Worship.

I want your opinions, but please be civil. What I will say is simply some things that have been billowing up in me for a few years, and I have just now found the proper words to express what I am feeling.

Today, I discuss music; "worship" music, actually. While at camp this last week, I figured out what it is about our corporate worship songs that bother me. We put them all under "praise and worship" or "hymns," correct? However, I propose that there is a third genre of our corporate worship songs: songs of prayer.

Here is why I say this: praise and worship songs are the term we have placed on the newer songs, however, what is praise? And what is worship? Praise is giving glory to God for the things in our lives. Worship is us telling God how worthy He is to recieve our praise. Hymns are the songs in the blue (sometimes red or black or green)books in the back of the pews that most people tend to ignore, nowadays. A hymn, though, is a song that gives praise and glory to God for what He has done.

You are probably thinking: "I know all this. What is your point?"

My point is this: what do we do with songs like "Amazing Love" that focuses mostly on what we are doing? I'm not saying that we should not sing it, quite the opposite. I just think that songs that focus on our response should be put under the "prayer songs" genre. When I think worship songs, my thoughts jump to songs like "Cannons" by Phil Wickham and "Glory to God" by Fee.

I know this may just be a discussion of semantics, but it's something that I've thought about a lot. What do you guys think?