Wow. It sure is great to be back at this place. This is a real place of spiritual renewal for me. Ever since I first came here in 2000, I've always found encouragement and a touch from God here.
We just finished our opening concert, which featured the dedication service for the 2008 Baptist Hymnal. The Jubal Choirs from Georgia and the Gettys (authors of In Christ Alone) were here for this special service, emceed by Mike Harland, the chief music guy for LifeWay. My early take on the hymnal - thumbs up. It leans much more progressively contemporary than its predecessor, but it does give a nod of respect to many of the great country hymns like "I'll Fly Away" and "What a Day That Will Be" that were overlooked in the 1991 edition. I was impressed at the variety overall, though. The only real criticism I have at this point is that some of the contemporary additions may be a little too rhythmic and hard for many of the pianists, singers, and choirs in smaller churches. I do look forward to the possibilities that will be available with the unveiling of the Lifeway worship website, which will launch in October. We are to hear more about that later in the week.
Tomorrow will be the first full day of events here. I'm going to try to make it a goal of mine to make a report on this blog each day, but no promises. But for now, my eyes are heavy, Nathan is being put to bed, and I will soon follow (I'm in the lobby, so as to not disturb or distract him). More later.
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