Best 33 quotes of Keith Getty on MyQuotes

All ages serve and worship the same God, gather under the same gospel and add to the collective song that praises the faithfulness of God as each generation shares in his promises to us.

Blue grass was the outgrowth of Irish music. As a matter of fact a lot the tunes, a lot of the melodies and the jigs... have different names but are actually the same tunes.

Congregational singing is a holy act, and as I organize my thoughts, I hear my old pastor, Alistair Begg, reminding me that in our song worship, we have to be spiritually alive (dead people don't sing), spiritually assisted (through the enabling of the Holy Spirit), and spiritually active (committed to daily walking with the Lord).

I think it's of huge importance to us as worship leaders...to ask ourselves these two questions: What were the words we put into our congregation's mouths, minds, and memories? And how well did our congregation sing? Our role is simply to be an accompaniment to them as they sing.

I think just the above things. I think I wanted to learn from both cultures. So, I think the music is a little more reflective of the... Catholic culture but the theology, obviously, is much more Reformational.

I've always loved the music... My favorite kind of music is Christmas music and the only thing I love better music is my wife and daughters. So, hanging out with my wife and daughters and cuddling them will be pretty cool.

My background is Protestant so I benefited from the great Bible teaching that was provided there... I did love the more culturally classical things, like Irish music, which I think is some of the most congregational-style music when you think of... 'St. Patrick's Breastplate' (and) 'Danny Boy.' These are traditional Irish melodies. I think being brought up there (Ireland) gave me a sense of melody that is very attuned to congregational singing.

Paul commands the Church to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly when we meet together, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. It seems clear here that style is not the important issue as much as the depth of content.

The message of some churches today seems to be, "Only sing if it appeals to your sense of style, or your demographic." Yet when we look at heaven, we see that every tribe and every nation will sing together.

There's no scientific definition. A hymn... is a song of praise to God. I think there were three real goals with our hymns that made them seem more in line with traditional classical hymn writing than with the modern worship movement and differentiate us slightly...

We must have something of substance to say in our worship [services] that reminds us why Christ's story is so unique and so utterly essential.

Worship should not be primarily about the worship leader up front, but about the worship leader serving as a conduit to allow the family of God to sing together to their Creator.

A good hymn is an organic whole where all the parts connect to one another in a thoughtful, coherent, and poetic way. When approaching a hymn lyric, we have found it helpful to imagine the hymn as a tree. We begin with the seed of an idea - what is the song about... Once that seed is planted in our imagination, we begin to grow the trunk and branches - the structure of the song. What is the thought flow, and what are the important ideas (knowing that a song can't carry everything you would ever want to say)? How will each verse develop the theme? If there is a chorus, what is the key thought that is worthy of repetition and that drives home the message of the song?

Are we communicating a deep faith through what we sing and how we sing it, or are we entertaining teenagers with something that will not hold water when they hit college or head out in to the workplace?... Biblically rich content in songs, sung by people who look like they mean what they are saying, helps teach the gospel as something that is credible and powerful rather than cultural and optional.

As you review the music afterward, ask: * Did the congregation sing well? * Was the Word proclaimed? * Was it honoring to the Lord?

being vague and gospel-lite in congregational songs is not the way to be "seeker friendly." Communicating the gospel in a way that informs the mind and engages the emotions is. The gospel is the church's central lyrical distinctive.

Consider carefully the lyrics of the song you gather together for a particular service. Ask: * Is this true of who Christ is and all He has done and is doing and will do for us, in us, and through us? * Is this filled with the freedom of the gospel? * Does it provide language for sincere praise and renewed faith and loyal obedience? * What image of Christ is it giving to the unbeliever?

Creative types know that simplicity is often this highest form of creativity... it is often the most simple thing done well and sincerely in church that will make the most significant impression. A stunning melody with clear and moving lyrics, sung with gusto and authenticity by a congregation, is a more powerful statement than a song that's difficult to play or is awkward for the congregation to sing.

Ensure that your church's song list includes hymns and songs that touch on all the major doctrines and seasons of life, just as the Psalms and historical hymnals do.

First lines are particularly important as they draw people in and help unlock the whole song. Last lines are also important, driving people toward a big vision or challenge of commitment or expression of praise. We are looking for delightful phrases, little twists on things we have heard before, both freshness and familiarity, easily understood but engaging.

God designed our psyche for singing. When singing praise to God, so much more than just the vocal box is engaged. God has created our minds to judge pitch and lyric; to think through the concepts we sing; to engage the intellect, imagination, and memory; and to remember what is set to a tune... God has formed our hearts to be moved with depth of feeling and a whole range of emotion as the melody-carried truths of who God is and whose we are sink in.

If you are singing the songs as a member of the assembly of the saints, then don't just sing, but think. What are you singing? How does it point you to Jesus as He reveals Himself in His Word? What truths are being laid on your heart, and how is your singing being used to lay them on the hearts of those around you? Which lines in the lyrics flood you with joy because they move you to consider Christ afresh...

One of the challenges in songwriting is aiming to inspire response through revelation and not tell or describe to people how to feel. Just as a joke only works if you don't have to tell a listener that it's funny, so it's much more effective to fill your verses and choruses about God than to tell people how to feel about Him.

Singing together bears compelling witness to the truth. It says to those watching on and listening in that, just as we sing the same melody together, we share the same faith, the Faith; not a self-made creed for a solo journey toward nowhere, but commitment to our one Lord of all, who transforms the life we live together and will bring us home to eternity.

Sing to God and to those around you (or, if you're on stage, in front of you).

Take liberties with style only where the congregation is confident in singing that song, so that what you are doing adds to, rather than detracts from, their ability to sing and enjoyment of it.

The biggest difference between the Psalms and much of our modern music today is not (as many think) the length of songs, or the lack of repetition, or of the lesser use of the "I" pronoun - it is the breadth and depth of the character of God and how we as His creation humbly find our place within that.

There are ultimately no neutral lyrics. All songs share a message about how we should view the world.

The words we sing should include thoughts that stir us to action and challenge us with the call of Christ in our lives.

We sing because we're created to, commanded to, and compelled to.

...what songs from your childhood do you most remember? What hymns do you know? What Bible verses and stories do you know because of songs? What hymns do you want to pass down to your children?

When... you stand to sing, consciously focus on what is going on... Ask God to help you focus; think about the words you are singing and the images they are painting; respond in prayer to lines that particularly strike you; be mindful of those around you, enjoying being part of something greater than just yourself.

Your voice may not be of professional standard, but it is of confessional standard.