Charisma Magazine

Facing a difficult situation? You need to release the shout of the Lord.

According to the rules of proper grammar, exclamation marks should be used rarely, and only when conveying extreme emotion. I'm sure you agree there is nothing more annoying than an article or e-mail FILLED WITH ALL CAPS AND PROFUSE EXCLAMATIONS!!! An overuse of such punctuation is the journalistic equivalent of screaming in a public library.

Yet exclamation marks do appear in the Bible, especially in the Psalms. Apparently there are times in our spiritual lives when extreme emotion and pumped-up volume are necessary.

Praise and worship is a major component of church services all over the world. Many would be in agreement over its importance, but few would agree on how to approach it. Cheryl Wilson-Bridges helps solve the mystery and offers a biblical perspective in her new book, Levite Praise. Wilson-Bridges, minister of music at the Community Praise Center in Alexandria, Va., explores Scripture to answer three important questions: 1) What does God desire? 2) What does God require? 3) How should we aspire?

By Twila Paris, Koch Records.

Music veteran Twila Paris is back with an album that until recently was only available at LifeWay Christian Stores. Paris, whose career has spanned three decades and produced dozens of hit singles, offers a solid collection of gentle pop that's in keeping with her past work. Though far from edgy or innovative, this clean-sounding album is quite good at points, particularly with "You Lead Me," which has a jazz piano motif that reminds one of Ginny Owens, and "Alleluia," a pretty ballad that channels Amy Grant. It's probably the best song here, though "We Know Love" and "You Are a Great God" are good and occasionally offer just the right touch. The biggest criticism here is that this album can at times seem cloying, or at least too mild-mannered. But much of this quiet music is tailor-made for a Christian women's conference-especially the snappy, "Live to Praise You"-and that's undoubtedly the target audience for this pleasant collection of biblically based songs. Click here to purchase this CD.