Death and Worship

"My Dad died last night."

I had just welcomed my friend to THE ATTIC night of worship and the official launch of my two books "Worship Walk" (revised edition) and it's Spanish Translation "Caminar en Adoración". He had driven down from Staynor, ON to Kitchener for the event. A good two hour drive!

"Why are you here?" I asked him. "You should be with your family!"

"I needed to come," he replied.

As the evening ended and we chatted some more and prayed together, he said that this night of expressing worship to God in song had been exactly what he needed. He said that time was as profound a time of inmate worship as he's had in a long time.

Death does that.

Death brings us face to face with the Author of life - Eternal Life! And when we consider the end to this life what more can we desire than to be in the presence of Jesus, our Saviour? And what we only glimpse at now through our limited (and limiting) understanding - we will then see with perfect clarity.

Paul said something about this in 1 Corinthians 13:12: 

"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." (NLT)

Death reminds us that worship isn't about us. It is about God. And all the best worship experiences of our lives wrapped up into one elegant package can't compare to the perfection of relationship we'll experience when we come face to face with God.


Enjoy the mirror we have. Just remember it is only a poor reflection, at best, of what God will reveal when this life ends and the next one begins!

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. A day that has been set aside each April to remember that we live on a very special planet. A day to remind us to do something good for the earth. A day to take our eyes off of the pursuits of our own life and give something back to the place we all live - our planet Earth.

April is the time when farmers begin to prepare for the growing season - tilling the soil, seeding the grain, fertilizing the winter wheat - all in preparation for a bountiful fall harvest. In our neighbourhoods people have watched the daffodils, crocuses and tulips all push their stubborn leaves through still-cold soil, catching the warming rays of the sun and finally emerging against the still-brown tones of early spring with their brilliant colours. And people get "the itch" and start clearing up the winter kill from the gardens and flowerbeds; seeding, fertilizing, aerating and cleaning up their lawns; shopping at garden centres for early planting flowers. Everyone is eager to see growth and life happen once again; longing for the colour, the life, the shade, the fruit, the vegetables.

It's always an exciting time of the year.

I think Christians should be the most enthusiastic, celebrative supporters of Earth Day. We know the Creator of all nature. We know the Architect of this amazing planet we live on. And we were given the responsibility to steward God's incredible Creation.

Genesis 1:28 says: Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” (NLT)

We were given responsibility for the planet we live on. To use its resources but not abuse them. To shepherd the fish, birds, animals but not to deplete them. To govern over the earth as a loving father or mother governs over their children.

Sometimes I hear Christians use this verse to support their lack of concern for the raping of the land we live on; for their lack of concern for when our over-ambition for profit causes us to deplete resources, over-fish, over-log, overburden the ability of the Earth to catch-up. And to support our lack of concern, we often quote the words used in the King James Version of that scripture which says that we are to "subdue" the earth. But the meaning of "subdue" isn't to use something up completely without regard for its ability to survive our "subduing". The word is actually closer in meaning to the word "tend" or "shepherd" or "govern". It implies ongoing relationship - togetherness. Mastery - yes. But not as an oligarch. Not as a conqueror. Rather as s a nurturer, a farmer, a shepherd.

Consider what you can do to celebrate God's amazing creation by giving something back today (and why not everyday?).

• Plant something - a flower, a tree, a vegetable.
• Walk somewhere - where you might have thought it easier and faster just to drive.
• Turns the light off - when you leave a room, use the natural light coming through the window when possible.

It's not a lot do ask. But if we are to govern the earth - it is a good place to start.

www.makeusholy.org

Two Reasons Why Church Staff Are Thrown Off or Under the Bus

I read a great article this morning by Doug Lawrence from Church Central Leadership Community entitled "2 Reasons Staff are Thrown Off or Under the Bus". From the conversations I have had with people in leadership positions who have been "let go" from their ministry positions (paid or unpaid positions) his primary two reasons ring true.

I also liked his focus on the "fixes" for these two common reasons for being booted off the bus. Mostly I like them because they are humble responses - responses that come from the heart of a servant - not the heart of an authority. It is a lesson that becomes more difficult to live out the longer you remain in a position of authority. We begin to believe our own press. And we shut out our fellow journeyers of the faith from being able to give us a broader, holistic expression of what God is doing or wants to do among his people.

Worth reading!

• 2 huge reasons staff are thrown off or under the bus

We all want to believe that we can stay in our jobs as long as we choose. It doesn’t always work that way and, based on my observations, the number of “necessary exits” (as one pastor describes it) for church program staff members is probably somewhere between 30% and 40%. Really? Yes, and, perhaps, even larger, but most often it need not be imperative.

There are obvious causes in most instances—ineptness, moral failing, malfeasance, age (illegal, but common), and the list, as they say, goes on and on. What about circumstances where none of those things have motivated the ouster. 

Here are two “causes” I have heard over and over from disheartened colleagues with some added cautions and potential “fixes” for each. 

One, “We’re headed in a new direction.”

This is either about the fact that you "just don’t get it" and should have moved on long ago, or you are being politically squeezed out of the inner circle.  

There might have been a subtle shift in the culture and you missed it. You might have suspected it was happening but refused to believe it. You may be an ostrich in clergy clothing! 

The fix? 

Ask people things! Regardless of your role in the church, keep “teaching” yourself with questions like these: 

How do you think we’re doing as a church?

Where do you think we’re headed?

What would you change?

What long running initiative would you build up?

What long running initiative would you sunset?

How can I serve this congregation better?

Is there something to which I just don’t pay enough attention?

I’m good at some stuff, but what stuff don’t I get? 

Surprisingly, people may give you really intelligent answers, admire your courage, be amazed that you asked, want to help you understand something, and, maybe, just maybe, give you what you need to survive!

Become an authority on people’s perceptions of how the church is moving forward. Don’t brag about it—just do it! 

Two, “We’re having to downsize and get more realistic about finances.”

Churches talk about money all the time. Most often it surrounds the topic of not having enough. Sometimes it’s about how it’s being spent. Often, it’s just about the reality. Whatever it might be for your church, it will, as it often does in marriages, be a major issue at some point. How can you come down on the positive side of church economic issues and perhaps save your job? 

Ask yourself these questions: 

Do I spend my budget wisely and with an eye on need instead of want?

Do I always approach every program budget item from a point of view that suggests prudent and strategic spending?

Do I embrace sound fiscal practices in my personal life and reflect that in my professional life?

Do I talk about “faith giving” when what I mean is, “I don’t have a clue where the money is going to come from?”

Would I feel comfortable having my expenses and spending put on display on the bulletin board in the lobby of the church? 

Would I feel comfortable sharing money from my budget with another program within the church that needs it more at this time?

Invariably, leadership (lay and paid) are drawn to staff who get the realities of “running the store,” and if you’re not one of those people, your job is absolutely on the line—every year! 

The fix? 

We could all help our churches use better financial sense if we saw ourselves as inventive stewards of income—not spenders—but stewards who step up to the needed responsibility of insuring stability and trust within our faith communities.

I hope you keep your current position until you genuinely feel that it’s time to move on or God actually does call you to a new opportunity. That would be wonderful.  

Here’s a motto I have repeated over and over to anybody willing to listen...

“I don’t have to know everything, but I don’t want to be stupid about anything!” 

It might not guarantee your position, but it couldn’t hurt! 

Jeremiah 6:16 

Blessings 

Doug

Back Pain

Back pain is something that I am familiar with. When I was 17 I was thrown from a horse into the trunk of a tree (at full gallop). I crushed a vertebrae in my back. But things healed up fairly well and most of my life I have had few issues with my back.

Then 4 years ago I fell off a ladder putting away our lawn mower on a high shelf in our garage.... (yah,... don't ask!) and broke six ribs. Believe me, you don't want to break ribs! They hurt incredibly every time you breath!

But since that time I occasionally get significant pain in my neck, back, right shoulder/arm area. And the past two weeks the pain has been consistent running from my upper back down my right arm into my elbow joint. And it is really difficult to work any length of time in front of a computer without taking a break to apply heat and to lie down.

Basically it sucks!

But the thing I keep thinking about (beyond the pain, that it) is that God knows me completely. He knows my thoughts, my desires, my ambitions, my fears. He knows everything I go through. He knows the joy I feel as I spend time with my grandchildren. And he knows the pain I feel when my muscles spasm and I can no longer type without pain. And with each pain comes a reminder of God with me - in my joys and in my pain.

I have friends who have lived with much more physical pain in their lives than I have. And yet, there seems to be joy there that percolates to the surface in spite of it. God seems to give the ability to exude joy through the pain (and its not that they want the pain in some masochistic way). One person told me that thinking about how much Christ suffered for him on the cross makes it easier to see past the pain and to work through it.

I'm not sure I WANT to learn that lesson! I want relief! And I've been to a chiropractor, a massage therapist and tomorrow I go to a physiotherapist - all in an effort to find relief from pain that lasts. But this experience has again drawn me to think about the Creator - the One who knows me intimately and knit me together in my mother's womb.

And I thought of the Psalmist - who had the ability to acutely understand the heart of God.

Psalms 139:13-16 says:

¹³ You made my whole being;
    you formed me in my mother’s body.
¹⁴ I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.
    What you have done is wonderful.
    I know this very well.
¹⁵ You saw my bones being formed
    as I took shape in my mother’s body.
   When I was put together there,
¹⁶ you saw my body as it was formed.
    All the days planned for me
    were written in your book
    before I was one day old.

God give me the grace to see the wonder in how integrate you have made me - even when, sometimes, I only become aware of how integrate I have been made when my body experience pain.

(I just pray that I will remember this when You finally give me relief! PLEASE!!!)

Is Music All We Have?

Posted by David Manner in Ancient-Future Worship, Change, Church Culture, Culture, Leadership, Ministry,Participatory Worship, Theology and Practice, Worship Convergence, Worship Creativity Questions, Worship Evaluation Questions, Worship Leader, Worship Pastor, Worship Philosophy Questions, Worship Renewal, Worship Team  http://bit.ly/Y9MyLa

Churches that won’t take the risks to provide a venue for creatives to express art beyond predictable musical expressions will lose them to places that will.  The sole emphasis on music as our primary worship offering may have actually hindered worship and perpetuated worship conflict in our congregations.

Music is an artistic expression given to us so that we might offer that gift to God in worship.  But is it the expression?  Considering additional artistic options could alleviate the pressure on music to serve as the primary driver of worship renewal and consequently diminish its solitary blame for worship conflict.

Clayton Schmit wrote, “In most traditions, music holds the central place as, to use Luther’s term, the ‘handmaid of the Gospel.’  Whether Christians sing hymns, settings of the psalms, spiritual songs, anthems, or praise choruses, music is the principle artistic form that shapes Christian worship.  But, many others are involved.  We gather in architectural structures, we enter rooms sunlit cobalt and ruby through stained-glass filtered light, we sit in well-fashioned furniture, we listen to literature of the Scriptures, we hear aesthetically crafted messages, we move in processions, and we view images of the symbols and historic figures associated with our faith.  When we gather for worship art is all around us, and even within us.”[1]

Just considering what is presently appropriate and acceptable is not enough.  Leaders must also be willing to educate, enlighten and encourage in order to expand that acceptability.  Robin M. Jensen reminds us that, “too often art is perceived as a kind of ‘extra’ offering, meant for those of us who can appreciate it or want to be involved, rather than something essential to the shaping of faith and religious experience.”[2]

Consider the following suggestions as places for your congregation to begin multiplying their understanding: drama, painting, sculpting, drawing, dance, mime, poetry, prose, monologues or dramatic readings, photography, film, technology, computer graphics, architecture, hair and make-up, sound, lighting, staging and props and many others.  Even though God’s creativity is limitless, we often constrict our list because of our culture and tradition…or perhaps our caution and laziness.

Harold Best stated it well; “It is the solemn obligation of every artistic leader to become the lead mentor, the lead shepherd, living a life in quest of the full richness of artistic action.  The art of our worship must thus point beyond itself.  It must freely and strongly say, ‘There is more, far more.’  Be hungry.  Be thirsty.  Be curious.  Be unsatisfied.  Go deep.  Engage your whole being.  Live in the first days of creation when nothing had precedent; when everything was a surprise; when shattering reality, not sameness, ruled the day; when bafflement and surprise danced the dance.  Go to the empty tomb and find out what resurrection means to the shriveled mind and the uncurious heart.  Go to Pentecost and learn of a new, ingathering strangeness, a purification of Babel and a highway to glory:  spiritual glory, societal glory, artistic glory.  Seek and find; knock and it will be opened.”[3]

---

[1] Schmit, Clayton J., “Art for Faith’s Sake,” in Theology, News, and Notes, Fall 2001.

[2] Jensen, Robin, M., The Substance of Things Seen: Art, Faith, and the Christian Community (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2004), 2.

[3] Best, Harold M., “Authentic Worship and Artistic Action,” an address to the Calvin Institute of Worship, 2005.

Dentists, Drowning, Distractions, Dairy Queen

Dentists, Drowning, Distractions, Dairy Queen.

They hardly seem connected in any form or fashion. And yet, as I sat in the dentist's chair with the hygienist bending over me, cleaning my teeth - they all came together in my mind like some cosmic melting pot.

First - dentists. My dentist is a friend of mine so I hesitate to say this but..... I don't like dentists. Not the person himself (or herself). They're actually really nice people - generally speaking. I just don't like going there. I'm not equipped properly for a pleasant trip to the dentist.

"Open wider, please," is the one phrase that becomes a mantra I hear throughout my time in the chair. My mouth is too small (contrary to what you might have heard from others). I can barely get two fingers - placed vertically - between my teeth. And that's only to the first knuckle! So my jaw gets strained. Sometimes the jaw muscles spasm because of trying to open wider than my mouth was created to!

Second - drowning. The hygienist cleans my teeth 4 times a year. I have a mouth that needs constant cleaning - something my wife rarely needs (and which I am kindly reminded of each time I visit)! And she uses this water jet tool to scrape most of the buildup from my teeth. It is fast and efficient.

But no matter how where the suction tube is placed in my mouth, a buildup of water always begins to collect at the back of my throat. My body tenses up. My fists begin to clench. My heart speeds up. I have to force myself to breath. I feel like I'm going to drown. I need help...

And, third - I need a distraction. I need something to distract my thoughts from those of a watery death on the dentist's chair.

If I didn't distract myself from my thoughts of drowning I would never make it through the procedure. I would probably burst out of the chair maiming the hygienist or dentist or anyone else who got in my way of escaping my watery death. But by thinking of other things - ANY other thing - I escape the slippery slope of deepening anxiety.

Fourth - and this is where Dairy Queen comes in.

As I sat there sweating and knowing I needed to distract myself from my watery-grave-thoughts, I remembered passing the Dairy Queen store on the way to the dentist and the sign which said "Buy any size Blizzard and get a second of equal or lesser value for 99 cents". And suddenly my thoughts were transported form the watery depths to the wonder of a Skor Blizzard with extra caramel and hot fudge added - yumm! (no wonder I go to the dentist so much, you say?)

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NCV)

The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.

 

No matter what you are going through - what temptations keep stressing you out, God has provided a distraction for you. So that you can make it through to the other side.