Good day!

Welcome to this special instalment of Euphor!a: "The Roots Edition"!

Throughout the entirety of this year, I'm sure we've all encountered many different challenges and obstacles. Many of us have moved into new life stages and have had to adapt to unfamiliar paces of life. We might have walked through a spiritual desert or been in a thunderstorm. But in spite of all this, – or even because of it – let's go back to the centre of it all: the roots of our worship.

About the righteous man, the psalmist says "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither." (Psa 1:3) The tree bears good fruit only because it is rooted in a place where living water flows freely. Its roots dig deep and draw from the streams that feed its entire circulatory system.

At the end of every year is a season of resetting and renewal. And although we aren't blessed with snow and cold weather, it is a good time for us to start afresh. To fall in love with God all over again. To ask for His Spirit to burn like a first flame. As we look back on 2015 with fondness and bittersweet nostalgia, we should also come back to what grounds us as Christians and as worshippers.

I hope that you've all had a good year and wonderful memories, but even more than that, I pray that we've been good stewards of our gifts, obedient sheep to our Shepherd, and true worshippers in spirit and in truth. As we revisit the roots of our worship, may it spur us towards the greater things that are yet to come.

– alvin(:

On the Relevance of Hymns in Contemporary Worship
- a guest article by Sis Gabrielle Ong

When we think of hymns, we often think of long, boring, stanza-after-stanza type singing that easily creates a peaceful nap-worthy atmosphere… Like all genres of music, not every genre will suit one’s tastes. Growing up in a methodist school, I learned early on the beauty of hymns and how they are not all droning and long. Though I don't always listen to hymns, it’s definitely a beautiful breed of music that I like to listen to occasionally.

To whet your appetite for the beauty of hymn-singing. I recommend the following 4 songs that I hope will build your faith and open your eyes to the wholesomeness of hymns.

1. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada, the tune was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868.

Here’s a modern take by Paul Baloche.

2. Trust and Obey
Written by John H. Sammis in 1887, this hymn is based on passages from Scripture (Psa 84:11-12 and Isa 50:10).

Here it is as covered by Chelsea Moon and the Franz Brothers, and also by Big Daddy Weave.

I would also like to introduce to you the amazing Keith and Kristyn Getty, writers of the amazing hymn, "In Christ Alone"! Written in 2007, the song still rings strong as an anthem of the Christian faith. Yet, it is their modern hymns that continue to amaze me. Here are two of my favourite KKG hymns!

Hymn-singing has helped me memorise scripture and biblical truths throughout my growing up years. Though many “modern” songs have lost popularity of time, there are a good number of hymns that have managed to remain steadfastly popular. It is my prayer that you will discover more of God and deepen your relationship with Him through exposure to hymns. Expanding your repertoire as musicians is also particularly useful as you hone your craft in musical excellence(:

To find out more about hymns, I recommend this useful link!

I leave with you one of my favourite versions of the beautiful old hymn “In Christ Alone”, as covered by Owl City.

David Santistevan - Worship Culture Idols

Loren Wright - Worshipping Worship

As musicians it isn't difficult for us to be caught up in everything about worship other than worship itself. We try to jazz up the music, up our production value, and get into the "zone" or the "feeling" that we think means we're "really in the presence of God". We become blindsided because our attention is tuned to the actions rather than the attitude, the sound rather than the sacrifice, and the grandeur rather than the glorious God. I think it's a good time to get back to the heart of worship – where it's really just about God – before we start the next year afresh. These articles talk about some idols we might unwittingly place before God when we worship, and maybe they will be illuminating and helpful in transforming our worship into what it should be.

How He Loves – A Song Story

I'm sure that we are all familiar with "How He Loves" – a poignant and poetic song about the intensity and magnitude of God's love for us. But what you might not be familiar with is how this song came to be. In this video, John Mark McMillan talks about the circumstances in which he came to write about God's love, and perhaps it is surprising that such beautiful music can arise out of a time of hurt and pain. But perhaps, also, it might inspire us to turn to God in our moments of weakness, and we might then give rise to something beautiful. (Click on the image to view.)

It's been a good run with all of you, and I'm already looking forward to the things God has in store for next year. But for now, for the last time this year,

Over and out!