Monthly Archive for May, 2005Page 3 of 6

God’s will: general or specific?

Published
by
aly hawkins
on 19 May 2005
in faith and theology
. 2 Comments

So I’m having what some might call a crisis of faith. I realized I don’t know how the whole God’s will thing works, and I’m starting to freak out a little bit. Here’s my issue: I will be 30 soon. Thirty years old is when I’m supposed to get my s*** together and commit to some kind of life tragectory. But I’m not sure how to do that. Oh, I’m confident of the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my growth toward Christ-likeness. What I’m not sure of is how concerned (if at all) God is with where and how I go about following Jesus. Does he really care about the details, or is he more of a big picture guy? Should I be waiting for some kind of supernatural sign or prompting, or should I follow my gut and hope for the best? (These are the times when being a Calvinist would be a big help.) Time’s a-tickin’ and I think I’ve probably sat on my duff for just about long enough.

Any thoughts, people? Am I free to pursue my dream of opening a gin distillery?

-ah

Art as worship

Published
by
michael lee
on 16 May 2005
in art and culture
. 7 Comments

I’m posting my half of an email conversation with a young worship leader who was a student of mine. In giving an assignment for my music and technology class, I insisted that the students not use a modern worship song as the basis for the project. My purposes were completely pragmatic. Most of them have grown up inside the church, and the walls of the platform mark the boundaries of their musical experience; I wanted to push them to explore new avenues, new modes of expression.

In talking with this young worship leader, I defended my objection to using modern worship songs as the basis for the project, and in so doing, wrote what I think might be my manifesto on art as worship. I’m including it here for your abusive comments and derisive mocking. This means you, Chad.

Ok, now I’m totally done with teacher mode, so feel free to disagree with me, to tell me to shut up, whatever.

Here’s the thing - you will be so much better as a worship leader if you cultivate your musical tastes outside of worship music. God created this wondrous, beautiful, mysterious, complex world for us to dance within, but the music we use to respond to him is so limited. Shouldn’t it be wondrous, beautiful, mysterious, and complex?

It sounds like your heart is totally focussed on music as a tool for the spiritual act of worship. Awesome. I think there can be no higher purpose for art. But just for a season, for a few months, or a year, go soak in what people outside the church are doing with art. Go listen to street poets. Go listen to experimental music. Go listen to symphonic tone poems. Go watch a modern dance company. Go to the opening of a new art gallery show.

Are the artists all intending to honor God? Of course not. Many of them would curse him if he ever laid foot inside their galleries and studios. But this is the part where the grace of God causes me to stumble back in wonder - they don’t intend to honor God, but they can’t help it! Beauty honors God! Art reveals God to the unsuspecting audience! Creativity echoes the image of God still lingering in even the most craven artist.

Learn how to worship without words, how to worship God with the wondrous, beautiful, mysterious complexity of art in it’s own right. Use it as a tool to reflect him.

Then add words.

-ml

OH NO!!!!!!!

Published
by
michael lee
on 16 May 2005
in art and culture
. 0 Comments

The apocalypse is upon us! The dark place is frozen over! The pale ride cometh!!

Petra is breaking up!!!!

I think I speak for all of us when I say ….

… Petra is still together?

On Emotion

Published
by
michael lee
on 15 May 2005
in prayer
. 0 Comments

Kyrie Yeshua
In moments of worship
When we find ourselves in your story
Your spirit testifies with our spirits
And our hearts are ignited in passion

If we are made in your image
Imbued with the breath of your father
If this human shadow of the divine can fall so deep
In the vast culvert of emotion

What must the divine emotion be
What animation wrecks heaven and earth
With joy, with wrath, with longing
How great the wonders of God
Echoed in the storied wonders of humanity

I want to be like Al

Published
by
michael lee
on 14 May 2005
in faith and theology and life
. 1 Comment

There is a gentleman in our church who is a generation or two ahead of me. He served as a police captain for many years and is now retired. He is a master craftsman with wood.

He doesn’t particularly like contemporary music, but he loves coming to our contemporary service because of the energy of the congregation. He loves seeing people half his age come to know and love the God he’s walked with since before they were born.

One morning, he walked into my office and said, “I don’t really know much about the technical equipment you’ve installed in the back of the sanctuary, but would it be OK if I build some furniture to house it in?”

6 months later, I walked into the sanctuary and there was a full oak sound board desk, split level lighting table, and video tech station, all built over newly installed flooring and behind a new oak half-wall with ornate detailed edges and panels. If we had hired in a professional crew and given them 100k, it would not have been this well designed or beautifully crafted. This whole area is an unbelievable work of art, the kind of craftsmanship you would expect on a communion table, or lectern, or in an art gallery. It’s that beautiful.

I want to be like Al. In one magnanimous act, he taught me so much. First, that nothing I could ever say to people from his generation about the value and purpose of contemporary technology and music would resonate as deeply as his act. By his actions, he said emphatically, “This matters.” Secondly, that I need to look for opportunities to be generous, not simply wait for them to present themselves. The active move toward service means more than the passive acquiescence to service.

And this. How great and wondrous and beautiful is the body of Christ. That God would give us wise elders to guide our youthful passions. That he would give us godly examples to tame our self-indulgent cynicism. That he would give us present mercies to sustain our energy toward mission. That he would teach his lessons wrapped as gifts, and that he would teach us love by the demonstrated self-giving of others toward us.