Written on 5/04/2009 06:15:00 AM by Miles
The countdown begins this week to see the Shanes in Cave Creek, AZ. If you've not heard of them, go to their website and check 'em out. Matt Maher will be there as well, along with speaker David Nasser. This event is part of the Turn Down the Music Tour, which is interesting to say the least, seeing as how it's a concert. I hear they've written a new song with the same title (minus "tour") which will surely resonate with me.
Shane and Shane have only been to the Phoenix area a few times in the three years I've lived here, so I try to make sure I make it to each event they're at in the area. I love their heart for worship and their humility when talking about what they're there to do. I know that if I had vocal chops like them, I may not be that way.
So, t-minus 5 days...
Posted in
music,
saturday,
shane and shane,
Worship
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Written on 9/20/2008 11:20:00 PM by Miles
ran across this quote...pretty good description of simplicity and humility that we embrace when we start to understand this idea of worship.
It is only in the possession of God that I lose myself. As it is in the height and breadth and glory of the sunshine that the littleness of a speck of dust playing in the sunlight is seen, so humility is our being, in God’s presence, nothing but a speck dwelling in the sunlight of His love….how great is God! How small am I! Lost, swallowed up in Love’s immensity! God only there, not I.
-Andrew Murray
awesome.
Posted in
Worship
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Written on 8/22/2008 01:06:00 PM by Miles
I’d like to share a bit about an area of scripture that, in my realm of all things worship, gets a lot of coverage...it's Romans 12:1-2:
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of
God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Rom 12:1-2 ESV)
...Pretty rich, eh? I could camp out in there for an eternity, considering what it means to offer my body as a sacrifice to God. And being transformed, renewing my mind, proving God’s good, acceptable and perfect will; these are amazing commands and promises for the believer. That’s what I want for my life for sure, folks...
But wait a sec... Look at what follows:
3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one
body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
(Rom 12:3-5 ESV)
You mean, once I have this sacrificed body, this transformed mind, knowing the will of God, I’m NOW supposed to be humble? I thought this was supposed to make me better than those other people! You mean I’m stuck here? What is that supposed to do for my self-image or self-confidence?
Paul goes on to describe how we use the gifts we have in the body of Christ. Each one does according to his gift: prophesying, teaching, exhorting, giving, aiding, being merciful, etc. This is the spiritual act of worship, the living sacrifice Paul is talking about. It happens in the body of Christ, the church.
Paul loves to talk about the living, breathing connection we have with one another as the body of Christ, as it's so obviously filled with love...peep this:
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
11Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice
in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the
needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
(Rom 12:9-13 ESV)
What a beautiful place the church is when this stuff happens! It has little to do with what music is being sung, how cool the sanctuary looks, the worship leader’s hair, or the pastor's dress and personality. Those who live out the fullness of this passage in authenticity are true worshipers. That's what I want to be, and that's what I want to be a part of. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm remotely close....
Posted in
Worship
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Written on 8/18/2008 12:47:00 PM by Miles
:-)
Posted in
Worship
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Written on 8/06/2008 09:35:00 AM by Miles
I've been thinking about listening to hymns a lot lately. A lot. There are scores of hymns that I've never even heard of, so a lot of these are so new to me and are falling on new ears, which, in turn, has allowed me to really listen to the lyrics of the songs. So often I find myself just going through the motions when hearing those old, familiar tunes. If I'm honest, I can easily remember several times when I've sang, "Amazing grace, how blah blah blah blah" in my head. It's sad, really.
It's also sad that Christian music, although arguably thriving more than ever, is becoming pretty bland lyrically. I think even Tomlin and Crowder are getting a bit comfortable in knowing what the hits are, which is making it all sound the same. I think that's pretty unfortunate.
I still think hymns are still very important and necessary in our post-modern culture, because:
The church is not a passing trend or fad, it is something solid and rooted.
The church lives in the midst of history as a sign, instrument, and foretaste of
the reign of God.
- Leslie Newbigin
The arts, stories, poetry, music all combine to sneak into the heart by the backdoor – something increasingly important for our ministry to the coming generations.
How will you reach this post-modern generation – a generation that cannot
conceive of objective truth, cannot follow your linear arguments, cannot
tolerate anything (including evangelism) that smacks of religious intolerance?
- Kevin Ford
And finally, I think this quote captures what many people post-college age have experienced through a re-discovery of hymnody and the new-found freedom to express these words of passion and devotion in music that resonates with who they are in Christ. The discovery of being part of something monumentally bigger than themselves.
The challenge is to provide roots
and wings – to bring young people into a sense of connectedness with the past
that doesn’t rob them of their vision of the future.
- Gerard Kelly
So, I think hymns are definitely needed in our culture. I'm excited about learning more and more about them, as well as doing some writing myself, using a more traditional hymn approach, possibly adding more modern expressions in refrains. We'll see how that goes.
Posted in
Worship
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Written on 7/23/2008 07:34:00 AM by Miles
I've been reading this passage over and over for a while now, and I believe it has become one of my favorite passages of scripture. It's a passage that's getting more acclaim in songs of worship as well, which I'm really excited about. I've been writing one myself around these verses. It's Hosea 6:1-3 (NIV translation) and it reads:
1 Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.
Posted in
Worship
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Written on 7/16/2008 10:05:00 PM by Miles
So, Phil Wickham will be releasing a live recording, "Singalong," on 8/8/08 in an effort to apparently upstage the start of the Olympic games. :-) If you've not listened to Phil, wake up and check him out....unbelievable. He has a sample on his blog from the live recording.
Posted in
Worship
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Written on 7/02/2008 12:24:00 PM by Miles
I wanted to give a nice little plug to my new friend's website. The organization is Findingbalance, and it was founded by Constance Rhodes (you can read about her and her story on the site). Findingbalance is an award-winning site created to offer countless avenues of help and advice for those who struggle with disordered eating, or for those who know someone who does. The site informs people on EDNOS, which stands for Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, along with many other aspects of disordered eating and body image. This is something that affects 3 out of 5 people in this country, both men and women. Enough of my rambling there....just check out the site and read her blog
Constance currently hails from Nashville, TN. She came out to my workplace to share her story, as well as offer encouragement for the staff, which is a monthly thing for us. I accompanied Andi with leading worship, and she did an amazing job. We played an original song of hers, and it was fun to sing on a song that was directly coming from the one who wrote it. There were several moments throughout all of the chapels (4 total in 2 days) during worship that were just very sweet and reverent. I think sometimes we get caught up in the performance of things beyond the required "performance" of playing/singing etc. that we can lose track of the One we worship in the first place. There were several pauses of silence, and they never felt uncomfortable.
I enjoyed listening to Constance's story (heard it four times and it never got old) and got a lot out of it for myself. Believing something other than the truth affects us all, whether it deals with eating and body image, self-esteem, our perceptions of value, etc. This life can take an amazing turn, however, once we understand and trust in who God already says we are.
We took a picture on the final day she was here, so I thought I'd share it with you all. It looks as if that tree is swallowing us...
Posted in
Gut Check,
Miscellaneous,
Worship
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Written on 6/27/2008 09:33:00 AM by Miles
I find myself struggling today with some things, especially related to worship leading. This is kind of a big deal to me, considering that part of my actual vocation is worship leading and being creative. I'm struggling with all of that today and am questioning many things about myself in the process like, "is this what I'm even supposed to be doing...both in my job and in the church?" I guess it's an identity crisis of sorts.
So, if you pray, I would ask for your prayers on this. Pray for wisdom and the ability to hear clearly what God says about me and not what I think about myself. Pray that I can trust if I do hear...
'preciate it.
Posted in
Gut Check,
Miscellaneous,
Worship
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Written on 6/12/2008 11:20:00 AM by Miles
Have you ever said this? "I just can’t worship with that kind of music."
If you haven’t said it, I’m sure you’ve heard it, especially, if you are a worship leader. I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before. I know I’ve definitely thought it. I love a lot of the music of today. I especially love acoustic-driven music that is not polished, but that has a raw quality to it. So, when I have gone to tradtional worship services in the past, it’s been a challenge for me to worship God in that setting. If you’re thinking that I’m unspiritual because of this, you are very right to think it. I visited a traditional(in regards to worship music) church service a couple of years ago in Arizona when God opened my eyes to this. I was sitting there during the music and thinking about how I would do the song differently, and God basically slapped me in the face. I felt Him say to me, "Josh, worship me. If you can’t worship me with this music, don’t bother worshipping me with your music." I walked away from that a changed person and worship leader. I wonder about our current church now. I've not heard testimonies of people who have worshipped and connected with God for the first time, even though they don’t really prefer the music style that we bring. That's not saying that it hasn't happened...I just don't know for sure. If that is happening, then I would consider that aspect of our services as success. I mean, that is what it's all about. It’s not about the methods or styles in which we minister and praise. It’s about the Holy Spirit speaking to us and guiding us to the Father.
I feel that there is a danger that is gaining momentum in our Christian culture. I’m afraid that the younger generations could be/are being affected by this danger. The danger is conditional worship. It’s where worship only happens when the lights go off and the cool loops or videos play, or not until the big build after the bridge of the song. For the record, these things are not bad ideas at all. When used properly, there are so many things that can enhance the experience and touch the senses, but we need balance. We need to learn and disciple our churches to worship God no matter what the circumstances. We need to learn to worship God under a tone-deaf worship leader or an organ. We need to learn to worship God without music. And I'm not saying "we" here to be condescending at all. I am included in that word each time it's used for sure.
Paul said in Colossians 2:16 - "So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details
of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast
before what was to come; the substance is Christ." (The Message)
To come to church and expect God to do something big corporately, is a growth in maturity in our worship. There are too many people that are coming inspecting, instead of expecting. I remember going to a student conference with my brother-in-law and his youth group where there were approx 10,000 students worshipping in a massive arena. That was amazing, but, for me, it wasn’t the best part of the weekend. The best part was going to a traditional worship service the next day and worshipping the same God with a different song. I mean, we went from Chris Tomlin and Switchfoot to hymn books, folks. That’s the best thing we could learn that weekend. That no matter what the conditions, no matter what the style, and no matter what the song, God is God outside of our preferences.
Posted in
Gut Check,
Worship
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The countdown begins this week to see the Shanes in Cave Creek, AZ. If you've not heard of them, go to their website and check 'em out. Matt Maher will be there as well, along with speaker David Nasser. This event is part of the Turn Down the Music Tour, which is interesting to say the least, seeing as how it's a concert. I hear they've written a new song with the same title (minus "tour") which will surely resonate with me. 
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