What would it mean to write hymns that speak specifically to the concerns, challenges, and temptations of your church? Not the global church or the church in general, mind you, but your own local church? What themes would be most important to those people? What truths might they have trouble believing and what doctrines might they have trouble applying to their lives? What temptations do they face that may not be addressed even in the wealth of Christian hymns that have stood the test of time and speak their precious truths?

These were the kinds of question that came to my mind as I listened to Hymns in Hard Places, the new collection of hymns by 20schemes Music. These were the kinds of question that came to my mind as I stood and worshipped with two local churches in Edinburgh, Scotland, and sang these songs under the leadership of the people they were written by and in fellowship with the people they were written for—churches situated in Scotland’s schemes (i.e. working-class housing estates or projects).
The album begins with a faithful rendition of Psalm 77, then turns to “Come Weary Souls,” a song that encourages those who have sinned to trust in the promise of God’s forgiveness: “There is no more guilt, / There is no more shame / Come like a child, believe and abide / Find rest in the Saviours name.” The next song, “Flee from Sin / Run to Jesus” brings comfort to those who find themselves struggling with old patterns of sin and addiction. “There’s a refuge from every lustful thought / From old habits enticing me away / When I fear my addictions won’t be overcome / There is hope through Christ’s resurrection day.”
The album continues with “We Long for that Day.” In a church context in which many members have experienced abuse and other forms of injustice, this song brings hope grounded in Christ’s return and the coming of final judgment. “God will judge this world so full of evil / and bring each work of darkness into light / on that day His enemies will tremble / When the King returns in glorious might / Finally oppression will be over / Secret acts of cruelty made known / Nowhere left to hide from the abuser / Every deed laid bare before the throne.” “Take Heart” returns to the theme of enduring suffering and sorrowing, “Praise His Name” promises eternal spiritual riches for those living in temporal poverty, while “Trust and Obey” rewrites the famous hymn for those who so often fail to trust and who so continuously struggle to obey: “Come you failures and see / Hopeless rebels set free / Where the Lamb, full submission, displayed / There He paid for our sin / Now His Spirit within / Is our joy as we trust and obey.”
And so it goes through several more hymns. It finishes with a bonus track which, though not meant to be sung congregationally, helpfully grapples with the reality that once we come to Christ, life often gets more difficult. “Why did life get harder, the minute I believed? / Why do I need armour, when You’ve won the victory? / Why does condemnation still weigh heavy on my heart? / I know that I’m forgiven so why is this path I’m on so dark?”
As twenty-first century English-speaking Christians, we are extremely well-resourced when it comes to hymns and have, quite literally, tens of thousands we can draw upon on any given Sunday. Yet it occurs to me that the great majority are written with the global church in mind rather than a very particular local church. They are written to be sung by millions rather than tens or hundreds and often speak to broad truths rather than specific ones. Speaking personally, I find something moving about the very notion of songs written for and sung by people who admit their particular struggles and who need particular encouragement.
It could be that your church finds something to sing in this collection of hymns, or it could be that it inspires your church to write songs that give a voice to their own concerns and difficulties. Either way, I expect you’ll benefit from Hymns in Hard Places. You can give it a listen on whatever music service you prefer.

Christmas will be here before long and with it the opportunity to focus deliberately on the birth of Jesus Christ. I know that many individuals and families will be looking for some kind of special reading to carry them through the holiday season and for that reason I thought I’d provide a roundup of recommended advent devotionals. For the most part these devotionals offer 24 or 25 readings, though some offer a few more than that. Take a look and see if there’s something here for you! (Okay, yes, Christmas is still a ways off, but it can take some time to make a decision, have the books shipped, and so on…)

The Good Book Company is the undisputed leader in this area and has published quite a number of advent devotionals that are suitable for individuals or families and that each follow a similar structure. The Dawn of Redeeming Grace and Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair Ferguson are collections of daily readings for advent. In each of them, Ferguson offers 24 devotionals. The Dawn of Redeeming Grace draws from Matthew 1-2 while Love Came Down at Christmas draws from 1 Corinthians 13. Repeat the Sounding Joy by Christopher Ash is similar in format and focuses on the first two chapters of Luke; David Mathis’ The Christmas We Didn’t Expect draws broadly from the Christmas narrative. New this year is Jared Wilson’s Gifts of Grace and Lizzie Lafferton’s The God of Amazing Gifts.
From Tim Chester you’ll find a trio of options: One True Light, One True Gift, and One True Story. Each offers 24 devotional meditations along with ideas for reflection, prayer, and application.
Specifically for children, you can consider Barbara Reaoch’s A Better Than Anything Christmas and A Jesus Christmas. For the whole family, consider The Light Before Christmas or Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski or The Adventure of Christmas by Ed Drew.
John Piper has written a couple of advent devotional works: Good News of Great Joy and The Dawning of Indestructible Joy each containing 25 readings of about 1.5 pages each. Paul David Tripp’s Come, Let Us Adore Him is oriented toward family use and has slightly longer devotionals of a few pages each. Ronnie Martin’s The God Who Is with Us releases in a few days.
Hosanna in Excelsis: Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season by David and Barbara Leeman offers devotionals based on hymns that begin on November 25 and continue all the way through to January 6. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s The First Songs of Christmas also focuses on songs, though in this case the songs of Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon. Philippa Ruth Wilson’s Brightest and Best is structured around the words of the best-loved Christmas carols.
That should give you plenty to choose from, and I hope there’s something that stands out to you.

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They have five Summer Reads bundles for giveaway. The giveaway will close on Tuesday, June 21st at noon EST.

The Air We Breathe by Glen Scrivener
Is Christianity history? Or is Christian history the deepest explanation of the modern world?
Today in the west, many consider the church to be dead or dying. Christianity is seen as outdated, bigoted and responsible for many of society’s problems. This leaves many believers embarrassed about their faith and many outsiders wary of religion. But what if the Christian message is not the enemy of our modern Western values, but the very thing that makes sense of them?
In this fascinating book, Glen Scrivener takes readers on a journey to discover how the teachings of Jesus not only turned the ancient world upside down, but continue to underpin the way we think of life, worth, and meaning. 
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12 Things God Can’t Do by Nick Tucker
What’s the secret to truly trusting God so that we can rest easy at night? How can we have the same faith and confidence as David who said: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Ps 4:8)?
The answer lies in focusing on God’s greatness. When we consider God’s greatness, we usually tend to think about what God can do. However, this book explores 12 things that God can’t do. They all express aspects of his nature and character which we can embrace with relief, celebrate with joy and worship with awe. You will marvel both at God’s otherness and at how he became one of us in the person of Jesus.
Refreshed by John Hindley
Vacations often give us an opportunity to rest and reflect. However, when our normal routines and habits are suspended, it can be hard to spend time with God.
These 30 devotions have been specifically designed to help you to rest in the Lord’s goodness and glory during your time away so that you can return home feeling refreshed spiritually as well as physically. You can pick and choose which devotions to read depending on the type of vacation you are on (for example, city break or beach) and there are optional family activities and questions linked to each devotion giving other family members an opportunity to reflect alongside you.
The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party by Joni Eareckson Tada
What will heaven be like? Answering this question for kids can be challenging, especially as it’s hard to get past the myths.
This beautifully illustrated, biblically faithful storybook by Joni Eareckson Tada excites children with this truth—that when Jesus comes back to this world, he will bring heaven with him! There will be a new creation where we’ll have new hearts and a new body, living in a new city. And best of all, we’ll be with Jesus, forever! It will be better than we can ever imagine.[embedded content]
His Grace is Enough by Melissa Kruger
This illustrated, rhyming book will help parents explain to children the unique and wonderful Christian message of God’s grace—that Jesus offers forgiveness and allows us to move on from our mistakes.
It can be used to share the heart of the Christian faith with children or to remind them that Jesus is the person to run to when they mess up.
Again, there are five packages to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. When you enter, you permit The Good Book Company to send you marketing emails. The winners will be notified via email, and those who do not win will receive an email with the option to download a free e-copy of Truth on Fire by Adam Ramsey. The giveaway closes on Tuesday, June 21st at noon EST.