One of the most rudimentary lessons we learn when we start driving is the danger of blind spots.  Such an innocuous oversight can be the cause of countless traffic hazards resulting in some of the parlous accidents and deaths. 

If driving instructors are quick to remind new drivers of such a potential peril, why are pastors and church leaders slow to caution churches of the danger of our "blind spots"?  Sometimes we are so entrenched in the culture of this world that we fail to see the lurking dangers and pitfalls awaiting the church.  This is why hymns and classic Christian literature not written in our era are so vital.  They create a distance, a space removed from the trappings of today's secularism, for us to see what our cultural blind spots are.  Precisely, hymns help in such a way that they help us pinpoint the blind spots of worship today.  The Collingsworth Family consists of Phil and Kim together with four of their children.  Phil and Kim Collingsworth started in the music ministry when they were musicians at a church camp in Petersburg in August of 1986.  Over the years, they have started music presentations for church camps and extended-length revival campaigns.  They have also held the positions of Ministers of Music, and Directors of the Music Division at Union Bible College, Westfield, IN.   Phil was Dean of Enrollment Management at his Alma Mater, God's Bible School & College, Cincinnati, OH.

"Hymns from Home," is one of two new releases the Collingsworth Family is releasing under Wayne Haun and Ernie Haase's StowTown Records this year.  As the titular indicates, "Hymns from Home" is a collection of eighteen hymns recorded at the home of the Collingsworth's in New Richmond, OH.  With Kim on her grand piano, the sextet with their soaring Southern Gospel harmonies give these hymns their own interpretations in the live setting of thirty three family members and friends.  Performed before the home's fire place, there is a glowing warmth and comfort that exude out of our speakers making us feel like we were right there in front of the burning ambers.  But lest one thinks this is a sub-par amateurish recording, the record is nothing short of exquisite.  Thanks are in order to producer Wayne Huan who has added his deft touches in the arrangement of the lushful sounds of the orchestral backings and also to Kim's own piano artistry.

In our self-seeking age, where everything we do seek to escalate our self-equity where everything is channelled to maximize our self-comfort, a hymn like "Brethren We Have Met to Worship" is an eye-opener.  An introit that powerfully calls us to worship, this George Atkins hymn was a favorite among revival meetings in the 19th and 20th Century.  And the reason becomes apparent when one hears the words when the family sings:  "All is vain, unless the Spirit/Of the Holy One come down/Brethren, pray, and holy manna/Will be showered all around."  Often we see worship as another "lift-me-up" experience.  But this hymn reminds that worship is not about us but about God.  When was the last time we prayed for the Spirit to come and feed us manna on a Sunday morning?  Or take "Take Time to Be Holy."  Here Phil handles the lead with the family members adding some gorgeous "woo-ing" harmony on the background.  Written by a successful businessman William Dun Longstaff, "Take Time to be Holy" was born when Longstaff was one day pricked by his pastor's message that holiness is not just an appendage of the Gospel but the heart of it all.  In our consumer-style church culture, this is a sobering reminder.  Or take C. Austin Miles' "In the Garden" as another example.  A pharmacist cum photographer, "In the Garden" came about via a vision Miles had after wresting for hours in prayer.  On the other hand, how many of our modern worship songs today are labors of prayers?

Another aspect of the disc that deserves our thumbs out is the creative way each of these hymns is being interpreted.  From the country two-stepping of "Since Jesus Came into My Heart" to the classical violin overture intro to "O Worship the King" to the harmony driven "Covered by the Blood," "Hymns from Home" is a delight to listen to from start to end.  There is no sense of old-fashioned datedness to these songs.  Most importantly, they are eye-openers to the blinders we often have in ministry and the way we approach God.