Filed under: Christianity, Religion, church | Tags: corporate worship, mark driscoll, religion saves
What is corporate worship? Mark Driscoll in his book Religion Saves has one of the best answers that I’ve ever read. I thought it was worth sharing here.
“Corporate worship is not about hearing a message that tells us what we can do to improve ourselves, singing songs about what we are going to do for God, and judging the quality of the meeting by how it feels to us. Rather, God-centered worship is about hearing a message that reveals from the Bible, who God is and what he has done and is doing for and with us; singing songs about who God is and what he does; and judging the quality of worship based upon whether it accords with the Scriptures.” (p. 248)
A few pages before this, Driscoll has a strong critique of the “contemporary church.” He says,
“In it’s most extreme version, the contemporary church inverted the gospel – that we exist to glorify God – into a false gospel – that God exists to glorify us by helping us achieve our potential, experience our joy, enable our health, and expand our wealth.”
Both of these quotes really got my mind going in a 100 different places. I could comment away on it, but I think I’ll let you take it for what it’s worth. I will say this though, I do NOT think that the “contemporary church” is at all a bad thing. Driscoll is not saying the contemporary church is at all bad. Unfortunately though for some, the “contemporary church” in the MOST EXTREME instances has become a “feel good service” that is more centered on man than God. Also, for the record one more time, I am not a big fan of the term “contemporary service.” Your idea of contemporary and my idea of contemporary are most likely different.
Thanks Mark Driscoll.
Psalm 98:1 O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things
Psalms 33:3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
It’s fun to look back at all the songs that have been sung in church since the “contemporary” movement started 10+ years ago. For example, Trading My Sorrows, Lord I Lift Your Name On High, Here I Am To Worship, The Heart of Worship, Come Now Is The Time To Worship, and many others. Some of these are still good today, but some are better left locked up in a vault somewhere. I love the new songs that we sing on a regular basis now, but I miss some of the old ones.
So, I’d love to have your help. What old songs are still “useable” and relevant in 2009. What old songs, in your opinion, are fine to never be used again? I would love to know your opinion!
Filed under: Christianity, church | Tags: anxiety, humble christians, humility, mark driscoll, stress
Ashley and I recently drove to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and on the way there we listened to the sermon “Trial: Humble Christians” by Mark Driscoll. He is preaching from 1 Peter 5, and mainly focuses on humility. However, around 40 minutes into the message, he addresses the subject of anxiety. I had never realized the connection between worry/anxiety and humility (or a lack of!)
Speaking of anxiety, Mark Driscoll says that “these things are not conditions to be managed, but sins to be repented of.” (He does make allowances that some people do honestly have medical conditions, but that for most people, anxiety is a sin and not a condition).
Below are some notes that I made from listening to this section:
- Anxieties are the result of sin.
- You are trying to be omniscient (all-knowing) and sovereign (in control). These are characteristics of God, and only God. We will never know everything, and we will never have control over anything.
- Those who want to be in control will always experience anxiety because they are not in control and they are not god. This will result in depression, panic attacks, and who knows what else.
- Humble people know that God is omniscient (and I am not) and God is sovereign (and I am not)
- God is soverign, He has a future planned for me, He does care, and He will take care of you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Listen to the whole sermon. It’s awesome. Here is a link for some of the sermon notes if you are interested.
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, church, hymns, music | Tags: Bob Kauflin, hymns, worship, Worship Matters
One more quote to share with you from the book “Worship Matters.” The quote is actually from Os Guinness in the book “Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance,” but was referenced in Worship Matters.
“By our breathless chase after relevance without a matching commitment to faithfulness, we have become not only unfaithful but irrelevant; by our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more compelling to the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and relevance. Our crying need is to be faithful as well as relevant.” (pg 15)
I worry that too many times I have pursued relevance over faithfulness, and I fear that many other churches, pastors, and worship leaders have pursued the same thing. It’s not all about the best lights, the best production, the most cutting edge music, the best musicians, the most dynamic pastor, the best HD video screens, the most seamless transitions, the best videos, the funniest sermon illustrations, or how many people you can stuff into your church services. It’s about being faithful to what God has called us to do. I’m not knocking all the things that I listed above. Being relevant to your congregation is extremely important. However, our focus should be on Jesus, and we should be driven by faithfulness, not relevance.
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, church, hymns, music | Tags: As The Deer, Bob Kauflin, Christianity, church, hillsong, hymns, jesus, lord i lift your name on high, praise songs, Religion, shine jesus shine, worship, Worship Matters
Around 10 years ago (maybe even longer), “praise choruses” started to be introduced to the church. What started out as just a chorus has now turned into what can now be as long as a 10 minute song (Hillsong). Granted, most songs are 10 minutes, but the songs have become much more complex and also musically appealing than songs such as “As The Deer,” “Lord I Lift Your Name on High,” and “Shine Jesus Shine.”
I grew up in a church singing hymns all the time. Looking back, I probably love those hymns much more now than I did then. I didn’t understand the same things about Christianity and theology that I do now. So for the record, I love hymns, and I love the songs that we sing in “contemporary” churches today. (Also, for the record, I hate the word contemporary. What is contemporary today is old next year. Who is the judge of what is contemporary? I have no idea). You will never hear me say that hymns are better than today’s current songs or vice versa. I believe that they are all useful for today’s church and the Kingdom.
The reason for this post is a quote that I read today from a the book “Worship Matters.” After reading almost all of this book, I have a ton of respect for Bob Kauflin, the author. There are a few things where I don’t agree with him 100% (mainly stylistically because he comes from a more charismatic background) , but overall, the book has challenged me, changed my perspective on some things, and helped me to think about WHY we do the things we do. I would highly recommend it to ANY worship leader or musician who plays at a church. It is awesome. Without any further rambling, here is the quote:
“As grateful as I am to God for the outpouring of modern worship songs, I think the riches of hymnody far outweigh what we’ve produced in the last thirty years. They cover a broader range of topics, are more dense and theologically precise, and are often brilliantly crafted… The hymns we sing today have been tested for centuries, causing the best ones to rise to the top. ” (pg 190)
I am glad that he clarified “the last 30 years.” I think the authors of the songs we commonly used have come a long way in just the past 5 years. I feel that the songs are more theologically “rich” than they used to be. However, there are still some songs commonly used that could be sang to any god, person, or thing (think about “Draw Me Close To You” for example).
Anyways, this quote definitely got me thinking. And I am thankful that the songs we have to choose from that are being written in this day and age are theologically rich. I know that some songs aren’t as rich as others and some are somewhat “watered-down,” but I think this generation of songwriters is making tremendous progress.
Thoughts anyone?
Filed under: Christianity, Ramblings, Religion, church, family, in the news, marriage, music, sports
Running/Exercising
- I have been trying to run a lot. It’s depressing how slow I run, but I did a little over a week ago. My feet have pretty much been numb/asleep since then.
- I went to the orthopedic doctor finally after 5 years of numb feet, and was diagnosed with Exertional Compartment Syndrome. I may have some small surgery to correct this, and should be good to go for the rest of my life.
- When I told Ashley about it, she said, “Oh honey, you have a syndrome.”
- I was able to run consistently for about 4 weeks though and lost almost 10 pounds. Running makes a big difference for sure!
News Stories
- An author believes there is “no such thing as virginity.” MSNBC ran an article about this lady and her book. Although I disagree with her 100% on just about everything, there is some truth to her argument. Here is one part I do agree with (at least a little bit.)
So while young women are subject to overt sexual messages every day, they’re simultaneously being taught — by the people who are supposed to care for their personal and moral development, no less — that their only real worth is their virginity and ability to remain “pure.” (Obviously I don’t think that a woman or man should find their only real worth in their virginity and ability to remain pure, but I can see what she’s attempting to say.)
- It is hard to teach moral development in a society that throws sex in your face everywhere you look. I’d love to go into further discussion in some comments with anyone who is interested.
- The story about Miss California finishing second in the Miss USA contest is very upsetting. She answered a question saying she was against gay marriage. Perez Hilton called her a bad name, and all of California has made her out to be the devil. I have a lot of opinions on this, and I could probably write 6 blogs about it, but I won’t.
- Wildfires in SC? Sad that Myrtle Beach is burning like crazy. Hope everyone stays safe and nobody is killed or injured.
Josh Hamilton
- Please, Please, Please go read this story right now! Josh Hamilton was the #1 draft in MLB in 1999. He ended up wasted on cocaine, heroine, and alcohol. He made an amazing comeback and is now playing for the Texas Rangers. He even made the All-Star team last year. He talks extensively about how Jesus rescued him from the life He was living. It is an amazing story of redemption, forgiveness, and God’s love.
Music
- I’ve almost finished learning Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Now I’m not saying it’s perfect, but I can almost play through the whole thing.
- I just purchased the new Jars of Clay album, The Long Fall Back to Earth. It’s amazing how over 10 years later, they have adapted and changed their sound to fit with the times. It sounds like it will be a great album.
- I also purchased Sara Watkins first solo album. She was 1/3 of Nickel Creek. If you don’t download the whole album, listen to “Where Will You Be.”
- Ashley and I are going to see Ray Lamontagne on Friday night. Should be tons of fun. She surprised me with the tickets. Thanks boo!
- I’m trying to sell my Taylor 814ce. Let me know if you know anyone interested!
Finally, Ashley and I are going to spend some time in Brevard/Asheville this weekend. It should be awesome. I hope the weather will be perfect!!! I’ll post some pics/updates when we get back.
I read something very interesting today on a blog from a pastor of a 3 year old church plant. They seemed like your normal church plant. It seems that they are growing, reaching the community, having a positive impact, and seeing people come to know Jesus.
However, I read something that raised some red flags in my mind. The church is currently in the middle of a capital campaign to raise money to renovate a building. They have a “big give” Sunday coming up and were challenging people on different ways they could sacrifice to give and help the church reach their goal.
Here is one of the suggestions: some mortgage companies will allow you to defer 1 month’s payment with the recent economic hard times. Why don’t you call your mortgage company, get them to defer your mortgage payment for a month, and then donate that months mortgage payment to the church.
This was obviously just one suggestion, but if I was a pastor, this is a suggestion I would never make. First of all, just because a payment is deferred, it doesn’t always mean you won’t be reported late on your credit report. Some mortgage companies will not report it, but some will. A late mortgage payment, even once, can do a lot of damage to a credit report.
I think it’s very reasonable to challenge your congregation to give up certain things, but I don’t think a mortgage payment is a good idea?
I’d love to know if you agree or disagree.
I came across some interesting stuff today on a blog that I usually read. I read it occasionally to keep up with NBA stuff so that I can stay on top of my fantasy basketball league.
The actual story however comes from the NPR show “This American Life.”
In the radio espisode, the host talks to a man who is a professor at the Rotterdam School of Management. He does an experiment where he places some ”bad apples” in a group project. Here is a summary from a writer for Salt Lake Tribune.
He (the professor – Felps) organized four-person teams of college students who were given 45 minutes of management tasks to perform. There was a $100 per person prize for the team that did the best, so there was a healthy incentive for everyone involved.
As part of the experiment, Felps had an actor step into a team with another three unsuspecting members at times. The actor was trained — and I love this — to be a jerk, a slacker or a pessimist.
The jerk would put everyone else down in the group, saying things like, “Have you ever taken a business course before?” The slacker text messaged throughout and started eating in the middle. The pessimist acted as if his cat had died (seriously).
The thinking was that the group would be able to overcome this one individual. The opposite was true. Even with smart and talented people, the groups that included the bad apple performed 30 to 40 percent worse in completing tasks, according to Felps.
I find this extremely interesting. Can 1 person have that much influence over a group of very talented and smart individuals. Unfortunately they can. The articles I read go on to draw parallels to current NBA teams, but you can apply this to whatever line of work you are in.
This can be a scary thing, especially in churches. I truly believe that 1 person has the potential to crush everything. I’m sure that I’ve probably been a bad apple before in certain situations, and I probably will be again.
This article raised a lot of questions in my mind.
- How do you spot a bad apple
- How do you get rid of a bad apple
- How do you deal with one if you can’t get rid of it
- How do I keep from being a bad apple
I thought these links were too good not to share. Hope you enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts!
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, church | Tags: church planters, ed stetzer, lifeway, simply missional
I don’t read church planter type blogs very often, but somehow this morning I stumbled onto this article from Ed Stetzer who works with Lifeway.
I love things that are simple. This doesn’t mean I’m lazy, because I’m not. But too many times, people make things more complicated than they need to be. In the music world I’m familiar with, musicians often play more than they need to. I love simple music. All too often, people tend to make things too complicated.
This article summed up how I feel church should be. It should be simple. Stetzer explains Dell’s simple, but uncommon mindset. In a culture where companies pile up inventory on their shelves and in warehouses, Dell doesn’t keep inventory. They put your computer together only when it’s ordered. To quote from the article:
Dell wants their resources out there, on the street. Not in the warehouse, where the resources merely gather dust and produce no impact. So Dell has designed a very strategic process to move their resources to the street.
Then check out what Stetzer has to say next:
Most churches build big warehouses and shelve a bunch of Christians (those rows look suspiciously like shelves). They design attractive programs to “retain” people in the sacred warehouse, keep precise records of how much inventory (people) is on the shelves, and brag about their warehouses being constantly open. And warehouse managers love to show other warehouse managers their newest warehouses while dreaming together of bigger and better warehouses.
God is calling churches to shatter the warehouse myth, to change their warehouses into strategic distribution centers, where people are distributed as salt and light to the world–sending them out on mission. Some churches are strategically challenging their people to be out there, and these churches have a strategic and simple process that moves people from the warehouse to the street. These churches are simple and missional.
I’ve never liked blogs from the church planter culture very much, but this really connected with me. I don’t think that programs are bad (I am a product of RA’s, children’s choirs, youth group, etc), but I think that many churches just focus on how many programs they can have. It’s the more programs = more people approach that bothers me. Here is another quote from the article that sums up the whole approach:
These churches do not rejoice in their complex systems or impressive buildings, but in the micro stories of their members’ transformed lives.
Enough said!
