer's Vocation

I'm preparing an article on the Statler Brothers, the most popular country music group...

December 2014

December 18, 2014

Christmas Favorites: A Very Veggie Christmas

I started this series to showcase some of my favorite Christmas albums, but it fell...

June 2014

June 16, 2014

Questions and Answers, Father’s Day Edition: “My Son, My Son”

In honor of Father's Day, here's a special entry in my too-long-neglected "Questions and Answers"...

June 03, 2014

On New Hymns and Perfect Rhymes

A while back, I ran across some new hymns by progressive southern gospel songwriting regular Lee...

April 2014

April 08, 2014

Anatomy of a Song: "Come Back to Me"

It's been a really long time since I did an entry in this series, formerly...

March 2014

March 04, 2014

Songwriting Tip: Using Colors In Your Lyrics

There are many marks of a clever songwriter. One is the quiet insertion of little...

December 2013

December 19, 2013

Of Christian Metal and Holy Hip-Hop

So, I'm a little late to this particular party, but I wanted to address a...

December 10, 2013

What is Christian Music? (The Very Short Answer)

This post really should be longer, and indeed there will likely be further installments on...

December 05, 2013

Signature Sound, The High Kings, and Musical Heritage

This little post started as a longish "Recently Added" entry about a young Irish folk...

October 2013

October 22, 2013

Southern Gospel vs. The Rest of the World: The Everly Brothers and the Booth Brothers

This series has a dual purpose---to prove that southern gospel can stand on its own...

June 2013

June 17, 2013

My Top Five… Daddy-Daughter Songs

In a break from Monday Morning Humor (it shall return!) I'm offering up another top...