Daniel J. Mount
Daniel J. Mount
Last week, Bradley Somers posted a column encouraging old saints to write new songs. Somers, pastor of PAXnorth church in Halifax, Nova Scotia, observed that Moses, David, and Paul all wrote songs in their old age that we still sing today. He concludes: When captured by God’s faithfulness and his grace over a long journey,…
‘Tis the season. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head The stars in the Heavens looked down where He lay The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes I…
Great hymns matter. This is true in several senses of the word. But great hymn lyrics demonstrate that they matter by defining stakes. Any good book on how to write a novel, or engaging nonfiction, will tell you that conflict is key. Every scene needs to resolve a conflict. In real life, plenty of conversations involve…
When should you ask your church to stop singing a song? Imagine three scenarios: The song is cheesy Okay, perhaps “Shout to the Lord” is dated now. Maybe you think it’s cheesy; maybe it is. But here’s the key question: Does everyone in your church think the song is cheesy? If so, retire it. But…
This book contains little about Donald Trump’s personal faith and worldview. The author, Stephen Strang, believes there’s not much to say on the topic: “My aim in taking on this project has not been to write Donald Trump’s spiritual biography—that would have been a very short book” (page 169). Whether or not intentional, this remark parallels…
Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby tells the story of the Green Family, their company (Hobby Lobby), and their Museum of the Bible. The authors set themselves an admirable goal: Though their perspectives are quite different than the Green family, they aimed to write a balanced narrative with empathy for positions other than…
When I’m talking to someone who wants to get into web design, the conversation often begins with the coding languages needed. Recently, a co-worker told me that her husband wanted to get into web design. We weren’t long into the conversation before I realized that he probably already knew the foundational languages (HTML, CSS, PHP,…
Back in the olden days when Apple made products people waited in line to buy, they worked backwards. They made their design teams start a project by writing the press release. First they would find a way to explain why the new features mattered to the end user. Then they would find a way to…
Some biographies have the energy and immediacy of a radio broadcaster’s play-by-play. America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation has the measured, thoughtful analysis of an end-of-year magazine analysis. Dialogue and narrative tension never speed the place up. But Wacker also never gets so bogged down in details that the pace slows to…
What resources can you use to learn more about hymns and hymnwriters? Hymn Stories Books of hymn stories are typically targeted to a popular (non-academic) audience. Then Sings My Soul Vol. 1, Robert Morgan: Morgan’s books are the bestsellers for a reason; they’re not too detailed for a general audience, and they’re well-written and engaging….