Song Ideas/Blog

"Oh God" by Chantel Varnado

Chantel Varnado is a singer and worship leader from the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago's South Side. I had the privilege of meeting...

Two Tune Settings for St. Patrick's Breastplate

I was researching Irish hymns for St. Patrick's Day when I came across a hymn text based on his famous breastplate prayer. Supposedly,...

"Heal Us" by Grace Funderburgh

When I was transcribing Proskuneo's first album, I worked a lot over email with Grace Funderburgh (the first thought upon meeting her was...

"Good Oh" by Sherwin Gardner (Reggae)

Sherwin Gardner is a Trinidadian gospel reggae singer who has been cranking out albums since 1998. My favorite from his most recent...

"Save a Seat for Me" by B.B. King

B.B. King is easily the most recognized and memorable name in Blues. But his earliest and undeniable musical influence was gospel music...

"Deconstruction" by Lecrae

"Deconstruction" has been a hot topic in American Christianity for the past few years. Lecrae shows tearful vulnerability when writing...

Two Grammy-Winning Songs from Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music

I always knew that Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music would be an amazing team. Franklin is my favorite Gospel songwriter and has...

"Holy, Holy Adonai" by Mireille Basirwa of Songs2Serve (English, French, Kirundi and Dutch)

Songs2Serve, a think-tank of intercultural music ministry in the Netherlands, brought forth a new song last month. Very simple and...

"May the Love of the Lord" by Dr. Swee Hong Lim and Maria Ling

Last week, I came across Gloria Fanchiang's second blog article about how to celebrate the Lunar New Year in a worship service. I'll...

"MLK" by U2

The reference to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his tragic assassination is obvious in U2's more popular song "Pride (In the Name...

"The Rebel Jesus" by Jackson Browne (featuring The Chieftains)

I recently borrowed an album from my parents by the Chieftains (a traditional Irish folk band), and the title of this song (featuring...

Third New Set of Lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne"

I've previously written about two alternate sets of lyrics to the old tune "Auld Lang Syne" that would work well for Sunday morning...

Top Ten Song Ideas of 2022

What were the most-read song ideas on DiverseChurchMusic.com during the year 2022? Let's count down. 10. "Mary, Did You Know?" with...

"Mary, Did You Know?" with Updated Lyrics by Jennifer Henry (performed by Gloria Fanchiang)

Gloria Fanchiang is a "Taiwanese-American singer/songwriter and worship leader with a passion to decolonize worship and help Asian...

"Emruz Masih" by Haik Hovsepian (Farsi, Dutch and English)

I was skimming through Songs2Serve's repertoire and found a song by a late bishop in Iran named Haik Hovsepian. It's a pretty song...