Paul Baloche has shared a glimpse of a busy week: recording a Christmas worship TV special with "very special friends" and writing new songs with the Anchor Hymns family. "My body is tired but my soul is inspired," he wrote in his Instagram update. He has yet to reveal who took part in the special, where it will air or when viewers can watch it.
For Baloche, Christmas worship is familiar territory. His earlier Christmas Worship releases brought seasonal music into the congregational style for which he is known. The new television special raises an immediate question: which friends joined him this time, and will the program feature familiar carols, his own Christmas songs or something newly written?
Baloche's work has long reached beyond his recordings. He served as a worship pastor in Lindale, Texas, for more than 25 years and founded LeadWorship.com to help equip local church worship teams. That history gives his Christmas projects a particular focus: the songs may be presented on a screen, but many listeners will also be wondering which ones they could sing in church.
The Anchor Hymns sessions add another thread to the story. The collective says it asks what sacred songs people need in their present cultural and spiritual setting. Baloche has worked with the group before, including on its recording of "We Have Hope." His latest post confirms that they have been writing together again, though it gives no song titles or release plans.
That collaboration could be especially interesting to worship leaders. Baloche has spent years helping churches sing accessible songs together, while Anchor Hymns emphasizes songs shaped for the needs of its time. What subjects did they choose for this writing week? Baloche's post leaves that open, and it does not say whether the new material is connected to the Christmas special.
The work also follows Baloche's recent live album Yes, We Believe, which combines new songs with selections from his catalog. In announcing that project, he spoke of helping people reconnect with what they believe and described his hope that the songs would serve the church. The Christmas recording and writing sessions suggest that he is continuing to pursue both parts of that calling: gathering people to worship and giving them new words to sing.
For now, Baloche has offered a personal account of the week rather than a full announcement. The guest list, broadcaster, airdate and fate of the new songs are still unknown. His description of being physically tired but spiritually inspired, however, makes clear how much the sessions meant to him-and gives fans two projects to watch as more details emerge.
