pointe of worship

Sunday's Coming?

 

 

 

 

Watching this really made me laugh, but it also made me think. In satire there is truth, and in this video truth is at the heart of the issue. Are we attempting to be relevant for the purpose of God, or for our purpose? Obviously I can't speak for another person or church, but my goal is always to be God-centered first... and I truly believe that the vast majority of other ministers and churches have that same goal. Unfortunately, we can all lose our way from time to time. It's easy to do. We are humans living in a world that celebrates talent and accomplishment. Before we realize it we slowly begin to prepare a worship service that highlights our abilities rather than God. 

As part of the production and worship team, I've worked hard to refine the talents that God gave me - this is what He calls us to do! I seek excellence in music and worship production, I want to lead others in passionate worship, I want to be used by Him, I want to... hold on... there it is; "I want", or more simply put, "I". You see how quickly that happened? But it is I AM who deserves my praise, I do not deserve anything nor should I desire anything but God. I AM deserves my surrender, my focus, my intentions. It is all too easy to say, "look at me" when you lead worship. But I AM created music - he conceived the idea and gave us passion for its melodies. My talents are from God, and I stand in awe each week as He allows me into His presence to sing. When I keep my motives pure, He tells me that what I have to give is worthy - that is the feedback I crave. 

So, is church production evil, misguided or self-driven? No. As long as you can always answer the question regarding your motives; "Why?" If my heart seeks God, then I am on track. If my heart seeks my self, I need to stop and refocus on I AM. 

(Exodus 3:13-14)

I Will Bring Praise

Driving home last week I was listening to the new Hillsong United album "Tear Down the Walls."  As I listened, the chorus of "Desert Song" rang out with the words "I will bring praise..."  This hit me like a brick wall and I began to ponder how I bring praise to God on Sunday mornings.  My primary job is to assist in the creation and leading of a weekly worship service that will reach people through music, multimedia and word. I try to choose music that is relevant to the culture, exciting and uplifting. We use special lighting and develop multimedia presentations that enhance the worship setting to further excite and connect people to the message our pastor will present. Nearly everything within the worship service, from the moment the doors are opened to the time they are locked, is planned and refined to help those who attend experience something that will draw them closer to God and encourage them to return to our worship setting in the weeks to follow.  

 

All of that is good and it is what I am supposed to be doing, but let's get back to "I will bring praise." God has always has been the purpose in what I do, the underlying reason, but my efforts are focused first on creating an environment where people can draw closer to God... people are my first priority. I am not saying this is a bad thing as it is a form of servant ministry, but now, as the words "I will bring praise" replay over and over in my head, ponder if it is somewhat misguided. I begin to wonder what would happen if I turned my sole motivation and purpose to bringing praise to God. Instead of building song arrangements with the thought "this will really take the congregation somewhere," I should build song arrangements that are simply the best I have to offer God. No longer should I worry about how or if the congregation will be moved, but if God is pleased. My tasks do not change, only my motivation. No longer is my work for people (primarily), but for God... a small but significant change that has an immense affect on my relationship with Christ and how I perform my job. Does this mean I no longer care what people think about worship? Absolutely not! I care very deeply, and now if I can only get out of their way...

 

During a worship service my goal has always been to worship first and lead second. However, because my primary motivation is to lead others to Christ, concern for how they are feeling or reacting often finds its way to the forefront of my mind and affects my own ability to worship. How I worship becomes dependant upon how the congregation is worshiping.  However, if I alter my motivation fully towards God, the development of a worship service becomes an "if you build it they will come" mindset. If I bring everything I have to worship to God, where He is my primary motivation and inspiration, then leading the congregation becomes the Holy Spirit's work through me rather than of me. Worship is about bringing our selves to God, not about how we are lifted up. What we receive in worship (spiritual and emotional uplifting) is a byproduct of what we give. Such as it is with leading worship... if I focus solely on bringing an offering to God that suits His purpose, the byproduct is an environment where others are led by the Spirit to worship. I am no longer a worship leader, but simply a lead worshiper.

This is so simple, it is almost embarrassing to admit I haven't fully considered the nature of leading worship in this light yet. But as I look at worship services and Christian concerts around the world (via video), I realize what has bothered me for years about the worship industry... it is often built to satisfy people first with the glory of God second. The task is worthy, but the motivation is misguided. I don't think this is intentional in most cases, but it happens all the time. 

there no such thing as Christian music

I can't remember where I heard that, but here's the full quote; "there is no such thing as Christian music, only Christian lyrics."  I like that concept.  I am a child of 70's & 80's music... AC/DC, Ozzy, Journey, Billy Squire, Led Zeppelin, etc and I LOVE playing that stuff on guitar - even though I now feel the lyrics have something to be desired. So, am I celebrating "satan's music" when I play the guitar riff to "Hell's Bells", "Crazy Train" or "Sunshine of Your Love"?  I'm not sure I'm wise enough to fully answer that, but I do believe that what matters most is the heart of the artist who is playing the music. When I was twelve I thought "You Shook Me All Night Long" was just a great song, I had no idea what it was about.  Let's flip this topic for a moment.  Are we more energized by modern worship songs because of the music style, their heavy guitars and drums that speak our personal music language? Are we really worshiping in the midst of this loud, upbeat music or are we just having fun?  Think about this excerpt from Amos 5:23 and ponder what God is thinking when your mind is more on the music than Him;  "Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps."  God is looking for authentic worship.  The next time you are worshiping, ask yourself this question throughout the service... who are you there for, God or yourself? 

p.s. - I think the title quote has it wrong. All things are made by God, hence it should read "there is no such thing as secular music, only secular words that take God's music in the wrong direction."     

what is the pointe of church?

I'm currently reading a book in seminary about Karl Barth and John Yoder, some interesting theologians.  They believed that the mission of the church is simply to bear witness to Jesus Christ.  They further this thought by stating the reason Jesus formed the basis for Christian communities was that the witness of Christ's love HAD to be a community (church) in order to be clear.  Certainly this simple mission can be interpreted and acted upon in several ways, but if you were to think about everything your church does, examine every function with the question; "does this bear witness to Jesus Christ?"... would this theory conform to your church?  Should it?

questionable worship

Recently a question was raised in one of my seminary classes; "what aspects of a worship service are important and/or necessary?"  Are there certain things that would lessen a time of corporate worship if they were missing?  Why?  Are they based in scripture, are they necessary for you to commune with God, are they there to serve the mission of your particular church, are they necessary for a proper response to God?  Additionally, are there things you see in worship services that are not necessary or even disruptive?  Let me know your thoughts...

that's heaven to me...

This morning "That's Heaven to Me" by Sam Cooke popped into my brain.  Most people know his secular music; "don't know much about history, don't know much biology...," "a change is gonna come," etc, but did you know he started as a gospel singer?  Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers.  The next time you're at the store, find a copy if you can.  Interestingly, even after he moved away from gospel he would often weave these songs into his concerts. Check out "Sam Cooke, live at the Copa"... amazing album. 

Friday I found myself on the golf course wondering about heaven (a regular thought-topic of mine). What will it be like?  Will we get to play golf?  If so, will every hole be a "hole in one?"  And what's the fun in that?  Much of the enjoyment in life is overcoming adversity, growing, learning.  If everything in heaven is perfect, wouldn't this also somehow become boring?  At the moment I was happy because even though I had sliced into the woods, I overcame my position by punching a low flyer between two trees and bogeying the hole (I hope for bogey on any given hole).  I wonder, will we get seasons in heaven?  Will I feel the wind in my face, the sun on my balding head (speaking of, do I get my hair back?), the smell of fresh cut grass & honeysuckles?  Will we have the feeling of satisfaction in a perfectly made egg sandwich or a cat that randomly jumps in your lap and says "I try not to let it show much, but I really do love you".  Maybe my issue is that I see life as "real", and I can't get the image of cartoon angels playing harps on clouds out of my mind, leading me into a false sense that heaven is fake, controlled, without reality, boring.  Adversity makes us feel alive... so much so that we often crave it.  Why is that?       

So, do I have faith that heaven is good, that it is where I want to be?  Absolutely.  Do I get scared thinking about my life ending? Absolutely.  Should we share our doubts and fears with God about His plan? Absolutely.  I heard a great analogy once: going to heaven is like being born. You have no idea what to expect on the other side, so regardless of how much better it will be we don't want to leave the comfort of what we know. Why do you think babies cry when they're born?  "put me back in, it's cold out here!" 

A conversation with God, regardless of the topic, is always good.  Just make sure you listen for His response...

What's heaven to you?    

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"That's Heaven to Me" by Sam Cooke

A little flower that blooms in May
A lovely sunset at the end of a day
Someone helping a stranger along the way
that's heaven to meThe feeling I have when I hear a touching prayer
It makes me know the Lord is somewhere
Even the birds flying around in the air
that's Heaven to me

It doesn't have to be a miracle
In order for me to see, I know
The goodness of my, my Savior
Is everywhere to me

Even the children playing in the street
Saying friendly hello to everyone that they meet
Even the leaves blowing out, blowing out, blowing out
blowing out on the tree
that's heaven to me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

runaway trains

(originally posted 8/18)

runaway trains... I found myself on one of these Sunday morning.  A last minute thought to sing a small portion of "Enough" to end the worship set seemed like a good idea.  It started off fine, that is, while I simply played the guitar part... but when it was time to sing my brain couldn't figure out what key we were in!  A half step lower than normal should be easy enough to figure out, "just start singing, it'll come" said my brain... but as the lyrics emerged from my mouth it was quickly and painfully obvious that my brain was lying to me.  And there I stood, a conductor on my own runaway train, wondering how I could steer this thing back on course.  Awkward? yes. Scary? yup.  But then the congregation just started singing, like angels guiding the way, and worship quickly returned to its rightful place with God at the center.  So I thank you all for leading me in worship Sunday!  I hope moments like those are a rarity, but knowing you have my back sure makes it easier. 

 

Curious - have you found yourself on a runaway train before?  Were you aware of how God helped you regain control?  I'd love to hear your experiences... take a moment to share in the comment area.

love, rain & relationships

(originally posted 8/7)

 

Wow... does it rain every day in MS?  I understand there has been a drought, but it seems we’ve had showers and storms every day since our arrival on July 3rd! Guess we hit the rainy season.  ah well... 

 Tomorrow Amber and I are off to Auburn AL for the weekend. She will be graduating with her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology... I am so proud, just beyond words, that someone like her would have chosen me. God is amazing! While we have our rare moments, like anyone else, not a day goes by that I don’t realize how much more beautiful she is to me today than when we first met. EVERY day I find myself deeper in love with her. I look at the great times of our relationship and the phenomenal life experiences we've shared, but also the struggles life has hit us with and those rare lesser moments... and simply because we did it together, I savor it all. 

 As I type, I’m listening to the Passion Hymns cd. If you haven’t heard it, I would strongly suggest picking up a copy. I keep hitting rewind (hmmm, do we rewind cd’s? if not, what do you call it?) on “Fairest Lord Jesus”.  They’ve written a new chorus that quite simply sings, “You are fairer still today”… what a beautiful way to state that not only are hymns from our past still beautiful, Jesus is even more beautiful today! The longer we are in a relationship with him, through the same hills and valleys that we experience in our earthly relationships, the more beautiful our relationship becomes and the deeper we fall in love with him.   

 mitch

 p.s. - by chance, today (8/7) happens to be our 4-year anniversary… happy anniversary wifey, I love you!

 

 

 

 

 

worship

(originally posted 8/6)

Many, including myself, have thought (still think) this was simply what we did on Sunday mornings, a “worship service”. Moreso, it has become, in many churches, the word for our music portion of the service. But it is so much more! Webster’s defines sacrifice as “an act of offering to a deity something precious”, “surrender of something for the sake of something”, “something given up or lost”. The apostle Paul writes “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship”(Romans 12:1).  To “offer your body as a living sacrifice” is to surrender your body, to give up your self, for God. God does not ask us to lie down on the altar, but to offer our lives “holy and pleasing” to be utilized by Him. This is such an awesome statement... revolutionary in the realm of history. During the early Christian era, animal sacrifice was still a regular part of Greek & Roman society, in fact, a regular part of our Gentile & Jewish heritage. But Christ came and offered himself as a human sacrifice to end all sacrifices (a whole other amazing topic by itself). To this point, sacrifice related to physical death... but now Paul takes a turn to say, we are to offer our selves as a "living sacrifice"... essentially God is not asking us to die for him, but to LIVE for him. Sure, worship is still music and sermons and giving money... but it is also every aspect of your life! The other day I was listening to a Louie Giglio cd, where he commented on how great of worshipers we were! But this was not a compliment... every day, whether we realize it or not, we worship money, TV, cars, physical appearances, lifestyles, etc. We have to stop worshiping these worldly things and turn our nonstop worship to THE eternal thing... God.  Another brief quote to keep in your mind throughout the week; "worship is a lifestyle, what are you worshiping?" (sorry, no idea who said that). Remember that quote as you drive, work, eat, talk with your friends, or spending time at home with your family... at any given moment in your day, ask yourself what you worshiping right now?

 

Well, I'm blogged... better grab some lunch.

yours in Christ,

Mitch