Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God alone
God’s people have always sung and both the Old Testament and the New are replete with examples. Singing, as an integral part of worship, is a sacred thing so it’s very important that we offer a sacrifice of praise that’s worthy of our extraordinary and incomparable God.
It’s also important that we praise God as He wants to be praised. It’s not a matter of personal preference and it’s certainly not any kind of performance or entertainment. Our song, as God’s people, is for Him and His glory alone.
About corporate worship…
As one of the elements of corporate worship, congregational singing is the response of a grateful, redeemed assembly of God’s people raising hearts and voices as one in praise and adoration. The term implies an activity that’s both active and fully inclusive but, somewhere along the way, it appears that many congregations have become passive consumers of performance-based music rather than active, enthusiastic participants in a true sacrifice of praise. One of the primary aims of this project is to encourage congregations to take an active part in praising God in song.
About private and family worship…
It’s a particular privilege to sing praise as part of our private and personal worship. The hymns we sing should praise God for who He is and should also underline and reinforce our theology. For this reason, we need to choose our hymns carefully.
In family worship too, singing is a special honour that reinforces family ties. My first lisping prayers were based on hymns. Prayers before bedtime were based on the children’s hymn ‘God make my life, a little light’ and grace before meals was based on ‘All good gifts around us…’ (the chorus of the hymn ‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter’). We also occasionally sang the Doxology as a form of recognising God’s bounty in all things.
To this day, the hymns I learned at home provide comfort, education and support. They also represent loving, lasting ties that bind our family together, past and present and, hopefully, way into the future.
About this project…
My purpose is:
• To encourage integration of the Psalms into private and corporate worship.
• To encourage singing as part of private and family worship.
• To offer practical advice and musical resources for congregational singing.
• To explore musical strategies in support of congregational singing.
About me…
I was born in Scotland into a musical family. Both my parents were talented musicians; my Mum sang and played piano and my Dad played piano and accordion. He also sang in the Male Voice choir at Church. My Aunt was a music teacher and I began piano lessons as a child, a pursuit that continued well into adulthood. I also learned to play guitar and flute.
I grew up in a Church with a strong tradition of quality music and congregational singing and I sang there as a soloist, in the choir and as part of a youth group. Over the years, I’ve served in various music ministry roles including Church pianist and Choir Leader.
I’m a committed Christian and I’m proud to own Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I currently live in Scotland with my husband and our much-loved rescue dog who sometimes likes to sing along whenever I play at home!
My passions are classical music, computer science, photography and travel.