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Prayers of the People is the latest release from HymnHouse. This short EP is meant as a way to take a break from the chaos of the world, maybe on your way to work, or as you wind down from the day. I hope these songs bring you peace for today and hope for tomorrow.
Have you ever heard a child ask 153 questions in a row? Curiosity seems natural to children. They want to know how things work. They want to know why things are the way they are. They want to…
Life is change. Change takes energy. Energy is limited. I am here today to convince you that these three disappointing facts, while burdensome at times, are also intricately stitched into the nature of our creative processes. Indeed…
I was first introduced to Tolkien’s Middle Earth at the age of 36 with a 9-year-old who fell head over heels with hobbits when he found a hardcover copy of Bilbo’s tale displayed at the entrance to our small library in Ohio. As most early Tolkien readers are prone…
I've seen it twice in the theater and more than 10 times on Netflix. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent watching YouTube reaction videos. In fact, I even made a podcast with my friend, Andy Jones, to talk about the theological implications of this summer's hit movie. The soundtrack might still be…
Advent begins quietly
like the sun slipping into the sky
before we even notice
the stars have stepped away…
I’m learning to be grateful
for the small things—
the quiet moments
I used to rush through,
the ones…
I once fancied myself a summer man. My most formative times were the summers between sixth grade and before going to college, when my family had a house on Fire Island. The sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the shore aided my sleep, and the salt air wasn’t just…
HymnHouse is the latest project from singer-songwriter Blake Flattley. This collaborative musical effort seeks to continue the great tradition of hymnody, telling the story of Christ and His Church. You can expect to hear re-tuned hymns, new arrangements, and new music that fits into a liturgical life of worship.
Father Nelson Koscheski was an Episcopal priest for nearly half a century. He was the lyrical arm of the Liturgical Folk music project from 2015 until he died in 2019. This is one of the first poems he sent me, which I promptly set to music. When I asked him what inspired the poem…
The Liturgical Calendar T-shirt from CommunionArts lets you wear the rhythm of the Church year — a reminder of how time itself tells the story of Christ.
El Río de los Brazos de Dios, the river that runs through Waco, TX, was named for its “arms” (brazos) by which God nourishes the land…
A NIGHT OF HOPE is a powerful and restorative event led by Blake Flattley, Tanner Olson, and Heidi Goehmann, designed to meet people where they are—with honesty, creativity, and hope…
In this interview, we sit down with songwriter Matt Doering. We talk about how creativity changes as your family grows, rituals and routines, and his latest project, Developing.
The morning begins with a whisper of light,
a slow, steady sunrise,
spilling gold across the sky.
The Paris Olympics took place in the summer of 2024. Paris, the city of love and romance and bodily freedom, played host to some of the most fit bodies in the world competing for precious metals. We love the Olympics because they…
Author and spoken word poet Tanner Olson and singer/songwriter Blake Flattley, have created something truly unique: Evenings of Music & Poetry — intimate gatherings that go far beyond…
I was reading David Zahl’s latest, The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace for a Worn-Out World, and along the way, I started thinking about what the relief he describes would look like in a local congregation. I resonated with the idea that “The church has been the place I go when there’s no place left to go” for relief…
At CommunionArts, we’ve just concluded our meditative journey on Daily Lectio through Paul’s prayers for the church, and today we begin walking with Jesus through the Sermon on the Mount. Over the next three weeks, Daily Lectio will guide us through Matthew 5–7.
We hear a lot about the prophet Elijah in the church, very little about his successor, Elisha. I find that curious because Elisha’s impact on the narrative of God was enormous. When the prophetic mantle is first being passed, Elisha asks…
I love it when people work together to create something completely unique or hilarious, or joyful, or truly heartbreaking. And the most lifegiving thing is just having a community of people you can be with and know you’re not alone. The most affirming thing is to see someone say or do something about songwriting and think, “Oh, that’s not just me?”…
Sometimes I think my best art is my journal writing just between me and God. There is no pressure to be liked. There is no fear of being wrong. There is no insecurity about someone else’s art being better than mine. There is no worry that someone might think I’m cheesy or lame or too cynical or too cheerful. I just say what I’m thinking and feeling, and he hears…
How could it be?
That you would do this for me?
Even me?
For centuries, Christians have used the stations of the cross to meditate on Christ’s journey to His crucifixion. During this Holy Week, we invite you to meditate on the stations of the cross using the artwork of Tim Bauer.
If you’re anything like me chances are you’ve laid awake one too many nights with a mind full of anxious thoughts. Although sometimes these thoughts are about danger and harm, they are often about the regular duties of life. People care deeply about their daily duties…