Author: Brian Childers

Ever catch yourself contemplating Thanksgiving? When I think about it, memories rush right in. Thanksgiving is truly a holiday for all the senses! There are the incredible smells of turkey,…

During my junior year of college, I landed what felt like the musical lottery: my first gig in church music ministry at a cozy little country church. It was the…

I recently attended a meeting with the leadership of the community handbell ensemble I conduct. As we discussed plans for the coming year, our board president posed an interesting question:…

When the grand pomp and bombast of Easter subsides, a deafening silence and loneliness await many church musicians. When the beating drums and clanging cymbals fade, when the soaring notes…

Church music has been a constant, unmistakable presence throughout my life. My first experience of organized singing was in worship. In addition to the participatory nature of congregational singing, I…

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been,…

Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature … For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the…

Some of the most rewarding experiences in my career as a music minister have been our annual youth choir tours. These trips with middle and high school students have been…

It was Christmas Eve and I was completely alone. My solitude wasn’t by choice but by circumstance. I was completing my first year serving a church several states away from…

I was raised in a Christian home where we prayed at every meal and bedtime, attended church Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesdays. I am a student of the Bible…

I recently had an unexpected experience at a memorial service. Catherine, the mother of a local colleague, had died tragically and unexpectedly. The community handbell group I conduct was asked…

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. —Matthew 6:33 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,…

I am a child of the ’80s. Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith’s Thy Word based on Psalm 119:105 (“Thy word is a lamp for my feet, a light on…

I am a busy person. There… I’ve said it in print! I fully admit I do too much. I come to you as a partially recovered workaholic. I’m also well…

During this past season of Lent, I read through the powerful hymn O Sacred Head Now Wounded. The third verse caught my eye and heart in a new and powerful…

I grew up in a moderate Baptist church in the Bible Belt. One of the things our church did well was educate children in the word of God. In addition…

Christ is risen… Christ is risen indeed! These words will soon echo in all of Christendom on this highest of holy days. Easter Sunday is the pinnacle of joy for…

For many years, I served a small church in a wonderful bedroom community in Charlotte, North Carolina. The church was nestled in a beautiful, quaint little town and was a…

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have…

How much thought do you give to how your worship helps your congregation witness to others? Our congregations are communities of believers who strive to live their faith in everyday…

It’s Sunday morning. The worship space is set. The lights and heat are on and bulletins are printed and at the entrance doors. Candles have been lit and the paraments…