In 2013, when Craig Courtney composed the anthem “Think On These Things,” he wrote the following title notation: “To honor Dick and Martha Crofts, recognizing and celebrating their thirty years of faithful service to Moorings Presbyterian Church and a lifetime of service to God.” The church’s website lists them as former Directors of Music, so clearly, music and the scriptures were central to their lives, so it’s not surprising that this anthem is an almost-word-for-word, direct quote of Philippians 4:8-9 (King James Version):
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good repute; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things . . . and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Musically, the anthem has 3 sections with lyrics that describe
1) How to think: “whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good repute;”
2) Reasons for right thinking: “if there be any virtue or praise,” and 3) Result of right thinking: “and the God of peace shall be with you.” To illustrate that peaceful state of being, at the end of the piece we hear the repeated phrase “think on these things” sung on a D flat chord (a typically warm-sounding tonality), ending with that same D flat chord for the very slow “Amen.” Not just a way of ending a prayer, “Amen” actually means “Yes, that’s true and I affirm it.”
So yes, may that sequence of right thinking and the resulting peace of God be so for us this week and always.
by Becky Solomon for October 11, 2026