What is better for worship: Traditional worship songs or Contemporary Christian music?

I have been seeing a lot of discourse online arguing that worship music is better for Christians than Contemporary Christian music. There has been a war, of sorts, between churches about who does the right way to worship. Some focus on traditional hymns and others gear toward the more contemporary feel of the worship songs. Some churches are solemn while others are loud and boisterous. I enjoy listening to contemporary music more than traditional worship music. I have found that some songs are testimonies, some are a prayer; however, they all can lead to worship. So I started thinking, is there really a difference? From what I found is that the Bible does not specify the “how” of worship but the “why”. What is worship? How should Christians worship? What is more important is the type of music or the lyrics? 

Worship is described as the act of showing profound love, adoration and reverence. Biblically worship occurs when we focus our hearts and minds completely on God. It glorifies and exalts God. To show loyalty and admiration to our Father, through everything we do. “Worship is the response of all of man to all of God” (Winger, 2017). Our goal should be Psalm 103:1 which says “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” Inner, authentic God-ward worship with heart is the essence of worship. John 4:23 says, “true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.” True worshippers treasure God above all things and grasp God’s supreme value based on the right understanding of God’s nature (Piper, 2016). There are two acts of worship. First, acts of the mouth, These are praises and repentance in worship as well as singing. Worship also goes beyond singing and music. Second, It can be daily acts of love which Paul calls “spiritual worship” in Romans 12:1 (Piper, 2016). These acts of love with the body, hands and facts services for the good of others (Hebrews 13:15-16). 

It is important to remember to love God more than you love the music genre. When it comes to the type of music, if one certain style of worship helps someone focus on God, then it’s ok. If the music and lyrics stir your heart, in worship and praise, then it sounds wonderful to God. By contrast, if a type of music distracts someone from full worship, then don’t use that music. And you cannot condemn the type of music as wrong simply because you do not like the type of music. I know some who love old hymns and that’s how they sing their worship and that’s great. However, I enjoy different music and there is nothing wrong with that. There are contemporary songs which will move me to tears every time I hear it and I remember all that God has done for me, for who He is and I can’t help but to praise him. It matters more to God that our hearts, minds and spirits are engaged in worship than the methods in which we do so. In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus says “these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me.” 

Many people believe that the different music serves different purposes. Contemporary music is for casual personal time and worship music is God honoring, theology based. However, for me, the question is to determine if the music truly brings glory to God? As a lover of widespread music genres, I enjoy many sounds of music and the enjoyment of the music helps me pay attention to the lyrics. If I cannot enjoy the music, then I am not going to listen to the lyrics either. And even casual listening music should be biblically based. Since the type of music does not matter, there is something that does and is the biblical accuracy of the lyrics. I have gone through the Bible looking for the accuracy of the lyrics. For instance, there is a song called He Is by Aaron Jeoffrey in which the lyrics discuss who God is in every book of the Bible. I read the books looking for the verses which the lyrics reference. If worship cannot stand on the lyrics alone, then the music genre doesn’t matter, and it is not worthwhile singing. The instrumental conveys feelings while the lyrics communicate the message (Winger, 2017). 

In conclusion, Psalm 100:1-2 says “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” Even if it is noise to others, if the heart is in the right place, it is pleasing to God. During my research, I found an anonymous quote which I think describes worship wonderfully. ““The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ.” Worship is not about the music. It is about God, it is about our heart giving genuine praise and glory to Him. 

References

Piper, John (April 29, 2016). What is Worship? Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-worship. Retrieved June 5, 2016. 

Winger, Mike (November 6, 2017) Worship in the Bible and Lessons in Theology Romans 11:33-36. https://youtu.be/mzyAOaFpnuQ?si=ozQV6U7SEOmUgldx. Retrieved June 14, 2026. 

Coral Cottage: when one woman's life implodes, she heads to the one place that brings her peace

Coral Cottage is the first book in the Coral Cottage at Summer Beach series by Jan Moran. Marina Moore’s life implodes on national television. She heads to the family beach house to heal and figure out her next move. Never married after the death of her husband, Marina raised her children and worked as a news anchor, the Coral Cottage on the shores of Summer Beach has been a refuge for Marina and her sisters. Marina’s plans for a short, reclusive vacation turns into a course change in her life especially when she finds a disheveled dog and meets its owner. Jack Ventana is a visitor at the Seabreeze Inn for a sabbatical. As he prepares to leave, his beloved Labrador retriever goes missing, he cannot leave without her. His connection to the Coral Cottage is a revelation neither of them are prepared for. 

I have read the first book in the Seabreeze Inn series and enjoyed it. When the Coral Cottage at Summer Beach series was announced as a spin off, I was excited. Finally this book came up on my To Be Read list and I looked forward to it. Right from the start, my heart broke for Marina as her world fell apart for the world to see. However, my sympathy for Marina fell as she spends the majority of the book being rude and snarky. I was suspicious of Jack when he was first introduced and his romance with Marina seemed off. I liked the small beach community feel. I loved to see characters from the Seabreeze Inn series make an appearance. Overall, the story was ok and I, most likely, will not be continuing the series. I do not recommend Coral Cottage. 

Coral Cottage is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Campus Player: a college sports romance

Campus Player is the first book in the Campus series by Jennifer Sucevic. Rowan Michaels is the gorgeous, talented quarterback at Western University. He has a reputation as a player on and off the field. His off field conquests were legendary and whispered across campus. Demi Richards has known Rowan since her father, the head coach of the football team, took him under his wing. Rowan eventually became the brother she never wanted or asked for; especially since she is fighting her own attraction. Demi focuses on school and her own soccer team. This semester put them even closer together as he needs tutoring and she can’t say no. Soon, it seems the one guy she has been trying to stay away from is the one she can’t get away from. As they spend time together, Demi begins to see that Rowan is the person she thought he was and he is carrying a secret that could change everything between them. 

I have read a lot of college campus sports romances and, for the most part I have enjoyed them while some have been misses. So, my expectations weren’t high for this story. At the beginning, I liked Demi as a college soccer player who vowed to stay away from the members of her father’s football team and focus on her own studies and future plans. However, as the story went on, I liked her less and less and liked Rowan more and more. I especially gave up when he finally tells her his secret and her mind goes in the opposite direction instead of what he was plainly trying to say. Then after that as they talked about their pasts, I liked them both even less. Overall, it was an okay story but I was bored. It was way too long and drawn out. I will not be continuing the series. I do not recommend Campus Player. 

Campus Player is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Whisper Creek: one family's fight against nature and the evil plans of man

Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan is a thriller about one family’s fight for their land against enemies and a massive storm. After the sudden death of her husband, Ellen McKenna is determined to keep their family farm a success. With hopes to expand, they are facing tough times and more expensive than she ever imagined. Many of their neighbors are packing it in and selling land to a local businessman. However, Ellen refuses to break to the same pressure. To add to their troubles, a series of recent storms have ravaged the region with another massive heavy rain still on its way. With all hands on deck to prepare for the storm, the discovery of an injured dog and a man barely clinging to life, a victim of a home invasion. When Ellen’s younger kids check on a neighbor and unknowingly walk into a threat. With no way to call for help, Ellen and her family do all they can to fight back and survive. 

I was intrigued by the description of the story and I was expecting a “twisty, tense” combined with “family drama” with the “unforgiving power of nature.” The story did start off great with mood and tension building; however, the story faltered from there. It took way too long for any real action and it was obvious who was behind the threats and break ins. Overall, I did not find it thrilling, twisty or tense. There were times when I screamed at the character to do something instead of what they did. One instance is when Ellen, who checks on a pregnant neighbor, decides to take the neighbor back to her house to keep an eye on her and yet decides to stop at another neighbor's house “real quick” while worried about the roads flooding. It just didn’t make sense! If you are a fan of Allison Brennan, you may enjoy Whisper Creek. However, I did not enjoy this book and I do not recommend Whisper Creek. 

Whisper Creek is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

The Worst Best Man: an enemies-to-lovers romance

The Worst Best Man by Lucy Score is an enemies-to-lovers romance. They met at a wedding. Franchesca “Frankie” Baranski is best friends with Pru, the bride, who is a doll and her maid of honor. Aiden Kilbourn is best friends with the groom, Chip, who is a perfect gentleman and the best man. The rest of the wedding party are nightmares, rich, vapid, rich and very immature. However, the one who cannot stand the most is Aiden with a big attitude. Frankie takes her maid of honor duties seriously. With every crisis, she jumps into action. Busy ruling the business world where there hasn’t been a challenge he cannot win, Aiden Kilbourn doesn’t do long term relationships as he can’t stand a woman for more than a couple of months at most. However, he meets Frankie and he soon realizes that he may have met his match with this smart-mouthed girl from Brooklyn. 

I am a new fan of Lucy Score as her books are filled with fun banter, steamy romance with plenty of drama scheming. While I have read her book series, I haven’t read any of her standalones. The Worst Best Man is everything I expect from her books. I loved Frankie’s spunk and determination. Aiden is a kindhearted man hiding behind a cold facade and it takes his relationship with Frankie for it to break through. I enjoyed seeing their growth as a couple as well as individuals. Yes, there is a third act break up; however, the grand gesture is great. I also enjoyed the supporting characters which enhanced the banter. I especially loved the sibling interaction between Frankie and her brothers which was fun and so relatable. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I look forward to more of her standalone books. If you enjoy fun banter, steamy romance, I highly recommend The Worst Best Man. 

The Worst Best Man is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Good Lie: a killer has been caught or has he?

The Good Lie by A.R. Torre is a crime mystery thriller as a killer has been caught or has he? Six teens have been abducted and found murdered. The last victim manages to escape and return home where he names his abductor. Defense attorney Robert Kavin is still traumatized after his teenage son was one of the six victims. However, when he sees that a victim has escaped and names a local school teacher Randall Thompson as his captor, he is convinced of Thompson’s innocence and takes his representation. While the evidence against Thompson is damning but Robert is still convinced they have the wrong man. He hires psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore, to create a psych profile of the killer. Gwen is an expert on killers. She spent a decade treating some of the most depraved predators and learning their motives. As Robert and Gwen work together, growing closer, the investigation raises more questions than answers. 

A.R. Torre is known for crime mystery thrillers and I was expecting a story of twists and turns and continued guesses until the final reveal. As a student of psychology, I enjoy the deep dive into why criminals, especially killers, follow the patterns that they do. The story started out interesting as I knew the named suspect was not the killer. However, as I read I felt the story slowing down and that the story dragged too much especially with Gwen and Robert’s relationship. It was more their relationship than the investigation and trial. I started to skim in order to just find out who the killer was and felt a little disappointed at the reveal. Some of the reveals were definitely surprising but underwhelming. Overall, the story wasn’t bad but I wasn’t wowed by the story or the characters. If you are a fan of crime mystery thrillers, you may enjoy The Good Lie. 

The Good Lie is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Casandra's Dragon: an Empire of Ash and Song novella

Casandra’s Dragon is a novella related to the Empire of Ash and Song trilogy by D.E. Carlson. As the daughter of the Dragon Judge, Casandra holds a confidence that there is nothing she cannot do. No cliff she cannot climb, no fight she cannot win. So when her best friend is banished for failing the Dragon Judge’s test, there is no question in her mind what she must do. If no one will challenge the Firebloods and get rid of the Fire Emperor, Casandra will do it herself. Armed with her father’s swords and her dragon by her side, there is nothing her clever mind cannot do. She sets out on a mission that could help bring her friend back or she will die trying. 

I received this novella as a free gift when I signed up for Ms. Carlson’s newsletter. After I finished the final book in the trilogy, I immediately jumped into this novella. It is a great, quick and engaging read as readers discover the series of events which brings her to the Fire Palace where we first meet her in To Bind Fire and the reasons behind her mission. I loved Casandra’s character in the trilogy. It was also great to see more of the Dragonbloods before their introduction in To Bind the Court and their lives hidden from the rest of the world. If you have enjoyed the Empire of Ash and Song trilogy, you will enjoy this novella. I highly recommend Casandra’s Dragon. 

Casandra’s Dragon is available in paperback on the author’s website: 

https://d-e-carlson-fantasy-author.myshopify.com/products/to-bind-fire-empire-of-ash-and-song-book-1-copy?variant=47271184236675 

and in eBook when signing up for the author’s newsletter