Withdrawl Symptoms

This Sunday will be the first Sunday morning service at Living Water Church that I have missed since Carole and I were call here last November and I am already suffering withdrawl symptons. Carole and I are leaving on Friday for Arizona for General Council, which is the national meeting of Assembly of God ministers and is held every other year. We are leaving a couple of days before it begins so we can enjoy a couple of days at the Grand Canyon, which is one of our favorite places on earth. I am looking forward to spending some uninterrupted time with Carole, who is my favorite person on earth, and I'm looking forward to hearing what the leadership of the A/G will have to say concerning the future of our movement. I am expecting to come back refreshed and enthused after hearing new ideas and enjoying wonderful worship services each day.

But I am still having withdrawl symptoms from Living Water. God has been working an amazing transformation in me since I began this journey in Guthrie. I see the seeds of fresh momentum beginning to germinate in our church and I love what God has been doing in our Sunday services. I don't want to miss one minute of this fresh, new and exciting season. I have complete confidence in Scott and believe that he will bring a powerful word. I don't have any fear that any uprisings will occur or that the church will suffer in my absence. I just like being at LWC. I don't like missing. I'm going to enjoy myself while I'm gone, but I will be really happy to get back!

Perception- the sequel

Many of you have talked to me about the last post about my adventure at the bank. Thanks for offering to help sort and roll coins, and most of all for the many humorous comments you have made. I thought I'd share how the story ends:

I took the infamous coin jug to Highpointe church because I knew they have a machine which will sort and count coins. My friends there even visited with me while the coins were sorting. I carried them away in their separate containers and headed to the bank where our church has its account. I carried in the smaller containers and waited for an available teller. The young lady didn't seem the least bit bothered that I had a large amount of coins to deposit and she was very helpful and cheerful despite a number of machine malfunctions while the process unfolded.

As a parenthetical aside, while I was watching the coins being counted, one of the ladies from Missy's Bakery came into the bank with a pan of baked goods for someone in the bank. I asked her if I could get added to her route for routine delivery of fresh baked items, but I wasn't given any hope that that would ever happen.

When my teller was finished with the counting and the rolling of the coins, she asked another bank employee to verify her count. As the other lady was verifying, she suddenly looked up and me and said, "Oh, you're the jug guy from yesterday!"

Yeah, that's me. The jug guy from yesterday.

Have a great day!!!

Perception

Our church just completed a coin drive to help our children go to Kids Camp. I am thrilled that we have 25 kids leaving Monday to have a great time at camp. My responsibility today was to take the big jug of coins and cash to the bank to be deposited. Being a bank, I figured they had the stuff to count coins accurately, if not happily. The jug of coins weighs around 50 pounds, so you don't want to carry it further than you have to, and you have to use both hands. I made it through the front door and someone was standing at each teller window, so I asked one of the workers if there was someplace it would be okay to set the jug down while I waited for an available teller. One lady smiled and pointed to a clear area of counter space and I headed that direction. Just prior to being relieved of the load of coins another lady said quite urgently, "Are they separated?" The jug is clear, so I thought it was a rather silly question, but I answered "No". She replied, "We can't take them unless they are separated", to which I replied, still carrying the full weight of the jug, "I was told that you have a coin counter." With a matter of fact expression, she said, "We do but we don't sort coins. They have to be separated." With that matter settled, I thanked her for the information and headed to the door. However, it is more difficult to pull the door toward you than it is to push it away when you are carrying a bulky load of coins. No one made a move to help, and I got the door open and made it to the truck.

I was not angry that the bank doesn't sort coins. I should have called or gone in empty handed to make sure. My feeling was that the bank had missed a golden opportunity to display helpfulness in excess of policy. One person saying, "I hate that you have had to carry that jug of coins for nothing" as she reached to help with the door would have given me a completely different impression of the entire bank. What I got was information. I needed the information but a little grace would have turned a frustrating experience into a pleasant one. I would not expect them to sort the coins for me if their machine doesn't do it, but I did expect them to show a little sympathy for my situation.

Maybe that's how we as church people should be. In stead of giving someone only the truth, which the person may not want to hear, we can add a little grace to the truth and possibly get a much better result.

'Tis all that I can do

For whatever reason I have had the last verse from the old Isaac Watts hymn, "At the Cross" on my mind today. That verse goes:

But drops of grief can ne'er repay the debt of love I owe,
Dear Lord I give my self away; 'tis all that I can do.

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
It was there by faith, I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day.

As I reflected on the words of this song sung many times in my youth I thought of those who I have encountered over the years who have struggled with their forgiveness. They continued to labor and grieve over past sins and transgressions. I really believe that they felt that they were either disqualified from Christian service, or that they must labor in Christian service in an attempt to make themselves "worthy" of their salvation. This song verse isn't scripture, of course, but it does a good job of summing up the heart of Christian service. We owed a debt beyond our capacity to pay, but Jesus' substitutionary death on the cross paid our debt in full. Our response is (or should be) that we give ourselves completely to Christ in gratitude for what has already been done for us. Anything less is gross ingratitude. Dear Lord, we give ourselves away. It's all that we can do.

The Power of Forgiveness

This week it has been my privilege to visit with two different people who have endured hurt and betrayal by someone they thought they could trust. That in itself isn't remarkable. Each of us who have lived any time at all bear the scars of hurts inflicted by someone we loved. What made these two conversations remarkable what that each of them made the conscious choice to forgive the one who caused the hurt.

Both situations left the hurting person with a perfect opportunity to use the hurt as an excuse for harboring bitterness and mistrust for the remainder of their lives, but their choice to forgive actually freed them to live in joy. They fully realize the pain they suffered and they don't minimize the severity of the offense, but by forgiving, they have released themselves from the weight of bitterness and unforgiveness which so many carry to their grave.

Each of the people I visited with are joyous people. If you didn't know their story you might be fooled into thinking that nothing bad had ever happened to them, but their joy is not fakery; it authentic God-given joy.

They have found that forgiveness is the best gift they could give themselves. Forgiveness is powerful.

A Lot Has Happened!

In preparing for the dedication of the EdZone this weekend I got to thinking about those who have helped bring us to this place. I thought of those who originally looked at a metal warehouse and saw a beautiful church. I thought of those who gave of their finances, time and talents to lay out the floorplan and began to do the work. I thought of those who framed walls, ran electrical, built platforms, strung cables, hung lights and projectors, layed tile, painted, hung ceilings and decorated. It was a grand undertaking. I know that I do not know everyone who was involved in the early labor but I owe a debt of gratitude to all who gave of themselves so completely to build the attractive and current house of worship we enjoy.

While difficulties slowed the project, they did not kill the dream. The dream is alive and well and gaining momentum week by week. This week's dedication will be a further step in fulfilling the vision that placed us where we are today.

I have sensed since my arrival a few months ago that my first mandate was to complete the original vision before I led us in any new directions. The EdZone is the most visible of the remaining work. Now only a couple of air conditioners and some roof repair stand between us and the completion of the original plan.

God has been faithful through the exciting early days of the project, through the difficulty of the crisis period, and in the quiet healing period we are experiencing today. He has never left us and He never will. He still has great things in store for us, and as we keep our hearts turned to Him, He will reveal His plans for Living Water Church.

Be blessed and I'll see you Sunday!

Dedication Celebration!

This Sunday we will be dedicating the EdZone at Living Water Church. The completion of these three rooms brings us a giant step closer to fulfilling the original vision of our facility. Progress had slowed for a little while, but now we are gaining speed toward all that God has prepared in advance for us to do! I am really looking for an exciting and encouraging day on Sunday as we recount God's faithhfulness, remember all of His blessings, and reaffirm His plan for our lives. Come Sunday morning at 10 and bring someone with you!

I'm older than I've ever been.

I have always made an attempt to be able to make conversation about many topics. My secret is to learn enough about a topic to ask good questions. Then if someone I encounter shows some expertise in a subject I can ask a question or two and reveal that it is not the first time I have thought about the issue or topic. It works well just about all the time; especially if I don't try to pass myself off as an expert. People love to talk with someone who is interested in their vocation or passion.

But there is an area in which I have no ability to do anything but to appear completely lost. That's because I am lost. Back in my early 20's I served briefly as a sound man at my church. It was a simple sound board and it didn't take much technical knowledge to run it. Mostly if I watched what was happening and kept anyone from picking up a dead mike I was okay. I didn't like doing it, however, so when someone came along who did enjoy it, I was glad to hand off the job. It was then that I decided not to try to stay current in my knowledge of sound technology. That was back in the days before personal comupters and video screens. Multimedia at that time meant carousel slide projectors, overhead transparency projectors or 16mm movie projectors. That was in that era that I stopped learning about those things. I wanted to be seen as "not an option" for any future sound booth assignments. My strategy has worked perfectly for years.

Fast forward to today. I am a pastor of a church with an intimidating array of multimedia equipment. I am the one who is at the church during the week, so when visiting musicians or preachers come, they also come to me with their technical questions. My batting average is perfect. I always give moronic answers because I don't even know what to call the various thingamabobs that are back there. I know we can show a video, but don't ask what format. I know we can mike a guitar, but don't ask me about anything more than that because you will get a blank stare and a shrug of the shoulders. I know we have internet, but don't ask me if we have a static IP address. I don't know and I don't want to know. We have some amazingly proficient and faithful technical people who happen to work at jobs which won't allow me to call them and quiz them about technical matters during the day. In this connected day and age, I sound increasingly old and outdated. Maybe that is why the lady at Taco Bell assumes that I qualify for the senior discount and gives it to me without even asking. Seven years from now I'll actually qualify.

Generational Worship- part 4

As I bring this series to a close I'm afraid that I've identified more questions than answers. I have heard of and witnessed several approaches to "all generations" worship and none of what I have seen has been completely successful. I don't like the idea of separate services; they only serve to further segregate the generations. But let's face it. Most people who lead worship today in our growing suburban churches are leading contemporary songs. Many pastors, trying not to alienate anyone, advocate a "mix". Usually this means that the contemporary worship leader is forced to sing a hymn or two to pacify the old folks (translated: consistent tithers). What tends to happen is one of two things: One, when the hymn is sung the old folks over-respond to demonstrate how this music moves people more than that new stuff and if we would just go back to the old stuff we could really see a move of God like we used to see. Then they stand stone-faced and unmoved during the contemporary songs.Or two, the contemporary worship leader dresses up the old song with newer chords, rythmns and phrasing, and it becomes just as unsingable as the new songs they already don't know. The mix doesn't satisfy when its' intent is to pacify strong personalities and their preferences. The issue is much deeper than the song selection.

On the other hand, the contemporary devotees are quick to say that the older folks should "get on board or get out of the way" and make it appear that only the old are stuck on their music. But let it be known that a traditional group is coming to perform, and it will be very difficult to find a young person in the house. They are just as guilty of being snobby about their music, and have decided that only music written by a select cadre of contemporary worship artists and written in the past 10 years can usher in the presence of God. That is every bit as wrong as the belief that God only speaks through southern gospel music. (I've actually heard that assertion.)

My travels to other countries has taught me much about the banality of style preferences in regard to connecting with God in music. I've been in a tiny church dug back into a hill in Peru where a tambourine was the only instrument. I not only couldn't understand the words, the tunes were not familiar to me either. But as I watched the faces of the out of tune singers as they lifted up the name of Jesus, I couldn't stop the tears from flowing because the presence of God was so heavy in the place. I have witnessed the same thing in Nepal, Russia, Suriname, Cuba and other places. Where there is a hunger to connect with the God of all creation who desires to inhabit the praises of His people, God shows up. When there is a desire for a concert, a concert shows up. When God shows up, no one critiques the music. At a concert, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I believe that everyone should have an opportunity during a weekly service to throw their head back and sing a song they already know. The reason is not that the songs we know are better than songs we don't know, but worship is all about release. Releasing our troubles and aggravations for a few moments and feeling the sweet presence of God. This is difficult to do when you are attempting to learn a new melody and words. This should be an easy thing for pastors and worship leaders to agree on. The quality of the concert is secondary to the quickening of the Spirit. And there should be great sensitivity to the specifics of a local congregation. Remember that you are leading, not herding your flock. If you're leading, but no one is following, you are just out for a walk. I've found few who were truly obstinate about their music style. Most are afraid of being marginalized, or they have a desire to connect with God again, and think that returning to the forms which were in use when their relationship was new and fresh is the way to reawaken it. Sadly, multi-generational churches are rare because of the insensitivity or lack of wisdom of church leaders; both pastors and worship leaders. As a pastor, it is my desire and fervent belief that Jesus is Lord of all, and he can connect with all, even when they are in the same room.

As Rodney King said, "Can't we all just get along?"

Generational Worship- part 3

I don't pretend to know nearly as much about the heart of the contemporary form of worship, so I speak as an observer rather than an insider. But I must say that I have been blessed, impressed and challenged on many occasions while being around those who are immersed in the contemporary worship. I make it a habit to cultivate relationships with young people who are passionate for Christ. I have been around many on mission trips, in youth services, and at large gatherings. Their worship is honest, genuine, heart-felt and demonstrative. For them, worship is less about the community gathering and more about a personal encounter with the Spirit of God during worship. They are passionate about their music and the effect that it causes in them during the worship experience.

Once again, I am more of an observer and I welcome correction of my observations, but it appears to me that the "singability" of the song or even a knowledge of the words is less important than having the song in the air creating the atmosphere that ushers them into the presence of God. Standing, arms uplifted, eyes closed, this worship experience seems to close in around the individual and there is no hurry for those involved to move on to other elements of the service. If the song goes on, no problem. If the words are not entirely known, no worry. It is present, and the worshipper has an exclusive audience with their Lord.

Two other major differences from traditional worship exist: New songs are introduced regularly, and the quality of the musicians and vocalists is usually quite good whether there is an entire worship band or just one person with an acoustic guitar. Today's contemporary worship leaders are quite gifted creatively and musically. The chords are different, the rythymns are different, and the phrasing is different and this is the major source of conflict with those who prefer the traditional songs. Just as a new song begins to become familiar, it goes away in favor of a new song, hence the charge that the new songs have no "staying power". I answer this charge by saying that as this is a fairly new genre of music, it is going through an explosively creative era and there is a constant weeding out of the songs which will not endure. The songs in our hymnals represent only a fraction of the songs written during that era, but only the hymnal songs made the cut. Since they are published in a book and the others have vanished, it gives the illusion that the songwriters of that era wrote only classics. But many of the songs written decades ago had no staying power. Forty years from now, a hundred or so songs from this era will still be known. Prediction- Shout To The Lord will make the cut; I Went Into The Enemy's Camp will not.

The potential shortcomings of contemporary worship is the opposite of those of traditional worship. Rather than becoming dry and formalistic, the contemporary form lends itself to the potential of narcissism, and the constant chasing after the new and fresh. This reveling in the individual experience can result in a prideful, self-righteous spirit that dismisses the perceived lack of spirituality of the older set. We disregard the community of the believers at our own peril.

I do envy the passion and emotion that our young worshippers display during the worship service. There is something simple and profound in the individual experience. An old hymn describes being "shut in with God in a secret place" and I see that in the worship experience of the contemporary worshipper. We old guys can learn a lot about appreciating the "fresh" and being more concerned about connecting with God than with how many times we sing the chorus.

Tomorrow I will attempt to propose how we can all worship in the same room.

Generational Worship- part 2

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his spirit, washed in his blood.
This is my story, this is my song;
Praising my saviour, all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song;
Praising my saviour, all the day long.

I just typed the words to the first verse of this hymn from memory, even though I have not sung it in a church service for decades. That is an illustration of the influence of the songs we sang in church as I grew up. When I was a boy, we sang many songs that people the age of my grandparents would have also sung. We sang them from songbooks which changed only once in my lifetime. The "Melodies of Praise" hymnal was replaced in my early teenage years by "Hymns of Glorious Praise" only after much consideration and discussion. It really was a really big deal to make any changes to the songs we sang. New songs were to be sung as "specials", and choruses were to be sung during extended altar times or during baptismal services. As I write this, there is no hint of a smirk or dismissive attitude, because I love the influence that those timeless songs still have on me. They are still the songs I sing in the car or when I'm alone. Although many times they were led by people of poor voice and were accompanied by a piano and organ which might be poorly played, they still, through their repetition, got into my spirit and still reside there today.

The "song service" consisted of three or four songs from the hymnal. Everyone was expected to participate, whether that person could sing well, or not. Very seldom did anyone get carried away during the song service, but it was a time of community worship in song, where no one was excluded. There would be a hymnal for everyone. You held a book in your hands and it was the same book year in and year out. It spoke of permanence; of stability; of community. Over the years, these songs were imbedded in our psyche and they remain to this day. Our services resembled very closely the services my grandparents attended; the only difference was air-conditioning and better sound systems.

But there was a problem with the hymnal style of worship. The songs could become so familiar that those who sang them sang them without internalizing the message the song conveyed. Many times the song service would just occupy the first 20 minutes of the service, serving as a spacer between the opening comments and the offering. It became possible to sing powerful messages such as "Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified. Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied for me. There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary" without even realizing the message that the song was conveying. The permanence which had seemed so comforting devolved into formalism and in some cases, legalism. Any attempts to change were viewed with suspicion or even hostility.

It is a shame that the younger generation did not get to bond with these songs, but the reality is that they do not connect at all with them in the manner in which they were performed. The rythmns and the phrasing just do not resonate. Popular music began to change drastically in the 60's and the baby boomers began to break with anything that spoke of their parents' music. The change in church music came several years later. If I could ask anything of the young people of today I would ask them to have some appreciation of those who preceeded them. You don't have to embrace the music they prefer, but it should not be dismissed out of hand, either. In this world where technological changes occur continually, there is something attractive about those songs that transport the older generation to the years of their spiritual formation; when they were young and sorting out the complications of marriage, career and children. Those songs, passed down to them by those who had gone on before, were an anchor in the stormy seas of life. They didn't change like the world around them, and they offer safe haven to those who love them. Maybe you could find some of these old treasures, rework the chord progressions, and give them to a new generation, while showing some love and respect for those who most likely sacrificed to pay for the church you attend today.

Generational Worship- Part 1

This is the first of four posts that have been on my heart concerning music and worship in the local church. I know that being 54 makes me an official member of the old guy club. However, I was still a young man when the current wave of contemporary music and worship styles burst upon the scene. I hope to give some perspective on this highly emotional and often conbtroverisal and divisive issue in church life. It is not my purpose to declare anyone "right" or "wrong". I will attempt to share some insight into the strengths and potential weaknesses of both the older and younger generational preferences for worship. Be aware that I will always approach these styles as preferences because when we take either preference and lay it alongside the timeline of the church since its inception on the day of Pentecost two thousand years ago, both are tied to really short snippets of time. Both "Just As I Am" and "Days of Elijah" would seem strange to the first century believers.

In the next post I will attempt to describe the worship style of the generation that preceded me; many times referred to as "traditional." After that I will again try to describe the "contemporary" form of worship. The final post will discuss the possibility of both generations having respect for each other and making some room for the possible merit of the other generation's worship preference. I am not yet convinced that there is only one way to connect with God through music, but I am convinced that our adversary would like us to feel that if the other generation "wins" my generation "loses". I think we can be better than that.