A definitive look at how church music is changing in the 21st century.There is no lack of resources for the church musician focusing on particular skills or repertoire. But this is the first collection of essays created specifically for musicians working in parish ministry that imagines how those vocations will change along with the evolving church.Ponder Anew chronicles the rapid changes in the church music landscape in the last 20 years including...

"Glory be to You alone, King who reigns from a manger throne."During the holidays, Christmas music is everywhere we go—on the radio as we drive, at the mall as we shop for Christmas presents, and even at home as we carry out our various Christmas traditions. But how often do we stop to really listen to the music playing in the background?Written by award-winning Christian songwriter Tony Wood, Manger Throne is a Christmas devotional to help you cel...

Something wonderful and life-changing has been happening at Michael W. Smith's concerts. Recently he began closing the evening with a simple prayer of blessing woven from Scripture. The response has been overwhelming. The emails and letters of testimony are like nothing he has ever experienced in his 25 years of ministry. Far from being a 'magical' formula for extracting wealth and possessions from God, he has discovered that God's blessings are measured more by the flourishing of characte...

Michael W. Smith has seen with clarity the spriritual poverty and emotional numbness of teens who are out of touch with God's love. He writes, "Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten what the real world was like. But something was starting to break inside of me. God began to renew a heart of compassion for the lost. From then on, I decided that if God was opening a door for me, I wasn't going to waste any time making up my mind about entering it."It's Time to Be Bold is ...

(Piano Solo Personality). Our piano solo folio features all 12 tunes from the first instrumental CD by this multi-million-selling CCM artist. Recorded in Ireland and released in 2000, Freedom includes the songs: The Call * Carol Ann * Cry of the Heart * Free Man * Freedom * Freedom Battle * The Giving * Hibernia * Letter to Sarah * The Offering * Prayer for Taylor * Thy Word.

Empower your students to unlock the hidden power of fictionFiction has the unique power to unlock a profound way of knowing the world, yet many learners struggle to understand and connect with literature on a deeper level. Building on the game-changing strategies from their bestselling Diving Deep Into Nonfiction, renowned educators Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and Michael W. Smith introduce a revolutionary framework that demystifies fiction for adolescent ...

In this lyrical and deeply personal memoir, Michael Charles Olson revisits the burnt beams and smoldering memories of his Pentecostal boyhood—where faith, fire, and fatherhood collide in unexpected ways. Told with humor, heartbreak, and hard-earned wisdom, Daddy Set the Church on Fire is a coming-of-age story set against the rhythm of worship music, the scent of burnt pews, and the aching complexity of a son learning to forgive a complicated father.When a late-night blaze destroys ...

It’s so hard to fall asleep on Christmas Eve! In this addition to the Nighty Night series from Grammy Award-winner Michael W. Smith and VeggieTales’ Mike Nawrocki, the familiar rhythm of the classic poem “The Night Before Christmas” helps tell an original musical story that captures the wonder of Christmas Eve while helping little ones settle in for a cozy “Silent Night” even when they have trouble going to bed.Merry Christmas, Nighty Night is a gentle, he...

"General reading strategies and teacher-developed questions will only take our students so far—with our approach, students gain astounding independence because they engage directly with the nonfiction author, and with how that author used specific details (moves) and structures to communicate meanings and effects."—Wilhelm and SmithAll nonfiction is a conversation between the writer and the reader, an invitation to agree or disagree with compelling and often provoca...

In Nighty Night and Good Night, the Nighty Nights are called upon to help their friend Ben as he falls to sleep. The cute and sleepy adventure leads the Nighty Nights to discover that a classic lullaby song does the trick to help Ben and Sleepy Puppy fall fast asleep.Founded by Michael W Smith, Nurturing StepsTM is an infant and toddler series of children’s music and books with a simple mission to enliven a child’s journey with hope and faith through music and storytelling...

This best-selling book from Michael W. Smith has sold over 150,000 copies. As relevant today as when Michasel first wrote it, Old Enough to Know gives straight, Biblical answers to the struggles of growing up: sex, drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, parental conflict, friendship, goals, responsibilities and materialism. Calling it "a book for my friends," the author assures teens that he knows they are old enough to know the difference between the phony and the genuine, and attempts t...

Critical thinking and online reading need to go hand in hand—but they often don’t. Students click, swipe, and believe because they don’t know how to do otherwise. At times, so do we. And that’s a problem. Fighting Fake News combats this challenge by helping you model how to read, myth-bust, truth-test, and respond in ways that lead to wisdom rather than reactivity.No matter what content you teach, the lessons showcased here provide engaging, collaborative reading and discu...