Talk about a big news day! The MTQ released a brief statement earlier today saying that Eric Phillips will be returning to police work starting February 10th. Trammell says that Phillips is one of the best tenors in the business right now and will be sorely missed. No further details were offered, but the parting appears amicable. It is quite possible that Phillips simply felt he couldn’t handle the demands of road life with two small children at home. Phillips’... Read more
I just now read that Tracy Stuffle has had a stroke. Libbi says that his right side is paralyzed and his speech is severely slurred. He had the stroke while driving, but thankfully was able to call for help. The latest update from Libbi was posted to Facebook at 9 AM and says that the latest CT scan has shown increased bleeding on the brain. They have been able to control his blood pressure with medication, but they may need... Read more
On this, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I thought it fitting to share this jaw-droppingly powerful speech from John Piper, delivered shortly after Barack Obama’s first inauguration. His words are still ringing four years later: Read more
My first experiment with Tubechop. Enjoy! [gigya src=”http://swf.tubechop.com/tubechop.swf” flashvars=”vurl=p4XJr_nQc8E&start=0&end=50.97&cid=786450″ allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″ ] Read more
Each new year, I’m planning to take some kind of poll regarding who’s reading and (hopefully) enjoying this blog. Last year I actually did a couple polls like this and got helpful results. However, I’ve gained some readers since then. At the end of last year I wrote what I consider to be my best piece, the story of Steve McQueen’s conversion to Christianity. This ended up being by far my most popular post thanks to some very kind referrals.... Read more
I hope you feel good on this particular morning. But even if you don’t, perhaps you would agree that it is still a morning to be good on. And that Gandalf is awesome: Read more
[Note: Things moved so quickly on this topic that I wrote the first draft of this piece under the title “Should Louie Giglio Be Praying at Obama’s Inauguration?” Literally hours later, he had withdrawn. This piece will now be a discussion of how the withdrawal was handled on both sides and whether he should ever have accepted the invitation in the first place.] I like Louie Giglio, so I took notice when I first heard he was going to be... Read more
Almost three years ago, southern gospel fans were introduced to a young tenor named Riley Harrison Clark, who took Brian Alvey’s place in Tribute Quartet. A few things have changed since then. (For one thing, Brian married Lauren Talley and joined the Talleys!) But something else has changed—Riley’s voice. As a teenager, he already showed great promise. But he’s only gotten better since then. His technique has been polished. His range has expanded. At this time, I would say he... Read more
In case you hadn’t already guessed, music is a very important part of my life. I have a running soundtrack for whatever activity I’m doing at the moment. There are the relaxing songs, the walking songs, the driving songs, the night driving songs, etc., etc., etc. So naturally, there were the “first day of school” songs yesterday (plus some “night driving doubling as super early morning” songs). Titles included immortal classics such as the Beatles’ “Obla Di, Obla Da (Life... Read more
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What Makes a Great Hymn Tune?
Just like the title says. I love to think about what makes a great tune tick. When it comes to hymns, it’s especially cool. Here is how I would describe a great hymn tune: A great hymn tune is one that sounds beautiful and interesting even when it’s presented simply and sung by a congregation of mostly average singers. Now it’s your turn. What makes a great hymn tune? Read more