Monday Memories gives me a chance to look back at the music and moments that have been part of my journey. Today’s Monday Memories is especially meaningful as I revisit the song I played for my very first public performance—a song that takes me all the way back to where my musical journey began.
I started playing piano as a young child. By the age of 4, my parents had me taking piano lessons, and my very first “public performance” came when I was just 4½ years old. I was in Children’s Church when I walked over to the piano and started playing “This Little Light of Mine.” It wasn’t fancy, but it was well received, and I knew from that moment that I was on to something special.
(AI-created recapture of the moment)
This song—and its glorious meaning—has stayed with me throughout the years. It has always been a part of me, and I have always tried to do anything and everything I could to let my light shine. It was with me through high school and college, as I played piano and keyboards and performed music in church and Christian settings whenever I could. It was with me as I served in church staff positions as Worship Leader, Music Minister, and Music/Youth Pastor. It was even with me during my “heathen years,” when I was engineering Top 40 cover bands and programming and sequencing music for party and dance bands. And it remains with me today. So, for this Monday Memories, I want to take a look back at some of the more notable performances of this timeless song: “This Little Light of Mine.”
Caleb & Kelsey – “This Little Light of Mine”
Caleb & Kelsey bring a beautiful and deeply personal feel to “This Little Light of Mine.” Sitting together in an intimate setting, they strip the song down to its heart, allowing their voices and the simple message to take center stage. There’s something especially powerful about hearing this familiar childhood song performed with such sincerity and warmth. Their performance is a wonderful reminder that the message of letting our light shine never really grows old—it simply takes on new meaning as we grow older.
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One Night in Dublin
The next performance takes “This Little Light of Mine” in a completely different direction. This is Bruce Springsteen and the Sessions Band performing the song live at The Pointe Theater in Dublin, Ireland. Bruce is certainly not who most people would expect to find performing a song that has its roots so deeply embedded in Christian faith, but that is precisely part of what makes this performance so fascinating to me. I have spent much of my life around music in all kinds of settings, and I don’t believe a song’s significance is diminished simply because it crosses musical or cultural boundaries. In fact, sometimes hearing a familiar song in an unexpected setting can make its message stand out even more clearly.
And make no mistake—this is the most electrifying performance of “This Little Light of Mine” that I have ever seen. The energy is absolutely incredible, and the audience is swept up in it from beginning to end. But beyond the music itself, I take great joy in something else: if only for a brief moment on a Sunday night at The Pointe Theater in Dublin, Ireland, the full attention of that room was turned toward a song that exists purely to honor God. Whatever else was happening that night, whatever brought those people through the doors, for those few minutes they were singing along with a song whose simple message has been shining for generations. And I find something genuinely beautiful about that.
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AI-Created 90s Rock Ballad
And now, just for fun, I wanted to imagine what “This Little Light of Mine” might have sounded like as a ’90s rock ballad. This AI-created version takes the familiar song and gives it a completely different musical identity, with soaring guitars, big drums, and the kind of emotional intensity that defined many of the great rock ballads of that era. It may be a long way from the little boy sitting at a piano in Children’s Church, but the message remains exactly the same: this little light is still meant to shine.
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What about a TikTok Dance?
What if you made a TikTok dance out of “This Little Light of Mine”? Well, folks, this is about as close as you can get! Steve Fee took the basic idea of the classic song and turned it into a brand-new song called “This Little Light,” complete with an energetic, contemporary sound and choreography that feels tailor-made for the TikTok generation. It may not be the traditional version I grew up with, but the spirit of the original is unmistakable – and watching this, I can’t help but think that my four-year-old self would have loved it!
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Thanks for taking this walk down memory lane with me and spending a little time with one of the most important songs of my life. From a four-year-old boy sitting down at a piano in Children’s Church to the many places, people, performances, and seasons of life that followed, “This Little Light of Mine” has been there through it all. After all these years, its message remains as simple—and as powerful—as ever: let your light shine!
Each week, FishWorship highlights a beloved hymn that continues to inspire and encourage believers today.
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This week’s Hymn of the Week is the beloved Christian classic “Because He Lives,” performed by Caleb & Kelsey. Caleb Grimm is perhaps best known as a member of the contemporary Christian vocal group Anthem Lights, but he and his wife, Kelsey, have also become well known as Caleb & Kelsey for their arrangements of hymns, worship songs, and other Christian favorites. Their 2019 recording of “Because He Lives” gives this familiar hymn a fresh, intimate treatment, with the couple singing together from a church pew. The official video was released by Anthem Lights on April 18, 2019.
The performance is particularly fitting because Caleb & Kelsey have made a specialty of bringing older Christian songs to a new generation through their own arrangements. Rather than treating “Because He Lives” simply as a traditional congregational hymn, they approach it as a husband-and-wife duet, allowing their two voices to complement one another while keeping the central message of the hymn intact. Their version was also released as an official Caleb & Kelsey arrangement, with the recording listed as a 2019 arrangement of the song originally composed by William J. Gaither and Gloria Gaither.
“Because He Lives” itself dates back to 1971, when Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote the song during a particularly uncertain period in their lives. They were preparing for the birth of their son Benjamin while facing the troubling social climate of the early 1970s. The song grew out of their realization that, despite everything happening around them, their faith in the risen Christ gave them confidence to face the future. The song was released by the Bill Gaither Trio in October 1971 and quickly became one of the Gaithers’ best-known compositions.
The song soon moved beyond the Gaithers’ recordings and into congregational worship. Its first appearance as a congregational hymn was in the 1975 edition of the Baptist Hymnal, where it was hymn #448, under the title “Because He Lives” and with the tune identified as RESURRECTION, composed by Bill Gaither. And its reach has gone far beyond that first hymnal appearance: Hymnary.org currently lists “Because He Lives” in 82 hymnals. That is quite a remarkable journey for a song that was written only in 1971.
More than five decades after it was written, “Because He Lives” continues to express one of the most fundamental assurances of the Christian faith: because Jesus Christ conquered death, Christians can face the future without fear. That enduring message is what makes this hymn such a natural choice for FishWorship—and Caleb & Kelsey’s heartfelt rendition gives us another opportunity to hear a familiar hymn with fresh ears.
Katy Nichole has quickly become one of the most compelling young voices in contemporary Christian music, connecting with listeners through songs that are honest, vulnerable, and deeply rooted in faith. Her music often meets people in the middle of real-life struggles—offering encouragement, hope, and a reminder that God is present even when life doesn’t look the way we expected. Rather than simply singing about faith from a distance, Katy brings a personal sense of honesty to her music that makes her songs feel like conversations with someone who understands what it means to hold on to God through difficult seasons.
Katy first captured widespread attention with “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” a powerful song of prayer and trust that resonated with listeners far beyond the Christian music audience. Its message of bringing our needs, fears, and impossible circumstances before God helped establish Katy as an artist with a distinctive ability to turn personal faith into music that speaks directly to the listener. Her subsequent songs have continued to explore themes of healing, surrender, identity, hope, and the transformative work of Jesus.
What makes Katy Nichole particularly meaningful is the authenticity that runs through her music. Songs such as “When I Fall,” “Have Your Way,” “I Found Jesus,” and “Healing Now” reveal an artist who isn’t afraid to acknowledge weakness while pointing toward the strength found in Christ. Her music reminds us that faith doesn’t require pretending that everything is easy. Sometimes worship begins with admitting that we need God—and trusting Him to meet us exactly where we are.
As FishWorship’s Artist of the Week, Katy Nichole represents the kind of Christian music we love to celebrate: music that encourages, tells the truth about life’s challenges, and ultimately points us back to Jesus. Whether you’re already familiar with her music or are discovering her for the first time, Katy’s growing catalog offers plenty of opportunities to find a song that speaks to your own journey of faith.
There are some artists whose passing feels like the loss of a musician. And then there are those whose passing feels like the loss of someone who had simply always been there.
For generations of Americans, Dolly Parton was one of those people.
On August 25, 2026, Dolly Parton died in Nashville at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. The news was met with an extraordinary outpouring of grief from across the world. Country music mourned. Hollywood mourned. Nashville mourned. And people who had never considered themselves country music fans found themselves grieving, too. Dolly had somehow become much more than a singer. She was part of the American story.
For those of us who live in Tennessee, there is something particularly difficult about imagining the state without Dolly in it.
She came from the mountains of East Tennessee, one of twelve children raised in a family with very little money but a great deal of music. She learned early that a song could tell a story, carry a memory, express a prayer, or simply help somebody make it through another day. Eventually, the little girl who grew up in a house without electricity would become one of the most successful and recognizable entertainers the world has ever known.
But the numbers don’t really explain Dolly Parton.
The awards don’t explain her.
The wigs, the rhinestones, the television appearances, the movies, the theme park, the hundreds of songs, the business ventures, the countless honors — none of those things quite explain why so many people feel as though they have lost somebody they knew.
Maybe it’s because Dolly always seemed to understand something about ordinary people.
She wrote about working people and lonely people. She wrote about mothers and daughters, heartbreak and hope, poverty and ambition, home and leaving home. She could make the world laugh at her one minute and then quietly break your heart with a song the next.
And underneath so much of it was faith.
For Dolly Parton, faith was never something separate from her music. It was part of the musical world she grew up in, part of the stories she told, and part of the way she understood her own life. Gospel music was woven into her Tennessee upbringing, and Christian themes remained a recurring thread throughout her songwriting and recording career.
That makes one particular song especially appropriate for FishWorship to revisit this week.
In 2019, Christian artist Zach Williams released “There Was Jesus,” a song built around the realization that God was present even during the seasons when His presence wasn’t obvious. The song looks backward over difficult moments and sees them differently in retrospect.
And then Dolly Parton joined him.
The collaboration could easily have been nothing more than an impressive pairing of two familiar voices. It wasn’t.
Dolly’s voice brings something deeply human to the song. There is history in it. There is tenderness in it. There is a sense that the words aren’t being performed simply because they are on a page, but because they mean something.
And perhaps that’s why the song feels particularly poignant now.
We spend our lives moving through moments we don’t understand. We lose people. We experience disappointment. We face illness, uncertainty, fear, and grief. Sometimes we look back years later and realize that God was present in places where we couldn’t see Him at the time.
There was Jesus.
There was Jesus in the joy.
There was Jesus in the sorrow.
There was Jesus in the moments we understood — and in the moments we didn’t.
For Christians, that isn’t just a comforting sentiment. It’s a promise.
And this week, as the world remembers Dolly Parton, it seems especially appropriate to remember her through a song that allows us to hear her voice speaking directly into that promise.
Dolly’s earthly story is finished. Her music isn’t. The songs she wrote will continue to be sung. The people she encouraged will continue to tell their stories. The books distributed through her Imagination Library will continue reaching children. The places she helped build will continue welcoming families. And the countless artists she influenced will continue carrying pieces of her musical DNA into the future.
Even Dollywood, the place she called a dream brought to life, is choosing to honor her wishes by remaining a place of joy, hope, music, laughter, and togetherness. That’s a fitting tribute to a woman whose public life was so often characterized by generosity and optimism.
But for FishWorship, there is another legacy worth remembering.
Dolly Parton understood that a song could do more than entertain.
A song could tell the truth.
A song could remind somebody that they weren’t alone.
A song could make somebody cry, laugh, remember home, or perhaps even look toward heaven.
And sometimes, a song could simply remind us of something we already knew but had temporarily forgotten:
There was Jesus.
So this week, as we say goodbye to Dolly Parton, we’re going to do something a little different at FishWorship.
We’re going to let Dolly sing.
And while you listen, perhaps don’t think first about the celebrity.
Think about the little girl from the Tennessee mountains.
Think about the woman who spent a lifetime turning stories into songs.
Think about the millions of people who found a little hope, a little laughter, or a little courage in something she created.
And then listen to the words.
Because even in a week when we’re mourning the loss of someone who seemed almost larger than life, the message of this song remains remarkably simple:
There are some worship songs that simply refuse to age. “I Love You Lord” is one of them. Written by Laurie Klein in 1974, this beautifully simple expression of devotion quickly found its way into churches and worship gatherings throughout the 1970s and 1980s, becoming especially familiar through Maranatha! Music and countless other Christian artists and worship leaders. More than five decades later, the song remains just as recognizable—and just as meaningful—as ever.
This week’s AI Worship Discovery takes that timeless worship chorus in a direction you probably won’t hear on a typical Sunday morning: hair metal. Big guitars, soaring vocals, power-ballad dynamics, and all the dramatic intensity that made the great rock ballads of the 1980s unforgettable. And somehow, it works.
What makes this version particularly compelling is the contrast. The lyrics are almost disarmingly simple: a personal declaration of love and worship offered directly to the Lord. The music, however, is anything but restrained. The arrangement builds the song into a powerful rock ballad, giving those familiar words a sense of scale and emotional weight that feels surprisingly natural.
Perhaps that is part of what makes AI-generated worship music so interesting. It can take a song we have heard hundreds of times and ask us to hear it differently—not by changing the heart of the song, but by changing the musical world surrounding it. In this case, “I Love You Lord” gets the full hair-metal treatment, and the result is both nostalgic and fresh.
If you grew up singing this song in church, you may recognize every word before the first line is finished. But you may not have heard it quite like this. Turn it up, let the guitars fly, and rediscover an old worship favorite in a very unexpected new form.
Each week, our Praise Song of the Week gives us a chance to pause and celebrate a song that has encouraged, inspired, or simply lifted our hearts in worship. This week, we’re going deep into the past for one—back to a song that was, for an earlier generation, something of what “Shout to the Lord” would become for ours. It’s time to revisit “Pass It On.”
Pass It On – Katie Reeves
“Pass It On” is one of those songs that seems almost impossibly simple—and yet its message has endured for generations. Written by Kurt Kaiser in the late 1960s, the song became a beloved part of the Christian music and worship landscape, particularly through the early Jesus Movement. Its gentle melody and straightforward lyrics made it easy for congregations, youth groups, and Christian gatherings to sing together, but the simplicity of the song was never the point. The message was.
At its heart, “Pass It On” is about something that should never stop with us. Faith, hope, love, and the good news of Jesus Christ are meant to be shared. The song uses the familiar image of a fire that begins with a single spark and grows as it is passed from one person to another. It is a beautiful picture of how something small can become something much greater when we are willing to share it. That message remains just as important today as it was when the song first became popular.
And perhaps that’s why “Pass It On” still feels so meaningful all these years later. Music styles have changed dramatically, and the way we worship has changed along with them, but the calling expressed in this song hasn’t changed at all. We are still called to share what God has given us rather than keeping it to ourselves. The fire still needs to be passed on.
For an earlier generation, “Pass It On” could occupy the kind of place that a song like “Shout to the Lord” would occupy for many Christians today—a song that was familiar, deeply loved, and capable of bringing people together in worship. Hearing it again reminds us that Christian music has a long memory. Some songs may belong to a particular era, but the truth they carry can belong to every generation.
Every week, there are Christian songs and albums being released, rediscovered, and shared by artists across the spectrum of Christian music—and some of them deserve far more attention than they receive. That’s where Christian Music You May Have Missed comes in. Each week, we dig a little deeper to find songs and albums worth exploring, from familiar artists to emerging voices and from contemporary worship to Christian music in all its wonderful variety. These may not be the biggest songs on the charts or the ones you hear everywhere else, but each one has something to offer. So take a few minutes, listen to something new, and perhaps discover your next favorite Christian song or album.
🎵Songs Worth Exploring
Skillet – “Lift Me Up”
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Skillet’s “Lift Me Up” is the kind of song that reminds you why this band has remained such a powerful force in Christian rock. Built around a driving rock sound and an unmistakable sense of urgency, the song captures the feeling of reaching for something—or Someone—stronger when you’ve reached the limits of your own strength.
What makes “Lift Me Up” particularly effective is the contrast between its heavy musical attack and its underlying message of dependence and hope. Skillet doesn’t soften the struggle; instead, the song embraces it, turning that sense of weakness into a cry for help. There’s something deeply relatable about admitting that you can’t always carry yourself through difficult circumstances and looking beyond yourself for the strength to keep moving.
For longtime Skillet fans, “Lift Me Up” is a great example of the band’s ability to combine the energy of hard rock with themes that fit naturally within a Christian worldview. And if Skillet is an artist you somehow haven’t spent much time exploring, this is a good reminder that Christian rock can be both unapologetically loud and genuinely meaningful.
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DOE – “You Will Have It All”
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DOE’s “You Will Have It All” is a beautiful reminder that surrender isn’t about giving up—it’s about recognizing who is ultimately worthy of having every part of our lives. With her soulful vocals and an understated but powerful musical style, DOE creates a song that feels both deeply personal and unmistakably worshipful.
The heart of the song is found in its simple declaration of giving everything to God. Our plans, our dreams, our desires, and even the things we may be tempted to hold onto tightly are placed in His hands. There is something especially meaningful about that message because surrender is rarely a one-time decision. It is something we are called to practice again and again as life changes and circumstances test where our trust really lies.
“You Will Have It All” also showcases what makes DOE such an interesting voice in contemporary Christian music. She brings elements of R&B, gospel, soul, and worship together without making any of them feel forced. The result is a song that invites you to slow down, listen closely, and consider what it really means to give God your all.
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Presence Music feat. SAPHIRE – “Mess of Mine”
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“Mess of Mine” from Presence Music featuring SAPHIRE is an honest and vulnerable look at what it means to come to God without having everything figured out. Rather than pretending that we have our lives perfectly together, the song embraces the reality that we can bring our mistakes, struggles, and brokenness directly into God’s presence.
There is something refreshing about that honesty. Faith doesn’t require us to clean ourselves up before approaching God, and “Mess of Mine” captures that idea in a way that feels personal rather than preachy. The song acknowledges the parts of ourselves we might prefer to hide while pointing toward the grace of a God who already knows us completely and still invites us closer.
The collaboration with SAPHIRE adds another dimension to the song, helping give “Mess of Mine” an intimate, contemporary feel. It’s a reminder that Christian music doesn’t have to gloss over the messy parts of life to offer hope. Sometimes the most meaningful songs are the ones willing to say, “This is where I am right now,” and then trust God with the rest.
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TobyMac feat. Third Day – “Campfire (That Very Love)”
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TobyMac’s “Campfire (That Very Love),” featuring Third Day, brings together two familiar names in Christian music for a song that feels warm, nostalgic, and deeply rooted in the simple power of God’s love. There’s an easygoing quality to the song that fits its title perfectly, creating the sense of gathering around a campfire with good friends, good memories, and plenty of room for reflection.
The Third Day connection is especially fitting. Their Southern rock and worship influences have long given their music a sense of authenticity and familiarity, while TobyMac brings his own unmistakable energy and contemporary style to the collaboration. The combination makes “Campfire” feel like a meeting point between different eras of Christian music rather than simply a collaboration between artists.
At its heart, though, the song is about something much bigger than the campfire imagery. It points us toward the enduring love of God—the kind of love that brings people together, carries us through difficult seasons, and reminds us that we are never walking through life alone. It’s a relaxed and enjoyable listen, but there’s also enough substance beneath the surface to make “Campfire (That Very Love)” worth lingering over.
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Matt Maher – “Gonna Be Alright”
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Matt Maher’s “Gonna Be Alright” is the kind of song that meets you right in the middle of uncertainty and offers a simple, reassuring reminder: God is still there, and the story isn’t over. Maher has a gift for writing songs that feel both personal and communal, and this one carries that same ability to turn a difficult season into an opportunity to remember where our hope comes from.
The phrase “gonna be alright” could sound almost too simple on its own, but that simplicity is part of what makes the song work. This isn’t a promise that everything will immediately go the way we want it to. Instead, it is an expression of trust—a decision to believe that God remains faithful even when we can’t see what comes next. Sometimes faith looks less like having all the answers and more like reminding ourselves that we don’t have to have them.
Musically, Maher keeps the song accessible and uplifting, making it easy to imagine singing along with it in a church setting or simply turning it up during a difficult day. “Gonna Be Alright” ultimately leaves us with a message worth carrying with us: circumstances may change, plans may fall apart, and we may not know what tomorrow holds, but God’s faithfulness gives us reason to keep moving forward with hope.
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We The Kingdom – “Rescue Me”
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We The Kingdom’s “Rescue Me” is a heartfelt reminder of the simple but profound truth at the center of the Christian faith: when we find ourselves lost, overwhelmed, or unable to find our own way forward, we can call on God to rescue us. The band has a remarkable ability to blend worship, gospel, folk, and roots-rock influences, and that musical personality gives the song an inviting warmth while still allowing its message to carry real emotional weight.
What makes “Rescue Me” especially relatable is its willingness to acknowledge our need for help. There are moments when we would rather believe we can handle everything ourselves, but faith often begins with admitting that we can’t. The cry for rescue isn’t a sign of failure; it’s an acknowledgment that God is the One we can turn to when our own strength isn’t enough.
That combination of vulnerability and hope is one of the things We The Kingdom does so well. “Rescue Me” doesn’t simply dwell on the difficulties that lead us to cry out—it points beyond them to the God who hears us. It’s the kind of song that can speak differently depending on the season of life you’re in, whether you’re listening during a moment of struggle or simply being reminded that God’s presence is never far away.
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Newsboys – “God’s Not Dead”
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The Newsboys’ “God’s Not Dead” is one of those Christian rock songs that became much more than simply another track in a band’s catalog. From its opening moments, the song makes its message unmistakable: faith is alive, God is present, and there is no reason for believers to hide what they believe. It’s bold, energetic, and unapologetically Christian in exactly the way that has helped the Newsboys connect with audiences for decades.
Part of the song’s appeal is its sense of declaration. “God’s Not Dead” isn’t presented as a quiet statement of personal belief; it feels like a rallying cry. The driving rock arrangement and infectious energy turn the song into something that is easy to sing along with, while the message encourages listeners to stand confidently in their faith even in a culture that may sometimes suggest otherwise.
For longtime Christian music fans, “God’s Not Dead” also represents an important moment in the modern Christian rock landscape. The song helped introduce the Newsboys and their message to an even broader audience and became closely associated with the God’s Not Dead film and its larger cultural impact. Whether you remember hearing it when it first became popular or are discovering it years later, it remains an energetic reminder that Christian music can entertain, encourage, and boldly proclaim its message all at the same time.
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Audio Adrenaline – “Ocean Floor”
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Audio Adrenaline’s “Ocean Floor” is one of those Christian songs that manages to take a simple biblical truth and turn it into something both memorable and deeply encouraging. At its heart is the beautiful picture of God taking our sins and placing them where they can no longer define us. The imagery of the ocean floor gives the song a sense of freedom: what God has forgiven does not have to remain something we continue carrying.
That message is especially powerful because guilt can be remarkably persistent. Even after we have asked God for forgiveness, it can be tempting to keep replaying our failures and allowing them to shape how we see ourselves. “Ocean Floor” pushes back against that tendency with a reminder that God’s forgiveness is not partial or temporary. When He forgives, we don’t have to keep dragging yesterday’s mistakes into today.
Musically, the song captures much of what made Audio Adrenaline such an important part of Christian rock. It is energetic and accessible without overwhelming the message, giving the song an almost joyful quality despite dealing with the serious subject of sin and forgiveness. “Ocean Floor” ultimately leaves us with a liberating thought: we are not defined by the things God has already forgiven, and sometimes faith means learning to leave them where He put them—in the past, at the bottom of the ocean floor.
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Casting Crowns’ “Does Anybody Hear Her” is one of those songs that demands more than a casual listen. Rather than simply offering encouragement, it asks us to stop and notice the people who may be hurting right in front of us—the people who can easily become invisible while everyone else goes about their lives. The song’s message is both challenging and compassionate, reminding us that following Christ means being willing to see people, listen to them, and care about what they are going through.
We’re also including the official music video for “Does Anybody Hear Her” with this post because the video adds an important visual dimension to the song’s message. It helps put faces and circumstances to the story being told, making the question at the heart of the song feel even more immediate. For a song about whether anyone is truly seeing or hearing someone who is hurting, the video gives us another opportunity to stop, look, and listen.
There’s also a very personal reason we wanted to feature this particular video. Our FishWorship founder is friends with Mark Hall, has performed live with Casting Crowns several times, and has a special connection to this song. Before Casting Crowns’ first album was released, Mark played “Does Anybody Hear Her” for him on the piano during a private meeting. It’s a small but very meaningful memory that has stayed with him ever since, and it makes this song especially meaningful to FishWorship.
That personal connection is only one reason this song continues to resonate so strongly. “Does Anybody Hear Her” asks a question that remains just as important today as when the song was first released: Are we really paying attention to the people around us? Sometimes being the hands and feet of Jesus begins with something as simple as noticing someone who feels invisible, taking the time to listen, and making sure they know that somebody does hear them.
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CeCe Winans’ “Come Jesus Come” is a beautiful expression of longing for the return and presence of Jesus. Rather than simply looking toward the future, the song gives voice to a desire that many believers can understand: the longing for Jesus to come into the broken places of our world, our lives, and our hearts and make all things right.
There is something especially powerful about the way the song balances hope with the reality that life can be difficult. We live in a world where suffering, uncertainty, and disappointment are very real, and “Come Jesus Come” doesn’t try to pretend otherwise. Instead, it points beyond our present circumstances toward the promise that our story ultimately ends in the presence of Christ. That makes the song feel less like an escape from the world and more like a declaration of where our hope is found.
Of course, CeCe Winans is an extraordinary vocalist, and she brings both strength and tenderness to the song. Her gospel roots give “Come Jesus Come” a sense of worship that feels deeply authentic, allowing the song to build from a quiet expression of longing into something that feels almost like a communal prayer. It’s a song that invites us not only to sing along, but to pause and consider just how much we are looking forward to the day when Jesus truly does come.
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Seph Schlueter – “Counting My Blessings”
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Seph Schlueter’s “Counting My Blessings” is a joyful reminder of how easily we can overlook the good things God has already placed in our lives. When circumstances become difficult, it’s natural to focus on what’s missing, what isn’t going according to plan, or what we wish could be different. This song encourages us to shift our attention and remember just how much we have to be thankful for.
What I especially appreciate about “Counting My Blessings” is that its message doesn’t require us to pretend that life is perfect. Gratitude isn’t about ignoring the difficult things; it’s about refusing to let those things become the only things we see. By intentionally recognizing God’s blessings, even in the middle of an imperfect season, we can begin to see our circumstances through a different perspective.
Musically, the song carries that same sense of joy and accessibility. It’s easy to imagine “Counting My Blessings” becoming one of those songs that finds its way into your head throughout the day—and perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. Sometimes we need a simple reminder that we can choose what we focus on, and there are few better things to count than the ways God has already blessed us.
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Matthew West – “Don’t Stop Praying”
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Matthew West’s “Don’t Stop Praying” is a powerful reminder that prayer isn’t something we should abandon simply because the answer hasn’t arrived yet. There are times when we pray for a situation, a relationship, a loved one, or a change in circumstances and nothing seems to happen. The silence can be discouraging, but this song encourages us to keep bringing those requests to God and to trust that He is working even when we cannot see it.
One of the song’s greatest strengths is how relatable its message is. Most of us have prayed prayers that have gone unanswered—or at least unanswered in the way and timeframe we expected. “Don’t Stop Praying” meets us in that uncertainty and offers a simple encouragement: keep praying. We may not know what God is doing behind the scenes, but we can know that He hears us, and continuing to pray is itself an act of faith.
Matthew West has always had a gift for taking everyday struggles and turning them into accessible Christian songs, and “Don’t Stop Praying” fits beautifully within that tradition. It doesn’t promise that every prayer will produce the outcome we want; instead, it points us toward a God who is worthy of our trust regardless of the outcome. Sometimes the most important part of prayer isn’t changing our circumstances—it’s allowing God to change our hearts as we continue to place those circumstances in His hands.
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💿Albums Worth Exploring
Band Reeves – How To Forgive
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Band Reeves’ How To Forgive is an album that takes a deeply difficult subject and approaches it with honesty, vulnerability, and hope. Forgiveness is one of those things that can sound simple when we talk about it in church, but living it out can be anything but simple. This album invites us into that tension, exploring what it means to let go of hurt while trusting God with the parts of our story that still feel painful.
What makes How To Forgive especially interesting is that it doesn’t treat forgiveness as simply forgetting what happened or pretending that the hurt didn’t matter. True forgiveness can be a process, and it can require us to surrender our desire for revenge, our anger, and sometimes even our need to understand why something happened. The album gives listeners room to wrestle with those realities while continually pointing back toward the grace we have received from Christ.
For anyone who has ever struggled to forgive someone—or struggled to accept that they themselves are forgiven—How To Forgive offers plenty to think about. It’s the kind of album that may connect differently depending on what season of life you’re in, and that’s part of its appeal. Sometimes Christian music meets us with celebration; other times, it meets us in the places where healing is still taking place. Band Reeves gives those places a voice here.
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Kingdom Culture Worship & Southland – Not Just Old Stories
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Kingdom Culture Worship and Southland’s Not Just Old Stories takes its title from an idea that sits at the heart of Christian faith: the stories we read in Scripture are not merely accounts of something God did long ago. They point us toward a God who is still active, still faithful, and still inviting us to trust Him today. That makes this album feel less like a collection of songs about the past and more like an invitation to recognize God’s presence in our own stories.
There’s something especially compelling about that perspective. It’s easy to read about miracles, faith, redemption, and God’s faithfulness in Scripture and think of those things as belonging to another time. Not Just Old Stories challenges that distance, reminding us that the same God who worked through the people we read about is the God we worship today. The album encourages listeners to move beyond simply knowing the stories and toward believing that God can still write new ones.
As a worship project, Not Just Old Stories is ultimately about participation rather than observation. These aren’t just songs asking us to remember what God has done; they invite us to consider what He is doing now and what we are trusting Him to do next. For listeners who enjoy worship music that connects the timeless truths of Scripture with the realities of everyday faith, this is an album worth spending some time with.
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Terrian – Mad Big World
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Terrian’s Mad Big World is an album that feels appropriately titled for the moment in which we find ourselves. The world can seem overwhelming, noisy, divided, and unpredictable, and Christian music can sometimes serve an important purpose simply by giving us a place to step away from all that noise for a few minutes and remember what is true. Mad Big World brings that perspective through a contemporary sound that invites listeners to engage with both the challenges of life and the hope found in faith.
What makes an album like this worth exploring is the way it can acknowledge the reality of the world without allowing that reality to have the final word. We don’t have to pretend that everything is fine in order to have hope. Sometimes faith means looking honestly at the mess around us while continuing to believe that God is bigger than it.
Mad Big World is a good reminder that Christian music can speak to the world as it actually is—not just the world we wish it were. If you’re looking for something outside the familiar names and biggest releases, Terrain’s album is worth giving a listen. You may find that its title describes the world pretty well, while its music offers a different perspective on how we navigate it.
As the founder of FishWorship, I created Monday Memories as a place to step back from the latest releases and reconnect with the songs, artists, performances, and musical moments that have stayed with me over the years. These are the songs that bring back memories, remind me why Christian music, and those in the Christian music community, have meant so much to me, or simply put a smile on my face when I hear them again. Today’s Monday Memory is one of those wonderfully entertaining moments that brings together a great song, a great singer, and a whole cast of familiar faces from the world of Gaither music.
🎬Don’t Rain On My Parade – Mark Lowry
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I’m far from being a stranger to the Gaither machine — what else can you call it? The Bill Gaither Trio, the Gaither Vocal Band, countless Homecoming concerts featuring scores of the most notable musicians in all of Southern Gospel music. Over the years, I’ve had several friends who have performed with them, and some of my friends actually grew up under the Gaither umbrella. I am always happy to share meaningful, entertaining, or simply interesting moments from the vast Gaither past, and today’s Monday Memory is certainly one of those moments.
This song in particular showcases Christian comedian Mark Lowry at his best. Mark is joined by many Gaither notables, including David Phelps, Guy Penrod, Bill Gaither, and a host of other familiar faces who seem to have just as much fun with the production as Mark does. There is something wonderfully over-the-top about watching so many talented musicians and performers come together for a song that is, at its heart, simply a whole lot of fun. I truly hope each of you enjoy watching this video as much as I have enjoyed sharing it.
And then there is the video itself. This isn’t simply a performance captured on a stage — it is a full-blown production, complete with costumes, characters, choreography, comedy, and the kind of attention to detail that has long been part of the Gaither Homecoming world. Watching the various personalities appear throughout the video makes it almost as much fun to see who is going to show up as it is to hear the song itself. It is a wonderful example of the creativity and camaraderie that can happen when a group of exceptionally talented people decides to have a little fun together. So thank you to Bill Gaither, Mark Lowry, and everyone who helped bring this memorable production to life. From all of us here at FishWorship, I hope this little trip into the Gaither past brings a smile to your face — and reminds you that sometimes the best musical memories are simply the ones that make us laugh, smile, and have a little fun.
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” Carrie Underwood & CeCe Winans
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There is something especially moving about hearing Carrie Underwood and CeCe Winans sing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” together—and even more so when you understand the setting in which they performed it. In the spring of 2021, Carrie brought her gospel album My Savior to the Ryman Auditorium for My Savior: Live From the Ryman, a special Easter concert filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ryman’s pews were empty, with no live audience present because of pandemic restrictions. Yet Carrie set out to make the evening feel anything but small. She wanted to take the hymns she had grown up singing and give them the kind of musical treatment they deserved, while bringing the hope and encouragement of those songs directly into people’s homes around the world.
The result was far more than a stripped-down pandemic-era livestream. Carrie and producer David Garcia assembled an extraordinary collection of Nashville musicians to bring My Savior to life, drawing from the city’s remarkable community of elite session players—the musicians who can move effortlessly between country, gospel, bluegrass, pop and virtually anything else a Nashville recording requires. Among them were guitarist Mac McAnally, who has been named CMA Musician of the Year an astonishing ten times, and Buddy Greene, the legendary Southern gospel musician and harmonica virtuoso whose work has included countless gospel recordings and performances with Bill Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band. Gordon Mote, Brett James and other Nashville heavyweights were also part of the musical world surrounding the project.
And then there was the Ryman itself. Known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” the historic auditorium provided a remarkable backdrop: an empty sanctuary, a world-class band, strings, a gospel choir, and one of the greatest voices in contemporary country music performing the hymns of her childhood. Carrie wasn’t simply trying to recreate the My Savior album onstage. She was creating something that would feel worthy of the Ryman—and worthy of the songs themselves. The concert streamed globally on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021, as a free event, with donations benefiting Save the Children. Nearly 2.5 million people ultimately watched the full concert during its initial 48-hour availability, raising more than $112,000 for the organization.
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” may be the perfect centerpiece for that vision. Carrie invited gospel icon CeCe Winans to join her for the hymn, creating a meeting of two very different musical worlds that nevertheless feels completely natural. Winans brings the depth and authority of gospel music, while Underwood brings the power and clarity that have made her one of country music’s biggest stars. With that remarkable Nashville ensemble behind them, the performance becomes something much bigger than a duet. It feels like a celebration of the hymn itself—and of the faithfulness it proclaims. The performance would later receive an even greater distinction, winning the 2021 GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year.
For a concert born in a season when churches were empty, audiences were absent, and so much of the world felt uncertain, that message carried particular weight. Carrie Underwood had the opportunity to fill the Ryman with some of the finest musicians Nashville had to offer, invite one of gospel music’s greatest voices to stand beside her, and send these timeless hymns into millions of homes on Easter morning. That is what makes this performance of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” such a fitting choice for our Hymn of the Week.
Anne Wilson has quickly established herself as one of the distinctive voices in contemporary Christian music, bringing together her Christian faith, Kentucky roots, and a country-influenced sound that feels both authentic and personal. Her breakthrough came with “My Jesus,” a song that introduced her to a worldwide audience with a simple but powerful invitation to tell others about the Savior who had transformed her own life. The song became a defining Christian-music hit and established Wilson as an artist to watch.
What makes Anne particularly compelling is the way she has continued to grow beyond the expectations created by her debut. Her music increasingly embraces the sounds and storytelling traditions of country music while never losing sight of its Christian foundation. That combination has allowed Wilson to reach listeners who might not ordinarily spend much time listening to contemporary Christian music, while giving longtime Christian-music fans an artist whose songs remain firmly centered on faith, hope, and the goodness of God.
Anne’s journey has also included support and collaboration from established artists in Christian music. Her relationship with Mark Hall and Casting Crowns is a good example of that artists-helping-artists tradition, with Anne joining the band on the road and collaborating with them musically. Those opportunities have given a rising artist the chance to learn, grow, and reach new audiences while working alongside musicians with decades of experience.
Wilson’s continuing musical evolution is especially evident in her newest material. Her recent collaboration with country artist Drew Baldridge on “Maker’s Mark” demonstrates her ability to move naturally between Christian and country audiences without compromising the faith that has always been at the center of her music. The result is an artist who can speak authentically to listeners in both worlds while continuing to make music that points back to what matters most to her.
For FishWorship, Anne Wilson represents something especially encouraging: an artist who isn’t afraid to bring her faith into places where Christian music and mainstream country increasingly overlap. Whether she’s singing directly about Jesus, telling stories rooted in her Kentucky upbringing, or collaborating with artists from different corners of the music world, Anne continues to demonstrate that Christian music doesn’t have to fit into just one sound—or one audience.
🎬Featured Video
“Maker’s Mark” — Anne Wilson & Drew Baldridge
Anne Wilson’s collaboration with country artist Drew Baldridge on “Maker’s Mark” is a great example of why FishWorship doesn’t believe Christian music has to be confined to a particular genre or musical format. The song is unmistakably faith-centered, even though it is presented as a country song rather than a traditional contemporary Christian release. Its message is about living with purpose, loving others, leaving something meaningful behind, and ultimately pointing people toward Jesus.
That distinction is important to us. FishWorship is about Christian music, but Christian music isn’t limited to songs released on Christian radio or albums categorized as Christian. When an artist takes a genuine Christian message into another musical audience, we think that’s something worth celebrating—not something that needs an apology or an explanation. “Maker’s Mark” does exactly that, bringing Anne’s unmistakable faith perspective into a country setting alongside Baldridge.
The collaboration is also a natural fit for Anne Wilson. Her Kentucky roots and country-influenced sound have always been part of her musical identity, and “Maker’s Mark” gives her an opportunity to connect with a broader country audience without stepping away from the faith that defines her music. For FishWorship, that’s precisely the kind of musical boundary-crossing we want to recognize.
So we’re pleased to feature the official music video for “Maker’s Mark” as Anne Wilson’s Artist of the Week featured video. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most interesting Christian music isn’t found by looking for a particular genre label—it’s found by listening for the message.
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🎬Bonus Video
“My Jesus”
Calling this a Bonus Video simply doesn’t do it justice. “My Jesus” is the song that introduced Anne Wilson to the world and remains the defining recording of her early career. Its message is direct, personal, and unmistakably Christian: this isn’t simply a song about faith as an idea, but a testimony about knowing Jesus personally and wanting other people to know Him too.
The song’s extraordinary impact helped establish Wilson as one of the most important new voices in contemporary Christian music. “My Jesus” connected with listeners because it didn’t try to make faith complicated. Instead, Wilson sings about a Savior who is present in the middle of ordinary life, someone who meets people where they are and changes them from the inside out.
The official music video captures that same spirit. Rather than treating “My Jesus” simply as a career-making single, it presents the song as a declaration of faith—the kind of message that explains why Anne Wilson’s music belongs on FishWorship in the first place.
So yes, we’re calling this one a Bonus Video. But for anyone discovering Anne Wilson for the first time, we’d suggest starting here. This is the song that began the story.
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Want to hear more from Anne Wilson? Explore her FishWorship artist page for more of her music, essential songs, albums, and videos.
