Writing this post makes me realize how rarely I share much of anything these days. Between family, church, and school, I find I don’t have much time for anything else in life! But that’s OK, because there is joy in serving where Christ has put you and finding satisfaction in the good gifts he gives on a daily basis. I had the opportunity to reorganize my website and update it with new music from this year. You should be able to find free hymns for congregational use more easily with this new format. You can view my updated page by clicking HERE. Let me share a few exciting things about these updates.
This year I had the opportunity to take part in the release of three new choral anthems, two of which are available as free hymns on my website. Here they are:
This song is a piece that was accepted by Fred Bock several years ago, but due to Covid is just now coming into print. It addresses a theme rarely written about in hymody or choral music, the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Christians have so many good gifts of grace given to us through the work of the Holy Spirit, the chief of which is to reveal Christ to us and draw us deeper into our relationship with him. I pray this song will open your eyes and draw you to worship the risen Christ through the work of the Spirit.
It was a joy to collaborate on this song with my friend Dan Mattix. He created the ideal arrangement for this touching piece. You can purchase the choral anthem here. This anthem was selected for Editor’s Choice by JW Pepper.
This song was recently released on The Wild’s 2024 summer album Look To Christ (you can check it out here). I have often found myself running on empty and in need of rest. The Christian’s only true source of rest is found in Jesus Christ, who alone can restore us and strengthen us to live faithfully for him in this journey of life. We often think other things in this life can refresh us, like entertainment or social engagements or favorite hobbies. But apart from Christ, all these things come up short and leave us feeling empty. Instead, what we often need most is a few quiet minutes of prayer, an encouraging time in the Word, and a good nap. I hope the message of this song encourages you to find your rest in Jesus.
A big “thank you” to Matt Taylor for the appropriately restful music and to Faye Lopez for the gentle arrangement. You can download the free hymn or purchase the choral anthem here. This anthem was selected for Editor’s Choice by JW Pepper.
I love to find new ways to challenge and expand my writing abilities. In a session on songwriting, one group of songwriters shared how they often take familiar rhyme schemes and patterns from old hymns and use them as the template for a new song. I decided to try out this method using the rhyme scheme of Amazing Grace, and the result was the text to O Lord of Love. This song could just as easily be sung to the tune of Amazing Grace.
Surprisingly, the church does not have many hymns on the theme of God’s love. Even fewer have any practical applications for how we should respond to God’s love. My desire with this text was to collect as much scriptural truth as I could about God’s love and meditate on it in one song. I also wanted to bring the point home with a prayer for God to change us through his love. I hope this song encourages you to not only delight in God’s love, but to respond to it with greater devotion.
I am grateful to Matt Taylor for the beautiful music and to Brian Büda for the moving arrangment. You can download the free hymn or purchase the choral anthem here. This anthem was selected for Editor’s Choice by JW Pepper.
Which leads to one final announcement. Keep an eye out as The Wilds is planning to drop a brand new lyric video of O Lord of Love for Thanksgiving. I am thrilled to be a part of that project. This world could always do with a few more songs about Thanksgiving. It is not a moment to rush past on the way to Christmas, but a time to seriously consider all the ways God has been so good to us. I am praying these songs bless your heart and draw you to give thanks to the only One who is worthy of our deepest love and adoration, Jesus Christ.
~CP
Worship as a Way of Life 
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